Water pump replacement

[Rodney Bullock]

I am running the car with no generator right now would that effect me not getting the timing light to light?

[Jim Saraceno]

As said before, there is no external bypass on your stat housing so the pump should be an internal bypass.

I'm surprised your timing light won't work on 6 volts. I bought a cheap on several years ago that was made for a 12 v system but it works just fine on my 6V.

[Rodney Bullock]

Ok, so I went out this morning to struggle with the water pump and it was like eating cake:) took 20 min to remove the fan and pump. I compared it to the new pump and there are diffrences. The new pump looks like you alls by pass pump however it has a plug to fix the theaded hole near the dist.tube opening and I will have to get a pipe theaded elbow for my heater hose. so i can use this pump. it's a little bigger so it might help even more.

My water distribution tube looks real good no rust.:DLooks like thiongs are golden:)

[desoto1939]

Rodney,

This is a dumb question, but are you sure that the 12v timing light that you have is working? Have you tried it on a 12v car.

Remember that on your Plymouth if you have kept it original then the car is positive ground so you need to put the positive ground clip on the engine block head bolt for the ground and then the neg clip goes on the power souce on your car. My craftsman light has a pickup or iductor that clamps onto a sparkpug wire and I time from number 6 according to my 39 Desoto manual.

Frist make sure the light works on a 12 v car then hook it up like i just described and it should work.

Rich Hartung

[woodie49]

Ok so I got my generator off and cleaned my damper for the timing marks. Low and behold my high tech timing light will not work on a 6 volt. Joe must have a 6 volt light as I saw it flash. I know everyone knows I have a 1940 Plymouth however my motor is a little newer its a 1950-51 plymouth. My by pass set up is ....well I will let you see for yourself you tell me.

if you look real close you can see the timing mark...anybody know where I can get a 6volt timing light?

Rodney,

I have the same problem. I just pull up a 12 volt car next to my Woodie and attach the timing light power cords to the 12 volt, and the plug wire to number one on the Plymouth (or as Don has pointed out before, to the coil wire, which really ligths things up). It works great that way. A little inconvenient.

[Rodney Bullock]

I think the light did not work because the generator is not hook up in the car. Once I get everything back in I will try again. It;s funny seeing everything off the motor like it is, I am glad I decieded to replace the water pump with the new one this way everything is replaced while I feel like doing it. Well I guess I am back in the swing of things. Working on the plymouth is second nature it all came back to me. Feels good:o

[woodie49]

I don't think the generator is going to make any difference. If the battery runs the car, it will power the timing light. I have two 12v timing lights, neither of which will operate off my 6v battery. They run fine off my 12v cars.

[Rodney Bullock]

I do have one question about the water pump I got, it has a bolt(long) and a spacer. I woundering what they go to how would I use a spacer?

[Don Coatney]

I do have one question about the water pump I got, it has a bolt(long) and a spacer. I woundering what they go to how would I use a spacer?

Need a picture of the spacer????

[Rodney Bullock]

Oh boy, sorry it's not a spacer it's a plug. On the new pump there is a theaded port next to the hole on the water pump where the distribution tube connects to the water pump this thing I thought was a spacer is in fact a plug. I have been trying to insert this plug into the hole I just got it to go in. Don on your pictures your pump is like the one I just got in the mail. Do you have that theaded hole?

[Rodney Bullock]

This new pump I have has a theaded hole on top for the heater hose elbow

[Jim Saraceno]

If I remember correctly, someone in the past mentioned that the newer pumps have one area where the bolt passes through, which is thicker than the original pump therefore needs a longer bolt.

[Rodney Bullock]

All has been hashed out. I now understand the difference between the new and old. Spacer was a plug, long bolt is for the passenger side of the pump.I put the pump together last night and will reassemble today. The cdar still is not drivable because I don't have the generator. The new pump is slightly larger that could be good.

[Don Coatney]

Don on your pictures your pump is like the one I just got in the mail. Do you have that theaded hole?

It has been so long ago that I dont remember.

[Young Ed]

Rodney the new pump you got is a fits all. I have one on my 48. One bolt hole is deeper and there is a plug for a heater hose connection that newer cars apparently use.

[Rodney Bullock]

Ok, so now we know for sure. It is possible to replace the water pump and the fan as a unit. I did it last night in the dark and buttoned it up this morning. It seems that the fan can be installed on the water pump and slid into place in front of the radiator. By putting the driver's side bolt in first and holding the heater hose elbow you can then switch to the other side and install the long bolt. The hardest bolt to install is the middle bolt. This requires a little work but it's not impossible. The tools needed ......9/16 speed wrench. Time......20 min. Now if I can get that darn Gnerator back.

