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I noticed an intermittent squealing sound from my belt today and, after parking the car, observed coolant leaking from the engine. The source appears to be the front of the water pump as it is pooling in the back of the water pump pulley and dripping down from there.

I happen to have a spare (remanufactured) water pump from Kanter and wanted to know if there is anything I need to know before removing and replacing the old one. A couple of questions I have are:

1. There are two gaskets provided with the replacement pump. One is the exact shape of the back of the pump (the part that mates to the front of the block). The other is smaller, roughly trapezoid shape, and mostly solid with one small D-shaped cutout area. What is this gasket for?
2. Do the gaskets go on dry or do they need to be sealed with Permatex or something similar?
3. Can I reuse the existing bolts?
4. Is there any special "sealing" type of copper washer that goes on any of the bolts?
5. What are the suggested torque specs?

The job looks to be straightforward, but I have made that mistaken assumption before! Any tips or tricks are greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

If the coolant leak is coming from the "weep hole" in the pump body, surely the seal is failing.


1. 1 gasket goes between the pump body and the pump rear cover plate, the other between the pump cover plate and the engine block.

2. I've always used either Permatex or gasket shellac.

3. Yes, and check the lengths to make sure you get the bolts back into the same holes when reinstalling. I shellac the threads as the bolts go into the water jacket.

4. Yes, where they are used will be indicated by a slight recess in the casting of the pump body.

5. Snug, no specs that I'm aware of though you could see what specs are recommended for similar pumps on the 50s models and be guided by that.

Unless it's been changed in recent years, chances are good you won't be able to get a wrench on the lower center pump bolts because the engine has sagged on a worn-out rubber front engine mount. Procedure for this has been addressed here multiple times and should be easy to find but in a nutshell what I do is raise the engine a bit with a jack and block of wood under the oil pan and then remove the "yoke" which supports the engine mount. Purchase 2 new front engine mount rubbers before you begin the job.

Thank you, Owen D!

Well, the removal of the pump was going well right until I got to the last bolt -- one of the two at the bottom -- and the head sheared right off. There is about 1/4" of the stud sticking out the front of the block but try as I might I can't get it to remove. I've used a propane torch to heat it and penetrating oil but the vise grips just chew up whats left of the end when I try to turn it.

What now?!

If you got enough of the stub still sticking out. You can weld a nut onto it. Best to post a picture and I'm sure you will finally get a correct way to do it.
Wes

Lots of different techniques have been used successfully at one time or another yet I can't say there is one universally "best" method. One thing I can suggest you NOT DO is try to drill out the center and use an "easy out"; the easy outs are very hard (and brittle) steel and should it break off in the bolt shank, you'll be in worse shape than you are now.

The weld the nut on idea has worked for me before in getting out a broken bolt.
John

When you get the broken bolt problem fixed and start to reinstall the pump, be sure to used copper washers under the bolt heads of those that screw into a water jacket. Also a good idea to paint the threads of these bolts with Permatex. I would replace these and the other bolts with stainless steel ones.

(o[]o)

Thanks, JW. Can you get those copper washers at a regular parts store?

I was going to use anti-seize on the threads to prevent this from happening again but will use the gasket sealant you recommend instead.

Thank you, Owen D. I was going to use an easy out because I don't have a welder and don't know how to weld. I'll stay away from it.

What about heating the stud end with a propane torch and using a stud extractor? Is there any risk of overheating/warping the face of the block?

I've never used a stud extractor -- combined with penetrating oil, can this be a useful approach?