Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Waterpump woes

Been there done that Arwyn... (-: Though it sure was not a stress free operation, in that the car in question was a Porsche 928 belonging to a pal and from a dull memory the water pump had fourteen fixings of which at least six had sheared on removal despite lots of coaxing and words to the gods applied after the first one sheared. Fortunately once the pump was finally removed there were a few threads protruding on each of the broken studs on to which I mig welded nuts, having wire brushed the exposed threads to assist screwing the nuts in place, the mig welding to lock the nuts in place on the broken studs. THAT was the easy part.

The application of heat was where the potential for engine block disaster lay in wait.... Aluminium disperses heat quickly, thus a searing flame directed to the area into which the stud was trapped and used very gingerly was thought to be the best method, but not without risk. Heating aluminium rapidly is not without risk of it melting without warning, no warning given no change of colour, just malts suddenly, and not the sort of thing one wishes to see happen to a multi-thousand pound Porsche engine block.

The studs were six mil in dia so not a lot of force required to shear them again, thus the best method was thought to be to apply as much force as thought reasonable to avoid shearing and keep that force applied while heating the aluminium until the stud moved at which time the flame was quickly withdrawn until the stud would then again seize, then the flame was re-applied untill the stud would again free of to some extent.... It took a great deal of time and nervous perspiration to remove those corroded studs, I ever thought it a risky processes, however it all came good and the car still runs today many years later... Phew..!