Dirty, dirty boy

So, I have my nice shiny grubby duratec on its engine stand, and have started stripping it down to get it clean and remove the many ancillary things I don’t need on it. I’d forgotten just how grubby an engine is from the scrappers – i’m getting through so many blue nitrile gloves working on this engine (not latex – keep that for the bedroom, kiddies).

So far, I have removed (without incident) the following:

  • power steering pump
  • aircon pump
  • exhaust manifold
  • inlet plenum chamber and throttle body
  • drive shaft that runs back along the engine to power a wheel
  • all the hoses (fingers intact)
  • the wiring harness (still intact – who knows which bits i will still need, although it is showing signs of being severed with a gas-axe by the scrappers).

Then came the water pump – eurgh. What a bloody fight that was.

As part of the great take-things-off-the-block-and-clean-them plan, I thought I’d take the water-pump off and chuck it in the parts washer with everything else – “what could go wrong?”, I hear you ask.

Out come the three bolts with a satisfying amount of initial resistance then freedom. “Ahh” I thought. This looks like it wants to come off”. So then I get round the back and tap the exposed lug to free it from its gasket. That lug even looked like it was meant to be tapped there. That it wanted to be tapped there.

Twang – off snaps the lug. Ahh well. Water pumps aren’t expensive, and even better it is fate telling me to get an electric one. However, I still can’t get it off. I’ve had at it with the rubber mallet on the front, and tried a few taps on the back with a hammer and screwdriver.

time passes …

I have got it out, in a less than technical or satisfying manner.

First, I tried getting a flywheel puller on it – no purchase.

Second, I resorted to twatting it from the side with a 2lb knockometer. Wonderful – it moved, a little.

More application of the NCB special and more daylight in the crack. I then had enough room to get a ball-joint splitter in there to ease it out (ahem). It’s now in complete kit form – looking at the fitting system (o-ring and friction fit), ford didn’t want that coming out… ever. Needless to say as the engine went through repeated heat/cool cycles it became ever more fast in there.

The only downside is one of the lugs holding the hole for it to screw into took a mild knock, and i’ll have to tap out the thread again. I have to remember that this being an ally engine means it has to be looked after like a sick Victorian child rather than a bomb-hammer proof pinto.

Now that it’s out, I will CAD up a blanking plate and get it cut. I’ve already extracted the thermostat from the housing. The legs for that are fragile, aren’t they?

Ref This Thread – LocostBuilders.co.uk

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