RockinRiviDad Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 As my project patiently awaits some attention I noticed the cheap water pump I purchased, polished & installed is now leaking. In an effort to avoid this again in the future I found this…(link below) Does anyone have any experience with these water pumps? Sounds tempting…I may pull the trigger http://www.flowkoolerwaterpumps.com/store/Water Pumps-Buick-CID: 401/6.6L/c21_25_79/p210/Water Pump 1620P - Buick Nailhead (1961-66)/product_info.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I have put two in one when my pump started leaking and a new one when I rebuilt the engine. I have never had any issues at all. If I could have bought one for my 1960 401 I would have. Good thing about them are they are brand new and not rebuilt from questionable cores. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanZverina Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Hi David, Contact Flying Dutchman Water Pumps in Oregon and your water pump woes will be over. I had them rebuild pumps for my '60 Electra and '63 Riv, and never a problem. Besides getting the radiator professionally redone, the water pump is among the first things I pay attention to so my Buicks can handle warmer weather San Diego driving with ease. http://water-pump-rebuilders.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Amazon has new Gates pumps for under $45-----anyone tried them? Assume they are no longer US made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodneybeauchamp Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 I invested in a FlowKooler, looked well made, their technical advice made sense and as we are a hot climate (Australia) didn't want any overheating issues. You can see in the photos the large number of blades on the impeller. Running 180degree thermostat, four core radiator and 13psi pressure cap. .So far so good but have only driven in mild temperatures to date. But my temperature gauge tells me temperature is good. Made up stainless steel studs from threaded rod to replace just those bolts that thread into the alloy timing cover. So far I'm happy with one less thing to worry about. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 The SS stud retrofit sounds like a good idea to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 I like the design of the five impellers PLUS five intermediate impellers. Should move a sufficient amount of water. When looking at a pump, make sure that if it has nice square edges on the impeller blades, and they're as wide as the shaft is long. Rebuilders will make a pump "look good" by grinding down impeller blades so they all look the same. By the time they're done that, half the blade has been ground off. The other thing that's necessary but hard to check (I don't know of a way) is to make sure there's very little clearance between the impeller and the front cover. Too much space and the water cavitates rather than flows. I found a couple of new OE replacement pumps a couple of years ago at Car Quest. No problems so far. Not nearly as costly as the Flow Kooler but they're the OE design as well. When getting a pump for an a/c equipped car, make sure that you're not being sold a non a/c pump. The non a/c pump has only three impellers on it. Buick recommends a 16 lb. cap for the first generation cars. Remember: "If it ain't boiling over, it's cooling." Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seafoam65 Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 On 7/10/2016 at 5:49 AM, John said: Amazon has new Gates pumps for under $45-----anyone tried them? Assume they are no longer US made. I've tried Gates water pumps in my car repair business and they are junk.....stay away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 (edited) This is sort of on the same subject - junk from low end manufacturers. I have a '98 Chevy Blazer that's my daily driver/parts hauler/boat towing vehicle. For a long time I thought that one of the pulleys on the serpentine belt was out of alignment. After about 2K miles, it would start to squeak and squeal. Luckily it was warrantied and I would exchange it for another when it started to squeal. I did this four times that I recall. I then read on an S10/Blazer/Pickup forum that the cheap belts did exactly what I was experiencing. I followed the advice of many contributors and I threw the last one away and put an ACDelco belt. It's been on for about a year now and I yet to hear a squeak or squeal from the ACDelco belt. Spend the extra couple of bucks and get a proven part. from a reputable manufacturer. It's a better deal in the long run. Changing a squeaky serpentine belt is a whole lot easier than changing a water pump so why take any chances. Edited September 1, 2016 by RivNut (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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