I got mine thru Rock. It was a new Airtex. Funny, when I took the old one off, it was an AC Delco dated 1978
I figured it's about time. Considering it only accumulated 10K miles in the last 35 years, sitting that long can't help. Any tips on the repair in terms of what to remove for easy access?
Just don't forget to take the clutch off b4 taking the alt belt off, the clutch may put up a fight coming off the shaft also. Fan shroud and fan about it really
I have a motto- "If its not broken, don't fix it!" If its not leaking and there is no play in the bearing when you grab the fan, leave it alone. But that's just me. I did mine this past weekend because the bearing had play in it. The water pump is easy, provided that none of bolts snap. I'd be surprised if at least one of the 1/4-20 bolts dont snap. That really ruins your whole day. What comes off- Radiator top plate, million dollar fan shroud, fan, fan pulley and both belts. Open the petcock and drain the radiator. Get a large drain pan under the engine (and put a large piece of plywood under the car if you value your driveway) before you take the pump off because a half quart of coolant is going to spill from the timing cover. I jack up the rear of the car about 8-10" to drain out the engine block a bit more. It lowers the coolant level in the block so the coolant doesn't dribble out as you clean up the water pump flange. Once you drop the car down, the coolant level is safely below the lower timing cover/ water pump bolt on the drivers side. When I fill the radiator back up, I take out the large pipe plug out of the manifold to prevent the engine getting bound up with air. Even though I drilled a small hole in the t-stat, I take the plug out just as a safety precaution. Keep an eye on the hole when you fill the coolant back up. Once you see the intake get wet, screw that baby back in quick before you have Mt Vesuvius all over your intake
THREAD REVIVAL!! I'm about to replace my water pump with a new TA 1537 BHP pump. I will be picking up a bottle of gasgacinch also. My question is do I apply it to both sides of the gasket or just one side or the other? Also can I put it on the threads of the long bolts mentioned in this thread on a previous post?
...and anti-seize on the bolt shanks so they don't corrode to the inside of the holes in the timing cover.
Correct! RTV or a gasket. There is no reason to use both. If the gasket leaks without RTV, there is something wrong with the sealing surfaces.Use High Tack or something similar if you need to hold the gasket in place. RTV is not for threads, ever!
So Gasgacinch on the gasket both sides, teflon thread sealer on the threads and anti-seize on the long bolt shanks, got it thanks guys!
Except for oil pump gaskets, Im always afraid of doing that. I usually just put a skim coat of Permatex Ultra black on each side of the gasket just in case there are any inconsistencies in the gasket mating surfaces. Makes me feel better if nothing else
I used to do that...thirty years ago. Thin coat of RTV silicone on the gasket "just 'cause". Then I figured out that the slippery silicone was causing the gaskets to distort (squeeze out) when torqued, the excess silicone sealer was migrating to places it shouldn't be, and the whole process was a matter of using the wrong product for the application. For the record, I also quit using "Yellow Death" weather strip adhesive on valve cover gaskets, too.
Never had an issue. I know some people glob that stuff on like they're icing a damn cake. I literally wipe it on with my forefinger. Maybe its a waste of time, I don't know. Never had an issue with leaks though so why change? .
I go dry because I know it'll be me who has to clean it next. If it's works dry, then the next time it'll work dry, too, and the time to clean it is low.
RTV is good to hold paper gaskets in place, a light smear here and there, until the mating part is joined. I theorized on my last build, " why use ANY sealer if a gasket is used, the gasket is suppose to seal, if I use a sealer, Im going to need a sealer for the sealer" LOL
