Odd water pump

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Odd water pump
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 01:52 pm:

I got a 22 non starter car started for the first time in 30 years and it ran well but heated and soft seized after a bit,shut down and let cool! It does have an odd water pump that the owner wants to keep, I would rather pitch it and put a standard fan belt on. Not my car so now I have to get this pump aligned and turning better. Any one see one like this and what can I do to it?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 01:56 pm:

It mounts to a plate that is held between the upper rad outlet. the plate is kinda heavy steel but I should be able to bend it a bit to get the alignment better. The pump is tight but does turn. The belt is trash and will get replaced, the fan bushings are nice and not loose.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ricks - Surf City on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 01:58 pm:

Modern ribbed belt will have more traction.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 02:04 pm:

I was thinking the pump should turn a bit more freely, maybe it would loosen a bit with a ribbed belt after a few min of running? this cars motor was rebuilt long ago and never run after it was put back together, so today was a special day for the owner who is about 80 years old, what fun! I have no idea with model ts and water pumps. I dont have one on mine!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Claverie on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 02:31 pm:

Is the water pump turning? That's the first thing to check. If it's not, jump to the later part of this post.

Then, I'd make sure the coolant is circulating. Usually you can remove the radiator cap and see movement of the coolant inside, with the engine running.

If you can't discern movement, it could be the pump isn't pumping, OR it could be a thermostat that isn't opening. As you probably know, it is normal practice to install a thermostat on an engine when installing a water pump. It is usually put inside the upper water outlet, where it bolts to the head. It is not unusual for an older thermostat to "freeze up" in the closed position and not ever let the coolant circulate.

If you determine the thermostat is working (you can put it in a pot of water and heat it on the stove - it should open before the water boils) or you have either replaced or temporarily removed it, and you still have no water movement, then you can dig into the water pump.

The reason I leave it to last, is that it is more likely to be un-repairable than the other items. It was clearly an accessory made for the Model T, and in its day it might have worked like a champ. But, if you find a bearing, bushing, or seal needs replacement, you may find yourself in a world of hurt trying to find a replacement part.

It is worth mentioning that water pumps were usually installed in an attempt to get an engine to cool properly, when its designed thermo-barf cooling system failed to work. That means that the cooling system was marginal before the pump was installed, and 30 years of sitting and rusting can't have helped. You may find yourself de-scaling the radiator and block, and there are several very good products available to do that.

The most helpful "tool" you could use in diagnosing this system may be an infra-red thermometer. They are available for very little cost, everywhere from Radio Shack to on-line. You simply point it at something, pull the trigger or push the button, and the readout tells you the item's temperature. If, for instance, you find the block heating up towards 200 degrees and the top and bottom of the radiator are still reading more-or-less room temperature, you know the coolant isn't circulating. If you have circulation, but there isn't much temp difference between the top and the bottom of the radiator, there is a reason the radiator isn't cooling the coolant.

I also use mine to check the temp of the tires and bearings of my trailer, at every stop. A hot tire means a low tire, and it's going to fail. A hot bearing means... well, you know.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Claverie on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 02:36 pm:

P. S. If the pump turns and the belt doesn't jump off, I'd leave the alignment alone. Flat belts are funny critters - they tend to run to the high side, which is counter-intuitive. That's why the crank pulley is 'crowned' in the middle.

It's clear from your picture that there is bad alignment. But, it might just like it that way, and fiddling with it may be a very slippery slope.

Get the system working properly first, and leave the alignment to last - if it's needed at all.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Kopsky, Lytle TX on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 02:49 pm:

Sure looks like restricted passages on the pump. Check to see if it's full of debris or just rusted to a point where there's not enough flow.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 03:30 pm:

It's an Atlas water pump. I have one on mine and seems to still have thermo-barf cooling as original when the the engine shuts off if real warm. I think it works like a Model A as an assist to the therm o-syphen system.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 03:31 pm:

The water passageways in the head and block are probably at the very least half closed up with rust and dried up sludge. After 30 years and even before its bound to be internally restricted.

A good idea would be to remove the radiator, flush it and then remove the cylinder head.

Use a 1/4 drill bit and CAREFULLY drill out the water passageways holes in the block and use air to blow out the rust and etc. In the long oval shaped water passageways use a screwdriver or better yet a small cable with a drill and clean the rust scale that way.

Do the cylinder head the same way.

Next to having to replace an original radiator that's the first step in getting your cooling system in working order.

You could find out that the water pump isn't necessary!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 03:42 pm:

The motor was rebuilt, I asked the owner several times if he put water back it in way back when and he said nope. He did have the rad flushed then and I looked in and it looked real clean. I am going to pull the rad and flush anyway, also flush the block at same time. Today was just to see the overall condition of the car, everything works! It just needs a little love to be a great car again. That pump does turn but it is tight, just not sure how tight is too tight, also not sure if there is a thermostat in the upper hose. Any one know if I could just take that junk old belt over to a napa and get a close modern ribbed belt? I hope I can convince the owner that we can get it cleaned up and dont really need this pump thing!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 03:58 pm:


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Mazza on Monday, May 26, 2014 - 03:58 pm:


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