My water pump was leaking so i went to change it and then i found that two of the bolts that held the pump on were stripped out. My guess is that the person who changed it before stripped these bolts out and didnt take the time to fix them. I actually pulled the pump off with the bolts still in the pump. I hadnt seen them because they were covered in sealent gunk. So me and my dad tried to retap the holes and that wouldnt work so we moved up a couple sizes and tapped it that way. Well the bolt still wouldnt thread. We finally figured out that the taps we were using were tapered at the ends and the hole we were tapping was not deep enough to get the widest part of the tap. My question is what should i do? I tried putting it back on with the two bolts not threaded in and loaded it up with sealent. I put everything back together and it was still leaking.... I was wondering if it would be possible to drill deeper into the block so that i could get more tap in. Also, i was wondering if indeed it was the actual block i was drilling into. or maybe it wasnt the actual block and i coujld just replace the peice that the pump goes on to. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!! i miss my truck

 

Which motor are you working with, and which two bolts? some go through to the block, some are only into the timing cover.

 

302 5.0 efi. The two bolts are the innermost bolts of the three that circle the two ports. There is a stripped bolt on each port. They are the bolts that are pretty shallow and they are closest to the center of the pump. Is the timing cover what the water pump mounts against?

 

yep that is the timing cover. you can change that and fix the problem. course while you are in that far, might as well check the timing chain and gears, that would be the time to change them.


jim

 

thank you very much jim. That helped me so much. I love this forum

 

oh yeah where might i go looking for a new cover? im pretty sure that auto parts stores wont have them. should i go to a salvage yard?

 

You might hit Ebay, as I've seen several pop up there. Just make sure it's the right year/type. Also, a u-pull-it junkyard would be a good bet. Ford dealer probably has 'em, but likely very proud of them.

 

In the future, if you have to tap a blind hole be aware that there are taps for this purpose. General use taps are tapered; it makes cutting easier. But, there are taps called "plug" or "bottoming" taps that will cut full threads to the last one or two threads in a blind hole. You won't find these taps at Ace or Home Depot but they are available at machinists supply houses. Do a search on the internet.

 

yeah i actually went to a bolt specialty store and picked up one of the bottoming types but this one also had a slight taper and i guess the taper was to much so it still wouldnt help me.

 

if all else fails you can take and grind off the end of the tap. just make sure you keep it cool while grinding it so as not to ruin the temper

 

considered that. I think im going to end up replacing timing cover. Do you guys have any advice before i start on this adventure? Do i have to do anything to keep my timing the same?

 

Line up the timing marks before you take the old chain off, and be sure they still line up when you're done.
Depends on the condition of your timing cover, you can drill the hole oversize, and helicoil it. Basically, what that is, is an insert that threads into the oversized and tapped hole, bringing the thread size back to original, but if you don't have the depth to deal with, it would be difficult to acheive, but you could possibly take it to a machine shop and have them save it the same basic way, and save buying the tools. Compare that price against replacement. it is possible that I have one that may work for you, it wasn't EFI, but is serpentine drive, but not sure that matters, likely more matters as to were your dipstick is located.

 

so the helicoil has to thread into the oversized threads? I dont think that would work because of the same problem i have to begin with. I wouldnt be able to get it to thread. Yeah i think the machine shop would be a good thing to look into because it might be cheaper/easier. thanks for all your help

 

Seth7843

Seth If you run into many problems or expense I have one off a 90 302 F-150
that should work.

rlangs58

 

UPDATE............ So i went to a junk yard and got a new timing chain cover only to find that i had the wrong cover on the truck to begin with. the ports were reversed. i thought it was odd that the new water pump and the old water pumps ports did not align. well i also replaced my timing chain and sprockets and when i was in there and half of the teeth on the bottom sprocket were half worn away. well i put my cover on and then i put the new water pump on only to find that a different bolt will not thread which was my problem to begin with. This is one of the long bolts that goes into the block. well now im going to have to pull all that off again and try and tap the block... this is soooooo frustrating... oh and i also sheared off an oil pan to cover bolt which was fun to drill and get out. i will update again if i ever get the truck running.. i miss my truck. taking your dads 1991 honda accord station wagon with a rusted hood on dates is not the greatest thing.....