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TR2/3/3A Water pump replacement - TR3A

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NutmegCT

NutmegCT

Great Pumpkin
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I have to bite the bullet and replace the pump.

Several months and I'm still getting that slippery brown spatter inside the engine compartment during a long drive.

The story and picture are located here:

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcforum/u...true#Post312154

As I've never replaced a 1959 TR3A water pump before (!), which pump do you recommend (original style or "uprated"), and what other parts and pieces will I need?

Any caveats?

Thanks.
Tom
 
Tom,

If you've been perfectly happy with your cooling system thus far, then it's probably foolish to switch to the 'uprated' pump. If your only problem is a bad seal on the old pump, and strict orginality is not important to you, then I'd suggest one of the aftermarket pumps with the pulley permanently mounted to the shaft. That may mean you need to buy and install a stud in place of the original bolt (but the stud will also work with the original pump and IMO is a worthwhile modification).

I say that because I've heard from several people that have had trouble with the pulley coming loose and ruining both pulley and shaft (and sometimes other things like radiators & hoods).

The actual R&R of the pump is pretty straight-forward, and easier than most cars because you don't have to mess with the fan or any hoses. Obviously, drain the coolant first, then loosen the generator bolts so the "fan" belt is loose, then undo the bolt & 2 nuts (or 3 nuts) that hold the WP to it's housing. Might take a nudge from a soft-faced hammer to break the gasket, but it should come off pretty easy.

However, if you need to transfer the old pulley to the new pump; you'll likely need a special puller to get it off. The pulley should be a very snug fit on the shaft, and the flange is rather brittle, so using a jaw-type puller is apt to break it. It's also best to find a suitable spacer so the forcing screw bears against the shoulder of the shaft inside the pulley, rather than the exposed threaded end. I used a 1/4" drive socket, but don't recall which one offhand.

Also, I don't know if it's still a problem or not; but at one time the 'uprated' pumps didn't have circlips to hold the shaft in place. You had to be careful when installing the pulley not to push the shaft through the bearings, which could cause the seal to leak.
 
Aloha Tom,

The water pump can be removed with out taking off the front cowl or radiator, but it is little tight. You will need to drain down some of the coolant (almost all of it) so if you are not sure of it age or condition you may want to replace the coolant with new anti freeze. A new water pump gasket would also be in order. While you're in the general area, if the three radiator hoses are of unknown age you may want to replace them. Same suggestion for the fan belt.

Either the replacement water pump with four flat impeller blades or the improved one with curved and more numerous impeller blades will move the coolant. If you are going to be racing and many miles of high performance driving then the improved pump may be a better choice. The original style pump is IMHO good enough for most street driving. Another consideration is availability and cost. Some vendors sell the water pumps with out the drive pulley included. If yours is reusable, that might save you a few bucks. Some water pumps need you to spin the shaft with the pump dry in order to lap in the water seal. This can be done with an electric drill before installing. The pump instruction will mention this if required.

Good luck in the replacement, it isn't that hard and Haynes gives a pretty good description of it. It is probably best you do this as soon as convenient for you. The leakage through the weep hole usually means a bad/failing water seal in the pump. Eventually the bearing fail and the shaft can seize followed by a broken fan belt.
 
This is excellent. Thanks for these pointers and suggestions.

The mention of a pump with the pulley already mounted interests me. Moss shows the two parts as separate; TRF doesn't show a TR3 water pump in the on-line catalog.

Where could I find the proper pump with pulley already mounted?

T.
 
Check with Moss ... used to be they supplied the pump & pulley under the 835-070 number even though the catalog illustration doesn't show it that way. But maybe they don't supply the one-piece pump any more.

TRF P/N is 501488, but that's probably an original pump with a removable pulley installed (hence the price).

VB explicitly lists the pump with pulley, P/N 2-127.
https://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/tc/0074.asp
 
TR3driver said:
Check with Moss ... used to be they supplied the pump & pulley under the 835-070 number even though the catalog illustration doesn't show it that way. But maybe they don't supply the one-piece pump any more.

TRF P/N is 501488, but that's probably an original pump with a removable pulley installed (hence the price).

VB explicitly lists the pump with pulley, P/N 2-127.
https://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/tc/0074.asp
Click to expand...


I ordered P/N 2-127 from VB in Sep 2015. It arrived WITHOUT the pulley, despite the fact that on-line it shows the WP with pressed pulley for my 1959 TR3A. After waiting for a week to receive the part, I called VB and complained that they sent the wrong part. VB insisted that they don't sell the WP with pulley for a TR3 (despite the fact that their order taker had verified it on the phone when I placed the order), and they would happily sell me a WP pulley for $40 more plus shipping.
For those that are curious, you can still see the WP with pressed pulley for a '59 TR3 advertisement at:
https://www.victoriabritish.com/features/tc/tcwp5.htm
Needless to say, I was a mite perturbed by this lack of customer service from VB. Lesson learned - VB is an option of last resort and if you go there caveat emptor!
Cheers.
 
Looks to me like those photos are switched, i.e. the one on the right appears to have the pressed on pulley.

This may be the root of the problem, though if you ordered and paid for a pump with a pulley that is what you should get.
 
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