[Don Coatney]

Ok, so now we know for sure. It is possible to replace the water pump and the fan as a unit. I did it last night in the dark and buttoned it up this morning. It seems that the fan can be installed on the water pump and slid into place in front of the radiator. By putting the driver's side bolt in first and holding the heater hose elbow you can then switch to the other side and install the long bolt. The hardest bolt to install is the middle bolt. This requires a little work but it's not impossible. The tools needed ......9/16 speed wrench. Time......20 min. Now if I can get that darn Gnerator back.

Good job my friend. It appears you are trainable:D

[Rodney Bullock]

Ok so I take the pump back off ans the 4 little bolts on the backing plate of the water pump are loose. Where in gods name do I get that gasket from? It must have been leaking from there as I had the gasket on good. The big round hole in the block dosen't any water flow thru there

[TodFitch]

Ok so I take the pump back off ans the 4 little bolts on the backing plate of the water pump are loose. Where in gods name do I get that gasket from? It must have been leaking from there as I had the gasket on good. The big round hole in the block dosen't any water flow thru there

I think the big round hole was there for manufacturing to get the sand from the casting core out.

Having a 1933 Plymouth with a totally different water pump housing and inlet to the block your question about getting a cover plate gasket is easy: Make it.

You can get gasket paper at any decent auto supply store. If you have calipers or micrometer, measure the thickness of your existing gasket so you know the thickness to get. But its not critical, so you could also just go by guessing thickness. Outside of gasket is easy, just lay the pump on the gasket paper and trace. Good sharp scissors should work for that odd shape. A set of inexpensive hole punches from Harbor Freight will make the bolt holes.... Overall, its not too hard to make a paper gasket. I have more difficulty with cork or the high temperature stuff needed for the manifold. And I'd leave making a head gasket to the pros. But a simple paper gasket is easy to do.

The rear axle seal gaskets, the large gasket for the center carrier on my differential, my valve cover gaskets and my water pump gaskets are all made by me. The valve cover gaskets I could have purchased but it is so quick and easy to pull a sheet of gasket stock off the shelf and do it that it is hardly worth ordering one from the store.

http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-hollow-punch-set-3838.html

Edited September 9, 2011 by TodFitch

[Joe Flanagan]

I was going to ask you if you got those on snugly with some sealant but I figured you knew what you were doing. You can make a gasket for the backing plate. Just set it down on some gasket material and trace it. As Young Ed said, that pump is a fits-all model, so you shouldn't have any problem with water flow after you seal everything up.

[Rusty O'Toole]

Lots of good info on this thread. Would like to add a couple of thoughts.

When working on a car with tight clearance between fan and rad I like to slide a piece of cardboard in between to protect the rad.

Making gaskets is easy, you cut them out by laying the paper on the pump and tapping around the edge with a ball peen hammer. There is a special tool for cutting the bolt holes but a hole punch from the stationary store works fine. If you prefer you can cut out the gasket with scissors after marking the paper with the hammer method.

You can buy gasket material if you are rich, the rest of us use old cereal boxes. Works just as well and costs nothing.

[Vintage Metal]

Lots of great info in this thread, any part numbers for a water pump to fit a 218?

[Desert Rat]

In replacing my pump, I ended up shearing off the center mounting bolt. Since it has a good 3/8" or better sticking out of the block, I figured i could use one of those bolt extractors.. Hoping it won't spin on the threads  Ive soaked it in Free for a couple days. Gonna try somehow to squirt some in from the back as well. 

Anyone been down this road or have some tips?

My radiator is still in btw. Just like others have pointed out. Its a knuckle scraper and just BARELY has room but I made it happen.   

Also, any RTV gasket sealant when this goes back together?

[Los_Control]

Just now, Desert Rat said:

Anyone been down this road or have some tips?

I'm not sure how much room you have to work there.

A good way would be to weld a nut on the end. The heat should break the rust loose, then can use a wrench or socket to turn it out.

Could try to heat it up with a propane torch or using the yellow bottle map gas.  Map burns hotter.

 

Either way when you do try to remove it, try turning it both directions just to get loosen the rust.

 

I had a broken bolt on my T-stat housing, I used my propane torch to heat it up then vise grips & it came right out.

Good luck to you.

 

For gaskets I use permatex shellac gasket compound.  Probably better choices out there today. I have been using it since I was a 15 year old kid with good results.

Use to be called Indian head, had a picture of a Indian chief on the bottle. I suppose to be politically correct they changed the name.

[JBNeal]

I have used an O-A torch to melt broken bolts out of cast iron then let cool to touch before cleaning out threads with a tap...put the flame tip at center of bolt and let the blue wrench do its magic.

 

Permatex gasket sealer #2 works good on gaskets, tho I have heard about the Indian head just have not tried it yet.