A water pump question

[saburke17]

well here's my first question. why does this aluminum piece in the left chamber look busted? Any idea what it does?
I did find that when i pulled the water pump off the part that connects to the thermostat housing with the 2" section of hose was plugged solid as you can see and so was the chamber on the water pump itself. what does that part do? I think i would like to replace the water pump and thermostat since i have it off. the inside of the pump is rusted although it spins freely. Does anyone recomend replacing the rusted bolts with new ones or just wirewheel them and put em back in? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Oh yeah one last thing, i would like to thank who ever worked on the engine before me as all the bolts were rusted but had plenty of anti-seize on the threads and they came off like they were new

[Charles Talbert]

Your first question, it's the coolant distribution tube. It just pulls out, may be tough from corrosion. It's a couple of feet long or thereabouts, so it will not come out with the radiator installed. It most likely needs replacing.

Second question, the clogged hole is the bypass line. It should be cleared and the hose replaced. The thermostat is probably no good either and I imagine the radiator core is stopped up also. You have a serious case of it there.

I would replace the water pump with a new one and by all means replace the rust pitted bolts before they snap from weakness. Using anti-seize is smart, however you need to use a high temp thread sealer on all the bolts that go into water passages, you are very subject to having leaks if you don't. The use of plated bolts is wise.

[saburke17]

Hey Charles any idea where i can get one of those tubes and water pump?

[Charles Talbert]

Hey Charles any idea where i can get one of those tubes and water pump?

$83.25 plus shipping on the pump, we have them in stock. Don't think I have any tubes at present, but I read where a vendor had some new reproductions, maybe VPW, they are around. I'd pull the one I had and check its condition before purchasing, a good chance it is bad considering the other issues you mentioned, no way to tell for sure until you pull it.

[saburke17]

Man I cant get that tube out for the life of me. What does it do and what may happen if i leave it in like that? Also when replacing the bolts should i just use zinc plated ones, and is gasket sealer recomended along with fiber gasket.
Charley i was able to get a waterpump here at napa, thanks for the offer though.

Sean

[Charles Talbert]

Man I cant get that tube out for the life of me. What does it do and what may happen if i leave it in like that? Also when replacing the bolts should i just use zinc plated ones, and is gasket sealer recommended along with fiber gasket.
Charley i was able to get a waterpump here at napa, thanks for the offer though.

Sean

You are taking a HUGE risk if you don't pull that tube and clean it. After seeing how things were clogged in your engine, it is almost a given the distribution tube will be clogged also, that is why it is resisting being removed. It has small coolant flow openings in it, these must be open in order to prevent engine damage from improper cooling. I would simply put all else on the side line and get that tube out. Lots of times we clamp the tube in vise-grips and tap it out. We have vise-grips that are modified to work with a slide hammer puller which is a God sent tool for stubborn distribution tools. Depending on how much your engine has been run with these serious clogs in place, you may already have damage due to over heating as a result of poor coolant flow. Over looking an obviously serious issue like this just doesn't make any sense.

Using zinc plated bolts is fine, coat the threads with high temp thread sealer. Gaskets will need to be sealed or you can expect leaks.

[Gordon Maney]

well here's my first question. why does this aluminum piece in the left chamber look busted? Any idea what it does?
I did find that when i pulled the water pump off the part that connects to the thermostat housing with the 2" section of hose was plugged solid as you can see and so was the chamber on the water pump itself. what does that part do? I think i would like to replace the water pump and thermostat since i have it off. the inside of the pump is rusted although it spins freely. Does anyone reccommend replacing the rusted bolts with new ones or just wirewheel them and put em back in? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah one last thing, i would like to thank who ever worked on the engine before me as all the bolts were rusted but had plenty of anti-seize on the threads and they came off like they were new

That is a really great photo to show the water distribution tube to those not familiar with them.

....and great work, Charles, as always.

[Warren Watt]

Removing the tube.........

I had to make a long removal tool to remove what was left of mine. It is made out of a stainless steel shelf bracket. I cut a section out of it to make what resembled a small hook shape. I bent the free end so I could grab it with vise grips and tap on them with a hammer. This worked well especially since the tube came out in four pieces. It was difficult.
My new tube came from Roberts Motor Parts. It slid right in place.
Remember, we are working on things that have not seen the light of day for decades. It takes patience and determination.

[saburke17]

so i got the old coolant tube out, it was kind of pain but i got it. to me it looked intact minus the end but was rusty. it almost looked like they forced that tube in there because only the end was krinkled, I kind of improvised and made my own pull out tool. i used a pair of needle nose vise grips and i took the adjusting screw out of the handle and replaced it with a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod about 24" long. a couple of fender washers and piece of steel to slide back with and it worked quite well. you can see it in the backround. I just ordered a new one from VPW and should be here in a few days. I repainted the thermostat housing, water pump and the bypass line using engine block primer and paint. is there anything else i should do while i have those pieces out already? The coolant was very green ( looked brand new with no rust in it) should i assume that there wasnt any damage? From what i know the truck ran very little over the course of 10 years so im not sure if there was any damage done. So im going to do a good flush, will try and open the block drain to flush that way also. refill the coolant, add some rust inhibitor and hopefully i should be fine.

Sean

[saburke17]

Hey Charles i just got the new coolant tube and was wondering if its supposed to go all the way into the head so its flush or is it supposed to stick out a little to go into the water pump. it currently slides in freely until about 4 or so inches are left and then it gets tight. it looks like from the original picture that they banged it in there and you can see how it bent. can i use a little water based grease or lubrication or is it supposed to be to tight?

Sean

[Charles Talbert]

Hey Charles i just got the new coolant tube and was wondering if its supposed to go all the way into the head so its flush or is it supposed to stick out a little to go into the water pump. it currently slides in freely until about 4 or so inches are left and then it gets tight. it looks like from the original picture that they banged it in there and you can see how it bent. can i use a little water based grease or lubrication or is it supposed to be to tight?

Sean

It should slide into the block flush or slightly past flush. I would check to see if there is something in the block keeping it from sliding in all the way. Maybe rust and corrosion that needs to be broken loose and flushed out. You have some issue in play if it requires hitting hard enough to deform the end to install it. It should go in just inserting by hand.