Water pump advice

[Guest imported_virgilmule]

I need to repack the water pump on my 1930 Marmon. I have removed the large nut from the impeller shaft, but I can't get the brass bushing off the shaft to replace the packing.

Am I correct that the new packing material goes beneath that brass bushing? If so, is there a safe way to remove it? Would disassembling the entire pump help me any? Also, the impeller and shaft have about 1/8" of play in and out of the water pump. Is that normal, or do I need to have if repaired?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

[Guest]

Any of them that I have ever seen the packing goes between the bushing and the gland nut (the big nut that you unfastened. You can wind graphited steam packing aroound the shaft until you have to force the nut back to catch the first thread. Then tighten the nut until there is just the tiniest bit of seepage (ie a drop every hour or so). If you drive a lot like I doo (1000 miles a month) tighten the nut a half turn every six months or so.

[Guest imported_virgilmule]

Reid -

Thank you for the help. What has me puzzled is that the space between the shaft and the opening of the gland nut is about 7/16", and the widest packing material I can find is 1/4" sqaure. Thus, I could wind pieces around the shaft, replace the nut, and have the innermost chunk of packing fall out through the hole in the gland nut and go spinning away.

I'm considering adding a washer to the inside of the gland nut - making sure the ID is as close to the OD of the shaft as possible - and hoping that will hold the material in place.

Any further thoughts?

[Guest]

If you can get proper graphited steam packing it is like pieces of 1/16" string twisted into a 3/8" cord. Boat places have the packing that you are talking about in all kinds of sizes. I have seen it here at the chandlers from 1/8 x 3/16 up to 1' x 1 1/2". I even saw gland packing in rings. All you would have to do is cut it on the diagonal and put it behind your nut.