Not the Water Pump (Post #474) 3/26/2014

If you read “Sometimes Things Don’t Go Your Way” you saw that I thought I had a failing water pump. The “new” water pump was only a few months old so it was quite out of the ordinary for it to be failing. I took the Range Rover to Mickey’s Garage on Monday to have it looked at. It turned out it was not the water pump.

So the sound I heard was definitely a failing bearing. It turned out to be the belt tensioner pulley’s bearing. The pulley is attached to the water pump by a bracket that mounts directly to the water pump. So any noise from the pulley would be transmitted up to the water pump housing. That’s where I put the screw driver “stethoscope” to confirm it was the water pump and not the NEW power steering pump I just installed.

I have a video of the sound. You can hear it as I rev the motor. It’s the prrrrrr sound as the engine winds down.

Mickey’s wise words, “I would not drive that to S.C.A.R.R. without replacing it.” had me stopping at Rover Cannibal on the way home Tuesday. I went in and talked to Ryan. I told him what I needed and he said what I already new, “Those are getting hard to find.” Indeed this is the case. He called “KC” over and together we went up stairs to the bin. KC’s knowledge of where everything is located in that warehouse is impressive. I explained to him that there were two types of pulleys used on the Range Rovers. Once we got to the bin I showed him how they were mirror images of the other. I found a good one and was ready to get out. Once again Ryan and Rover Cannibal had what I needed.

I determined to place the pulley in my spares box for the trip. The growl has been going on for a while and I was not in the mood to swap another part last night. I called Mr. Fisher over to help but at the last-minute decided that if it did fail all I would lose is the belt and I have a spare in the spares box.

I knocked the grease and surface browning off with my wire wheel. I painted it up and have it ready to pack.

S.C.A.R.R. is this weekend and I have only one other task to complete. I must do an oil change this weekend. I hit 206,000 miles and that 6 is divisible by three so 3 thousand miles have passed. Time to put in some more Castrol 20w50 and a new Wix oil filter.

I’m working on a way to service these pulleys. The bearings are behind a cover in the center of the pulley. If this housing can be removed and replaced, or reinstalled, it would allow for repacking the bearings with grease. More investigation is warranted. Thankfully I have a damaged one I can practice on.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Sometimes Things Don’t Go Your Way (Post #473) 3/23/2014

I once blogged that every time I touch the Range Rover something goes wrong. Well yesterday was no exception. Mr. Fisher and I were sorting out our two camping kits. We were trying to determine how much gear we were going to be hauling to S.C.A.R.R. We determined that we had a fairly large amount of kit. Mostly lots of pieces that don’t necessarily fit efficiently in the back of the Range Rover. Let’s be honest, it takes a lot of gear to make two 50-year-old guys comfortable for two days of camping.

I decided it was necessary to remove the 70% seat out of the back. I know Bill Burke removes his 30% seat to house his ARB refrigerator. So with that idea in mind I went to remove the seat. Basically it is four 10mm bolts and the seat comes out. I flipped the seat up and started to work on the bolts. It took some figuring to sort out they were 10mm. I took 10mm sockets to use but my 12 point socket in 3/8ths didn’t turn the nut. I wondered what size the nut was if 10mm didn’t work. Turned out my 12 point socket was stripped. That’s disappointing but not a show stopper. I had a 10mm in 1/2 that was 12 point and narrow walled. That narrow wall was very necessary because the nuts are very close to the seat bracket.

IMG_4580

I got the socket set and made one turn and bingo, the bolt breaks. Continue reading “Sometimes Things Don’t Go Your Way (Post #473) 3/23/2014”

Changing a Water Pump (Post #429) 1/2/2014

When you run across a post like this one, you have to share. I found it when I was Googling for some other things.

I’ve changed my water pump one time in 206,000 miles. I didn’t take pictures. This fellow did.

http://torstenernst.com/blog/2011/10/02/replacing-the-water-pump-on-a-range-rover-classic/

So if you are wondering how to change the water pump on your Range Rover Classic, wonder no more.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Rovering.

