Has anyone ever seen this type of failure on a small block water pump?

 

Looks like it "seized up"!
Good thing it didn't come completely apart.

 

Nope, the bearings are still smooth. Only problem is that the part of the casting they are mounted in is no longer attached to the pump housing.

 

WOW that's some strange $&It right there!

 

ouch !!!!.....i would say thats a fan that was out of balance and over time..wobble ....wobble...fatigue.......snap. good time to replace it with a non corvette one i say .

 

I've seen it before, Bad fan clutch and / or fan,


Frank

 

My guess would be that the temperature dipped below 32 deg. in Texas.

 

I would guess an out of balance fan assembly-did you notice anything before the failure? Do you rev the heck out of the motor or is that just from normal driving? I would check out the fan assembly balance and replace that water pump with a Stewart aluminum pump like I have that is pricey but very strong. I run their Stage II pump with a 180 thermostat and a Dewitts aluminum radiator and have trouble getting the temp up to 180 since you have to use the modified Robertshaw Thermostat with these pumps with built in by pass holes on the thermostat. If you run a stock copper radiator, you should be fine but I am thinking of running a standard Robertshaw Thermostat with just one by pass hole I will drill in the thermostat rather than the 3 holes with the modified Thermostat to cut down on the flow through the thermostat when it is closed. This on a stock L-82 4 speed that always ran hot on the highway on hot days!



Chevrolet Small Block - Short Stage 2 - 23103
Code:23103
Price: $174.95
Quantity in Basket: none

1971-82 Corvette. Cast Aluminum Finish.

http://www.stewartcomponents.net/Mer...y_Code=ChevyS2

or this OEM one:



Chevrolet Small Block - Short Stage 1 - 13103
Code:13103
Price: $90.95
Quantity in Basket: none

1971-82 Corvette.

 

 

My thoughts exactly




This makes sense.
This is on Liz's 68 vert. It has had a high pitched squeal when revving to high rpms for many years now (before I even knew her). She told me that it was a slipping alternator belt and I figured that was probably correct since the alternator was mis-aligned.
I had recently put a new alternator bracket on it and gotten everything aligned correctly, but the squeal was still there. Two days ago I determined that it was indeed the fan clutch that was squealing by removing the fan clutch and running it briefly without the fan or fan clutch installed.
I stripped all the paint and rust off of the fan and repainted it, and yesterday morning re-installed it with the new fan clutch.
The water pump blew up on the test drive after that repair.

I was in second gear accelerating to pass a slower car when it blew up without warning.
The steam cloud in the rear view mirror was tremendous.

Liz said that this pump was installed on her car about 4 years ago by a shop, but she doesn't know if it was new or rebuilt.
I compared it to the GM pump off of my original 73 engine and noticed that the original GM pump has gussets in the casting radially all the way around the area where this one failed.

To save money I am planning to install my rebuilt original GM pump on it (it is in very good shape). The casting looks much stronger than this one did.

BTW,
While the temperature has dropped below freezing in Texas many times, this car has always had the correct 50/50 mix of anti freeze and water, and has always been garaged. Freezing coolant is not the culprit.