Purchased this WP from a well known vendor in NJ, USA. I am hesitant to install it due to these craters, voids in the casting. What do you think? Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thats what we get now. Looks like it is made in India. I just rebuild the old ones provided it is one of the versions that allows me to use a one piece seal.
Sent the Supplier several emails requesting just that but no reply. I'll call them Monday to give them another chance before I go public with this and scratch them off my list
Nothing to worry about. You happen to be able to see the imperfections because they were close to the machined surface. But if they were below the surface and you could not see them would you be worried? Would you subject every cast part you buy to ultrasonic testing? I've seen worse on Ferrari castings.
The casting is no worse than the Ferrari castings of that period but as others have suggested it may indicate their attention to quality in other areas— tolerances, seals, bearings etc.
And with a bit of metal cutting work it's even possible to convert the earliest two piece seal versions to a one piece seal pump. Had a thread about it many years ago. Using a widely available modern state-of-art - and inexpensive- one piece seal guaranteed german engineered - And- made (!) Best from Germany Martin
While I do acknowledge that many folks feel this to be an overkill reaction, I bought and installed the Nick's Forza water pump a number of years ago. And I have had peace of mind ever since.
Porous aluminum casting marks like that are often only seen after machine work has been done. It can be run just fine as none of the porosity goes from edge to edge, effecting sealing. Use Hondabond on the gasket and machined surface.
If the casting flaws are limited to that and there is no reason to believe they are. It is a sign of a poorly made part at the very best. Ferrari never needed sealant on water pumps. Never needed it. No good reason we should now unless we accept substandard as the new norm.
Such voids are typically found near surfaces which are at the upper surfaces of the molds where contaminants and gasses get trapped in the mold. They don't necessarily indicate a poorly made part or that voids are present throughout the casting.
I fully agree, but it just it what it is these days, even with major brands. Below is a pic of a NEW German made Mahle 92mm for a Porsche RSR engine. Nikasil and the works. .002 clearance measured well with all pistons and liners, no problem. These are about $5k-$6k a set with pistons. Note the pitting which was present in two of the liners. When I contacted Mahle about this, they stated they allow for a certain amount and guaranteed no running issues. These aren't exactly cheap parts from a cheap company. It simply is what everyone seems to be ok with these days. The new normal sort of sucks. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Hmmm...when we were building competition/performance engines, there is no way, No Way, NO WAY we would ever have used a liner in that condition. We would have immediately returned it to the manufacturer as defective. If that pitting was in the cylinder wall of an engine block, we would have bored/honed to the minimum oversize necessary to clean it up and fitted the appropriate size pistons/rings for the new bore. Tell Mahle you appreciate that the liners meet their specs but you would prefer to exchange them for replacements WITHOUT pits!