Jump to content

Do I need to replace my waterpump?


Guest decampos

Recommended Posts

Guest decampos

Or is this a Reatta quirk? I think I know the answer but I'm appealing to the experts just in case.

Today I started to notice a rattle from under the hood which got progressively worse. When I got home I noticed the serpentine belt was slipping off the waterpump pully (see pic). I loosened the tensioner to re-seat it and noticed that there's a lot of movement in the wp pully (lateral). I started the engine and the noise was still there and the belt slipped (nearly off) the wp pully again.

It's not leaking but is my waterpump toast? Also, I'm not 100 per cent sure this is the source of the rattle. I assume it is.

Any pointers very much appreciated.

Ben

waterpump.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a short 90 degree rubber "bypass" hose that comes out of the top of the water pump to the intake. It is easy to replace when you do the pump but no fun otherwise. I suggest you put on a new one when you replace the pump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Kitskaboodle

My understanding is that if you grab the water pump pulley with both hands and it has a little bit of up /down movement or if the water pump is weeping out the weep hole , then it is time to replace it. The good news is their cheap and relatively easy to replace . Kit

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest decampos

Thanks for the replies guys. All done. Must have been the most straightforward waterpump swap I've ever performed. The old one was in a bad state, wasn't leaking but there was a lot of noise and excessive lateral movement. Glad I wasn't stranded.

Hey Corvanti. I see that you list a '63 Studebaker Avanti in your signature, did you own one? I was just looking at one in a museum down here. This one in fact. Very interesting car.

15099474991_ab86d453d8_c.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Corvanti

yeah, i had a 63 Avanti R1 (non-supercharged). the PO had replaced the entire drivetrain with a C4 Corvette drivetrain. it was much faster than the 80 C3 Corvette i had at the time! miss them both!:(post-73703-143142708859_thumb.jpg

post-73703-143142708851_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was a kid, one of my friend's Dad bought a new 63 Avanti (supercharged). You had the option of AC or supercharging, not both. As we lived in West Tx, the lack of AC seemed REALLY stupid to me, but damn, I knew that was one NICE RIDE! It was gold and seeing that pic really brought back memories. Decades later, I ran into a Toshiba corporate account rep and we got to talking. He asked where I grew up. I noticed the surprised look on his face at my answer. Turns out that he married my friend's sister and while my friend's dad was now elderly, he still had the Avanti. That was ONE fine piece of American styling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Regarding the Avanti, it was a car with almost as many lives as a cat. Studebaker stopped production of all of it's American products, including the Avanti in December of 1964. In March of 1966, the last Stubebaker cars were built in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. That location could only accommodate sedans and station wagons. All 65 and 66 Studebakers were equipped with Chevrolet engines. Studebaker was in the transportation business for 113 years. Studebaker was really the only company that successfully went from horse drawn vehicles to motor cars. At least to the point they were in business for 113 years. All rights to the Avanti name, tools, jigs, and fixtures spare parts and old factory space was sold to long time South Bend, Ind, Studebaker-Packard dealers Leo Newman and Nate Altman. They continued to build the car for many years. In fact the Avanti, was built up until 2006! In addition to Newman/Altman, the Avanti has had four different owners. The last owner, Steven Kelley, owned the Avanti company twice. The last place the Avanti was built was in Cancun Mexico. Kelley was arrested on Federal Charges and the plant and all remaining cars, built and unbuilt were seized. I guess the Avanti (the name means "forward" in Italian according to the original press release) is now dead for good. I could go on about the Avanti, but this forum is not about Studebakers.:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for posting. I've not seen this before. There were some errors regarding the chronology and design credit for the GT Hawk. The designer was Brooks Stevens. It's true that the basic design was Lowey's. The GT Hawk appeared in the 1962 model year. Production ended in December of 63 as a 64 model. The Hawks appeared in 1956 model years. They were the Sky Hawk, Power Hawk, Silver Hawk, and the top of the line Golden Hawk. The 56 Golden Hawk was powered by a Packard V8. The Golden Hawk also featured fiberglass tail fins. The Golden Hawk last appeared in the 1958 model year. Both the 57 and 58 Golden Hawk had Super Charged Studebaker V8 engines. The documentary was done before Steven Kelley got control of the company again, so there was no mention of the legal issues he faced and the final, final end to the Avanti saga. Anyway, Decampos, all this Studebaker talk does not help with you water pump issue. Sorry for going off in a tangent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest decampos
...Sorry for going off in a tangent.

Not at all. The waterpump was replaced several posts back and the car's running great. I've been long fascinated by the Avente I've greatly appreciated your posts.

Here's a few photographs I've taken of various Avantis in Europe and the US.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977458@N08/15099474991/in/photolist-p1hKRH-7ZMFkW-4uKaV4-4uPeE5

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977458@N08/4592093272

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7977458@N08/2294355361

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Padgett, you are correct the 64 did have the square lamps. I've read that some of the very last 63's also had the square headlights, but other articles contradict that. Of the two, the 64 is my favorite. I like the square headlights, (The Avanti II's were all equipped with the square set up), and the interior featured a woodgrain dash facing, woodgrain steering wheel, and offered a tilt wheel as an option. I liked those items. For those you would like to read more about Altman Avanti II, find an Automobile Quarterly, Volume 10, Number 8. That issue is titled Studebaker's 115 Years. The article contains the entire history of the Studebaker from start to finish, along with other Studebaker related stories. The Altman piece is entitled Avanti II, Nate Altman Can Make You a Car The You Will Love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Corvanti

since this thread has gone way OT about the Avanti, and i'm not up to any car work today:

David is correct about the supercharger/ac, but not having both. some folks now are going with a Vintage Air system and a fabricated mounting bracket for the compressor.

it was Mike Kelly as the last owner/builder of the Avanti. he was in a Chicago area Federal prison for several years on tax evasion charges related to real estate. he passed away earlier this year. rumors are there's some new Avantis in the compound in Cancun that was seized by the Mexican Gov't.

in the mid-80's when the Studebaker frames were gone, the Avantis were based on Monte Carlo, Caprice, Firebird then Mustang platforms.

in mid 1963, Studebaker decided to make running (not yearly) changes to the Avanti. there are a few 64's that have the round headlights and some 63's with the new console controls, steering wheel and instrument panel.

when Newman-Altman took over production (no 65's) the rake of the vehicle was changed because N/A preferred a straighter rake. also the Chevy engines were much lighter than the Studebaker 289.

ok, TMI:) this was off the top of my head, but anyone interested can go the Studebaker Drivers Club site: http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/index.asp

and go thru the links for more info. BTW: today is the "International Drive your Studebaker Day": http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/driveyourstude.asp

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...