BBM Aluminum Water Pump Housing Issue

[TroyCo]

What do y'all make of this???

Not a trick. Correct thermostat, used to fit normally. Fits perfectly on cast iron housing. Anybody else see this happen to an aluminum housing from Mancini Racing??

 

[DusterKid]

Did the housing expand or was there a small lip that the thermostat sat on? If the housing expanded that much I'd expect it to crack and be leaking. I've never seen anything happen like that before.

 

[FURYGT]

That is strange. I had a MOPAR Performance aluminum water pump housing on one of my cars that flaked off little specks of aluminum that clogged my cooling system and I also developed a pin hole leak.

In talking with the owner of the transmission shop that I use, that is also heavily involved in drag racing a nostalgia nitro funny car, he informed me that the green coolant will turn acidic after 2 years even if the car has very little use and the acidic coolant will eat away at a cast aluminum water pump housing. Since the new style coolant will eat away at the factory heater cores causing a leak, I switched to a cast iron water pump housing.

Could it be possible that your green coolant ate away the thermostat seat? I can't answer that. Check your coolant for very fine silver specs.

 

[3C's & a D?]

Seeing the remnants of the old gasket makes me wonder if there was a steel plate that went inbetween the housing and the thermostat? Or possibly the thermostat was simply sitting on top of gasket.

 

[65Fury440]

probably fits into the neck, didnt catch the opening of the intake was too big when installed. That manifold isnt deteriorated, thats a machine finish.

 

[Big_John]

Thermostats
You can buy larger diameter thermostats. That's probably the easiest solution.

 

[TroyCo]

That is strange. I had a MOPAR Performance aluminum water pump housing on one of my cars that flaked off little specks of aluminum that clogged my cooling system and I also developed a pin hole leak.

In talking with the owner of the transmission shop that I use, that is also heavily involved in drag racing a nostalgia nitro funny car, he informed me that the green coolant will turn acidic after 2 years even if the car has very little use and the acidic coolant will eat away at a cast aluminum water pump housing. Since the new style coolant will eat away at the factory heater cores causing a leak, I switched to a cast iron water pump housing.

Could it be possible that your green coolant ate away the thermostat seat? I can't answer that. Check your coolant for very fine silver specs.

Doubtful. The housing is only a couple months old. I also wondered if it heated up and expanded? No serious leaks were evident. It had a slight leak since I installed it that I attributed to the gasket. If it expanded, only the opening did, as the rest of the mounting area is unaltered.

probably fits into the neck, didnt catch the opening of the intake was too big when installed. That manifold isnt deteriorated, thats a machine finish.

Yes, it fits into the neck. However, it didn't fall into the hole when initially installed. Same t-stat fits the cast housing without issue.

Seeing the remnants of the old gasket makes me wonder if there was a steel plate that went inbetween the housing and the thermostat? Or possibly the thermostat was simply sitting on top of gasket.

It sat on top of the housing prior to installation.

Thermostats
You can buy larger diameter thermostats. That's probably the easiest solution.

I will check this out. Thanks.

 

[TroyCo]

Took out my caliper, and measured the two housings, cast iron & aluminum for comparison. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.

I don't have a "before" measurement of the aluminum housing, but it is definitely noticeably different.

 

[Big_John]

Here's what I'll bet you did... You placed the gasket on the housing, set the t-stat on it and bolted it together. The gasket holding the t-stat from falling in the engine.

The housing didn't change.

I looked up the thermostat for a '68 Fury with a 440 (no idea what you have, so that was generic) and the flange diameter is (drum roll) 2.49". This was for a 33038 Gates T-Stat.

2.49" - 2.193" = .297" or if you split it, .148" per side, or a little over 1/8".

So the t-stat you are starting with just isn't the right one.

 

[TroyCo]

Here's what I'll bet you did... You placed the gasket on the housing, set the t-stat on it and bolted it together. The gasket holding the t-stat from falling in the engine.

The housing didn't change.

I looked up the thermostat for a '68 Fury with a 440 (no idea what you have, so that was generic) and the flange diameter is (drum roll) 2.49". This was for a 33038 Gates T-Stat.

2.49" - 2.193" = .297" or if you split it, .148" per side, or a little over 1/8".

So the t-stat you are starting with just isn't the right one.

An interesting hypothesis. However, the gasket supplied didn't go to the edge of the housing's opening. The t-stat sat inside the gasket, not on top. Hence, the reason it was important that the t-stat didn't fall in like it does now. It fit identically to the factory housings. So that hole definitely got larger.

Additionally, at some point during the fall, the car ran much cooler, and wouldn't come to temperature. Like it would if it didn't have a t-stat. And that's why, as I came to discover.

Perplexing isn't it?

At any rate, your idea of using a larger diameter t-stat is a bit of understated genius, if I may say so. I was getting ready to clean up and install an iron unit. That totally went over my head, so thanks for the idea, Big John!

 

[MrMoparCHP]

Here's what I'll bet you did... You placed the gasket on the housing, set the t-stat on it and bolted it together. The gasket holding the t-stat from falling in the engine.

The housing didn't change.

I looked up the thermostat for a '68 Fury with a 440 (no idea what you have, so that was generic) and the flange diameter is (drum roll) 2.49". This was for a 33038 Gates T-Stat.

2.49" - 2.193" = .297" or if you split it, .148" per side, or a little over 1/8".

So the t-stat you are starting with just isn't the right one.

I agree, I think the gasket was what was keeping the thermostat in place when it was installed.


Alan

 

[TroyCo]

I agree, I think the gasket was what was keeping the thermostat in place when it was installed.


Alan

I agree that that is the most plausible answer. However, not in this case. Here's the gasket I peeled off and the t-stat.

 

[3C's & a D?]

So, from seeing the light around the edges, the thermostat would fall into the thermostat housing as well? Big_John nailed it, wrong stat. Good thing to find out now, rather than later.

 

[TroyCo]

So, from seeing the light around the edges, the thermostat would fall into the thermostat housing as well? Big_John nailed it, wrong stat. Good thing to find out now, rather than later.

No. The light around the edges is to demonstrate that the t-stat didn't sit on top of the gasket.

I'll say it again, the t-stat did not initially fall into the hole. I set it on top of the housing's opening prior to installing the gasket and buttoning it up. The opening was identical to the factory cast piece initially. I will never claim to be a professional engine builder or a master mechanic with 50 years experience, but this is also not my first rodeo. I wouldn't make such a mistake.

At any rate, adding a larger diameter t-stat as Big John suggested will save me from removing this housing as I was planning to do. The fact I overlooked that simple fix proves I'm not an expert. At least it'll live to fight another day.