Water pump Question

john charlton

john charlton

Well-known member
My newly aquired ex AZ 29 blindback is fitted with a brand new looking waterpump . I would guess it is of the leakless variety as nary a drip from it which just dont look right somehow (As the waitress in" Paper Moon" says after being taken by Ryan Oneill) Question is I guess you dont lube them as both bearings are sealed units ???.The front bearing does have the conical Tecalemit fitting just for show ???

John in lovely sunny day at last between two lows heavy rain tommorrow DRAT, England.
 
BillLee/Chandler said:
Is that right? I thought the front (i.e., closest to the fan) was the one that needed lubing and the back was the "for looks only".
Click to expand...

That's what I thought also, but I've never bought one, so I can't swear to what they want greased if anything. I have seen and heard of several "leakless" pumps that develope leaks after a year or so, and some have the bearings go out.

I always rebuild my own and the one I have on my car right now I rebuilt 10 years ago and installed it 5 years ago. It's rebuilt exactly the way Henry built it and it's never leaked a drop. Even so, all future rebuilds will get the double lip seal in the rear brass bushing, to better keep the antifreeze and grease seperated.

I just got done doing a cooling system cleaning and it's removed a lot of scum and grease from the system and dropped the temp by about 20*.
 
Depends on where you got the pump, we did an article on a pump that has sealed bearings front and back in the Model A Times Summer 2009 issue.
 
John;
Fortunately or unfortunately you may or may not have to lube one or the other. The reason is that is possible to assemble a "leakless" pump using a unit in the rear with modern needle bearings and 3 seals that may not have a provision for lube. The unit I am refering to is Mac's #A8520/23BM Brass or #A8520/23ZM Zink, you can identify these as the packing gland is rigid or fixed. This unit does not have provisions to allow lube to be applied. This not to say that it could be drilled later to allow lubing.

The front bearing, just behind the fan, could be the original type and require lubing. if the bearing has been replaced with say a Mac's #A8501 shaft and bearing set, it can not be lubed. It is constructed of two sealed ball bearing in a special carrier and try as you might you will never be able to force grease into even if you drill a hole.

Not knowing the history or make up of its mechanical componets can be frustrating, maybe the best bet would to remove the pump (something you may not have wanted to do) shoot some grease in to check to see just what you have.

Personally I feel for a touring type application you can not beat the dependability and added durability of ulitizing the above mentioned componets. If you have a fine points vehicle stay as far away from them as possible.
Steve-Santa Rosa
 
Snyder's sells two kinds of leakless pumps. One gets lubed in the back, the other
does not get lubed anywhere. The one that gets lubed in the back also has a
packing nut that can be screwed out in order to slip in some packing material as
a backup. Their more expensive one does not have an adjustment packing nut and
is not designed to be removed----period. One more thing----even leakless pumps
can leak after awhile----trust me. My leakless pump is about eight years old and
loses about 3/4 to one gallon a day. I just bought a new one from snyders and it
will be installed next week. Snyder's also sells the original style for about 80 bucks.
It's something to think about-------depending on how long you intend to keep the
car. Oh, yeah, the non functioning grease fittings are for show only. JMHO

Jack
 
JoeWay said:
Details, please? I'm about to do the same.

Joe
Click to expand...

You can find it by doing a THREAD SEARCH for "Radiator Cleaning", but I have copied and pasted it for you.

My 1928 Phaeton has the original radiator, fan and fan shroud and when I used my infrared gun to shoot the temp, it showed 210-215* on the top tank with air temp in the upper 80's. I run 50% antifreeze and a 160* thermostat.

About a month ago I bought a gallon of heavy duty floor degreaser from H/F and used it for cleaning my radiator. The radiator seemed to have a slimey coating of grease in the top tank. Stick your finger in the top tank and rub the neck and sides and it came out with slime on it. I forgot to drain the antifreeze and added about a quart of the cleaner. The cleaner looks just like pouring in green antifreeze.

I ran this mix for a week, then drained the system and removed the thermostat. I replaced the coolant with water and another quart of the cleaner. I ran this mix for another week, then drained it. It didn't foam up like I thought it would. I then replaced it with water and a box of washing soda, which I only ran for two days. When I drained this I could see that it was rusty looking. I then replaced this with water and a can of radiator flush, which looked identical to the heavy duty floor cleaner, which looked like green antifreeze.

After a week I drained this and flushed the system with clean water. I then reinstalled my thermostat and used 60% antifreeze. Yesterday the temp was in the 60's and the top tank showed 170* after a long drive, so the cleaning has lowered my coolant temp a fair amount.
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
You can find it by doing a THREAD SEARCH for "Radiator Cleaning", but I have copied and pasted it for you...
Click to expand...

Hmm...I missed 2-3 days of FB about the time of that post and never caught up.

Thanks, Tom. I don't have any grease or slime, so I think I can skip the soap.

The last can of radiator flush I bought was clear, and didn't seem to do much of anything judging by the water that drained afterward. Do you recall the brand of flush you bought that was green?

Joe
 
The container is gone, but it was in a one pint round yellow platic bottle with a funnel shape to the top. It may have been Prestone, or Bowes. I've heard Cascade works well for cleaning. I think the box of washing soda did a lot of the good for my radiator.
 
Joe Way .......................
The, over the counter, radiator flushes of today are almost totally useless, thanks to the EPA. Fill your radiator with cider vinegar and put 100 miles on it. Then drain it. It should be pretty clean, by then. It is not harmful to the environment either !
MIKE :)
 
Buy Mike's leakless pump and never think about it EVER again. Best money I ever spent on 80 year old Iron.
 
When lubing the rear of a water pump, leakless or regular, it a good idea to back off the packing nut so grease is not forced into the cooling system.

Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top