HELP! LT1 Water Pump Drive Seal / Shaft
05-07-2006, 12:24 PM
#1
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HELP! LT1 Water Pump Drive Seal / Shaft
The seal is leaking, I got it out, and noticed that the water pump drive shaft can be moved a bit side-side. The drive assy and bearing is new 25k miles ago when the engine was rebuilt. Is the water pump and sleeve actually the front support for the water pump drive gear? If so, is a little wobble on the front of the shaft OK? I don't really want to take the TC cover off unless I have to, thanks. Much appreciate the help on this one.
- Bill
- Bill
05-07-2006, 12:53 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
DANGER !!
DANGER!! MINE DID THE SAME THING ...THE BEARING CAME APART AND GROUND ALL THE TEETH OF THE CAM GEAR DO NOT START THE CAR!!! UNTILL YOU GET THIS CHECKED OUT...IT COULD BE FATAL AS IT WAS IN MY CASE BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY......
DANGER!! MINE DID THE SAME THING ...THE BEARING CAME APART AND GROUND ALL THE TEETH OF THE CAM GEAR DO NOT START THE CAR!!! UNTILL YOU GET THIS CHECKED OUT...IT COULD BE FATAL AS IT WAS IN MY CASE BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY......
05-07-2006, 02:49 PM
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Just Checking...
I just want to check to see how much freeplay is acceptable - I can move the shaft side-side maybe 1/16" total, up-down a little more. If I turn the shaft back and forth, it seems tight, no slop in the gears. Thanks!
Last edited by BillWelter; 05-07-2006 at 03:21 PM.
05-07-2006, 03:26 PM
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Also, since I have this apart, is a new coupler/sleeve recommended? Also, who is the idiot who invented the seals with the hard lip on them for the water pump drive and the distributor? What's that all about? Why not a standard rubber seal?
Thanks.
Thanks.
05-08-2006, 11:23 AM
#9
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St. Jude Donor '05
Mine did the same thing. Here's the thread:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1337512
Installing the new oil seal is a complete PITA:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1340270
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1337512
Next up was the oil seal. I ended up jamming a screwdriver into the notch at the top of the WP oil seal and prying it out. After a little work, it came out. However, I noticed something: the WP drive shaft is NOT solid. It can be wiggled back and forth a fair amount. Below are two ~8MB .avi files showing this. Please right-click and save-as.
(Up/down)
http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/MVI_0812.AVI
(Side/Side)
http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/MVI_0813.AVI
Is this normal? It certainly doesn't look like it! I decided not to remove any more seals until I heard back from you guys as to whether this is a problem. I don't want to install new seals and have to yank the timing cover.
(Up/down)
http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/MVI_0812.AVI
(Side/Side)
http://www.rx7gslse.com/umrswimr/Cor...4/MVI_0813.AVI
Is this normal? It certainly doesn't look like it! I decided not to remove any more seals until I heard back from you guys as to whether this is a problem. I don't want to install new seals and have to yank the timing cover.
Installing the new oil seal is a complete PITA:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1340270
05-08-2006, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by BillWelter
The seal is leaking, I got it out, and noticed that the water pump drive shaft can be moved a bit side-side. The drive assy and bearing is new 25k miles ago when the engine was rebuilt. Is the water pump and sleeve actually the front support for the water pump drive gear? If so, is a little wobble on the front of the shaft OK? I don't really want to take the TC cover off unless I have to, thanks. Much appreciate the help on this one.
- Bill
- Bill
05-08-2006, 05:46 PM
#11
Safety Car
Originally Posted by BillWelter
The seal is leaking...
- Bill
- Bill
It is very difficult to install the front cover without flipping the inner lip over. And, it is even more difficult to tell if you got it correctly.
I, personally, will never put the seal or cover over the water pump drive shaft without the special Kent-Moore tool. It isn't worth the aggrevation. The tool is about $20 from Kent-Moore. It is nothing but a cone shaped piece of plastic that keeps the seal from turning inside out.
Tom Piper
05-08-2006, 06:42 PM
#12
Race Director
Here is a shot of my water pump I replaced with a Meziere electric pump.
This shows the seal and supporting points.
This next one shows it apart:
So the answer to your question is once you have it all together there should be no noticeable play. With the pump assmbly off, the shaft coming out of the timing cover will have play.
This shows the seal and supporting points.
This next one shows it apart:
So the answer to your question is once you have it all together there should be no noticeable play. With the pump assmbly off, the shaft coming out of the timing cover will have play.
05-08-2006, 08:15 PM
#13
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St. Jude Donor '05-'06
It is not hard to install the seal here are the steps
1.Deburr the connecting shaft
2.Oil the shaft and seal and slide it onto the shaft.
3.Install the shaft onto the gear
4.Find a socket that is just bigger than the coupling shaft.
5.Push the seal to the end of the shaft and give it a good tap to seat it with a hammer.
6.Get a Good flashlight and inspect the seal for rollover or tears if it looks good install the pump and start it up.
Don't worry about what our junior member said there is play in the gear that will go away with the pump installed.It is normal.What ever happened to his car(I suspect he had the dreaded HD chain set failure) was not caused by the play.
1.Deburr the connecting shaft
2.Oil the shaft and seal and slide it onto the shaft.
3.Install the shaft onto the gear
4.Find a socket that is just bigger than the coupling shaft.
5.Push the seal to the end of the shaft and give it a good tap to seat it with a hammer.
6.Get a Good flashlight and inspect the seal for rollover or tears if it looks good install the pump and start it up.
Don't worry about what our junior member said there is play in the gear that will go away with the pump installed.It is normal.What ever happened to his car(I suspect he had the dreaded HD chain set failure) was not caused by the play.
05-08-2006, 08:31 PM
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Tom
Is the black seal on the water pump seal supposed to angle towards the block and the yellow seal supposed to angle towards the WP? I keep seeing posts about the seal turning over and it looks like that would mean the black seal would be facing the water pump if turned over. I'm waiting for the tool to come from Kent-Moore. So... when I put the timing cover on my 94 LT1 the tool should be on the WP gear and lubed up real well, right? The seal is facing the engine and it shouldn't flip over, correct? It seems like lubricating the tool and shaft is essential. The yellow seal will end up facing the WP. My WP gear shaft has two shiny spots on it. Do you polish the shaft with some 1000 grit paper? I’m ready to start the assembly of the cover, new pump, vented opti and new hoses. BTW, I have a boatload of pictures if anyone ever needs a reference shot of the engine.
Is the black seal on the water pump seal supposed to angle towards the block and the yellow seal supposed to angle towards the WP? I keep seeing posts about the seal turning over and it looks like that would mean the black seal would be facing the water pump if turned over. I'm waiting for the tool to come from Kent-Moore. So... when I put the timing cover on my 94 LT1 the tool should be on the WP gear and lubed up real well, right? The seal is facing the engine and it shouldn't flip over, correct? It seems like lubricating the tool and shaft is essential. The yellow seal will end up facing the WP. My WP gear shaft has two shiny spots on it. Do you polish the shaft with some 1000 grit paper? I’m ready to start the assembly of the cover, new pump, vented opti and new hoses. BTW, I have a boatload of pictures if anyone ever needs a reference shot of the engine.
