spridgets
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [Spridgets] Spridget Water Pump

To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Spridget Water Pump
From: Peter Caldwell <peter@nosimport.com>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 12:17:56 -0500
Tim,
         There are several generations of water pumps and their 
bearings. The one you "took apart" I consider the middle generation. 
The bearing and shaft are one unit and called a water pump bearing. 
The shaft typically has 2 races and the outer housing has 2 races 
with a series of balls in each. These are preset angular contact 
bearings. They typically are "lubricated for life" as they are sealed 
at each end. There is also a groove around the outside of the outer 
race for a wire that locates the bearing into the pump housing. I 
assume you took that out, else the bearing or casting would have 
broken earlier.
         The way you took it apart is correct, so far. Now, to get 
the impeller off of the shaft! It is usually rather fragile cast 
iron, and is difficult to take off. We put the shaft of the bearing 
assembly, once we've broken the cage away as you did, into a lathe 
and center bore the hardened shaft so that we can remove the impeller 
without breaking it.  New replacement shaft and bearing assemblies 
WERE available as WERE the original seals.  Now, a better seal is 
available so that we don't have to rely on the cast impeller face to 
do the sealing, but the installation of it requires some machining of 
the pump, and impeller. The new bearing must also be modified to fit. 
But.... it can be done. Then, as Bud said, the clearance of the 
impeller to the pump body must be set properly. Takes some time and 
some tooling.

         The old pumps with a working grease zerk had 2 separate ball 
bearings, and some spacers and a shaft and they were more 
rebuildable, but the seal was worse.

         the newer alumin(i)um pumps use a similar (though not 
interchangeable) bearing, a different seal, and a crappy stamped impeller.

         New/modern car pumps are using plastic impellers.... hoo 
boy, are those hot sellers!

         I could write a book on this stuff.

Peter C
===
At 07:36 PM 5/19/2009, Timothy H. Collins wrote:
>I opened my box of used Sprite parts and found an old cast iron 
>water pump there.
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net  http://www.team.net/donate.html


http://www.team.net/archive

http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/spridgets

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>