Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines 292 water pump is much different

Hey dudes,I got the water pump for my 292 today and it has three outlets instead of two like my 250's does.They both have a three quarter inch heater hose outlet,and 2inch radiator hose outlet.I alos noticed on the indide of the pump two holes where I guess the water is picked up to be circulated.The 292 pump has another outlet on top which is about one and three eights inch..........and the pump has no holes on the inside near the impellar.......and yes the impellers are different on the two but my concern is where does the hose come from that hooks to this inch and three eigths....outlet on the pump?Does it come from the thermo housing or heater core or where lol?.......Thanks for any replies in advance.........Gerald

It's extra incase you want to run a bypass thermostat or extra heater core. You can safely plug it.
Oh, they are inlets, btw. The water pump sucks water in through the hose and pushes it through the block.
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1950 Chevy pickup with '62 261, 4 speed.

[This message has been edited by 4onthefloor (edited 07-31-2003).]

Alright,so the 292 pump circulates the water by either taking it in from the lower radiator hose and pushing it then through the heater hose if I plug the one and three eights hose on top of the pump?Also how would you safely plug the top one and three eights outlet on the pump?Thanks again..........Gerald

All of the hose connections on an L6 water pump are suction.

That 1 3/8" inlet is designed for some early-models or a heavy truck engine. They had a t-stat housing that also had a 1 3/8" side outlet to send water right back into the engine instead of through the radiator. The idea is to keep more water flowing through the engine if the radiator is huge and the outside temperature low. Then the motor doesn't see cold-hot spikes and it runs better. My 63 292 came with that setup, and I took it all off. Another example of that configuration is the smallblock Dodge. They all have a hose from the intake base to the top of the water pump, and it serves the exact same purpose.

What you need to do is ask yourself if there is any water that can circulate all the time from BELOW the t-stat back into the water pump. The 292 does not have an in-the-block bypass like the 250's and smaller engines. If you have a heater core that is full-flow, that is, there is no valve to shut it off, then you can safely cap that 1 3/8" stub. Or if your core is junk and you have a loop of hose (like I've got right now), then the same thing applies, you can cap that stub off.

What I would do if I were in your shoes is to take that pump back, and get a new aluminum one. GMB (I think) is one manufacturer. They are sold through Checker/Kragen/Shucks. The new housings have a 3/4" female pipe thread hole instead of the 1 3/8" stub. You just have to screw a pipe plug in there and you're done. Lifetime warranty, too.

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David
newbie #4153

Hey thanks Dave for all that interesting info....and today I swapped that waterpump for the one you described with the three quarters NPT thread in the top.Im putting this 292 in a 78 K-10 chevy 4x4.I believe it uses a blend door rather than a heater control valve because I put an inline shut off valve trying to make it cooler in the cab in the summer.Any way if I'm wrong can i put a heater hose outlet in the top and run a hose from it to one of my outlets on my thermostat housing because I have two plugged holes there or can I just plug the upper hole period?..........Thanks for your time...........Gerald a Honda tech

If you just plug the hole without a bypass, then your t-stat won't really see enough hot water flowing past in order to open properly. They have a tendency to run up to about 230 or 235 deg. before they open. Then the motor gets a big slug of cold water and then the stat slams back shut. I've got a 74 3/4 ton just like your 78, and I had to do the same valve thing because the door rubbers are deteriorated. That took away the bypass, so I had to make sure it had another route to recirculate the coolant.

What you described with a hose outlet on top of the pump and another in the t-stat housing is exactly like the stockers came from the factory. The kinked hose to connect them is easily found at the parts houses.

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David
newbie #4153