Looks like the water pump is toast

[JL66REDCPE]

Got home from a show yesterday, opened the hood to disconnect the battery and found brown water from approx the center of the engine to a good portion of the passenger side including the frame, steering components, battery, battery box, firewall, heater box and motor, inner fenders, sidepipes, wheel well, intake manifold, fuel pump, thermostat housing --what a mess. I thought it might be muddy water from a puddle so I jumped in the other car to backtrack and look for puddles. No luck -- there were none. Put the car up on the ole kwiklift and it really looked like the bottom radiator hose was leaking at the waterpump. I looked around some more and determined it might be the hose but I got a feeling it was the waterpump seal. I cleaned up all of the brown stuff except in the area of the lower radiator hose as a freind is coming over tonight to give a second opinion. I can move the waterpump pulley side to side a bit which is usually the way I tell if the pump is gone. Also, it had been weeping out the air vent some. What is somewhat puzzling about this is that the brown water did not seem to have an oily residue like antifreeze and it was so brown from apparent rust. If you look inside the radiator, the solution is light green like it should be. Any comments ???????

Fortunately, I have a spare rebuilt dated waterpump here in my office closet.

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

John,

I'm sorry but when I saw how beautiful your car was yesterday at the show I spit my coffee all over it!

Only kidding of course, I wish it was that easy!

Can you get your hands on a pressure tester and pump the system up to about 18 lbs? If you're seeing a stain out of that vent hole I think the pumps done for. From my days of twisting wrenches at the gas station I can tell you that when the weather changes in the fall, which it did on Sunday as you know, it would bring us a slew of water pump jobs.

 

[IH2LOSE]

John is it numbers matching? if yes Arthur Gould and just remind him to use the pan head screws on the pump rebuild.

Good luck sir and it does sound like a pump to me if it was weeping out of the vent.

 

[JohnZ]

If you mean "center of the engine" in the side view, it might be a freeze plug or lower drain plug - all manner of rusty crud collects in the bottom of the side water jackets and doesn't circulate, but it sure comes out brown when a freeze plug goes or you pull a drain plug.

 

[JL66REDCPE]

Terry -- thank you for the kind words. It was great seeing you and the car on Sunday. Congratulations on the trophy. The C1 is drop dead gorgeous -- just like the 66. I am 90% sure it is the pump.

Larry -- the pump I have is a correct 284 pump dated for my car and rebuilt. It currently has hex head bolts on the pan however I have a set of the correct slotted screws in my office closet waiting to go on. It also needs to be painted. I bought it a year or two ago. It just goes to show you -- when you find a correct part that you know is going to go someday -- buy it. I fell into a 7 leaf spring about a month ago at a freinds restoration shop. It had good liners and everything. He sold it to me for 50 bucks. I just saw one on ebay go for $600. Please dont misunderstand me, It will stay in the garage until it is needed or until a close freind needs it. I dont flip parts when I find them.

JohnZ -- I was referring to the water pump/fan/balancer area. The freeze plugs were the second place I looked after I got the car up in the air. There were no leaks there. As I said earlier, I did not expect water coming from the water pump to look like what I have because the solution at the top of the radiator is absolutely light green. The liquid I have absolutely looks like it came from a freeze plug or the bottom of the block.

You know -- there is supposed to be a block drain on these motors -- I have yet to find one. Probably all rusted in anyway. I will most likely change out all the hoses, clamps, etc anyway while I am at it. They are all 4 years old.

Thank you all for the responses.

 

[Vette66AirCoupe]

John,

Your office closet has to be a classic! :J

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Heh John,
Sorry to hear your Drop Dead Gorgeous Car devolped a leak..( And for those who have not seen Jhon's Corvette..It is really a beautiful car)

It has also happened to one of our club members who has a NCRS 67 BB Roadster. He also has had 2 pumps replaced in that car an one in another BB Cp. Both of those cars hardly ever get driven.

It seems that sometimes when you let them sit they get ticked off at you and do the nasty. Sorta like when you tick off your cat. You come home from work one day only to find that kitty has found a new place to Number 1 at.

If you need help let me know.. I shoot over..

 

[JohnZ]

You know -- there is supposed to be a block drain on these motors -- I have yet to find one. Probably all rusted in anyway. I will most likely change out all the hoses, clamps, etc anyway while I am at it. They are all 4 years old.

Thank you all for the responses.

John, here's a photo that shows the block drain plugs - about 3/4" above the pan rail, inbetween the freeze plugs; they're probably covered by the bottom of your "boomerang" plug wire shields. You have to pull both of them to drain the block - the side water jackets aren't cross-connected internally.

 

[JL66REDCPE]

John -- thank you very much for the picture -- I will go look again while the car is up in the air.

 

[ctjackster]

John -- thank you very much for the picture -- I will go look again while the car is up in the air.

bring your long thin phillips screwdriver and a poncho . . ..

 

[JL66REDCPE]

Well - I think I found them. There are several hex type set screws above the pan rail on both sides of the block. I assume these are the plugs.

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Well - I think I found them. There are several hex type set screws above the pan rail on both sides of the block. I assume these are the plugs.

Well....when you pop that sucker out and a stream of brown gunkie liquid squirts out and smells like Dukie....you'll know for sure....

 

[ctjackster]

Well....when you pop that sucker out and a stream of brown gunkie liquid squirts out and smells like Dukie....you'll know for sure....

or, like mine, you take the bolts out and nothing happens (no dukie-reeking liquid) - hence the long thin screwdriver recommendation - it may be sludged up with that dukie smelling stuff and in need of a poke or two . . . . then the poncho comes in handy

 

[Kid_Again]

Hey John....looks like my Honeydo projects are going to keep me close to home. I'll talk to you soon.

 

[JL66REDCPE]

Joe no problem -- we will reschedule. Mark, of course you are invited -- Terry also. I removed the water pump today. Tomorrow I will clean the front of the engine and the pulleys, fan etc then paint them. I was surprised that the previous mechanic did not appear to use water pump gaskets. He used a little silicone but thats it. Also my rebuilt water pump has some cancer near the input/output but not near the flange edge. You think it would be a good idea to fill the cavities in with JB Weld and then sand them ??

 

[Viet Nam Vett]

Mark, of course you are invited -- Terry also.

When..next week.....Joe might also be down then ..

 

[JohnZ]

I was surprised that the previous mechanic did not appear to use water pump gaskets. He used a little silicone but thats it. Also my rebuilt water pump has some cancer near the input/output but not near the flange edge. You think it would be a good idea to fill the cavities in with JB Weld and then sand them ??

Yes - fill the pits and use gaskets. It would be a stretch to call the last guy a "mechanic" :eyerole