Water Pump

My initial inspection of the water pump did not find any leaks, so I was very happy about that, but I decided to research proper care further. Apparently, a small amount of leakage into the shaft is DESIRED for these older water pumps, and upon further inspection, I was elated to see just that with the pump on Cornelius.

It is important, however, to keep the shaft of the pump properly lubricated. Toward that end, I found a grease JUST for this purpose – Lubriplate #115 for water pumps. Once I removed the grease cup I found that whatever was being used for grease was drying up, and was also not getting where it needed to be. I removed the grease cup, gave it a thorough cleaning, then packed it with the Lubriplate grease.

According to the manual, you want to give the grease cup a half-turn or so every 50 miles. Doing so will not only keep the shaft lubricated, but will keep the packing in place and also keep it from drying out and/or shrinking, so sticking to proper maintenance is vital.

I have been doing it (turning the grease cup 1/2 turn) at a slightly greater frequency thus far, only because I want to make sure and get all of the old grease through and out of the system.