Old Calcium water pump grease

[teq56]

I am restoring a old car with a water pump that has a shaft, brass bearing, packing material, then a tightening nut to push the packing material around the shaft. Very typical for a car in the 30's.

The original waterpump called for a calcium #4 grease but the drop points on say lubriplates water pump grease is 170 degrees.... Well, cars will run 180 Plus (although hopefully not too much higher!)

Lithium won't do it for obvious reasons so I'm left with a replacement calcium or Aluminum grease. I also understand that I don't want EP with the brass bearings as this contains a potential acid reaction with water that may eat my bearings.

The pump isn't high speed with a max spin of say 5000 rpm. There is no pressure on the pump shaft to speak of and yes, this grease will be in contact with water. One last thing. The original #4 requirement may have been because they wanted a heavy grease in there to combat the higher than spec grease but that is just my thoughts.

Any ideas on what to use.

Amazingly, there are still people putting lithium based greases in these things?

Thomas

 

[bruce381]

""Lithium won't do it for obvious reasons""

sorry not obvious to me??

if the packing holds the water back would not a #2 grease work there are easy to find #2 greases 3 an 4 are not hardly made anymore.

""Amazingly, there are still people putting lithium based greases in these things?""

why not what do I miss??
bruce

 

[teq56]

Lithium grease may be water resistant but it isn't water proof. Read grease basics in this section. Also look at picures of lith grease absorbing water. Not good.

The packing does hold the water back but the brass bearing is behind that and in contact with the pump shaft and water. The grease cup pushes the grease into the brass bearing and has little to do with the packing. Think of the packing as an outside seal but everything behind it is exposed (potentially anyway) to water. That is where the grease is. Yes, 3-4's are hard to find but lubriplate has a #4 waterpump grease but temp is too low and Schaeffers does have a #3 in there EP greases but the EP may eat my bearings. That is my problem but hey... they did the best they could in the 1930's... I'm just trying to improve upon it.

Thomas

 

[bruce381]

Ok got it now BUT even CA is not Water Proof
OLD water pump grease used to be Pterolatium which IS water Proof it is a wax and a 3-4 grade BUT melt point is 130 or so not that good.

I would look at whatever brands are avalible to you and try to find the one with the lowest water washout % AL Complex will do good here also used in steel mill application.
bruce

 

[teq56]

The schaeffer guy here in St. Louis was saying to use the 195 food grade grease. He also mentioned a 221 I think but not sure. I will check out both I guess... they are both AL grease. I think AL is the answer but just wanted so see what others thought?

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

schaeffers 221 is what I would use. schaeffers is only been in biz since 1830's. they use nothing but ep additives in all their greases. all greases have an ep additive. some are better than others. schaeffers uses different types of moly than others, of course, you might know something they(schaeffers) dont.