2010 - February - No More Water Pump Problems

I was never a fan of the original Chev 4 water pump, and even in good running order they are prone to leak, and require regular adjusting, and lubing. Also the grease used to lubricate the pump slowly clogs up the cooling system, even though it is water soluble.

The low rate of leakage would normally not be an issue with most Chev 4 owners, but I run a closed cooling system, with an overflow tank. We are only talking about 2 or 3 psi, but apart from the overflow tank requiring a sealed radiator cap, this enables me to run modern coolant. During the 2009 Chev 4 Tour at Castlemaine, several Chevs were running a modified water pump, using a modern Holden (GM) bearing and shaft, but still running the original Chev impeller and pulley.

I caught up with Ray Hatcher from NSW during the tour, the guy who does the modification. A month later at the Bendigo swap meet I picked up my modernised pump.

The new water pump is excellent and requires no maintenance. The benefits are no lubrication and no coolant leaking or spraying over the engine.

The following pictures show the modified pump.