I was having cooling problems so I took the radiator in for a good cleaning and checkup and bought a new waterpump from Advance. They _said_ it was compatible and it looks the same, fit properly, and all the connections slid right in.

However, it is leaking only from the top connection to the block. All the other connections are fine. My friend and I installed it twice. First time we forgot to clean off the old RTV sealant from the block side of the connection and it leaked. The second time we put a TON or RTV on the top, the gasket to the block was fine but we put more RTV on that as well. When we put the bolts back on I pulled up on the pulley HARD to get the connection on top tight. A friend of his at work who used to own an old Volvo suggested it. We let it cure overnight and came back to fill the system and it leaked again from the same place.

Is it possible that the new waterpump is a fraction of a mm lower than the old one? Or is there something I'm neglecting (or a trick) to get that seal really good and tight at the top? I'm going to get a new gasket and try the old waterpump again but I'd like to use the new one if it will work.

Anyone else have experience with this? (PS thanks for all the other help - this forum is GOLD)

You should not need or use sealant on the rubber seals-that only serves to clog up the passageways. The pumps from Volvo used to come with 2 sets of those upper seals--thick for low (thick head gasket) and thinner for high compression motors. I know original mounting kits are available-just bought a kit for my 144S. I think your problem is you aren't getting the pump up enough the way you did the job. Take the pump off and scrape all the gunk there. Put the seals back in place-you can "lube" them with a little grease between your fingers-install the upper bolts in the pump-leave the bottom ones open--run the bolts in evenly until just about snugged up-use a couple of drifts inserted into the lower holes and lever the pump up--an assistant for a third hand is helpful to run the upper bolts in--install the lower bolts and do a final even tightening of all of them.

You should have gotten two sets of rubber rings that go between the top of the pump and the
cylinder head. One set is a bit shorter than the other. The reason for this is that two different
headgaskets are used and if you have the thicker headgasket you need the taller set of rings.
I don't use sealant on mine - I make sure the surfaces are clean and then put a bit of grease
on them so they slip into place easily. I do pry upward before and during the tightening of
the mounting bolts to make sure the rings are squeezed tightly. Usually if installed this way
they work fine.
--
George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!

George - thanks for the advice! I'll give that a whirl. You're right - there were 2 sets of rings and I guess we just picked the wrong one. I'll try it this weekend and cross my fingers, thats the one thing (so far) keeping my car from the road.

man I hate doing water pumps on them cars... almost easiest to pull the cylinder head...

Not that bad actuall... but yes. You need pressure up against the head. But, you also need to be sure to have the block side of the pump up against the block when you put said upward pressure. Otherwise, it is possible to get those rubber O-rings caught in the holes in the head, which will pinch/cut/destroy them when you tighten stuff down. Seen that happen a bunch of times, done it myself at least once.

That water pump design has to me the one thing about the B18/B20/B30 engines that have made me curse Volvo and wonder what they were thinking.

--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂

With the bolts just snugged down but loose enough for the pump to slide, use a small floor jack and a length of wood under the pulley to push upwards. You might need to loosen the bolts a quarter turn if you don't think it's loose enough. Jack up just enough to start raising the car before tightening the bolts.

Awesome. I was thinking something along those lines derek.. And yes there was much cursing and grumbling when all was put back together and it still leaked. Going to try the other o-ring tonight with the floor jack - that won't damage anything if I just raise it enough to lift the car barely? I almost curse myself for taking the old (non-leaking) waterpump off but having a brand new one with a spanking clean radiator is a little more peace of mind.

-Colten

I'd like to hear any tricks for getting the lower outflow pipe crammed up in the pump, while aligning the tubes attachment bolt. If it wasn't for my wife willing to crawl under the car with me, I'd never get that tube in the pump.
--
Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102

Joel, a little wheel bearing grease smeared on the inside of the pump and spread onto to O-ring (before fitting the O-ring to the tube) by rolling it in your fingers--I'm talking just a tiny bit. It will not hurt the seal and makes installation much easier.

Followup - I did get the waterpump in and just used grease between the connections...

Took the pump off, cleaning all the RTV off the surfaces. Checked the o-ring of the top connection (the bigger one) and I did in fact have the shorter o-ring on before. The other o-ring that came with the pump was nearly 1mm higher so I was sure that changing this out should fix it. Borrowed my dad's grease gun and coated all those o-rings in grease - especially the ones at the top and the surface of the block connection.

The hose on the bottom I took off and cleaned the connection and put grease on before I put the o-ring on and after. After I'd loosely connected the waterpump to the block I got out a jack and a piece of wood and managed to put the wood up against the fan coupling. There wasn't much room to work with around the crank pulley but I had a few inches close to the fan to prop the wood against. I jacked it up just so it was applying a decent amount of pressure. I didnt want to put too much pressure on it. Tightened the bolts good and tight and took the jack off.

I laid under the car and had a friend hand me the lower hose. It was kind of a maze getting the hose around everything but it wasn't bad. He held the hose part while I connected the metal into the pump and tightened the bolt to the block. This wasn't bad but it was definitely easier on the forearms having a friend hold it.

Put the radiator back in, tightened the bolts to the frame, and tightened hose clamps to the upper and lower hose connections. Time to fill it and cross our fingers! Poured in coolant until the radiator was full and there were no leaks! Woohoo! I filled up the reservoir tank a little past the FULL mark - so when I started and drove it around the block it was squirting water out of the little holes at the top. This did nothing except to make my dad and buddy joke about my 'moving squirtgun'. Of course once it levelled out it stopped dripping.

Cooling system seems OK now - that waterpump was a pain in the ass but I think doing it 3 times in 2 days I can probably do it with a flashlight on the side of the road now.

Thanks for all the good advice! Now on to those carburetors....

Hey, how about a water pump on a 260 series now that's a crappy design.