Tolerance of water pump play?

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71DodgeDemon340

71DodgeDemon340

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i think i already know the answer but is there any tolerable amount of play in the water pump bearing? Just noticed mine has some slight up and down play like if you were checking the wheel bearings. I can barley feel it, but can hear it. Not enough play to see though. Am i looking at replacing my water pump soon? :BangHead:
 
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If you can feel any AND IT IS NOT in the clutch, then the pump life is limited. Just remember there has been cases where a bearing has failed, the shaft has failed, and the radiator was the result of "collateral damage."
 
Ughhhh i thought so lol.

Lemme ask this, ive never changed a water pump on a 340 before (builder assembled it with the new water pump) is it a pain in the ***? Do i have to worry about coolant getting into the oil upon changing it
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Ughhhh i thought so lol.

Lemme ask this, ive never changed a water pump on a 340 before (builder assembled it with the new water pump) is it a pain in the ***? Do i have to worry about coolant getting into the oil upon changing it
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Piece of cake to change the water pump.

While your in there I'd suggest spending a bit more on the pump and get a Milodon high flow water pump.
 
I was just curious as there are four bolts that go through the timing cover correct? Any issue with the timing cover resealing after a water pump change? I guess it couldnt come at any better of a time, winter, im looking at replacing my fixed blade with a 5 blade clutch fan and i have one intake bolt that barely seeps every once in a while. Currently i have a murray water pump, is there any advantages or disadvantages on going with a high flow?
 
I seen my friend loose a rad, shroud, and a hood from a pump shaft breaking off back in the 70's, blade went through the hood.
There was a Montgomery Wards Service Center down the road from my house back then and a Mechanic lost his arm to a fan blade that came off while he was leaning over the engine revving it up. From that day on I have never leaned over a fan on a running engine.
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Ughhhh i thought so lol.

Lemme ask this, ive never changed a water pump on a 340 before (builder assembled it with the new water pump) is it a pain in the ***? Do i have to worry about coolant getting into the oil upon changing it
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YES

When you pull some of the bolts, if the gasket seal between the timing cover and engine "cracks" you are going to have seepage. Just drain the thing and be done with it. You likely need new (clean) coolant, anyhow.

Be careful and "work" the bolts if they feel tight. Some of the LOOOOONNNGGG bolts will corrode and attempt to "unite" with the sides of the holes in the timing cover. Then, they break, and you get to pull the timing cover to fish it / them out

If you don't have a factory service manual, wander over to MyMopar and download one, free. Some of them there came from the guys on here

MyMopar - Mopar Forums & Information - MyMopar Tools/Reference
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
i think i already know the answer but is there any tolerable amount of play in the water pump bearing? Just noticed mine has some slight up and down play like if you were checking the wheel bearings. I can barley feel it, but can hear it. Not enough play to see though. Am i looking at replacing my water pump soon? :BangHead:
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Are you saying the bearing is noisy while running?
Or are you saying you can hear the play in the bearing while pushing/pulling.
How many miles are on this pump?
Since the clutchfan is on there,how can you be sure it's the pump bearing you're feeling?

The Hi-flow pumps are a no-lose situation. IIRC they have a slightly bigger bearing in them, and mine has over 100,000 miles on it. But the big deal is that it has an anti-cavitation plate on the back of the impeller, making it possible for the pump to move more water at any given rpm. This allowed me to slow it down, in an effort to not throw a belt at 7000rpm. It seems to have worked!, cuz i still have a 10 year old belt on it,lol.
If you don't mess with the drive ratios, it's still a no-lose deal in two ways; 1) it will outlast the generic rebuilds maybe 4 times over, and 2) it can move more water, keeping your cammed up engine cooler.......if the rest of the system is up to the task. If no, then it's still a no-lose situation, cuz the thermostat sets the minimum water temp, so if, I say if, the pump moves more water than it needs to. the stat will just choke it down. There is no downside to a hi-flo. Mine was purchased new in about 2002, making it the cheapest pump I ever bought.
Just like my Optimus battery. It's been taking a licking in my trunk since about year 2000, and it's still ticking..
 
  • Never had one not seal back up. Just be careful not to disturb the timing cover. All the other bolts holding it on really don't allow it to move much at all. You must drain the coolant to at least below where the water pump sits, otherwise you'll have coolant everywhere.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Are you saying the bearing is noisy while running?
Or are you saying you can hear the play in the bearing while pushing/pulling.
How many miles are on this pump?
Since the clutchfan is on there,how can you be sure it's the pump bearing you're feeling?

