My 59A flathead just started squealing & I think it is a waterpump. The new belt is correctly tightened & the generator has been rebuilt so I dont know what else it could be. When I rev the engine it stops, but it starts up again at idle. The passenger side water pump has some play but I can't tell which side of the engine the squeal is coming from. Do you have to replace both pumps at once? Best source for pumps? Were do you jack the engine once the mounts are loose?
Well, the squeel definitely sounds like a waterpump. A good way to tell is take a long rubber hose or tube and place your ear on one end and the pump on the other. If thats it, there will be no question. I would go ahead and replace both pumps at once. Speedway has pumps which cost a few bucks more but have the new style bearings in them. Word of caution, if they don't have them in stock, don't wait for them. I waited four months for mine. Mac's parts will have pumps to you in a day but not the new bearing style. Lift the engine by placing a 4x4 and a jack under a crner of the oil pan. It will hold the weight ok. Some of these pumps have a mounting bolt right in the middle of the inlet tube.And sometimes they are so rusted that you may have to torch them out. Pain in the ass but doable. Another choice is to buy the high volume pumps from Skip Haney in Florida.
I had a squeal on my 59AB. It was the brushes in the gen. I cleaned them and reseated them and all was good again.
If you do have to replace the pumps, consider Carquest pumps. Lifetime guarantee. Could be new generator believe it or not - already hit on the head w/brushes. Where's your fan mounted?
My driver's side water pump is stiff to turn and I can make it squeal by hand (Feels like a bad bushing). The other day I saw it move in and out when my buddy was reving the engine. Do I need to replace both pumps?
If you replace only one, I would suggest making sure they have the same impellers--something of a problem in terms of actual work and what to do if they don't match. If pumps are original bushing sort, check the oil passage, a gravity feed drilled up into the valley. This may be blocked with sludge. Just poke something up the hole--this could conceivably be the source of the trouble. Don't worry about this passage if swapping to modern sealed bearing type.
im all for real deal parts but if its a reacuring problem speedwaymotors has roller berring flathead water pumps
It sure sounds like your water pump is the culprit. You don't need to replace both pumps if one is still good. However, I would replace both with the speedway bearing style pumps if I were in your shoes. I had all kinds of problems with the bushing style pumps, leaking, seizing, squealing, etc. I kept replacing them, but the same problems kept cropping up. This was long before the Speedway pumps were available, so I finnally converted to 8BA truck bearing style pumps. Kind of a pain in the ass, but I've had no water pump issues. A big hunk of wood under the oil pan and a floor jack will support the engine fine. And as was said earlier, don't forget the bolt inside the inlet tube. Also, if you go with the bushing style pump, DO NOT use any kind of goopy silicone sealer on the gasket. The sealer has a tendency to ooze all over and clog the passage that draws oil from the block to lube the bushing. If that gets glogged, bye-bye new pump. Use spray paint for a sealer. Spray a medium coat of paint on both sides of the gasket, let the paint tach up for 10-15 minutes and install. I learned that trick from a salty old flathead guy and I use it on all my water pump replacements (not just flatheads). No mess and I've never had a leak. Some other things to check are that the generator and fan are properly oiled. I burned up a fan assembly due to lack of oil, it cost me a bunch to replace.
And keep the drive belt a bit on the loose side. The old wide belts need much less tension than narrow ones, and the parts are designed to run at this low tension. Tighten that thing up like a modern...er...semi-modern belt and you'll quickly fry pumps and generator.
Dumb question.... I have changed 2 waterpumps in my life and both were on late model cars. What's this about jacking the motor up to change flathead water pumps? HC
[ QUOTE ] On the flatty (well, 59A style & later), the waterpumps are also the front engine mounts. [/ QUOTE ] thanks... makes sense- HC
Your late model pumps don't sit on the pumps as the ones that are being talked about.Most of the late flatheads had different mounts.--TV
TV - not sure what you mean. The late ones don't have the built-in "ears", but they engine mounts mount to the bottom of the pumps - I'm thinking 49-51 Ford here. Truth be told, I'm not familiar with anything later than that, so... 49-53 Water Pump
After 1937, the only one that doesn't sit on the pumps is the '53 truck--it has a big pressed steel saddle thing that attaches to the 1932 Ford mount locations on the block.
[ QUOTE ] 49-53 Water Pump [/ QUOTE ] Ernie, good pics. For those not sure of the location of the "hidden" mounting bolt; you can see the bolt hole inside the water outlet.
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