Water hose blanks

[byroncobra]

One of the rubber hose blanks that blocks flow from the water pump out/inlets failed on the club run to Brunz yesterday. Just a pinhole, but enough to make a mess of my freshly polished engine bay

I've 3 of them, 2 on the pump and 1 on the thermostat housing. Was I unlucky, and just replace it or is there a better option??

Cheers

[mreid]

One of the small ports on the water pump is your thermostat bypass, so I hope that is still connected. The intake manifold is best blocked with a sealed npt plug. That leaves the heater port on the water pump. I've always like the npt tap and plug approach.

[Rick Parker]

They Suck! Better option is to cut off the nipples and thread for tapered pipe plug. But best too if you leave the Bypass in place. The curved hose from Thermostat housing to one of the Waterpump nipples.

[boxhead]

They do perish quickly.

I have 2 (on water pump heater hose connections).
I make a point of replacing about ever 18 monthes.

On the LS they are stainless pipes, I will weld and seal them up eventually.

[byroncobra]

Ok thanks

It looks like i've overlooked the bypass on the thermostat. So as you say Rick, should I connect this to either of the 2 nipples on the water pump? This just leaves one to plug off.

[Merv and Sharon]

There should be only one remaining I believe Greg but I have had 2 of the rubber "bungs" fail until I found a better product. I bought 5! Any better solutions welcomed.

[Merv and Sharon]

If you cut off the raised 'nipple' from the heater pipe (the one on the right) and thread it on the outside, do you attach something like this:

JEGS Performance Products 100317 JEGS AN Caps and Plugs

or thread on the inside and this:

JEGS NPT Pipe Plugs - JEGS

[Mando]

Hi Merv, both water points are usually threaded into the waterpump and should be easily removed using a good pair of multigrips. You can then install a plug. Why on earth would you delete the rubber hose joining the waterpump to the thermostat housing?

Regards.

[Merv and Sharon]

Thanks Mando. I will check that out. The hose from the water pump to the thermo housing is intact. I have no heater fitted.

[WKB]

These caps, perish rather quickly as Boxhead mentioned, that are used to block of water points should only be used for blocking off vacuum ports. I was going to buy these when I was building my AC and parts salesman at Repco told me about what they should be used for. He also mentioned that they could fail if used on the cooling system.
The problem is blocking off water ports that cannot be replaced with threaded plugs is hard as there is nothing I have come across that can be used other than these caps.

Warren

[Merv and Sharon]

Has anyone done what Mando suggests and fitted a screw in (e.g.,) brass plug?

[mreid]

On every SBF water pump I've ever seen, those nipples were pressed in. The other option that works well, but is not the best looking (works in a bind) is to cut a short length of hose (3 " or 8 cm), fit a bolt that fits snuggly with a clamp in one end, and slip the other end with clamp over the nipple. You only need one as the thermo bypass should be used and the intake manifold fittings are all threaded.

[byroncobra]

Thanks for all that.

Unfortunately the engine has just been reassembled and threading the pipe obviously need to be done by removing the pump. What a pita!

Mando, I noticed that the nipples aren't part of the pump casting, are you sure that they're screwed in and not pressed as mreid suggests?

[Merv and Sharon]

I had a good look at the nipples on my spare pump and would be pretty sure they are not threaded in.

[byroncobra]

Thanks Merv

[Merv and Sharon]

Yes, I am not going to butcher the spare pump I have to find out. There also seems to be some kind of sealant between the nipple and the body of the pump. So I suspect the realistic options would be to bore the existing nipple out and thread the hole and fit an appropriate plug (I think that the nipple itself is too thin to thread properly) or, stick with the rubber part and the clamp. If that is of decent quality and shape it should work. I had two of the flat topped ones I was given, split (wrong application) but since changing to the domed ones, no problems for the last 2 years.

[leroy17]

I use Samco Sport silicon hose ends blanking caps on a LS1 water pump. They come in all different sizes and colours (black looks good) are a neat finish and quick and easy.

Williams Race Services sells them and have a good stock, call for either Mike or Steve.

They look like this.

Google Image Result for http://racebikebitz.com/image/cache/data/Universal%20Samco%20Pictures/Blanking-Plug-BCP-RED-500x500.jpg

[Merv and Sharon]

That looks the ticket!

[400TT]

We actually always weld or thread caps onto ours, so can't comment from experience of using blank offs which a home builder would prefer to use as they are simpler.

Those silicone ends should last longer as (quality branded) silicone hose is very robust.

I can certainly highly recommend Steve Williams and his business and that Samco hose is quality stuff.

Leigh (leroy17), thanks for the tip.

[Modena]

Another alternative to using the blanks would be a tiny length of heater hose with a cap in the end, with a couple of hose clamps. Bit untidy maybe, bit would last longer than the not-designed-for-this-blanking-caps

Failing welding or screwing in a bung, I like the silicone hose option.