Super A water pump issues

[Worksmart]

My '53 SA had a water pump installed at some point. It is now leaking from what appears to be a pipe plug at the 6 o'clock position.

There is no way to get to the plug. It is tight against the bolster. There is no drain plug. It appears it should be at the 4 o'clock position(from front of tractor) but there is nothing tapped on the pump with the pipe extending thru the hole in the bolster. I can't find any other way to drain the coolant other than making a big mess via the radiator hose(s). Any thoughts??

Where should I purchase a pump that will fit correctly with the drain plug provision so it will have proper access thru the bolster? I've checked a number of places and it is hard to tell from the pictures if the drain is in the right place. Anyone have a good source for one that will be correct?

I could probably just fix the pipe plug but that doesn't solve the problem of no drain plug. So I'd like to just replace the pump.

Any tips/tricks on properly removing/reinstalling the radiator? Getting the hoses on/off and tipping the radiator the right way so as to avoid damaging anything? Mine appears to have welded studs on the bottom of the radiator.

Thanks
Chuck

[Super A]

Napa/CARQUEST should have a pump that will have the drain plug in an accessible spot. Ask for a Super C water pump. Last one I bought was not terribly expensive I thought. The one I did was on a 230 and it's been a while but I don't remember removing the radiator. There might be less space to work on a Super A though. If you decide to remove the radiator, the studs are threaded into the bottom of the radiator. How easy they screw out is up for discussion!

Al

[havoc1482]

Is this a C113 engine? The waterpump might not even be necessary. It wasn't until the Super A-1, which had the C123, that they put on a waterpump. It was simply thermosiphon until then.

This is what I did for my drain actually, which works pretty well to be honest. Make for a controlled flow that I can put a bucket/funnel right up to.

[Dale Finch]

The water pump I recently put on my '48 SA had 2 "ports" on the bottom. One had a plug in it the other was open but I put a drain plug in that one. Only one of the two will line up with the slot in the bolster. Similarly to havoc1482, I added a pipe stub for easier access when draining the radiator was necessary. I DO like his shutoff better than my cap, however...might have to copy that one!!

[Super A]

Is this a C113 engine? The waterpump might not even be necessary. It wasn't until the Super A-1, which had the C123, that they put on a waterpump. It was simply thermosiphon until then.

This is what I did for my drain actually, which works pretty well to be honest. Make for a controlled flow that I can put a bucket/funnel right up to.

That is a really neat idea! Draining the radiator is always a mess waiting to happen!

Al

[havoc1482]

I DO like his shutoff better than my cap, however...might have to copy that one!!

I had a disaster when I took the plug out when I took my rad off. It went everywhere for 2 reasons, the plug was recessed behind the bolster access so you can't easily get a funnel or anything to it, and 2, you can't regulate the flow to prevent said mess. I've had that on there for 2 years with out any problems. Pivot axle cannot physically get that far up and since it lines up right above the axle you never have to realistically worry about anything from the ground reaching up and hitting it. I also like how when its shut off the handle is almost parallel to the bolster, makes for a clean look IMO.

A couple bucks, and a trip to Home Depot, and some Polish engineering is all it took lol.

heres another pic for reference



Sorry, Worksmart I don't mean to hijack your thread lol

[Worksmart]

Thanks for all the comments! No hijack, Mike. Your drain set up is something I'm going to look at. Since it already has a pump, it is just as easy to replace with a pump.

I did find a pump with the 2 ports like Dale's pump so that will solve the no drain problem.

The only other thing is if there are any special tricks to getting the radiator off and back on without damaging it.

Thanks again
Chuck

[havoc1482]

easy as pie. The radiator is one unit, unlike the Cub with the lower reservoir being built into the bolster. Its been a while since I took mine off, but I know there are two bolts that come up through the bolster that go into it, with rubber pads between the radiator and bolster to eliminate vibration damage.




I just went out and looked at my Super A and I can't remember if there are bolts at the top somewhere or it simple stays in place by having the radiator hose up top connected. I can say that It was a pretty straight forward process and you just have to look at it and figure it out. The most annoying thing is getting the radiator hoses to wiggle on and back off lol. If your hoses aren't exactly new I would recommend what I did and get those short rubber pipe connectors with clamps already on them. I got mine from Rockys, and they work great and look neat. No need to cut my own hose.

[Worksmart]

Radiator is out. No problem.

Many times we curse a previous owner but in this case I will praise even though a pump with no drain was installed. When I was removing the nuts on the studs on the bottom of the radiator, the stud came completely out on the left side. This is the one directly below the lower hose. This made it quite easy to pivot the whole radiator to pull the lower hose off without having to fight the studs and the lower hose at the same time. It even appears some anti-seize was put on the threads so it would easily come out of the bottom of the radiator.

So far so good! Waiting on the parts to finish the job and then it can snow.

Chuck

[54farmallguy]

Is this a C113 engine? The waterpump might not even be necessary. It wasn't until the Super A-1, which had the C123, that they put on a waterpump. It was simply thermosiphon until then.

This is what I did for my drain actually, which works pretty well to be honest. Make for a controlled flow that I can put a bucket/funnel right up to.

and its official, you are a genius. goind to do this to my A. man what a mess saver!