Water Pump

[Huney1]

"mine's a '97 Vulcan (12-valve). btw, I think I put about two hours into the change not counting draining--which I did the day before. Easier than I ever imagined." Same engine I have 03 Vulcan. Well, they say looks can be deceiving, but to me it looked like an arduous job. I changed the serpentine belt and my neighbor came over and held pressure on the idler to keep it slack so I could put the belt on and I thought that was sort'a tight place to work in. I rented the long handle and crows feet socket kit from Advance and took maybe 15 minutes.

Be Ye forewarned: If you change it be darn sure you draw a picture of the belt routing because doubtful you'd remember how it went on. I think I'll put changing the pump on the back burner for now. I put about 10K a year on it and maybe in a few years I'll consider a water pump change.

[MyTaurus8AChevy]

Originally Posted by Huney1

I looked at mine and doesn't like it would be an easy thing to R&R

Might want to at least hedge your bet and add something like this or this to keep it in good shape longer. Both treatments are designed to keep rust from harming your water pump. We use the first one. Spending 3 bucks now might be well worth it to keep from having to replace something later

[Huney1]

The anti-rust I can get at WalMart but the treatment I have to go to NY to get it or order it on line.

In the 50's my step dad had a radiator repair shop long before they had the crimped top and bottom tanks and he was about as good as they come with cooling systems. He use to build all the radiators for the racers in Rockingham, NC lot of famous race car drivers patronized him. He was a smart man adn took some "water pump lubricant" sold in stores that was suppose to lube the pump seals and fight rust so common back then. He took some of the water pump lubricant and put it in a different container and sent it to a testing lab for analyses. Results came back, water soluble oil and food coloring. Ba-dabing! He ordered some water soluble oil and made his own and people swore by it being the best anti rust additive ever.

Back then the flues/tubes would develop small holes where they connected to the top or bottom tank and adding anti freeze made them leak more so fall of the year was the busiest time for radiator work. People use to watch him solder and he could actually make solder run uphill, it's all in knowing how much heat to put to it and how to angle the torch tip. Used Oakite to boil them out in a big tank and muratic acid to clean the leak then flux it good so the solder would stick and all that made fumes he breathed for many years and he always smoked a cigar so it took its toll on his lungs and finally took him out.

Long as you flush and change the anti freeze regularly and keep the pH in range there should be no rust in your system. Boats with Cummins engines they have a cannister with zinc connects with the cooling system to keep electrolosis eating on the zinc and not the engine cooling system.