The Hi-flow pumps are a no-lose situation. IIRC they have a slightly bigger bearing in them, and mine has over 100,000 miles on it. But the big deal is that it has an anti-cavitation plate on the back of the impeller, making it possible for the pump to move more water at any given rpm. This allowed me to slow it down, in an effort to not throw a belt at 7000rpm. It seems to have worked!, cuz i still have a 10 year old belt on it,lol.
If you don't mess with the drive ratios, it's still a no-lose deal in two ways; 1) it will outlast the generic rebuilds maybe 4 times over, and 2) it can move more water, keeping your cammed up engine cooler.......if the rest of the system is up to the task. If no, then it's still a no-lose situation, cuz the thermostat sets the minimum water temp, so if, I say if, the pump moves more water than it needs to. the stat will just choke it down. There is no downside to a hi-flo. Mine was purchased new in about 2002, making it the cheapest pump I ever bought.
Just like my Optimus battery. It's been taking a licking in my trunk since about year 2000, and it's still ticking..
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Not sure on the miles, odo doesnt work lol. Its about 5 years old. Correct, quiet while running, just can hear it when i push in on the fan at the top. I know its the water pump, i have a fixed fan, you know i probably need to check the fan bolts and make sure they arent loose and causing me to confuse play in the pulley with play in the water pump. but im 99% sure the play is in the water pump
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Do i need to pair a high flow t stat to work effectively with the high flow pump?
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Wouldn't hurt to use a high flow thermostat. I use Stewart components thermostats. A bit more money but they are much more accurate, as in they are fully open by the rated temperature, rather than start opening at the rated temp. For example, a 180* Stewart thermostat will be fully open where a lower quality thermostat will just start to open at 180*.
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Not sure on the miles, odo doesnt work lol. Its about 5 years old. Correct, quiet while running, just can hear it when i push in on the fan at the top. I know its the water pump, i have a fixed fan, you know i probably need to check the fan bolts and make sure they arent loose and causing me to confuse play in the pulley with play in the water pump. but im 99% sure the play is in the water pump
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That was my point; it's best to pull all that junk off.
And yes it's better to use a matching hi-flo thermostat. My 195 has been in there just as long as the pump.
Like YR says, and mine seems to open faster and further, and I can even see it on the factory slow-performance temp gauge as the needle no longer overshoots the "normal" mark..
 
Milodon, IIRC, it's been something like 15 years. I painted it Hugger Orange just like the rest of the 367,lol, Aluminum parts and all. not much escaped that spray bomb.....She's no show-car, I built her to drive, and DRIVE it we did.
 
So if i have no issues with overheating now i certainly should not have any problems with the high flow pump and t stat in theory right? Also the high flow pump states it increases coolant pressure, do i need to be concerned with it causing leaks due to the increase in pressure?
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
So if i have no issues with overheating now i certainly should not have any problems with the high flow pump and t stat in theory right? Also the high flow pump states it increases coolant pressure, do i need to be concerned with it causing leaks due to the increase in pressure?
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The pump and stat should not create an issue, they are better than what's in there now.
I don't see how it can increase the operating pressure, the cap is in charge of that. I run a 7 psi cap, cuz like you, I have no overheating issues,ever. And the low-pressure cap is easy on the system. But Unlike you, up here we only have a few days a summer that the temp gets over 85, and fewer yet over 90*F. And like maybe one or two over 95*,lol.
 
Im propably around that, i would see the temp creep up to 190 in the dead of summer but has never been beyond that
 
In post #17, I said I'm running a 195 hi-flo.
By IR gun, I found a spot on the stat housing where she runs 205*F, the hottest anywhere. I put a black dot there with a marker and used it as the reference, for all subsequent measurements.It doesn't seem to matter how I drive her, or what the ambient temp is, that spot is stuck on 205, and no other spot runs as hot.BTW, my top end is all orange-painted aluminum. I really like that stat. The engine seems to make a good amount of power at that temp, cuz she went 93 in the 1/8 at 3457 pounds, with just a 230*at .050 cam. I ain't touching that stat.
 
I will add to my compadre's good idea about a high flow water pump. Unless you also install a high flow thermostat, you will negate any added benefit from a high flow pump, because you will be restricted by the stock flow thermostat.

Lastly, put "some kinda" sealant on the water pump bolts. ALL of them. Some people only use sealant on those that hit water. I like to do them all, because the water pump is in a hostile environment and bolts can rust and corrode easily, causing them to break the next time they have to be removed. The use of "some kinda" sealant will seal of course and also keep them from breaking upon removal.

As to "what kinda" sealant, I will not discuss, as I always get railroaded by those who think their way is better and that's not the discussion we need "here".
 
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