As some of you know from my build thread, My 442 got hot the other night. After messing with it since Saturday I thought I had it fixed. Tonight I found that it is not done yet. For sure the thermostat is good, The radiator is a new core and flows perfect, The head gaskets are good, I checked two times now for exhaust gas in the radiator and nothing. No water in the oil..... Checked everything you can check but still not got flow through the radiator. It just gets hot on the upper hose and top of the left tank.

Only thing it can be is the impeller came loose from the water pump shaft. I have not pulled the pump yet but there is nothing else it could be. I was to quick to blame the China junk thermostat

I called the guy that rebuilt it and he agrees with me and said he will cover it completely. I picked up another X pump tonight and going to send him both pumps and go from there.

 

I went through that with a 409 Chevy, sometimes work sometimes NOT, before I could find it the rings were TOAST, impeller LOOSE would work at idle but not at 40 mph, TOOK A WHILE an a lot of work before finding the water pump, LOOKED NEW. That was in 1974 but froze in my memory. LOL

 

I have never seen a loose one, but I have seen them rotted so far that there was nothing left but the backing plate on the impeller.

 

I once had a stamped steel impeller corrode and fall off the shaft. That was really simple to troubleshoot as there was zero water flow through the radiator with the thermostat removed, and several minutes of idling resulted in boiling over.

 

Eric , I've followed your build ( And Costpenn's ) closely . Both were highly informative and instructional . AND , I've had a similar experience as yours .

My 67 , 442 , was a every nut , bolt , open checkbook 2.5 year process , out of a shop in Salina KS . Engine was built back to stock spec's / exception W - 30 cam , dyno tested , and installed in frame - Nov . 2013 . Car was delivered to me Feb. 2015 .
Amongst my leaks after delivery , was retightening - of new brake lines on 2 of 4 wheel cylinders , seeping oil from oil pan gaskets , AND less than 45 minute old rebuilt Water Pump ... I could NOT see the pump leak visually from top , but it was there . It was relieving to get all my leaks fixed at once .
I have road tested now at 114 degrees , with A.C. on , in Phoenix , and my ride is good . Unfortunately , my restoration got a little bit out of hand on the investment side ... My bad .
Pictures of my car can be seen if you google " Browns Classic Autos " in Scottsdale AZ .. I've just been a little too sensitive to post them in my build thread ... I love your car , and these final details are what makes the difference between 99.5 % and 100 % . The devil is in the details . Take a few deep breaths , and again , this car could not be in better hands .
Thanks for sharing .. JT

 

i'm dealing with a loose impeller on my wife's 03 vw right now.some of the factory unit's had a brass impeller some had plastic.i got plastic and it broke loose from the shaft.can't complain too much as it the timing belt both serp belts and all hoses are still original with 116,000 miles.

 

I always put a tack weld on the impeller to shaft.


Cheap insurance.

 

'70s Datsuns used to suffer with eroded impellers, BMW diesels were prone to impellers falling of the shaft.
So it's by no means impossible your pump has issues. Not a common fault, but more likely than winning the Lotto jackpot.

Roger.

 

I just got the pump off and sure enough, the impeller is loose and fell off. We heard a very slight chirping noise about 20 to 30 miles before it got hot but it went away very fast. I didn't think much of it but this is obviously what it was. I will post pictures later.

 

Can't tell from the pictures but it is loose on the shaft.

 

Was the water pump new, rebuilt, old original, or ???

 

It was rebuilt by The Water Pump Man in Michigan. He is standing by his work and is covering it without any hesitation.

 

Good news! A good businessman. Who would of thunk it?

 

Glad you got it solved before you suffered any more damage!