At 08:16 AM 7/14/99 -0300, Mark Jones wrote:
>.... notice a constant drip from my water pump, a drip every two seconds.
My question is can I survive for a couple more weeks with the pump or
should lay up the car until I have the funds to buy and install a new water
pump?
Go ahead and drive it. [Flame suit on] This pump will not fail
immediately, but the drip will get worse over time until it eventually
becomes a veritable gusher. Pressure in the system when hot will force
coolant out quicker. Have another look when the engine is at its maximum
running tamperature to see how fast the coolant escapes. Then, keeping
that in mind, you make an estimate of how far you can drive before you lose
10-15% of the coolant in the system (about one quart). If the coolant
level goes lower than that you might have overheating problems. Otherwise,
carry a gallon of mixed coolant in the car, keep one eye on the temp gauge,
and check the pump periodically for increased leakage rate. But do make
plans for replacing the water pump soon, and do not plan on any long road
trips with the leaking pump.
>Secondly how do I free the thermostat elbow from that last stud?
Start with lots of penetrating oil around the offending stud. Then insert
the sharp edge of a knife blade into the gasket joint under the elbow
flange near that stud, and proceed to tap on the back edge of the knife
blade with a hammer. Forcing the knive blade into the joint should start
to raise the elbow a bit. If the other two studs are already out, when the
gasket has been broken loose you may be able to rotate the housing some to
free it up on the stud. Otherwise follow up the knife blade trick with a
thin screwdriver tip and hammer, followed by a thicker screwdriver, etc, as
required.
After removing the housing in this manner you need to clean off all gasket
material and check for damage on the bottom surface. If necessary, lay a
sheet of coarse emery paper on a flat table top, add a little oil, and rub
the housing
on the emery paper until the bottom surface is flat and smooth.
Then be advised that two of the three thermostat mounting studs are
threaded through into the water jacket of the cylinder head. When you
install these studs you should put thread sealant compound there to prevent
future leakage of the coolant up around these threads. Such leakage is
what causes rusting of the steel stud inside of the aluminum thermostat
housing, resulting in it being very difficult to remove.
Good luck,
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
http://www.ntsource.com/~barneymg
|