Water Pump

In the depths of winter the last thing you want to be doing is working on the car.

My heater stopped working on a trip into Liverpool, nearly froze my feet off. I assumed (wrongly) that the water pump had packed up, what actually had transpired was that the incorrect water/anti-freeze ratio had left a frozen lump in the bottom of the radiator (I suppose I was just trusting the last owner to have filled it correctly).

However, I took the old water pump off in exceptionally cold circumstances, freezing my bottom off as it were, and saw that it was ok, put it back on and tightened the bolts back up. (Technical note : metal becomes more brittle when temperatures are lower).

It was the last bolt I believe, using my fine and experienced judgement to accurately guage the necessary torque required using an open ended wrench of approximately six inches in length, I sheared the bastard off, there and then, in the block. I couldn't have been closer, probably within 1% of the actual torque required. I don't think anyone can describe that base of spine feeling that happens when these things occur, suffice to say I had one and I was slightly downhearted at the turn of events.

It was the usual thing, take a simple job and make it difficult.