I just spent a lot of time getting the seven bolts out of the water pump my 89 Ford F-250. The bolts have a lot of rust on them, but I intend to reuse them all. Plus, a lot of rust dust came out of the bolt holes.
I sprayed a bunch of kroil oil in the bolt holes and let them soak overnight. I’ll flush them with brake fluid before installing the new pump. I’m going to soak the bolts in vinegar and clean them up with a wire brush. Then I will put a little anti-seize compound on the threads along with a drop of blue thread lock to guard against them backing out from engine vibrations.
Does this sound like a good plan? Does anyone have a better one? Next time someone has to change this water pump, I want it to be an easier job, and I don’t want the threads to further deteriorate from rust
You cannot use anti-seize compound and thread locker at the same time. Together, they are self-defeating.
My idea was to put a Drop of the thread lock at the end of the threads and just a little bit of anti-seize higher up so they won’t mix. Maybe they will anyway. Maybe the anti-seize and lockwashers?
I would get new, grade 8 automotive bolts. Use either thread locker OR anti-seize OR thread sealant compound, but only one. Most shop manuals usually specify thread sealant compound on water pump bolts and nothing else.
Never treat fasteners (or tools, or really any finished metal) with acids. Acid dissolves the good metal, along with any anti-corrosion plating that was on it (Zinc, chomate, black oxide, etc.). There are much better purpose made products for dissolving rust, such as "Evaporust".
But in your case I wouldn't mess around with any of that, and just buy a new set of bolts. Those old ones will just rust again even quicker, seize in there, and likely break off the next time you try taking them out.
I'd use brake cleaner to clean the threads and mounting holes out, personally. It evaporates quickly and there's less risk of damaging paint, etc. You could use vinegar to de-rust the bolts. If you want to clean them more quickly, get some concrete cleaner at the hardware store that's labeled muriatic acid. That's hydrochloric acid and it will readily eat the rust off the bolts, you'll be able to re-install them after a couple minutes worth of soaking and maybe some light scrubbing. Neutralize the acid by pre-dissolving some baking soda in water and dropping them in that solution. I do chemical analysis and tank maintenance at a parts plating company and muriatic acid is what we use use to quickly de-rust parts before plating. Wear rubber gloves to be safe, if you go that route.
Thanks for the safety recommendations. That stuff ain’t no joke. Rust was gone in way under 2min
I have found 2 Bolt replacement options.
One is made by dorman and is only three out of the seven studs.
The other is complete set made specifically for mustangs from 79 to 93. Looks like the same water pump I have, but I can’t find any specific fitment information for my vehicle other than it will fit a 351 V8. These seem like higher quality and have more specific corrosion resistance and Metal grade information in the description.
Pretty sure the top engine in the Mustang those years was the 5.0. If you have a 351 in your truck that takes a different water pump (according to rockauto.com database) so the bolts may not be the same. Might be best to take the old bolts to a hardware store and match them up individually.
Should fit then. Difference in the water pumps listed may just be shaft length. In your link there are pics of the bolts next to the pump, I know it's hard to tell from a photo but do they at least look roughly like what you have?
Yes. They are eerily similar. I’m waiting for the seller to email me before I make up my mind. I could put the old bolts back in, but I’m wanting to head off future problems
Now that I have seen the bolts In daylight, some of the threads are just gone. I probably should try and replace them