I changed the water pump on my 6.9 a couple of years ago and I got it off without removing the balancer.. It is a 78 model and I think there were two types of water pumps fitted. . Styria would probably know about it. RegardsMark.
Removal of the 6.9 Water Pump - square bodied late model.........I have covered this subject in previous posts, but not certain how long ago. Quite simply, there are two rules - on all occasions, except ONCE only, I managed to extract the pump from the triangular Water Jacket already referred to in a previous post. The Impeller is an absolute interference fit in the jacket, and it takes considerable coaxing to retrieve the pump. It is necessary to remove the Ignition Distributor, and the housing it sits in - it is attached to the engine block .The last few jobs I carried out in removing and fitting of the Water Pump, I went a considerable step further by also removing the triangular jacket TOGETHER with the pump still attached. The obvious benefit(s) - by removing the jacket, one can then train a garden hose right through the system, flush out all that rusty sludge and basically start afresh with clean engine water internals which, of course, helps during the hotter periods of summer. Removing the two units as one also saves the inconvenience of having to turn the engine to expose the cut-out in the Crankshaft Pulley to remove the last remaining bolt that holds the water pump in place.
One other handy recommendation - seeing front on, the bottom Allen headed bolts on the left (driver) side of the jacket, can be very difficult to remove. One in particular can be a real trap as it is in constant contact with the cooling system and rusts quite badly. When re-assembling, I get rid of those silly Allen headed bolts and replace them with hex bolts. Always make sure that you use plenty of soluble grease to fit the bolts to hold the jacket in place.
Regarding Aussie 6.9s, I concur completely except for the once only occasion. I simply don't know why I was unable to remove the pump. Also, for a perfect job, have the radiator serviced by specialists - if you do that, plus all the other work, you can forget about major cooling issues for the next fifteen years, or so. I replaced the pump in Gleaming Beauty about that long ago. BTW, if anyone is interested, I have in stock two refurbished late model pumps, then the late model triangular jacket, as well as a 6.9 Inlet Manifold in perfect condition. Regards Styria
