I have an old Zip's water pump ( I cut off the alt, air brackets) that does not have a bleed valve. I have it installed with a heater in line. I am running a 160 degree thermostat, with hoes drilled in it. The water does not seem to be circulating. The motor has not overheated, but the temp guage fluctuates a lot. I drove the car the other day and the heater did not produce heat until after I shut the motor off for a short period, then restarted it. The thermostat must have opened, because I had heat. Any ideas of what might be going on? I've attached a pic so you can see the set up. Thanks!
Do a search for zips, Deuce Roadster shows the air bleed you need from gm installed at the top of the pump.
Looking at your photo it appears you are circulating the heater through the radiator and not the engine block. Only time you will get heated water from the block is when the thermostat opens. Hose coming from the thermostat housing needs to be routed to an area in the intake below the thermostat. Also make sure the supply heater hose to the heater is going into the bottom of the heater and circulating out the top of the heater back to the engine to maintain maximum heat in the heater.
It doesn't have a screw in the top?,,they don't come with a bleeder valve but it should have a screw to let the trapped are out. HRP
The instructions say to run a bypass hose between #'s 6 and 8 cylinders and the pump to aid in coolant flow. Tom...
Yes you do have the bleeder hole. I see it on the ZIP riser in your photo ... Remove the screw and tap the hole for this bleeder valve. The part number is #10070107, available @ the Chevrolet dealership. Here is the valve installed. Never mind the gas pedal return spring bracket I added the the rear of the ZIP. I ALWAYS add a plate the the rear of the pump impeller. Connect the hose from between #6 and # 8 cylinders to the small nipple on the water pump. I use a 180 degree thermostat. Try these measures and see if your problems do not go away
Mine just has a small screw in the top for air bleed. I believe the newer Zips have the correct thread size for the G.M. air bleed valve but my early model does not. I have included the instruction sheets that came with mine if they can be of help. You only need the bypass hose if you are not running a heater. Mick
Thank you for all of the replies! The unit I have is over 20 year old, no bleed screw, and not even the cast-in flat area where it should go. I do think it is what I really need. I know my return line is not in the best spot but the intake is a vintage Nicson and I didn't want to put any more holes in it. I don't need a lot of heat, just enough to take the chill off of the little Model A, so although I am subject to the thermostat opening for heat I think I can live with it, provided I get the air out of the system.
I have a ZIPS that was bought new in 1979. It is cast iron. It has a small screw for a bleed hole. The area around the screw is not machined flat. I have NEVER sen a ZIPS without the small screw hole or the pad ( a much later revision ). The roadster has the newer style aluminum ZIPS on it ... but I have owned over a half dozen ZIPS over the years. Here is a photo of the by-pass hose on my 32 Roadster. This is the way ZIPS suggests the hose to be routed.
Thank for all your help. I am attaching pictures of my pump housing. As you will see there is no screw hole for any type bleeding device. I ordered at part number you reference and I plan to drill and tap the housing to accomodate it. I assume it should be as close as possible to top/center. (I did grind off the alt and A/C brackets) Any other tips? Thanks!
Tom I have run two of them and have a third one on the truck I'm building now, like the others have said I think adding a bleed screw to the housing will fix your problem.
He nailed it, it isn't going to get enough hot water through the heater as is to ever produce any real heat. The outlet to the heater needs to come off the intake manifold before the coolant goes through the thermostat. If there is no fitting for a heater outlet on the intake you may have to come up with a riser for the thermostat that is drilled for a fitting to hook the heater hose to. Or be cold.
I knew I had photos on my computer,,It seems to me there was another manufacturer of a riser and it had a different look about it.(Snow White?) If you look at the area where the 6 cylinder water pump mounts there never was a provision for a bleeder screw. HRP
The pictures you posted are exactly what I started with, assuming the one pictured is cast iron. I'm just going to have to drill and install my own bleeder. I already switched the return water line to the port between 6 and 8. Many thanks!
Anybody have any experience using Zip's riser with early heads that don't have the side water ports? Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I stand corrected There is no bleeder hole in your housing. It looked like there was a screw in the top but with it being BLACK ... I was mistaken. Does your riser use a Chevrolet 6 cylinder water pump ??? You may have a Snow-White water pump riser. Snow White uses a OPEL water pump I have never seen a ZIPS with the ridge ... at the rear of the housing. Either way ... ZIP or Snow White ... install the bleeder valve ( 1/8 NPT ) and bleed all the air out of your system. It should STOP the fluxuation of the temperature gauge. A 180 thermostat also provides more heat for the heater and it actually better for the engine. The new Chevrolets even have a 210 thermostat ... I run the 180 Robert Shaw ones. .
Thanks for the info, I take it this means that you are having no problems running the Zips without either the bypass hose or heater.
Thanks again for all the help. My housing uses the 6 cyl Chevy water pump. This unit was on a car a had 15 years ago and never had a problem............don't know how the air got out of the system, but it worked fine. You can see I moved the return line and installed the bleed screw. It was a very easy job. I didn't even take it off the car. I used heavy grease on the drill bit and tap to collect the metal shavings, it took only about 20 minutes to complete the job. Heater is hot and engine runs cool. Success! Just a note, I bought the bleed valve from the Chevy dealer.....$20.00 You can get them on Ebay for $7-$8.....but I got it in a couple hours.
Great info here, thanks to all. BMW 5 series cars had an air bleeder on top of the casting next to thermostat housing. Simple thermo dynamics, but effective in a large agency where a number of cars were constantly moving through a large Service area! (Preceeding models weren't so equipped, sometimes had to be 'bled' by hose removal, took time.)
I have no problems at all. I did use a piece of rubber hose with a bolt in it to block off the small port on the pump. Ive thought about if i could tap it, but its odd shaped, maybe braze or solder a plug, Or get the aluminum pump and maybe it will have the meat to tap it or tig weld it.
Thanks,I haven't replaced the screws in the truck or the sedan zips risers,,2 in a box is good for me. HRP
I am running a 4.3 v6 in my A and thought about one of these watwer pump risers... I am concerned about the bypass hose... not because I don't have a #8 cylinder... hahaha... But because I don't think I can accomodate a hose into that port because I have custom made headers. What does this bypass do? Do you HAVE to run it? Anyone NOT run it?? Thanks guys!! Sam
You need this type of set up http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-63421/overview/ under your thermostat and housing. Then there will be a constant water flow to your heater core then back to the return inlet on the water pump. Instead of what is going on now. Which is, when thermostat cycles, the heater goes cold and hot over and over again. There are other company's that make them in natural alum. Just need to look around. Found this, better suited for your need http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ctr-80-116/overview/
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