54 water pump

[Donald W.]

[Roy B.]

Re: 54 water pump

I have had a leak(s) that have gotten worse. I know it leaked badly at the heater hose shutoff which ran down over things and made a mess and suspect it may also leak at the bottom pump bolt which was not very tight and apparently threads thru to the water jacket. My problem is removing the pump adapter (backing) plate. I believe the 3 large slotted screws in the interior of the adapter must come out. I tried a very large screwdriver with a vice grip clamped to it but no luck. I have tried to get some drag link sockets but no one carries them anymore. Ordinary screwdriver sockets are too small. Any tricks to get these out?

I see next to the upper slotted screw, there is a hole in the plate that is smaller than a dime. It appears there is gasket material between the hole and the block. I gather from archived posts of Feb. 26, 2008, that this is the hole that is supposed to be open thru the non installed freeze plug in the block. Is that correct?YES

When I get this plate removed, what am I looking for to determine if the plate is bad?

Thanks, Don

If you get a bike tool hand held in pack driver you hit with a hammer it will brake the screws loose , the tool turn as you hit it.

[Donald W.]

Re: 54 water pump

Roy, Thanks for the help. I think I do have a hand held impact and will find it and give it a try. I would usually wack a stuck bolt with a hammer to loosen it, but in this case, they are recessed and I was afraid of cracking the casting. Also, I have never seen a picture of the backing place before.
Don

[Donald W.]

Re: 54 water pump

Roy, just a follow up note. Your method to use the hand held impact tool was right on the mark...the plate is now safely removed and looks in good shape. The engine is still in the car so I just have to be careful swinging the hammer even with the radiator removed. I also found several small passages that were shut off by gasket material. Thanks for the help!!

[Roy B.]

Re: 54 water pump

Roy, just a follow up note. Your method to use the hand held impact tool was right on the mark...the plate is now safely removed and looks in good shape. The engine is still in the car so I just have to be careful swinging the hammer even with the radiator removed. I also found several small passages that were shut off by gasket material. Thanks for the help!!

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