Water Pump Replaced, AC Compressor Swapped (Post #386) 8/31/2013


Back in the saddle again. I picked up the Big White Bus from Mickey’s Garage this past Friday. Mickey send me these pictures telling me the BWB was ready for pick up. As you’ve read in previous posts, the AC compressor they installed originally had a leaking seal. True to his word he replaced it. As you can see, its now putting out 45 F degree air. The volume of air needs to be investigated. It’s probably the air box. We had a chat about the design and what might need to be done to make it better.

That’s cold air.

Mickey put a coat of paint on the compressor to pretty it up for my blog. I like that. I’m hoping its good to go. If we have trouble with it, he said he’d take car of it for 6 months. That’s not bad for a replacement used part.

Looks good in silver.

The water pump is new. The old one was a questionable part now that the pulley broke. After it was off, it seems to be okay. I’m going to put it on the shelf for a spare. The new pulley’s from Rover Cannibal are now in place with new belts.

New water pump.

I talked to Mickey about the horse power the large fan robs from the engine. I talked to him about putting electric fans on. My research showed that a fan shroud from a late 1990s model Ford Crown Victoria would match up nicely. I’ll start looking for one as soon as the weather cools off a bit. I need to get my measurements and start hitting the breaker’s yards.

The expense of having someone else work on the Range Rover will need to be recovered over the winter. With school, getting the tornado shelter installed, visits to the doctor, and work, I had to trade money for time. Which according to my good friend Paul is a good trade.

Now I’ve got a new water pump, belts, and AC compressor. Three more failure points removed making the Rover even more reliable as a daily driver. No one said keeping a 20 year old Land Rover on the road as a daily driver was going to be cheap or easy. So far the costs are still cheaper than a car payment and insurance for another car. If you consider a payment for a new-ish Land Rover…I’m WAY AHEAD!

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

Holy Crap on a Cracker (Post #385) 8/29/2013


Yes, that is a broken water pump pulley.
How does a water pump pulley get broken you might ask?
That’s a good question.

As you know the two pulleys you see here are nested and bolted to the water pump shaft. You don’t expect that to EVER fail.

When I saw that today and said the very words titling this post. I asked Mickey of Mickey’s Garage had he ever seen one broken before. His answer was a resounding, “No.”

I have blogged before that my truck came to me after a front end wreck restoration. The first thing I replaced on my Range Rover was a failed water pump. It had failed because during the wreck the shaft had been pushed back toward the motor. Actually slipping in its sleeve from the impact.

That impact must have broken or weakened that pulley. Mickey pointed out some older rust and the fresh (silver colored) break. It had probably been wobbling there for 125,000 miles, give or take a mile or so. It’s amazing to me that it lasted as long as it did.

Mickey called me and told me the news and asked me if I could stop by Rover Cannibal to pick up the replacements. I said sure and drove over there right after work.

Ryan was helping a customer with his Discovery. He described a whining sound which is common to Land Rover Discovery’s. I told him he needed to change the transaxle fluid. It will quiet, but will not go away.

I got caught up with Ryan as he hurried back through the shop. The engine shop looked awesome. I too was in a hurry as five o’clock traffic starts about five minutes after four. Turned out the traffic had already started backing up. I need to get my list together and get back down there.

I have a quick note here. You may have noticed I’ve had a lot of work done lately at Mickey’s. The AC pump that had just been put on failed. Mickey was going to swap it when the pulley left me chained to the back of a wrecker. I had the BWB at Mickey’s already and since it wasn’t going anywhere with a broken water pump. I had him fix it. I trust him with my truck so it’s all good.

If you aren’t already a fan of The Big Bang Theory, you should be.
Penny and her signature catch phrase…

Thanks for reading, do business locally, and Happy Rovering.

Almost Made It (Post #384) 8/28/2013

I heard the telltale sound of a water pump failing when I pulled up after lunch. I got to within a mile of Mickey’s Garage when the belts started smoking. I’m waiting for a tow as I type this.
I have to keep telling myself,  with every wrench turn I get closer to my circumnavigation of the state. I hope I don’t run out of gas money with all these repairs.

Update: It was indeed the water pump. Mickey called me from the shop. The bearings had failed and caused the pully to wobble and lock up against the water pump bolts.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.