Water Pumps For N00bs

[ltd02]

If you were a girl I would drive up there and kiss you. Even if you were an UGLY girl.

I'm going to dive in again tomorrow and if I can get that drip fixed I will never touch that thing again. It's hoses for draining from here on out.

I hope I'm in a dancing mood tomorrow.

I'll be looking for an update. Like I said tomorrow is a holiday for me and with the frigid temps I'll be hibernating with coffee and the computer. I was actually hoping to do a coolant flush on my 01 Subaru. If I do I think I'll go the lower hose route too. Now TJKJ has me all paranoid.

 

[profdlp]

I'm half tempted to run out there right now just to be sure I can do it, but after two days in the wind, snow and cold I'm willing to wait until tomorrow. I can't get the replacement plug until then anyway.

It was very cool of you to do that tonight! (No pun intended.) :icon_lol:

 

[twowings]

Prof, go back inside and get warm....Prof?? Prof!! OMG!!!!

 

[ltd02]

I'm half tempted to run out there right now just to be sure I can do it, but after two days in the wind, snow and cold I'm willing to wait until tomorrow.

Who's the candyass now :happy175:

Might want to pick up an O ring assortment just in case. That way if the replacement that is supposed to fit does not you can just replace the O ring in the old one and put it back in. I'm thinking and hoping the replacement will fit.

 

[twowings]

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February 15, 2015 (AP) - Jeep Hobbyist Found Frozen In Garage

Ohio authorities today confirmed the body of an Ohio man found frozen to death near his Jeep was indeed beloved Jeep Liberty Forum member Prof "Bullwinkle Moose" Balljoint, age 55, who went missing after telling family and friends he was "going out to the garage one last time" to check on repairs he had made to his vehicle, despite being warned repeatedly about the dangers of venturing out in sub-zero weather dressed in nothing but a Speedo and an Ohio State football jersey.

The County Coroner stated death "probably occurred" due to cold exposure, possibly aggravated by excessive alcohol consumption and a lack of adequate oxygen intake due to gasoline fumes.

Services are pending.

 

[profdlp]

Oh, my - that's about how I looked last night. :happy175:

 

[profdlp]

Yanked the old drain plug and guess what? The O-Ring was gone! Yep, that'll do it. Slapped the new one in there and it snugged right up. I later found the torn O-Ring under the Jeep, apparently it fell off when the draincock was removed.

ltd02 - I surely do appreciate you checking that for me. I was tempted to yank the thing but was afraid of making things ten times worse. I owe you.

tjkj2002 - I filled the system through the upper hose and made sure that the radiator was full too. I have heat in the cabin and the engine temp is great. A big "Thank You" as well.

I think I still have some air in the system, but it can't be much. I'm letting it cool down right now so I can check it again. I cracked the bleeder valve and got a few air bubbles for a brief time, then it was just seeping coolant. If this was a home radiator system (which I have plenty of experience with) I would call it "bled" and pack up my tools.

One more question: Is it normal for the upper radiator hose to be easily squished? I'm not saying I'd want it hard as granite and swollen, but it seems a little too easy to compress when at operating temperature. What say you all?

 

[ltd02]

Sounds like maybe a little air in there yet? This is my guess. My top hose is not very pliable when the system is up to full temp and fully pressurized. I'm assuming you took it for a test drive. After it cools and you check again maybe you'll have to add more coolant and that will be it. Otherwise, I'd wonder if the cap is holding pressure.

As for the O ring issue... :big_banana_Dance:

 

[LibertyTC]

It took me 2-3 days to bleed all the air out, before the top hose was hard as a rock when hot.
I let mine completely cool overnight, then added to the reservoir until it was at the cold line, it was a bit down each AM.
Then out for a hwy heat up boogie, and opened bleed screw for a few seconds,removing air.
Good deal on the rubber seal. I am happy heat has returned!
Nothing worse when it is already cold in the Jeep..& ya aint got no heat!

