I can't believe my last update was in April.....then again, I haven't had much time to work on the ST90 MKIIa lately either. A friend from across the pond (Bill) asked if I had any updates for the blog and that's when I realized how much time had passed.
So......without further adieu, here we go......
The gas tank was cleaned, sealed and re-installed.
I made a new valve cover gasket, reassembled everything, cleaned out the fuel line and filter.
Removed the carb and removed the varnish build up from the inside.
Re-assembled everything, installed a fresh new battery (+ earth still) I will likely convert this later.
and.......
Cranked her up!
She started on the first try and ran for about 45 seconds or until I noticed the water/antifreeze dripping at an increasing rate on the floor of the garage.
I turned the ignition off to see if I could determine where the leak was coming from.
From what I could tell it appeared to be coming from dead center bottom side of the water pump housing.....between the front and rear sides of the housing.
No big deal...I will just remove the radiator, fan blades, belt wheel, take the from of the housing off and make a new gasket for that. Easy, right?
Not quite......
The front plate was stuck on with loads of good ol' TIME!
After soaking for a few weeks with a penetrating oil.......and at the brilliant recommendation of my uncle (A few taps with a dead blow hammer) the front plate came loose.
I wish I had taken a picture of the impellers before I cleaned them.....they reminded me of an old pirate ship covered in barnacles that had been docked at port for 60 years!
Here they are cleaned...( I know the could have been cleaned a bit more but I was getting anxious after finally hearing her run for the first time!)
Made a nice new cork gasket and got ready to put her back together once again....
Hmm...what to do about these nuts inside of the water pump housing that hold the rear of the housing to the engine.....
I think it's best to just clean what I can and leave them be!
Then put her back together.....
This time the car was not cranked.....It was coming from the bleed hole in the bearing locating screw.
The only thing I can think is that when I was cleaning the impellers I must have broken the seal to the bearing assembly.
I did not have a press to remove the impeller from the bearing assembly......so, I have placed an order with http://www.rootesparts.com/ for a water pump repair kit.
As soon as it arrives, I will take it to a local shop with a suitable press and have this professionally done.
I promise the next update will come much quicker than 8 months from now ;)
Until then....Cheers!
