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Perry:
I was aware of who was observing the antifreeze drops.... I just responded to your post as it was the most recent comment. My point is essentially that antifreeze drops such as these do not necessarily presage bearing failure. Water pumps virtually all have a bleed hole between the seal and the bearing to allow any seepage around the seal to escape without having to go through the bearing. Probably the only way to determine if the bearing is going out is to use a stethoscope. I use temperature to judge if a bearing is going out in industrial and ag applications.... this isn't so easy in automotive stuff.
I used to rebuild a lot of engines ( automotive )... but have not for many years, I now work only on diesel industrial stuff. At first I was religious about replacing all associated components on any rebuilt engine... unfortunately it seems that many of the replacement parts are of such poor quality that replacing a good functioning part with a new or rebuilt part does not guarantee reliability .... it often will even increase your probability of a failure. One wants to exercise extreme caution in aircraft applications... take no chances....... so the inclination is to "replace first and ask questions afterward". If one takes this approach to automotive accessories used in aircraft be damn sure you get QUALITY stuff..... Factory original equipment is a fair bet. Napa, Bumper to Bumper, Carquest, etc... parts are all of questionable quality... not to mention many of the other sources we don't have around here. It is a fair bet that if it is made in the USA for a foreign vehicle it is junk. I have had much grief with American made stuff in recent years. The screw the customer .... repeat business be damned philosophy has overwhelmed American business that used to be quality conscious. All a part of the rush to monopoly.... if you have a captive market, they have to buy what you make even if it is junk. Borg Warner is a classic. They have coasted on their previous reputation to the point that I refuse to purchase anything with their name on it. We must demand that Made In USA mean quality again.... and ultimately they will begin to provide what we want just as happened in the automobile industry after much pain and market loss. We must vote with our dollar.. the only vote Americans have that counts for much anymore.
Anyway if one replaces such a critical part be sure it is obtained from a reputable manufacturer... preferably one in Japan.
H.W.
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
On 8/5/03 at 6:32 AM Perry Mick wrote:
>Hi Howard, good to hear from you. It was Tracy who noticed the drops of
>coolant. Both of my failures two years ago were bearing failures.
>
>Stone Tool wrote:
>
>>Perry:
>> The water pump bearings are a surface to surface seal with a spring
>loaded neoprene piece that turns against a ceramic wear surface. Leakage
>in these seals is not uncommon, and does not necessarily indicate any real
>problem. A bit of build up of engine sludge or a bit of grit will make
>them seep slightly. This does not indicate a problem with the bearing,
>and often does not even indicate a real problem with the seal. I have
>seen the telltale drop of coolant on virtually new pumps. It is not a
>warning of impending failure..... if your pump is not old, don't worry too
>much about it.
>>
>> H.W.
>>
>>
>>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>>
>>On 8/4/03 at 9:07 PM Perry Mick wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Tracy Crook wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>Saw the first sign of waterpump failure on the engine. Noticed a drop
>of
>>>>coolant hanging from the pump pulley every morning when I took the
>>>>
>>>>
>>>cowl off
>>>
>>>
>>>>to begin another day of talking airplanes & engines. No noticable play
>>>>
>>>>
>>>in
>>>
>>>
>>>>the pump bearings and I noticed no drop in coolant pressure on the way
>>>>
>>>>
>>>home
>>>
>>>
>>>>but a new pump is definitely in order. This was the original pump I got
>>>>with the 1988 13B engine I bought back in 1992.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Tracy Crook
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>The water pumps went out in my '86 plane and my '86 car two years ago,
>>>so it is about right that your '88 water pump should be failing now.
>>>They last exactly 15 years :)
>>>
>>>--
>>>Perry Mick
>>>http://www.ductedfan.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
>>> Homepage: http://www.flyrotary.com/
>>> Archive: http://lancaironline.net/lists/flyrotary/List.html
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