How long will cheap oil transfer pump survive pumping water?

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1973dust

1973dust

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I'm hoping someone else might used one of these to pump water. I can get a 12 volt pump for $25 and need it to live for maybe 2 hours. The pump instructions all say the oil being pumped is what keeps the pump lubricated. I'm trying some backwoods engineering to run an antique tractor in a parade tomorrow. The radiator is peeing out the bottom and no luck with Barrs. I've rigged a catch bucket but would like a way to pump the water back into the radiator while on the move. I'm running straight water and the cooling system holds 11 gallons and is non-pressurized. Thanks for any thoughts. I know this sounds like an UTG episode
 
Can you tow a cart with aux water, occasionally pump from reservoir in cart when engine temp rises.
Fuel transfer pump should last, but might not prime, submerged marine pump better .
Try "right stuff" to plug/slow leak. .
 
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So your plan is to switch the pump on and off as the catch bucket fills to a certain level, and not have the pump run constantly?
Water acts as a lubricant, though obviously much less effective than oil. The pump could very well live two hours not running constantly. I haven't seen it in years, but some water pump lube in the water could help the pump live long enough.
As Inertia said, I'd worry about it losing prime and not being able to re-prime. This might be able to be managed by carefully watching the level in the bucket, and not allowing the pickup to get uncovered. Or having some way to gravity feed the pump.
If I were you, I would buy two pumps, and test your solution with one knowing you will probably damage it severely. If it works well enough, use the second pump in the parade. If the plan doesn't work, return the unused pump at your convenience. All time permitting, of course.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for the thoughts. Great idea about a bilge pump. Unfortunately no one local has one in stock. Yes, I did think about just replenishing as it loses but I was concerned about introducing cold water into the system with the engine hot. I hadn't considered the pump losing prime, but yes, my intention is to switch off and on with a toggle as needed. Good idea on having a backup. I do have some Right Stuff but I can't tell exactly where the leak originates and I'm trying not to do anything irreversible on the chance that the core is repairable. New is available but $550. I guess the cool part is this is exactly the kind of rigging my grandpa would have done but he would probably farm like that for 5 years.
 
Folks'll get a kick out you stopping, kid or? dunking bucket into trailer tank, running up and pouring in rad.
Leave the cap off, no pressure, less coolant loss, maybe just perch an old funnel in top, pour water in rad.
Probably be a big hit,
Sounds like fun,
Good luck.
(Marine pump is submersible, won't lose prime,
Go borrow neighbors bass boat pump .)
 
I thought you guys might like a couple pics. It's a 1935 McCormick Deering W30.

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We'll guys, the cheap Menards oil transfer pump worked great. Unfortunately, rims aren't supposed to do this. Made it almost to the end of the parade, at least. Fun while it lasted.

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No water, just an inner tube. I knew the rims weren't in great shape but I didn't realize how bad. I put 10 pounds of air in both rears and probably shouldn't have. Only a matter of time, regardless.
 
Probably had calcium in them at some point. That’s what took the wheels out on my Farmall super M.
 
1973dust said:
We'll guys, the cheap Menards oil transfer pump worked great. Unfortunately, rims aren't supposed to do this. Made it almost to the end of the parade, at least. Fun while it lasted.

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Good thing you were in a parade and not at freeway speeds :)

Great tractor btw....Best invention we ever had:thumbsup:
 
This is a 1936 Chaimberlan outside a tourist park in the outback town of Coonabarabran in New South Wales Australia

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S'cuder said:
Oh no! Will a replacement be hard to find?
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I don't really know at this point. McCormick Deering's were built by International Harvester so I'm hoping that something from a Farmall will fit the axles. I'm going to have to get on some tractor forums.
 
That's cool. I've actually seen several of these MD W30's in Australia online. They seem to have been somewhat popular there.
 
Thanks to all for the interest. I think I've got more reactions from the tractor posts than I ever have from anything a-body related. I guess we all really do have motor oil in our veins.
 
pauly said:
Looks like that old girl has seen some hard work in her life
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Definitely, my grandpa drug it home from a salvage yard with a stuck engine sometime before 1976 and fixed it up. It was pretty well used-up before he even got it. He used it to run in parades over the years, including pulling our family on a hayrack in the bicentennial parade in 1976. It meant a lot to my mom and her siblings to see it in a parade at least one more time. We did, at least, make it past all of the parade-watchers before the carnage. The tube and rim held to drive it back up on the trailer and to unload it at home so the day could have gone a lot worse.
 
I bought a cheap one off of Amazon and it lasted long enough to pump 30 gals of gas out of my motorhome after my daughter tried to fill the water holding tank ! Had just filled it with $5 premiun too ! Urgh

The plastic vanes gave up .
 
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