Beamwalker

saw steam coming out of motor this a.m. and assumed its water pump. pulled pump off and there were two chunks of lead lodged in pump fins. anyone have any thoughts as to where this came from??? i ran water thru engine with hose and did not see anymore pieces come out. thanx for input

apwatson50

Its probably some stop leak someone put in and it finally broke loose and got clogged

Beamwalker

these chunks of lead were big enough to be used as fishing weights. probably about 1/2 the size of a marble.

Boatnik

I can't think of anywhere there is lead in these engines except the oil cooler, heater core and radiator. The most likely reason is from a radiator repair where the solder was put in too heavy and didn't stick. Most shops use propane torches and if the person doing the repair stays in one spot too long it overheats and drops solder inside the heat exchanger. If you haven't already, give your system a good cleaning and then watch your temp. If that is the only thing wrong your problem should go away. It is always a good idea to do a pressure test on the system after any maintenance. ALso check the pump bearings over for play. With that much lead on one side it may cause an out of balance condition which could lead to premature bearing failure.

Moab4X4

I did my own radiator repair a while back and thought I got all the extra lead rinsed out. I shook it really good and flushed it and everything.
Later when I pulled the oil cooler, I found a chunk ~"1/4 of a dime" in the engine.
I guess the heat dislodged it.

timb

I'll bet Boatnik nailed that one on the head . I didnt even think of solder from the radiator.good thinkin Boatnik.

Boatnik

Thanks, I won't be worth a hoot for the rest of the week. That hurt

cLAYH

Don't some t-stats have lead in them?

Beamwalker

well after a week and about 100 bucks my water woes may be over. turns out the leak was the little radiater hose that is curved at 90 degrees going from block to heater core. but i got new temp guage radiator flushed out and painted, new water pump, new thermostat gasket, new oil guage, and new hose.