 

[twowings]

Hey, that's great news, Prof! Congrats!!

 

[profdlp]

Thanks, everyone!

When I went back out it had seeped a teeny bit (1/2") of coolant from the reservoir. I also added about half a pint to the radiator. When I started it the temperature was still at 132F (it's about 20F outside), so maybe a good chilling overnight will cause it to contract a little more. No leaks anywhere, including the thermostat housing and the water pump I installed Saturday.

I'm just going to watch things and top off until things stabilize. For what it's worth, I got the bright idea of removing the bleeder setscrew with the radiator cap off, thinking I might get some trapped air out and top off again through the bleeder screw hole. When I did, there was no sign of bubbling but the coolant (still right around 130F) started slowly overflowing. I might have lost an ounce or two before I got the screw back in, but there wasn't any air there.

Just as a final kick in the pants, three days of starting the Jeep and running it only briefly, coupled with near-zero temperatures the last two nights, apparently did my battery in. I had to jump it twice before I deemed it roadworthy. I then went to the gym and needed a jump there as well. After I left the gym I drove around for an hour in the beginnings of our snowstorm (10" expected, with about 2" already on the ground), so hopefully it got charged enough to start tomorrow. Unfortunately, the previous owner did not bother to scrape off the Month/Year ovals on the battery sticker so I have no idea how old it is. I guess if it proves problematic I will rationalize a new one as part of my ongoing campaign to replace all the fluids, wiper blades, spark plugs, etc., so I know exactly what is in there and when it was last serviced. It never really ends, does it? :icon_lol:

 

[ltd02]

No it never ends but what would we do if it did???

 

[profdlp]

No it never ends but what would we do if it did???

I for one would be quite happy. I know some people who might trade it in so they had a chance to start all over. Kind of like Alexander the Great who cried when he realized there were no more worlds to conquer.

 

[tommudd]

I for one would be quite happy. I know some people who might trade it in so they had a chance to start all over. Kind of like Alexander the Great who cried when he realized there were no more worlds to conquer.

But if Alexander had of been driving a KJ he would never of sold it or gave up on it because there is always something to conquer in one :gr_grin:

 

[profdlp]

But if Alexander had of been driving a KJ he would never of sold it or gave up on it because there is always something to conquer in one :gr_grin:

I've got so far to go that it will be a long time before I need to worry about it.

 

[LibertyTC]

It's amazing how Jack frost or mother nature becomes an instant battery load tester!
15 minutes of run time in the cold when it's weak, is not enough to keep it charged up.
If you can plug in a trickle charger overnight, that will really help, should do the trick.
Just make sure the battery is not frozen by looking at/ into the electrolyte.
Many just say ya it's done, & go shopping for a fresh battery at that point.

 

[profdlp]

I drove an hour, so I hope that helps. If I knew how old the battery was I would probably decide easily as to whether to give up or hang in there with it. I'm going to look for a serial number or something tomorrow and see if I can at least narrow it down to a certain year of manufacture. It almost got it started as it was before the extended drive-around. So close, then poof... :emotions34:

 

[LibertyTC]

Ya I hate it when u turn the key and you hear err crank crank then silence.
These are $5:
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Can you plug in a charger overnight? I wish I could come over..& bring a few tools....to help you!
I would give ya a spare 800 CCA that passes a load test too.
51679[/ATTACH]"]

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And then load test it for 10 seconds... then ya know if it's good the bad or the dead. :icon_twisted:
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[profdlp]

I'm going to see what happens in the morning. Those all look like good ideas. :waytogo:

 

[profdlp]

It took two tries, but it started on its own today. I went to the gym and worked out and it took four or five tries to start it on the way back. I stopped and picked up a cheap trickle charger and have it plugged in now. If that solves the problem I will have new faith in the battery. If not, I am not out much. I wish I knew how old the battery is - that would simplify my decision.

As for the coolant, barely any drop in the reservoir. Warmup is good, heat is great, operating temp is exactly where it was before all this.