Thread: 6 cylinder water pump recon with 4 cyl rebuild kit

Stephen,

I'm looking at repairing a 6-cylinder water pump for someone at the moment.
I spoke with the gentleman who used to do them at Four Wheel Drives and he only mentioned machining the impeller.

The pump I've been given (thanks Steve) is quite badly rusted so not sure if I'll be able to get it apart without damaging it. Managed to get the fan flange off last night with a big puller & heat but need to make some parts up to press out the shaft & bearing.
Looking at the 4-cylinder kit and the 6-cylinder pump it is only the impeller 'blades' that need turning down to match the profile of the inside of the pump.

Reco ones here but $250 !
Land Rover Parts - WATER PUMP - S1,S2,S3

I may still have access to a couple of NOS pumps but they are some way off if my contact can still actually get them. The last ones sold on here very quickly and were less than 1/2 the price of the reco listed above.

There are a couple of YouTube videos on repairing pumps.
YouTube

I only have a small hydraulic press (20T) so I hope it's enough to do the job. Access to a blasting cabinet would help if I'm repairing this one but maybe a dunk in the molasses tank will remove a lot of the rust.


Colin

Managed to press the pump apart.

The impeller broke in the process despite heating it. The pump had sat on an unused engine for some time and the bleed hole was solid with corrosion along with the connection to the cylinder head. Also the spigot that retains the O-ring had corroded away so if I continue and repair it I'll have to machine the opening & fit a short section of steel tube.

Picture attached shows the difference between 4-cyl & 6-cyl.
Blade angle seems the same but blades shorter.

Interestingly the shaft where it fits into the impeller was smaller diameter on the 6-cyl pump but I guess this comes down to the manufacturer and the impeller comes with the kit anyway.

Kits are cheap enough in the UK so maybe I'll order a couple when companies re-open and airfreight costs come back down.
Water pump repair kit - 8/9 stud - Paddock Spares


Colin

Hi Colin,
I thought the 8/9 bolt hole pump was for an early 4 cylinder engine. Do these kits fit a 6 cylinder ?

You may be able to get bearings for a beaing joint but the impellor will be harder.

Ian
Bittern

Originally Posted by ian4002000

Hi Colin,
I thought the 8/9 bolt hole pump was for an early 4 cylinder engine. Do these kits fit a 6 cylinder ?

You may be able to get bearings for a beaing joint but the impellor will be harder.

Ian
Bittern

Ian,
That kit will fit early and late 4-cylinder plus the 6-cylinder if you machine the impeller down.

I was told this by Murray who used to work at Four Wheel Drives but wanted to pull a pump apart and check for myself.

I did think about getting the bearing/shaft assembly from a bearing shop but not sure whether they could match the mechanical seal. Also with the price from the UK.....

The 6-cylinder pump is scarce and getting expensive if/when they come up for sale, I've also seen 6-cyl rebuild kits come up (maybe I should machine some impellers down and I could sell 6-cyl kits !).

It's interesting that the 6-cyl impeller is the same diameter, same number of blades but the blades are shorter. I did wonder if the flow was less than the 4-cylinder but it would depend on the speed it's run at.


Colin

Hi Colin,
Thanks for the information. I have an old farm 6 cylinder 11A that will need a water pump one day. I leave the fanbelt real loose to reduce the tension and prolong the water pumps lifespan.
I will be looking forward to the completed pump repair you are doing

Ian
Bittern

I was tidying up the workshop and found a part finished 6-cylinder water pump.
The impeller was modified some time ago and a few more assembly tools made.
It's been sitting on the bench because I don't have an immediate need for it but it was in the way so I pressed the new bearing in and the impeller on.
Now to file it somewhere where I can find it in years to come.

I now have a NOS pump, a reco pump and someone has offered me another one to reco. This guarantees that the one on my FFR will never fail now.



Colin

I don’t even have a running engine or vehicle yet but I have a NOS unit, good second hand unit and a unit needing repair.

Sure Peter Haylock at 4xfour spares told me the kits fit 6 cyl with little modifacation.

whitehillbilly