Problem #1
On mine, the water pump pulley stuck out about 0.030” past the crank pulley. The belt made hellacious noise and finally the water pump came apart and front bearing on the pump pulled out about 3/16”.
CVF sent me another pump, but they modify a stock pump to make it shorter like the Ford Racing pump and I did not trust the new one. So, I ordered a Ford Racing pump that is built with the short shaft from the start. It appeared to be better quality and had the impeller plate on it.
The new Ford pump made the fan pulley sit 0.085” too close to the engine. I had some fan spacers that were 0.065” thick and found an old dash plaque that was 0.022” thick for a total of 0.085” thick. Pulleys now align perfectly. If this is not addressed, you are assured of water pump and belt replacement. My pump and belt were destroyed after 1,200 miles.
Problem #2
Remember the puddling I was getting on the timing cover on the driver side? There is an unused bolt hole on the later model water pump. If your timing cover threaded hole goes all the way through to that recess in the timing cover, there is no bolt to keep water from going from inside the pump through the threaded hole in the timing cover. Solution is to cut off the threaded portion of a bolt and JB Weld it into the timing cover threads to block the passage from leaking water. Otherwise, you are depending on the steel plate on the back of the water pump not deflecting under 13psi pressure and allowing the water past it. In my opinion, CVF should point out this possible problem in the instructions. I did not figure this out until AFTER I HAD INSTALLED MY NEW PUMP. I went ahead and left it as-is, but now I know if I get water in that location I will know why. Hopefully no deflection occurs on the new pump and I do not get another leak.
Problem #3
The whole mess including P/S, A/C and alternator is supported by four 5/16” bolts that attach the water pump to the block. This allows for vibration (you cannot see, but it is there). It really would benefit from some bracketry that solidifies the alternator and AC compressor to the heads. The vibration can cause water pump gaskets to leak and bolts to loosen over time.
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BobE wrote:
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