Water Distribution Tube

Hi Richard
I doubt if the front of the water pump has been bored out to accept over size bearings. Sealed bearings made in the good old USA should be used.
When rebuilding the internals, a modern pump seal should be used. This requires the impeller to be machined. DO not run the modern seal against the old cast iron housing, as it will fail prematuerly. A ceramic seal is supplied with the seal kit, use it. Many folks discard this item. The front casting will have to be machined to accept the ceramic side of the seal.

The water distribution tube should be clean all the way to the end. This tube should have been extracted , cleaned and replaced when the engine was rebuilt.
Cheers
Curt

Well, you can see from the first photo that someone has been pounding on the end of the water pump shaft pretty good. We'll have to see what that shaft and impeller look like when it comes apart.

Not only that, the flange on the end of the shaft that bolts to the fan is pounded as well. And someone (undoubtedly the same person) has used too small of a hardened key on the shaft and to make it hold the flange, they installed it rounded side up. That left little surface for grip so the flange is worn in the center of the inner groove and the key is all beat up.

I guess I will be looking for a water pump/fan flange and a proper shaft key after I get the pump rebuilt.

sigh....

There are times I wish I could just go down to the local Napa store and buy a Chinese re-built part and slap it in...

No.. It wouldn't be as much fun, would it.

I pulled the water pump on my 850 and am going to have to have it rebuilt. Looks to me that it's been done before and that the housing may have been cut and modern sealed bearings installed (which are now bad). See first photo. Can anyone confirm from the photo that I am right that this is not an original Auburn bearing? There are no markings on the bearing except for that little dent.



I was also surprised at how narrow the copper water distribution tube is (see photo). That stud to the left is only 3/8.

I can't see down inside the tube since the radiator and shell are still on, but I was wondering if there is something I should do to run a brush or something down it. The inlet looks pretty clean to me though.

Hmmm... from the last photo I can see I missed a bit of gasket. Couldn't see that by eye. The wonders of digital photography...