VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 1947 216 chevy six water pump

howdy guys

my water pump has started to slowly leak on my 1947, 216 engine
my repair manual is for the 1935-1936 and mentions replaceing the packing on the 207 engine,would this also apply to this 216 engine??
if it doe's, how is it done??
this manual doesn't say how.
to clear things up,i have a 216 engine in my 1935 truck.

It is different, Does not have a packing like a 1936. Take your pump to a rebiulder.

They also sell either rebuilt or new ones on eBay. I see they're asking $129 for a new pump; $72 for a rebuilt. I was thinking I bought a new one for about $75 six months ago, but I don't see anything in that price range.

I previously went threw this same thing with my Water pump. I bought a rebuilt one and it did not last vary long. I then purchased a brand new water pump and all is good now. I would suggest getting a brand new one. That way you can install it and not worry about it.

howdy again

thanks for the response guys.
i just went down to napa auto parts and bought a rebuilt pump
for 48.00 dollars plus my old pump.
installed it ,takes about 20 minutes.works fine.
i also got a life time warenty,so we will see how good napa's
rebuilds are.

thanks again
JK

howdy again
well the rebuilt water pump i bought from NAPA lasted about a week before it started leaking.so i guess who ever said that rebuilt pumps don't last was right.
i asked napa to get me a new pump and they said that they couldn't get new pumps anymore,so i guess i will just keep getting rebuilt pumps from them until they give me a good one.
the pump was leaking from the two holes on the bottom of the shaft.

jeff korner
southeast indiana

Lifetime warranty...Gotta like that...At least you'll never pay for a water pump again...As long as NAPA never folds...!

I can't understand why rebuilt pumps are not just as good as new ones. Lets face it, the new ones have a housing that a shaft was put into. The fit was was water tight. If it can be done on an new housing why can't it be done on an old used one? After all it's just a matter of pressing out the old shaft and pressing in a new one. My goodness. It ain't rocket science, here. There's gotta be an answer.

Professional rebuilders can't possibly be that inept and stay in business. Know what I'm saying?

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Wonder what the answer is as to why the rebuilt ones fail. Didn't GM even rebuild them. I'm thinking they did but I don't know.

Ray, Gene, Beamer, Tiny, Chipper, et al?

Charlie

well i just went down and exchanged the bad rebuilt pump for another rebuilt pump.the rebuilt pump i just got,you couldn't even turn the pulley by hand,i took it home anyway and shot some oil in the weep holes and down on the shaft under the impeller fins and finally got it to turn almost freely lol.
i installed it and so far it does not leak.
so since i have a life time warenty on this pump transaction
and it only takes me about 20 minutes to change the pump,i will
continue to get rebuilt pump after rebuilt pump untill they give me a good one.i will replace 50 if i have to and maybe somebody in the mean time will see what is going on here and
make some changes in the rebuild plant.

jeff korner
southeast indiana

this should be interesting
the guys at napa didn't seem to be happy the first
one only lasted about a week
i guess the shipping back and forth is piching their pocket lol

I think their disappointment was in the fact that you had to bring it back so soon...It's a pain in the neck...Your neck...Even if it does last 20 years, the next ones still on them...Don't forget where you got it...! smiles

Not to worry about it being hard to turn...That's okay.

Hey, was it already painted...? The last one I got wasn't...

Around here the mechanics won't even consider a rebuilt due to their short life span.
Chevrolet sold only new pumps but in the early 1959 small block engines we had so many water pump failures you couldn't believe it. Chevrolet finally said they would only pay for the mechanic overhauling the pump and would not pay for a new one. That joke lasted only a short time. They didn't even have enough bearings and seals in stock to carry out their orders.

no it was not painted
and i didn't paint it either
if i paint each one
i'll go broke wasting paint on junk lol

jk

Who was the rebuilder? Did the box it came in have any information as to who rebuilt the pump or was it in a NAPA box?

Has anyone had good success with a particular parts supplier or rebuilder? NOS pumps are expensive and I'd sure like to know a reliable source.

Thanks,
Charlie

Has anyone had good success with a particular parts supplier or rebuilder? NOS pumps are expensive and I'd sure like to know a reliable source.

Thanks,
Charlie
[/quote]
I had my 39 pump rebuilt and was very satisfied with the results. This is my personal experience. I'll give you a address and phone number you can contact for more information.

Ace rebuilders
180 mace st
Chula Vista,Ca 91911-5875
Phone (619)585-9001

P.K.

That's good news. And, thanks for the lead on a good rebuilder.

Charlie

You Are !

