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Tips

Water Valve Replacement

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How about coolant from the hose between the head and the pump. That can look like water pump as well.
 
jlaird said:
How about coolant from the hose between the head and the pump. That can look like water pump as well.
Click to expand...

I replaced the bypass hose when I had the cylinder head overhauled. It was tight.

I did retighten the clamp from the lower hose to the engine block and took the car out for a test drive -- no more leak!!! It seems a bit hard to believe that a loose hose clamp could cause that big of a mess, but that seems to be the case, at least right now. I'll keep watching it.
 
I went back out again tonight and found antifreeze coming out of the return from the heater core to the lower radiator hose. I also found the clamp on the radiator side of the lower hose had become loose. I think the hoses softened once fluid passed through them, as I ended up adjusting every clamp again. Again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this has been the problem and not the water pump.

In my limited experience, I'm thinking if it was the water pump, the leaking would not have gotten "better"...it would have kept leaking as I had previously observed or worse, which has been my experience with water pumps going south on other vehicles I've owned.
 
Does your pump have a zerk fitting, if so, give it a shot when lubing the car.
 
There is a little weep hole on the bottom of the extension for the water pump bearings where the pump leaks usually appear first. Usually not till the bearings get really loose. If you suspect your water pump grab hold of your fan and see how much movement there is in the bearings. Should be negligible.

Kurt
 
nomad said:
There is a little weep hole on the bottom of the extension for the water pump bearings where the pump leaks usually appear first. Usually not till the bearings get really loose. If you suspect your water pump grab hold of your fan and see how much movement there is in the bearings. Should be negligible.

Kurt
Click to expand...

Do you mean to move the fan fore-and-aft, or trying to rotate it?
 
Wiggle side to side.
 
I took the car out for another drive this evening. It's definitely the water pump heading south. :blue:

Is it possible to replace the water pump without pulling the radiator? The clearances look very tight.
 
Unfortunately, the radiator must come back out.
 
Teardown started tonight to get to the water pump. Mostly disconnecting hoses, draining off the coolant and removing some of the bolts. I should be able to finish the disassembly before the new pump and associated parts come in.

We just hired a new guy for our band, and he stopped by the house tonight to pick up a keyboard from me. He totally flipped when he realized that I owned a Sprite. I was more than a little impressed that a 25 year old actually knew what a Sprite was. Heck, at 45 years old, I didn't even realize there was such a thing as a Square Sprite until I saw the one that would end up being mine for sale.
 
Got the radiator out tonight, took off the fan and the pulley. All that's left is to pull the water pump itself. I'll wait until I actually have the replacement one in hand before I do that.
 
New water pump is in. Hoses to the pump are hooked back up. Fan, fan belt and generator are back in. The only thing that's left is to drop the radiator & shroud back in and put the grille back on. My poor car's motor is starting to look like neopolitan ice cream.

When I had the pump off, I did get to peer inside. Is this normal?
DSC_0008 by onyxsax, on Flickr
 
The inside picture is not normal, it's too clean!
Rut
 
I got everything back to together more or less. When the radiator and shroud went back in, I was able to get the upper screw holes and the lower screw holes to line up. However, I could not for the life of me get the middle bolt holes to line up. With the four screws, the shroud seems to be fairly secure, and all the hoses routed comfortably. How critical are the two middle bolts? If I have to reset the shroud, I figure it's easier to do it before you put the antifreeze back in.
 
A bugeye radiator only has four bolts so i would suggest that you are fine.
 
Admittedly I'm not too familiar with the later radiators. If it's a like a Bugeye, a cheap magnet on a telescoping stick could help hold the nut while you get the screws started. Hope that helps. If not... :cheers:
 
It's not even a question of getting the screws started...the top and bottom holes line up, perfectly, but the middle ones won't. How does that happen? (More rhetorical/sarcasm than an actual question). I guess that is Quality British Engineering at work?
 
I managed to fit a smaller screw and nut into the left side hole. Can't figure out for the life of me what happened on the right side. I filled the car back up with coolant, took it for a test drive...no leaks! Maybe it's psychosomatic, but it seemed like the engine was running smoother with the new water pump in (new bearings?), and I also did some cleaning and maintenance on the generator, so it was probably turning a bit easier, too. I rechecked the coolant levels and had to add a bit more after the test drive, otherwise we're good.

Even though these various mechanical "squawks" can be a pain in the butt, there is something that is intrinsically satisfying about being able to pull off a relatively involved repair...with more than a little bit of help from the folks here at BCF! Thanks again everyone. On to the next mechanical crisis!
 
Rod,
admit it you are now addicted to the tinkering gene that satisfies a problem solving love. You like many of us are now afflicted with Spridget problem solving tasks and thoughts running in the back of your brain almost 7 x 24. Congrats on resolving head issues and water pump issues. You've got a great looking Spridget and with the help of this list and advice from those around the world we can all keep these cars running and having fun for future generations.
 
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