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Water Pump Q

2K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Tom Frasca 
#1 ·
I have the radiator out and am replacing hoses, belts...Should there be ANY wiggle/looseness in the water pump when I move the pulley? If not, how hard is the water pump replacement? I saw the documented version from 2010...is that it for an 84 Spider? Thank you in advance


Luis
 
#2 ·
very easy there should be no play(wobble) whatsoever remove it make sure the replacement has the exact same pulley...
 
#4 ·
The pulley CAN move in and out s l i g h t l y. This is the spring on the water stop seal allowing for normal seal carbon wear. However, NO WOBBLE, as that indicates the bearings are on the way to bearing heaven.
 
#5 ·
I didn't detect any in out, but just a bit of up down...I also see that the fan (and the new one) has a deeper pocket and a more shallow pocket to place on the hub/pulley...of course I didn't pay attention when removing it..which end goes over the pulley, and If I recall, the metal washer/is on the outside for the bolts...Thanks again in advance for all the info..
 
#10 ·
While you're at it have the radiator descaled and flow tested,pressure tested... the original core are so superior to recores.. any good rad shop can do it for about a $100 I repaint with epoxy some powder coat the rad shops use heat resistant paint ...but usually to glossy..
 
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#12 ·
One of the reasons water pump bearings wear out is the owner or mechanic over-tightens the belt tension. This puts high loads on the bearings in the water pump and the alternator. In earlycars it also can lead to cracks in the mainsheet pulley - along the keyway slot. That will eat up front crankshaft seals and start sharing all your oil with the rest of the engine and undercarriage.

Robert
 
#13 ·
In racing, (and street use with race engines) non-notched belts, loose enough to slip at high rpm, work best. This avoids water pump cavitation and alternator / generator blow-ups.
Water pump and generator / alternator bearings also last many many years.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I use a notched Belt (no particular reason) on the mouse engine which revs to 6000 and more...with generator...loose ... and I mean loose ,.... no cooling issues at all in traffic or at speed..... simple but great advice.. Gordon(once again....old age and experience conquers youth and enthusiasm)
 
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