I'm thinking....Geez, how hard can it be to rebuild something as simple as a water-pump, and not get it right...? Is it the quality of the bearing being used...? Is it not being "pressed" in correctly...? Has me wondering...

ok heres the scoop on the box the rebuilt came in.
it says>> NAPA quality remanufactured parts<<.
it's in a NAPA box
says remfg OM k12
inspected by>> OM DCB2251

are you ready for this>> c.o. MEXICO <<

also it was shipped here to indiana from wilmington maine.

hey i figured it out!! in order to get one to not leak!!
YOU HAVE TO START SPEAKING SPANISH
WHEN YOU DRIVE YOUR TRUCK

JK

Oh, it may have been re-manufactured in Mexico...But the bearing probably came from China...harhar...Keeping costs down, that's what it's all about...!

No wonder it leaked. It had over 25,000 miles on it by yhe time you installed it.

Wow, That Gene, still has it!!!

Why not - I'm only 80 years old.

no wonder chevy gene is so dam smart he's twice as old as anybody
in this chat not fair gene not fair. lol lol

jk

This may strike some as too humorous for the Chat, so I apologize up front.

Re Gene,

"Old age and treachery beats youth and skill every time."

May you have many more years to advise us and share your vast knowledge. I'm only two years behind you and closing fast.

Best,
Charlie

I checked with the ebay source for new water pumps (Garyspartsconnections) and they get their pumps from Airtex. Airtex warrants the pump for "Limited Lifetime." You can look Airtex up on the internet and they explain "Limited." I posted earlier on Jeff Korner's topic Water leak(11/22/12) that I had problems with rebuilt pumps and again think the hassle of using a rebuilt part does not make a lot of sense. Good luck, Mike

I agree wholeheartedly about the new vs rebuilt. My rebuilt didn't last more than 2,000 miles/6 months. I did finally go back and look at my bills and I see I bought my new water pump from NAPA. I saw earlier where someone said that NAPA no longer sells new pumps, so I guess eBay is the place to find one.

I still can't comprehend the problem between new and rebuilt being but the quality of the bearing being used...

Charlie

Some people rebuild pumps that are too corroded or worn to give a quality product. The laborers on the bench don't care and quality inspection is almost non-existent. However if you get a good one they will last as long or longer than a Chinese or Mexican replacement.

But here's the thing I can't understand. The replacement bushing and shaft are pressed into the hole of the old pump. Owing to the water tight fit - of the old bushing and shaft - through this hole, how does the sufficient corrosion take place to render the housing faulty?

As I understand it. The failure (leak) takes place not at the press-in shaft's bushing but at the rotating shaft the the impeller is attached to.

I realize I may be kicking a dead horse, but I believe you (not the horse) and others may be able to shed further light on the subject.

Still wondering,
Charlie

howdy again guys

well i told you i would let you know how long this rebuilt water pump would last.
this is the second rebuilt pump that i put on this truck.
the first one leaked right away and this second one lasted about a hundred miles.
so here we go again,these have a life time warenty so i just guess i will just keep changeing them till napa gets me a good one.

jeff korner
southeast indiana

Buddy of mine just gave me a '47 water pump that appears to to be in pretty good shape...Found it at a "flea market" and just gave it to me...Guess you never know what you'll find there...It'd be to afraid to use it though, even though it appears that it's in pretty good condition...

took water punp off this morning and back down to napa.
they said they no longer carry rebuilt or new water pumps for the 216 engine,so he gave me my money back.
so then i went to auto zone and bought a brand new pump for 110.00 bucks ,life time warrenty.
so we will see how good auto zone's new pumps are.no core charge

jeff korner
southeast indiana

Good luck, Jeff.

Whatever works my friend.

Love that free lifetime stuff...It's in their computer to boot, so you don't need to keep the receipt...The only problem is you have to keep bringing them back ( for free )

Kevin,

You hit the nail on the head about the lifetime warranty and the problem with having to take the item back.

I got tired of taking back inferior stuff. Like batteries. I now go with only Interstate (not the only good ones out there) and new instead of rebuilt other stuff, if available.

Like brake pads. Who wants go to the trouble of constantly exchanging items? And on and on. You get the picture.

I still can't get my mind around what the problem is in pressing in new parts in to what is otherwise a healthy water pump. What is the part that fails on these do-it-yourself rebuild parts? It's mystifying to me.

There are several makes of water pump repair kits out there. Has anyone found one brand superior to others? I assume the ONLY failures of rebuild kits and rebuilt pumps is that they start to leak in a relatively short period of time.

Charlie