Lets talk leakless water pumps!

Jason,

This is a great topic. In my opinion, the stock Model A water pump has very poor reliability. I drive my Model A on the highways in excess of 50 mph.... I will admit to some 70 mph spurts...and I know that sustained highway speed kills water pumps.

I have tried all of the combinations of bushings, bearings and seals, and none of them have had any longevity in my case. The Model B pump is no better, and in fact I think the Model A pump is superior to the Model B pump.

I have not tried it yet, but Jim Rupert's "XD" Leakless Pump looks like it should be the best of the bunch. Thanks for posting the cutaway picture of the XD.
 
Anyone using the V8 water pump? I see the converter and pumps for sale in the Model A catalogs.

Any benefit to these pumps?
 
Bob Bidonde said:
...
I have not tried it yet, but Jim Rupert's "XD" Leakless Pump looks like it should be the best of the bunch. Thanks for posting the cutaway picture of the XD.
Click to expand...
I have tried it --- and it works like a charm. No problems whatever, 3 going on 4 years.
 
Bob Bidonde said:
Jason,

This is a great topic. In my opinion, the stock Model A water pump has very poor reliability. I drive my Model A on the highways in excess of 50 mph.... I will admit to some 70 mph spurts...and I know that sustained highway speed kills water pumps.

.
Click to expand...

Whoa!!!!:D
I've never tried a so called "leakles pump" but have seen many fail on club members cars. Either the bearing goes out or the seals leak, or both.:mad:

The reason I never tried one is I rebuilt my original pump exactly as Ford made it, and it hasn't leaked a drop in over 10 years. I found you MUST smear grease around the LEAD packing rings when you install them. After that I adjusted the brass nut once after an hours run, then only a couple times in the next 10 years. I've also only greased the rear bushing 3 times in 10 years. I always run antifreeze. I also only use a generator and don't run my V belt very tight.

If someone runs only water and it gets rusty, I can see why water pumps start leaking.;)
 
I have to agree with Tom W., I have never had a problem with original water pumps, as long as the shaft is smooth/new and you use original Ford Lead Packings well greased. I usually run Model B engines, but it makes no difference.

I have a core Model B water pump that I bought that has a tag on it that says " Model B Water Pump Leakless - Leaks"

Darryl in Fairbanks + 30 F
 
Marshall57 said:
I too am looking to get a leakless water pump, I was looking at the ones listed in this thread and liked the one from Mike's, hit the link to look at it and it doesn't seem to be listed anymore. They do have one for $120 that is a little different "needs grease". Does anyone know if the one shown above is still offered or has it been removed?
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Mike has not carried the leakless pump for nearly 2 years now. In 2001 all of his leakless pumps were totally no grease at all. Brattons, Snyder and others showed leakless but you had to ask them and most of them YOU HAD TO GREASE THE REAR. Have fun modelAtony Lafayette,la
 
I have the James Rupert "Extreme Duty Leakless Water Pump" which needs no grease or maintenance in either the front or rear bearings, and it comes with a 5-year warranty. Mine has worked well so far for the 2 years that it has been on my car.
 
I have the Rupert XD pump on my touring 1930 Tudor. I have put about 15,000 miles on it and never had a problem. He did say with the pump that rust can damage the seals so he recommends anti freeze and soluble oil which I use.

John
 
I build my own leakless water pumps for my use. I use the brass rear bushing with seals, the brass packing nut with seal from Bratton and the modern front bearing and sleeve. The sealed rear bushing helps keep grease out of the water jacket. The front bearing and sleeve better stabilizes the shaft and removes end play. It costs very little more to use these parts, most parts get replaced in a rebuild, anyway. I use water pump lubricant in the tap water that I use for coolant and have never had rust problems with water pump parts. Some of my water pumps are still leak free after 15 years. When I grease, I back the packing nut off the rear bushing and pump in grease untill it comes out around the shaft. I then put a little bit of grease in the packing nut with my finger before reinstalling the packing nut. Original pumps work good but require more maintainance, the front bearing setup is a weak point. If the front of the water pump shaft isn't completely stable, leaks will soon begin.
 
I installed a so-called "leakless" Model B-style pump on my 1929 Model A (which has a 1932 "C"-head on it), and it leaked from the packing nut, the rear greasing port, and even from the top mounting bolt! I then pumped some grease into it, and then added a tiny O-ring to the brass cover over the greasing port, and the leaks finally stopped. (The leak from the top mounting bolt decided to behave shortly after that, for some reason).

It worked fine until recently, when it blew-out big-time! It had only had about 700 miles on it when it failed on me recently, and regreasing the rear port did nothing to stop it.

I will never buy one of these again; instead, I sent it to James Rupert for his expertise in rebuilding it. Once I get it back, I'm hoping I'll have better luck with his rebuild work than I did when it first came to me new (and "leakless").
 
Right... So I'm new to Model A's and find this thread interesting... Mostly because I just bought a '29 (first ever) and the water pump is leaking... VERY slowly, maybe a drip every 20 seconds... Am I to gather this is a regular occurrence? Thanks!
 
Trailwanderer said:
Right... So I'm new to Model A's and find this thread interesting... Mostly because I just bought a '29 (first ever) and the water pump is leaking... VERY slowly, maybe a drip every 20 seconds... Am I to gather this is a regular occurrence? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Not normal at all. I rebuilt my water pump over 10 years ago and built it exactly as original with lead packing rings. It never leaked a drop in all those years and I only checked the packing nut a couple times and greased it about once a year. Be sure to pack grease around the lead packing rings as you install them and also use a new shaft or make sure your shaft is in perfect condition.

This is how I always rebuild water pumps, but starting last year I also use the rear bushing with a seal in the rear. This will make sure the grease and antifreeze don't mix.:)
 
28 Special Coupe said:
I went through the agony of deciding which water pump to buy a few weeks ago. I called Snyder's and talked to Don about the two leakless pumps that they sell. I was told that the pump they sell the most of is the "Leakless/Ball Bearing Water Pump", which has a sealed ball bearing in front and the leakless bushing in back that you still have to grease. The least selling unit is the "Leakless Water Pump", which is the maintenance free type. I was also told that the "Leakless/Ball Bearing Water Pump" has a heavier duty ball bearing than the other one. Snyder's recommended the "Leakless/Ball Bearing Water Pump" and I was told that they use that particular unit on all the cars they restore.

So basically, I intended to buy the maintenance free version, but opted for the other pump based on Mr. Snyder's recommendation. I put over 600 miles on that new pump last weekend during my club's fall tour. So far, I haven't seen a drop from it.

On a related note, I found that if I pull the pack nut forward on the shaft when I grease it, the excess grease will come out the front of the bushing instead of out the back and into the radiator.
Click to expand...

On a related note, I found that if I pull the pack nut forward on the shaft when I grease it, the excess grease will come out the front of the bushing instead of out the back and into the radiator.[/QUOTE]

Speaking of Snyder's I placed and order for a few items this week and there was some hick-up in the website. I called them and to my surprise I spoke to Don, who corrected the order asap. Very nice folks. I'm luck I'm about hour drive from them... I'm sure I'll pop over there at some point...

-Mike
Cleveland
 
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