Degsy Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 (edited) As those of you who were at A&E will know the water pump on my Weasel was knackered and due to the bad weather I had the time this week to repair it. Stripped it down on Tuesday and although another Weasel owner had told me to remove the fuel tank and rad to do the job I decided to go with the manual instructions and try to do the job without doing this. It is somewhat awkward due to very limited space and I made it more difficult by not removing the dynamo. It took all day as I kept breaking off to help my mate with repairs on cars as I was doing the job in his garage and as I am not familiar with the Weasel yet I wasn't rushing. Tuesday evening I went to a friends to collect several s/h pumps to see if one of these could be used. The engine in the Weasel is the same as that used in the Studebaker Champion car but with some mods one of which is a difference in water pumps, the pump on my engine was a civi one but it is possible to use both types by modifying the mounting holes and making a 90 degree elbow to use the civi one in and these mods had been carried out on my engine. I had obtained 2 military pumps, 1 s/h but in reasonable condition although it had been standing dry for a considerable time so the seals were likely to be 'iffy', the other one NOS but with one mounting flange broken off and a big lump missing off the impeller. I also had a s/h civi one that we removed from a car engine on Tuesday evening and this one was still full of antifreeze so the seals weren't dried out but the mounting holes were in different positions to the one that came off the Weasel and would have been difficult if not impossible to alter so a decision was made to have my pump rebuilt at the Quinton Hazell factory which is very local to me. The problem for QH was that they only work now with Metric parts but they managed to find bearings and a shaft that would fit but had to use seals from the civi pump I had obtained and which in their opinion would do the job but they also fitted a couple of 'o' rings to improve the fit. Thanks are due to QH as they are manufacturers rather than repairers but they will always help if they can and they very generously did the job FOC, as one good turn deserves another I will do some repairs on one of their vehicles in due course. Due to other work didn't get started on refitting the pump 'til thursday afternoon and started by removing the dynamo to give more room having refitted the double pulley to the pump hub, this after measuring everything up to ensure everything would line up when reassembled. Sods Law now came into play and everything that could go wrong did go wrong culminating in me dropping my mobile down the side of the engine into a pool of antifreeze that was sitting in the bottom of the engine bay. After vainly trying various methods to retrieve it we attached a valve seating sucker to a long thin piece of metal, put some super glue on the sucker and managed to hold it against the mobile 'til it cured and then wriggle it free. As it was now 7pm I left the fitting of the dynamo and finishing off for another day. I stripped and cleaned the mobile and it worked OK for 5-6 hours before succumbing to the effects of it's bath but I was able to retrieve the Sim card and transfer it to a spare 'phone. Friday morning fitted the dynamo and bits and bobs and then successfully test ran the engine, it is now so quiet as to be almost inaudible. Didn't return the Weasel to the farm as we've had torrential rain here all day but prospects look a bit better for tomorrow and hopefully will be able to give it a good run up at the farm to try it out properly. 1st pic shows everything removed and ready for refitting. 2nd pic shows , top row from left, rebuilt pump, bits left over from rebuild, donor pump, broken NOS military pump, bottom row,pulley ready to be attached to pump, the outer flange screws on and is tightened to force belt up in groove to tension it, next is pulley removed from used military pump to right but as it would be when attached with belt fitted. 3rd pic shows same items. 4th pic shows pump refitted but before fitting of fan and belt tensioning. 5th pic shows job completed. Edited July 7, 2012 by Degsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapper Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 I was really sorry you were unable to run the Weasel at A&E. It would have been great fun to see. Maybe next time. Glad to see repairs are advancing. Keep smiling, MB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 What a s*d of a job that is! As I get older I have less patience for really awkward stuff like that. I really don't want to worry you, but I reckon that stuff under the radiator is ectoplasm. You need to call these people ( and destroy that phone :shake: ): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Or buy a Sonim phone. They do stand up to most stuff thrown at them, or just thrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Or buy a Sonim phone. They do stand up to most stuff thrown at them, or just thrown. :shocked: Buy a phone:nono: You've got to be joking, I always use other peoples cast offs, I'm not proud just tight;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 What a s*d of a job that is! As I get older I have less patience for really awkward stuff like that. I really don't want to worry you, but I reckon that stuff under the radiator is ectoplasm. You need to call these people ( and destroy that phone :shake: ): [ATTACH=CONFIG]64315[/ATTACH] I rather liked that shade of green but once I got it moving it all drained away.:cry: I might strip the phone again and give it a dose of electrical contact cleaner, kill or cure, not that bothered 'cos I've just transferred my sim card to another phone.:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 7, 2012 Author Share Posted July 7, 2012 Gave the Weasel a run today but unfortunately it's now overheating so back to the drawing board.:argh: Checked everything, water is circulating, fan and pump appear to operating normally and if left to tick over, by watching the temp gauge it is possible to see that the thermostat is opening and closing but as soon it is taken for a run the temperature just goes up and up. It has had a new radiator so that should be okay, it is slightly warm at the bottom but very hot at the top. There doesn't appear to be any water in the oil and no excess moisture from the exhaust so if I get time tomorrow I'll try it with the thermostat out and take it from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 7, 2012 Share Posted July 7, 2012 Might the timimg have been knocked with all the work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 You might want to have a scan of the manual. I'm not 100% but that looks like a reverse-flow fan you have in one of the pics, and I'm reasonably sure the Weasel should draw air from the front and pump it out the back - may be wrong though.... Might be from an early machine with the same engine at the back ? T-28 or whatever I remember my DUKW drew air forward over the engine, but I'm sure my Weasels drew it in at the front. My Snow Tractor and Sno-Cat have conventional fans on. Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 You might want to have a scan of the manual. I'm not 100% but that looks like a reverse-flow fan you have in one of the pics, and I'm reasonably sure the Weasel should draw air from the front and pump it out the back - may be wrong though.... Might be from an early machine with the same engine at the back ? T-28 or whatever I remember my DUKW drew air forward over the engine, but I'm sure my Weasels drew it in at the front. My Snow Tractor and Sno-Cat have conventional fans on. Gordon Gordon, The fan looks correct for drawing air from rad over the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 On second look you are right Richard, clockwise looking at the undriven end of the crank? There was the early Weasel which had the same engine at the back, driving forward into a transaxle at the front, which was why I asked. Degsy - check the manual please - might still be that the Weasel has / needs a six-bladed fan and you have the four blade unit from a car. Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 On second look you are right Richard, clockwise looking at the undriven end of the crank? Thats the way I was looking at it, Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Might the timimg have been knocked with all the work? Nothing has been done which could affect the timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 You might want to have a scan of the manual. I'm not 100% but that looks like a reverse-flow fan you have in one of the pics, and I'm reasonably sure the Weasel should draw air from the front and pump it out the back - may be wrong though.... Might be from an early machine with the same engine at the back ? T-28 or whatever I remember my DUKW drew air forward over the engine, but I'm sure my Weasels drew it in at the front. My Snow Tractor and Sno-Cat have conventional fans on. Gordon The thought did cross my mind even though I knew that I had checked I was fitting it correctly but I did check again and it is definitely drawing through the rad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Asking the obvious, could it be the gauge? Is it electric or mechanical type? Does the system airlock? Partially collappsing hose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Degsy - check the manual please - might still be that the Weasel has / needs a six-bladed fan and you have the four blade unit from a car. Gordon I've checked the manual as you suggested and the 4 blade fan is correct but it was a good thought Gordon. Thank you, any ideas/tips regarding the Weasel are very gratefully received as I am on a very steep learning curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Could you not cheat and fit an electric fan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 Spent the morning on the farm replacing the nylon bushes on the main pivot on the disc mower, not a job we were looking forward to but it turned out to be much easier than expected. We were just going for lunch when a neighbour came in the yard to ask if we could cut 6 acres of silage for him, good job we hadn't taken the mower off the tractor:-D. Rich (son) went to cut which suited me as I could get to the Weasel and remove the thermostat, fortunately I was working in the shed because it started to rain (again) and it's still at it as I type this 12 hrs later.:-X Anyway removed thermostat and although it was rather rusty and looked very old it wasn't seized but when I cleaned it up it was marked 171 in 4 places. Th Weasel is supposed to be fitted with a 155 degree one for normal operation but a 175 degree type for cold weather operation so I suspect that the 171 may refer to temperature but I have not yet had chance to to check this yet. I replaced the thermostat housing and took the Weasel out for a run, thrashed the a...e off it and there was no sign of overheating so I hope I have now isolated the problem, just need to obtain and fit the correct thermostat to confirm it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Anyway removed thermostat and although it was rather rusty and looked very old it wasn't seized but when I cleaned it up it was marked 171 in 4 places. The Weasel is supposed to be fitted with a 155 degree one for normal operation but a 175 degree type for cold weather operation so I suspect that the 171 may refer to temperature but I have not yet had chance to to check this yet. I replaced the thermostat housing and took the Weasel out for a run, thrashed the a...e off it and there was no sign of overheating so I hope I have now isolated the problem, just need to obtain and fit the correct thermostat to confirm it. As I said to a clever local farmer (and coincidentally a GMC owner) - 'There's no flies on you are there?'. To which he replied very modestly - 'No, but you can see where they've been, can't you!'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 [ATTACH=CONFIG]64558[/ATTACH] As I said to a clever local farmer (and coincidentally a GMC owner) - 'There's no flies on you are there?'. To which he replied very modestly - 'No, but you can see where they've been, can't you!'. :rofl::rofl::rofl: None on me either........they've all drowned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 I have thought you'd need a Flymo to cut anything after all the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Degsy Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 If you fancy tackling several hundred acres with a Flymo you're welcome to come and try it:nut:. If it ever does dry up enough to cut it's going to be a bit of a nightmare because crops are very heavy and flat on the floor due to all the rain as well as being long overdue to be harvested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I really don't envy you! I'm glad I don't have any livestock to feed this winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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