Oh well, one problem after another

Belgian1979vette

Belgian1979vette

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
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Location
Koersel/Belgium
After my washer issue, brake system not getting filled probably (something was stuck in one of the lines) I have yet another problem on my hands : my brand new unused Stewart $ 200 pump leaked from the weep hole when filling up the cooling system.

The thing was bought back in 2008 as part of a large order at summit. They said not to honor warranty although I can pretty much prove it hasn't been used.

Man, take my word for it, this is the last f... car I'm going to restore. No good parts can be had, not even when they cost a lot of money and come from a top manufacturer.
 
I have never had a stewart pump fail. Instead of going through summit I would contact Steart directly and maybe see if you can come to some kind of agreement. Some companies do value their name. I bought some comp cams stuff and the parts sucked, they basically said suck it up (it was a shaft rocker system), then I bought it from crane... the rockers were a little tight on the shaft, they sent me a complete 2nd kit, no questions asked.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
I have never had a stewart pump fail. Instead of going through summit I would contact Steart directly and maybe see if you can come to some kind of agreement. Some companies do value their name. I bought some comp cams stuff and the parts sucked, they basically said suck it up (it was a shaft rocker system), then I bought it from crane... the rockers were a little tight on the shaft, they sent me a complete 2nd kit, no questions asked.
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I already did, zip. Stewart said to go to Summit. Sad, but they follow their warranty rules to the letter. In this hobby apparently they think you can totally restore a car within 6 months.

I've got a small little piece of hope. Since I cannot put my head into the engine room in front of the engine I pretty much had to feel where the drips were coming from. They fell of the bolt that supports the timing cover. So either the back plate gasket leaked or water seeped from the weep hole. When I took the pump out it had a small amount of anti-freeze in the weep hole. Could be that I wiped it in there with my fingers although I don't think so. I decided to put sealant on the back plate gasket and put it back in. Will fill her up tonight when I get home and see if it keeps on dripping.
 
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I feel you on this. I've taken a long time to get what I have done and I'm far from done. I hate having new parts sitting in the box in fear I'll have a warranty issue.

Good luck with it.
 
Never ever had any problems with their pumps.

When refilling, leave the fan belt off and turn the pump by hand a dozen times or so. There are carbon seals inside the cartridge and might just need to seat a bit better.
The clearance is tight even with a stock timing cover. Make sure it is seating properly.
You can always use a mirror to try to check where the leak is.
 
010752 said:
Never ever had any problems with their pumps.

When refilling, leave the fan belt off and turn the pump by hand a dozen times or so. There are carbon seals inside the cartridge and might just need to seat a bit better.
The clearance is tight even with a stock timing cover. Make sure it is seating properly.
You can always use a mirror to try to check where the leak is.
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That was suggested by Stewart and I just came out of my garage after trying this. I think I turned it over by hand a doze of time. I put the pump back in after I put sealant on the seal of the rear cover to exclude that seal was leaking but it didn't help.

Because I new exactly where to look for I'm sure it's the weep hole that is leaking anti-freeze, so this is definatly a seal problem. IMO the pump is shot.

Neither Summit or Stewart will honor any warranty because I order it 4 years ago.

This is what I wrote in response.

Hello,

I regret this.

I understand your reasoning that you normally do not refund after 4 years but I stress the fact this part is meant in a total body off restoration. The engine wa put together this summer.
The reason why it stayed on the shelf is the fact that being in Europe and with shipping costing me fortunes, things like taxes not even mentioned, that I need to look in advance when ordering parts, so that the box is as full as much as possible.

I bought a premium part. A $200 waterpump like this cannot be considered otherwise. When I pay that much for an item like this I expect nothing more than a quality part.
I put the pump back after I put RTV on the rear seal (to make sure that wasn’t leaking) and tried turning it by hand like suggested by Mr Mayville from STEWART, but it keeps on leaking through the weep hole (I checked and it definatly is the weep hole) so this pump is shot without even being used.

I have talked to people over at speedtalk.com about this (10,000 member racer forum about engines) and the are all stating that something like this shouldn’t happen and it should be fairly easy to check whether the pump has been used or not.

Instead of the 30% rebate, I propose I sent you the pump for the same amount (60 US$) and you examine it.

If I’m right, you supply me a new stage 3 pump that doesn’t leak.

Let me know.

Thanks

Yves


I figured the pump is scrap so I might as well sent it over if they agree to refund me the shipping on it.
I asked for different types of pumps, Edelbrock was suggested.
 
