Re: alfa-digest V8 #139 - Water Pump Replacement

[AlfaNeely@domain.elided]

Tess,
       The comments from Paul Novak are correct.  If the bearings are gone, 
you can wiggle the fan blade.  Or there is a weep hole underneath the water 
pump.  My last water pump just started leaking out the weep hole, but the 
bearings were still fine.  Unlike the Milano water pump, the spider pump can 
be rebuilt.
 
        Start by draining the radiator.  Look under the front bumper.  You 
should find an oval opening under the radiator.  The drain plug unscrews with 
a 14 mm socket.  Then remove the radiator hoses.
      A hint for removing the radiator hoses.  Remove the clamp and slip a 
screw driver into the end of the hose.  Slide it around the hose nipple as 
far around as possible to break it loose.  I have had to cut the hoses off.  
As Paul said, this is a good time to replace the belts and hoses, the 
thermostat and the antifreeze.
       After you remove the upper and lower radiator hoses, the fan shroud 
comes off with four 10 mm nuts and the radiator has two 13 mm bolts.  The 
bottom of the radiator sits in a rubber cushion.  Make sure it is in place 
when you replace the radiator later.  Unbolt the shroud and lean it back.  
Pull the radiator and then the shroud.
       When I say, 10 mm, I mean that is the wrench size.  A 6 mm bolt takes 
a 10 mm wrench.  A 7 mm bolt takes an 11 mm wrench and an 8 mm bolt takes a 
13 mm wrench.
       Five 10 mm bolts hold the fan and spacer to the water pump.  Your fan 
may or may not have a spacer.  Remember which way the fan points to get it 
back on correctly later.  The pitch of the blades is not the same both 
directions.
       If you have air conditioning, the crank pulley has to be split by 
removing the four 5 mm Allen head bolts to remove the air conditioning belt.  
Keep track of where the shims are in the crank pulley as that is how you set 
the tension on the air conditioning belt.  You have to loosen the alternator 
to get the fan belt off.  The big 19 mm bolt that the alternator pivots on is 
double nutted and a bit of a pain to break loose.  The upper link to the 
alternator takes a 13 mm wrench.  There is a stud on the water pump.  Note 
that the nut on the water pump end of the alternator bracket is thinner than 
the other nuts you will remove.
       Remove the heater hose and the bypass hose from the intake manifold.  
If you replace the by pass hose, cut out the brass by pass valve from the old 
hose.  The new hose will not come with a new valve.  Coat the by pass valve 
with anti seize to install it into the new hose.  I like to put anti seize in 
the ends of all radiator hoses.  It does not make the hoses leak and they 
sure come off easier years later.
       The water pump is held to the engine with several 10 mm bolts and two 
11 mm bolts.  Several of the bolts are hard to find being hidden under the 
pulley.  The water pump will not slip off the bolts with the crank pulley in 
place.  That is where some people suggest double nutting the two lower bolts 
to remove the studs from the block.
       I have always removed the crank shaft pulley.  There may be a lock tab 
on the nut in the center of the crank pulley.  It needs straightened out.
       My notes indicate that your 87 and all Bosch spiders should have a 36 
mm nut.  The earlier spiders like the 1750 have a 38 mm crank nut and the V-6 
has a 41 mm.
       Get the 36 mm socket, a break over bar and a cheater pipe about four 
feet long.  Put the car in third or fourth gear and have friend stand on the 
brakes.  Using the cheater, break the nut loose counter clock wise.
       In the process of breaking the nut loose, the giubo on the back of the 
transmission is going to flex.  It is designed to flex.  That must be why 
they call it a flex joint!  You will have to wind up the giubo quite a ways 
before it tightens enough that the nut will break loose.
       Did I mention that the air cleaner and the overflow bottle should be 
removed before you start?  You will need all the clearance between the 
fenders that you can get to swing the break over bar.
       Once the crankshaft nut is off, the pulley should just slide off.  You 
might have to pry on it a bit or even use a puller.
       You can now remove the water pump.  Clean the gasket surface on the 
front of the engine.  There is a plate on the Bosch spiders that overs what 
used to be the drive for the mechanical tachometer.  The crankshaft timing 
pointer also bolts here.  Move these parts to the new water pump.
       Reassembly is the reverse of the above.  Be careful to not over 
tighten the 10 mm bolts.  They only need a bit of torque.  Too much will pull 
the studs out of the aluminum.

       While the water pump and everything is out of the road, it is a good 
time to clean the engine and bay.  Put the crank pulley back in the hole to 
keep water out and put a plastic bag over the air intake.  Spray with Gunk or 
your favorite grease remover and hose it down.
       This is also time to spray water into the water pump opening and flush 
the system a bit.  Open the heater levers on the console and flush the heater 
core with the hose too.  Buy a gallon of antifreeze and mix 50/50 with 
distilled or de ionized water.  I do not want to get started on the best 
water to use.  That has been beat to death on Alfa Digest.  I seem to recall 
the spider holds slightly over two gallons, but one gallon of antifreeze and 
a bit over a gallon of water should be fine in Washington State unless you 
drive to the mountains where the temperature drops below zero F.
       So what have I forgotten?  Nothing I hope.  Are you up to the above?  
You might just fill the system with water and drive it to a mechanic.  It 
should be fine for a few miles.
       But as far as doing it yourself, you ain't gonna learn any younger.

Ciao,
Russ Neely
Oklahoma City




In a message dated 10/16/2001 12:02:22 PM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:



> Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 06:30:36 -0700
> From: "Tessie McMillan" <tessmc@domain.elided>
> Subject: steps to replace a failed water pump (spider)
> 
> I had my '87 Spider in the shop a month ago to get her to pass emissions
> (long story!), although at the time I neglected to mention she's been
> running hot and that I'd periodically found drips of coolant on the garage
> floor. They mentioned they'd found during their inspection that my water
> pump was on its last legs and advised me to fix it ASAP. That very same day,
> I drove the Spider across Lake Washington and went north for an ITU (Italian
> Tune Up), came back, passed emissions, drove to work, then drove home at the
> end of the day. (Sidebar: it was a fabulous sunny and cool day and I had the
> top down and really enjoyed being back in the Spider!). I pulled into the
> driveway in the evening to park for a moment -- since I was going to take
> her out for another drive to the beach (since it was such a nice evening),
> ran into the house, came back out, and while I was gone she had puked
> coolant all over the driveway. At that point, I rolled her into the garage
> and took my other car out, but the next day in going into the garage I found
> maybe 3-4 cups of coolant all over the garage flloor. It seemed to have come
> from the passenger side of the engine compartment. I haven't tried to drive
> her to the shop, thinking it wouldn't be good for the engine (to drive).
> 
> I guess... it's the water pump?
> 
> If I make that assumption, what should my first step be? Should I drain the
> radiator, and if so, how? I seem to recall when I was helping a friend
> replace the radiator fan a few years ago that there was a lower hose on the
> passenger side of the radiator, and that's where to start. Is this right?
> 
> Can you advise me what in the world a water pump looks like? Is it somewhere
> on the outside of the engine? Really, the only engines I've seen apart are
> early 911 engines ... I don't even know what the one on my Audi looks like.
> 
> Thanks for the advice!
> 
> Tess

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