Do you use sealant on the water pump gasket?

[Old Henry]

Just replacing the water pumps on my 59A today. Do you use any kind of sealant on the gaskets? If so, what?

[19Fordy]

I use a very light coat of clear silicone.

[rheltzel]

A light coating of Copper Coat Spray.

[Vic Piano]

I use Indian Head Red Shellac on the gaskets and on the inside of the hoses where they slid over the water pumps.

[Fe26]

Grease.

[ford38v8]

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No sealant is required. The paper gasket is tricky to stay put while contorting yourself to get it all together, but a thin dab of oil or grease will hold it while you work. A good reason to not use sealant is whatever you put on has to be removed next time you change pumps! If that's not reason enough, sealant can also clog the oil transfer hole, causing early failure of pumps.

[Ross6860]

If your gasket surfaces are very good to impeccable, a thin coat of grease or even better, Never Seize (or any brand of anti-seize). You will smile the next time you have to replace them and they literally fall off. Just wiped it clean and re-apply more Never Seize.

If the surfaces are even remotely questionable, thin coat of UltraBlue or UltraCopper silicone. Also very easy to remove.

Just my two-cents.

[Jack E/NJ]

Another grease vote here. Smeared on all four surfaces.

Jack E/NJ

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

I install 3/8 studs in the 2 top holes, grease both sides of the gaskets and slide the gasket over the studs, then slide the pumps over the studs, start the center bolt and the lower one then remove the studs put the other 2 bolts and tighten them up. That makes it easy. Walt

[Jack E/NJ]

Walt>>>I install 3/8 studs in the 2 top holes>>>

Good technique. But then why replace the studs with bolts?

Jack E/NJ

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Jack E/NJ

Walt>>>I install 3/8 studs in the 2 top holes>>>

Good technique. But then why replace the studs with bolts?

Jack E/NJ

If you leave the studs in it makes it a lot harder to scrape off the gasket if it's stuck on the block. Easier to just scrape (with a glass scraper) right across the bolt holes.

[Jack E/NJ]

I'm still more interested in why it leaked. Did you take a look at the spring-loaded seal? Was it the seal? Corrosion of the spring itself or the shaft? Your lack-of-lubrication theory? Gotta do some forensics here, man!

Jack E/NJ

[Old Henry]

Originally Posted by Jack E/NJ

I'm still more interested in why it leaked. Did you take a look at the spring-loaded seal? Was it the seal? Corrosion of the spring itself or the shaft? Your lack-of-lubrication theory? Gotta do some forensics here, man!

Jack E/NJ

Sorry. I don't have whatever tool is required to dismantle the pump. Seems like I'd need some kind of a press to get the pulley or impeller off and take it apart. If not, tell me how. I've never done it.

[JM 35 Sedan]

As others have said, if you have the gasket surfaces clean/smooth/flat on the pump and block, all you need is a light coating of grease on the gaskets when installing the pumps. This will minimize the need for cleaning the gasket surfaces should you need to remove/replace those Drake pumps.
Skip Haney sanded/ground the gasket surfaces on all the pumps he has rebuilt for me. Then I clean the gasket surface on heads or block before installing pumps. Never had any leaking problems at the gasket seal.
I am surprised that your C&G pump failed in 40k miles. Would be interesting to do a failure analysis on that pump to know exactly why it failed. You don't need a big press to take that pump apart. You can use something as simple as a work bench vise to press it apart.

[Jack E/NJ]

Henry---As I recall, I supported the pump on the floor (impeller facing down) by the pulley only with two 2x4s catching the back edges of the pulley in a couple of spots. I then tapped the shaft out of the pulley with a brass drift --- came out easy.

I simply pressed the shaft back into the pulley in a vice after I replaced the seals, etc except the original Ford springs which I felt were superior to the galvanized kit replacements.

Jack E/NJ

[Mike51Merc]

Originally Posted by Jack E/NJ

Henry---As I recall, I supported the pump on the floor (impeller facing down) by the pulley only with two 2x4s catching the back edges of the pulley in a couple of spots. I then tapped the shaft out of the pulley with a brass drift --- came out easy.

I simply pressed the shaft back into the pulley in a vice after I replaced the seals, etc except the original Ford springs which I felt were superior to the galvanized kit replacements.

Jack E/NJ

I've pressed pump pulleys on and off with a vice, but it's kind of tricky. The cast pulleys like to crack and the stamped pulleys like to bend.

The good news is that replacement pulleys are only around $10.

[Old Henry]

If the pulley is removed does that give access to the seal or is it accessed from the back by removing the impeller? If I decide to try this I don't want to waste effort by taking off the pulley and finding out it won't give me access to the seal.

[JM 35 Sedan]

I have steel rings, ~ 3" ID x 1/4" wall thickness x ~ 2" long that I use to press '37-'48 wp's apart. These rings were cut from old water pipe. This ring goes against the back gasket surface of the pump and allows the impeller to fit through the ID as the shaft is pressed through the pulley using a small diameter deep socket. This does not break the pulley nor the impeller when done correctly. I have done many '32-'48 pumps like this to prep them for rebuild. The later pumps, '49-53 will not come apart like this.

[Old Henry]

Now here's something that I think we can study and experiment on to try to solve. It's the rust and corrosion in the intakes of the water pumps that, as far as I know, were clean when my engine was rebuilt in June and now look at them.



Again, this is after just 5 months of running plain water and two bottles of Hy-per Lube Super Coolant that claims to prevent this kind of thing.

I'm assuming that my entire block looks this bad inside so would like your best ideas of how to dissolve this rust and I'll try some of the most popular ideas on this stuff and see what happens.

(I just started a new thread on this to get a wider response here: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123032. You can respond either place.)

[Jack E/NJ]

Henry---Once the pulley is off the shaft, you're home-free. The shaft assembly should easily push thru the bushing or bearing .

As for the rust, buy a few gallon jugs of bulk white vinegar at the supermarket. Use it straight. Run it for a few days. Drain. Neutralize with washing soda or baking soda solution. Drain again. Then put 50/50 anti-freeze in it.

Jack E/NJ

[BillM]

Once the pulley is off the shaft, you're home-free. The shaft assembly should easily push thru the bushing or bearing .

Well maybe, maybe not. I think the pumps on Henry's car are the replacements with bearings, not bushings. Bearings are usually a press fit into the housing and or use snap rings to retain. If you push on the shaft at the pulley end you may break the housing if there is a snap ring in there. If no snap ring, pushing on the shaft can ruin the bearing. Bearings should be removed by pushing on the outer race if they are pressed in the housing. That means the pulley should be removed first, or remove the impeller to get at the seal. With bushing pumps of course it doesn't matter.