The old Howard Stewart company rebuilt a couple of McKay pumps for me and while I know it`s not what you want have you considered sending it back to Stewart components for a rebuild?.....just a couple of thoughts
 
redvetracr said:
The old Howard Stewart company rebuilt a couple of McKay pumps for me and while I know it`s not what you want have you considered sending it back to Stewart components for a rebuild?.....just a couple of thoughts
Click to expand...

Either that or ask them if they have a rebuild kit.
 
If it's a carbon seal pump, and it seems to be from above comments, you may be in luck. We've used them in industry for many years and they are replacable. Figuring the disassembly on the Stewart pump may be a trick but they put it together after all.

It's either a cracked seal surface, as if it's been dropped, a stuck seal not fitting tightly to the carbon or a rotted gland.

If you run it for a while and get it up to temp you may free a stuck seal. Rotted glands or cracked surfaces cannot be fixed but a pool pump company or industrial supply will likely have the seal you need. If you get the correct part number publish it to punish Stewart for their pissy attitude...:crap:
 
TimAT said:
Either that or ask them if they have a rebuild kit.
Click to expand...


I went down that road with the Mckay pumps, we got some WP rebuild kits from Chevrolet which didn`t work...my opinion, let the professional pump builder rebuild his own pump....fortunately it`s not my call, and not my money. still hard to believe the pump seal went bad from sitting.
 
GT6Steve said:
If it's a carbon seal pump, and it seems to be from above comments, you may be in luck. We've used them in industry for many years and they are replacable. Figuring the disassembly on the Stewart pump may be a trick but they put it together after all.

It's either a cracked seal surface, as if it's been dropped, a stuck seal not fitting tightly to the carbon or a rotted gland.

If you run it for a while and get it up to temp you may free a stuck seal. Rotted glands or cracked surfaces cannot be fixed but a pool pump company or industrial supply will likely have the seal you need. If you get the correct part number publish it to punish Stewart for their pissy attitude...:crap:
Click to expand...

I hear that it's not so easy to get it apart and back together.

Sounds like that there are some real fragile seals in there ...wtf ? This is supposed to be a race type pump.
 
redvetracr said:
TimAT said:
Either that or ask them if they have a rebuild kit.
Click to expand...


I went down that road with the Mckay pumps, we got some WP rebuild kits from Chevrolet which didn`t work...my opinion, let the professional pump builder rebuild his own pump....fortunately it`s not my call, and not my money. still hard to believe the pump seal went bad from sitting.
Click to expand...

Well Red, I know and if I would live in the US, sending them the pump would not be such a big deal, but being in the EU makes this thing a whole lot different. By the time it gets sent over and back, I'm probably out of another 200 or so.

All I'm saying is Stewart and Summit know this all to well and take good advantage of us Europeans in this respect.

Anyway I'm looking for a different brand pump.
 
Is it an aluminum or iron pump? Some guy here is selling an iron stg 3 short style pump.
 
Stewart decided to come through after some persuasion from a fellow forummember on Speedtalk. They sent me a pump at the cost of 75 $ + shipping. I accepted.
 
Belgian1979vette said:
Stewart decided to come through after some persuasion from a fellow forummember on Speedtalk. They sent me a pump at the cost of 75 $ + shipping. I accepted.
Click to expand...

that's better, but doesn't seem right... I used to buy from Summit all the time, I don't anymore - I use Amazon.com. They have a much better warranty - and they have a neat thing in my neck of the woods where I get whatever I order the next day for $3.99 shipping... only downside is with Amazon I'm stuck paying sales tax because they're located here in Washington (and yes, my pain is minor compared to what they tax you for the privilege of living)

my other issue with Amazon.com - they started as a bookstore, so their site makes it difficult to find what you're looking for, unless you have the manufacturer and/or the model number.... that Summit provides pretty easily from their site.
 
Belgian1979vette said:
Stewart decided to come through after some persuasion from a fellow forummember on Speedtalk. They sent me a pump at the cost of 75 $ + shipping. I accepted.
Click to expand...


the power of the internet. I still don`t see how a 4yr old brand new pump with brand new seals goes bad from sitting, I guess that will be one more mystery of life...
 
I was reading your post on SpeedTalk and was wondering.


Why are you using a SB2 pump? The normal outlets to the block are usually blocked on those although on some pumps they can be removed, others don't have the hole at all. The side outlets are for running -12 directly to the side of the block, something no std. block has unless you drill it ?

I assume these are the pics of the pump?

IMG_4071.jpg

IMG_4072.jpg


I have a similar pumps, one from Stewart and one from Adams. I didn't even know you could order it from summit???? Also, they tend to have the larger pump shaft so the stock pulleys will not fit, although a 19mm drill will take care of the pulleys since it's a 19.2mm hole that you need.
 
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