Alfa Pages

[RFlower]

Hi
Does anyone know a good way to remove a tight water pump? The last one I took out of the Sprint I practically destroyed. I rotated it back & forth by tapping it harder and HARDER, then resorted to a pipe wrench on the front of it and a 2m cheater pipe. There has to be another way.
I coated the new one with silicone grease before replacing, but now have to remove the one in the 33, which looks like it's been there from new.
Cheers
_________________
Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F)

[Ben_nz]

I got the mechanics to change mine and they showed it to me afterwards - practically destroyed.
Apparently it took a bit of persuading (with a hammer or similar) to come out.
Does it matter if you destroy the old one, assuming you're going to replace it anyway?

[RFlower]

[James F]

Hi

Our local Alfa guys use a slide hammer to remove these, but they also often have to resort to breaking them up in situ as they do really stick in place!

Better a wrecked pump (and I am not sure what / how you'd fix on one) than a wrecked engine!
_________________
cheers

James F

Series 3 16v SportWagon

[paulhide]

Have removed three of these intact. Takes a bit of work and patience, but use a good piece of wood (which slowly disintegrates) between the pump and a good hammer hitting one face at a time until eventually you get enough movement to rock the pump out. Definitely a pig of a job, just takes patience.
_________________
Owner's Club 33 Registrar. Now from P4 & S2 1.7 QV
http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5188

[guest]

Trying to get one out today. Thanks for everyones posts. I thought it was just me, its stuck in tight! And I've got two seized bolts, so I've cut the pump body away around them. I will deal with them later!
Was trying to do it with the cam belt attached but you need to get it off.
Will report back later. Waz , Tasmania

[waz]

Had to take bumper off and get a slide hammer onto it. Destroyed the pump .......came out in 5 bits, impeller smashed through the pump body. One bolt so seized I spent hours drilling it all out but I saved the thread. Only nicked the mating surface once. Took some patience.

[Quest]

Hi

Just took one out of engine. Prepared well with chisel, heavy hammer, glasses and beer. Opened the bolts and knocked the pump sideways, it turned alittle. Took a good grip of the pump and pulled, it dropped in my hands . Had to sit down laughing. Opened an installation beer and checked why the pump was not stuck. The pump has somekind of paint- coating on contact surfaces, it was totally clean and spotless. I drove the car about 80k kilometers, several years, so it is not a new pump.

Well, drank the beer anyway.

TimoJ

[RFlower]

Hi
In the good old days mechanics used white lead paste to stop metal joints sticking, maybe that's what it was. I know it works on boat propellor to shaft taper joint, even in salt water.
As mentioned earlier I've been using silicone grease on the water pumps, but have not yet had to remove one which I have installed.
The best thing to use, on threads and side of pump body, is chrome dioxide paste, which is bright yellow. It is used routinely by (good) yacht riggers to avoid stainless steel bolts seizing into aluminium parts such as masts, as really expensive work can result if not used.
I bought a quarter kilo tin years ago from Rylands, who supply paint pigments. I've used less than half of it, but it's always on the boat when I need it in the garage!
BTW I don't think copper based anti-seize grease is a good idea because of possible electrolytic action with aluminium parts.
It also seems a bad idea to have a brass impellor in the aluminium pump. This may be the cause of the pump body corroding into the engine block when the coolant is not good quality, e.g. made up with tap rather than distilled water.
I've seen some pumps with plastic impellors, but don't know if any Alfa pumps have these.
_________________
Dick Flower, Nr. Carcassonne. '94 Trofeo 1.4 ie (F), '93 Imola 1.3/1.4 ie (now for breaking) (F), '91 1.7 ie (GB)(spare car), '86 Sprint 1.5 QV (F). '87 VW Syncro camper (F), '73 NSU Ro80 (F), '99 Fiat Seicento (F)

[Guest]

It took the mechanic repeated attempts over the course of 2 days to get the water pump out of my P4.

I wonder whether it would be possible to weld a strip around the inside somehow and wait for it to cool and contract. I don't know what the pumps look like myself, so have no idea whether that's a mildy stupid or very stupid suggestion

[Ben_nz]

Now my water pump's leaking, and sounding sick.
Do I dare try replacing it myself, and risk not being able to remove it and then getting the cam timing wrong when putting the timing belt back on?
Do I take this chance to remove the whole engine (something I've never done), and get it a full overhaul, to fix compression, clutch noises etc?
Or do I just pay a mechanic to change the water pump?
Should I get the timing belts changed at the same time, or do they not get damaged by hot coolant leaking on them?

-Ben

[paulhide]

The cambelts need to be removed to change the pump, although in the Haynes manual one of the belts is slackened and taken out of the way then put back afterwards, but if you are doing this it is probably better to simply use the time to replace the belts.
_________________
Owner's Club 33 Registrar. Now from P4 & S2 1.7 QV
http://www.alfa-pages.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=5188

[stedee]

a mechanic will charge you a bomb because there is alot of work to do just to access it eg,remove bumper and grill ,radiator, camcovers(just removing the bumper can be a b**** - it has those stupid square nuts with clips to hold them in place which have a habit of twisting when you are trying to undo the bolts, i found out the hard way!!!!.
definitely change the belts ,could save you a disaster.
_________________
brum brum

[Ben_nz]

None of my manuals tell me how to set the cam timing on a hydraulic tappet engine, and yesterday my car decided to leak much faster, losing a kettle worth of water while it was parked at work.
I think it heard me talking to the mechanic on the phone and was trying to tell me something.
<melodramatic Italian car accent> "Heya, I'ma so sick! I'ma soon gonna die! But I know a veery good place where they fixa me up properly, yes?"
Meantime I'm having to cycle to work, so maybe I'll forget the rebuild and just get the water pump done for me.

[ZeNiTh-PbArM]

Hi

cam timing on hydraulic tappet engine is straightforward :
put crank at tdc and be sure to see the two notches in the cam sprocket through the hole in the cover.


regards,
zp

[Ben_nz]