Silver discharge from water pump pulley

30RoadTom

30RoadTom

Junior Member
Hi folks, I've attached a photo showing a silver 'Never Seize' looking discharge coming out of the center of the fan blade pulley. It's not obviously leaking when you sit and look at it running, but there's a good amount of it because it's slinging all over the inside of the hood in little specks. I'm afraid I know what it means but I'd like to hear somebody else say it as the whole pump was new five years ago. As a side note, the grease I use is very dark, almost black. And "no" the belt is not too tight but it may have been for a short time early in it's life. What's going on here?
 

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To me it looks like a repro aluminum fan ---does it wobble if you try to move it?
It could be the front bearing is worn and the hub is using the water pump housing for a bearing ---the silver looks like aluminum powder mixed with grease ---sometimes the taper of the pump shaft doesn't match the taper in the fan, or the key way groove was too shallow ---possibly the end play is too much and the hub is becoming the thrust bearing.

it needs to be taken apart and the source found
 
Thanks for your advice, I was hoping my "projects" for this summer were over with. It doesn't exactly wobble, but there is about 1/8" horizontal movement of the shaft (which I thought was 'normal'). Looks like it's coming off.
 
1/8" is too much end play and can allow the brass thrust washer to fall out of place in the pockets on the impellor. As Kurt said, it definately need to be removed and fixed.
From the picture your belt does look tighter than it needs to be, unless you are using an alternator with a small pulley.
 
Kurt is on the right track. The aluminum fans are a little beefier in the pulley area for strength. When you use one you need to check to see if the inside of the aluminum pulley is rubbing on outside of the waterpump housing. It can be a close fit, you may have to grind the nose of your waterpump a little to get clearance.

I'm sure it is aluminum from the inside of the pulley that you are seeing. I believe this can happen even with a new bearing.

I would check your bearing now if you find the pulley has been rubbing.
 
If you didnt use a thin hard steel washer under the fan nut,the blade assy can loosen on the WP shaft when an alum blade assy is used & give you that "Never Seize"look.
 
Like any improvement(aluminum fan and hub) compensations may have to be made. Hence the caution that because of the beefed up pulley material on the aluminum hub, you do have to check the spin clearance between water pump housing and fan hub. As I remember the instructions for the installation explains this. Many of the parts and methods surely have improved from some repro parts made 30 years ago.
 
I appreciate all the tips, advice and comments. My inspection is due this month so I'm going to wait until after I get it done (probably later this week) to take the pump apart. I'll let the car sit until then and the shop I take it to is only a few blocks away. Maybe I'll have more questions next week once I get into it. Thank you!
 
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