Hard time getting fan off water pump.

[Hitchhiker]

So I blew a head gasket and my fan blade has a major crack in it. I have a nice 4 blade to replace it with. I've got the radiator and grill out. Fan and water pump are still on the engine. I can't get this sucker off. I have tried a 2 jaw puller. but stopped when it started bending things. My neighbor, who is into A's, said I need to hit the water pump snout with a hammer. But I don't want to bugger up the threads.

any suggestions? I saw the fan removal tool last night in the Snyders catalog. It looks like it screws onto the snout and then you hit it with a hammer. I was thinking I could do something similar with a bolt and a nut the same size as the waterpump snout. Should I do this off the engine? Basically support the fan with the pump hanging in the middle and tap tap tap. Does that sound like it will work?

PS, I tried searching, I know you guys have covered this, but I'm not coming up with anything.

thanks

Matt

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Matt, can you turn the castellated nut around backwards and thread it down until it is flush with the pump shaft? Then tap the shaft & nut simultaneously and see what happens.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Yes, remove the pump from the engine, then screw a nut half way on and screw a bolt into the nut. Hold the fan hub while you hit the bolt squarely with a good rap, and the fan should come loose. Just the other day there was a thread about a broken 4 blade fan.

I would recommend the Snyder's 2 blade aluminum fan. The ones I have checked for the past few years have been good quality and balance.

[Hitchhiker]

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Matt, can you turn the castellated nut around backwards and thread it down until it is flush with the pump shaft? Then tap the shaft & nut simultaneously and see what happens.

Thanks! I will give that a try too.

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Just the other day there was a thread about a broken 4 blade fan.

I would recommend the Snyder's 2 blade aluminum fan. The ones I have checked for the past few years have been good quality and balance.

So the 4 blades are bad too? I have 2 to choose from. I've inspected both pretty well and can't find any cracks. My 2 blade had a visible 1/2 inch crack. That quickly developed into almost cracking completely in half.

I quess I will be inspecting the 4 blade regularly.

[Dick Deegan]

Hitchhiker; Please read my thread about the broken four blade fan. You may want to change your mind. After it broke last Sunday I am going with the 2 blade aluminum fan (which, incidentally I had in stock and just didn't put it on the car). The thread is entitled "The Easter Bunny's Mad at me".

Good luck

Dick

[mmindling]

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Hitchhiker,

Sounds like you have two different issues:

*Water Pump Assembly stuck to cylinder head. I'd take this off before tackling the fan. You might try (very carefully) using a small chisel to pry the pump body off the head. Do not, however, gouge the head as you will make future sealing more difficult. Just a few light taps all the way around the pump body on the gasket line where the pump is joined to the head. Also, be careful not to torque the pump body very much as you might break the casting. All you want to do at this stage is break the seal (probably corrosion).

*Fan Removal - I don't recommend pounding on the pump shaft for one big reason. I found my pump had a circlip (rentention ring) around the shaft where it touches the front bearing. No amount of pounding would have removed the fan and shaft, but would have done harm. Recommend pressing off the fan first, if you can find someone or a shop with a small press. This will require some blocking and cushioning around the fan, but you say it is already broken, so maybe not critical.

Hope this helps,

Martin Mindling Watertown, Ohio *A 11739*

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by mmindling

Hitchhiker,

Sounds like you have two different issues:

*Water Pump Assembly stuck to cylinder head. I'd take this off before tackling the fan. You might try (very carefully) using a small chisel to pry the pump body off the head. Do not, however, gouge the head as you will make future sealing more difficult. Just a few light taps all the way around the pump body on the gasket line where the pump is joined to the head. Also, be careful not to torque the pump body very much as you might break the casting. All you want to do at this stage is break the seal (probably corrosion).

*Fan Removal - I don't recommend pounding on the pump shaft for one big reason. I found my pump had a circlip (rentention ring) around the shaft where it touches the front bearing. No amount of pounding would have removed the fan and shaft, but would have done harm. Recommend pressing off the fan first, if you can find someone or a shop with a small press. This will require some blocking and cushioning around the fan, but you say it is already broken, so maybe not critical.

Hope this helps,

Martin Mindling Watertown, Ohio *A 11739*

Martin, I didn't read it that way. The pump is just mounted to the head since he had not removed it yet but the "sucker" that he cannot get off is just the cracked fan.

[Purdy Swoft]

I have used a head nut and a used head or manifold stud. The fine thread end is the same as the threads on the water pump shaft. screw the head nut on the pump shaft about half way and then screw the fine thread end of a used stud in the nut until it bottoms on the pump shaft and then hit the coarse thread end of the stud with a hammer and it will work just like the knock off tool that the model A venders sell. I've also did it like Brent said but the slotted end of the castilated nut is usually hard to start on the pump shaft .

[Hitchhiker]

Still haven't been able to get it apart. I switched to getting the head off to replace the head gasket. It looks like I will need to mill the head too. I may just get myself a new waterpump at this point.

[columbiA]

I use a king pin lock bolt nut screwed on WP shaft.Put a small nut or 2 inside the nut so that when nut is tight on shaft,there is still a bit of clearance to fan hub.Use the alum 2-blade fan that looks quite original & makes future WP removal easy without pulling rad.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Take the 4 blade fan to a machine shop & they can magnaflux it in a jiffy to check for cracks. Bill W.

[Purdy Swoft]

I've had more problems with the old Ford four blade fans than I have with the old original model A 2 blade fans. Both are a disaster waiting to happen. I use only the repro aluminum two blade fans and have never had a problem with them. If you use the old four blade fan do as Bill says and have it checked out.

[RonC]

I would trash the water pump also and replace it with a leakless pump and alum 2-blade fan.

[Smurkey]

Heat up the hub with a propane torch nice and hot before you rap on it. Works (almost) every time!

[Ed in Maine]

I had trouble getting my fan off also. Google the puller "Bearing Splitter". It distributes the force over the whole pulley. I rented it, used it in the parking lot, tightened it on and tapped the nut at the end of the shaft and it popped right off. I walked back in the rental store with it 10 minutes later and the guy said to me "I can't take your money" and gave me the rental for free! Ed

[Rock Hornbuckle]

Matt, I have a hydraulic press in my shop in Bonney Lake that you can use.

[whyitw]

This worked for me yesterday. As you can see by the state of the pulley I tried a lot of things that didn't work first... The nut is a lug nut I found with the correct thread. I removed the impeller to slide the shaft out.

[Flintlockshooter]

With all the posts about how hard it is to remove these, I wonder if Anti-Seize/grease/Vaseline/you name it is a good idea to put on the shaft as install? My Andrews book just says put the fan on and that's it.
I am installing a new Snyders Alum and can't think of a reason not too, but maybe a "lubrication expert" may have a thought.

[QGolden]

I typically put "Never-Seez" on virtually every torqued bolt or keyed shaft that I ever want to take apart again. I use the stuff from Bostik, although others are probably good as well. It takes very little to do the job, most folks use too much IMO.

[montanafordman]

My experience with removing the fan from the waterpump is to put a bolt or knock off tool on the water pump shaft to protect the threads and the shaft, and then have someone hold the fan and let the WP hang while you repeatedly hit the nut or knockoff tool on the shaft with a hammer. You don't need to wail on it, you can even hold the fan in one hand and hold the hammer in the other. Its the vibrations from the repeated knocks that will make the WP fall free not brute force. If brute force is needed then a press is a good bit or suspending it in a vise like the above picture but repeated knocks while the fan is held by someone (or yourself) seems to work.