Water pump failure and fix

My water pump started leaking so I decided to take it apart inspect things.
What I found was not pretty!
The metal check valves had pounded out the backside of the seat to the point
where it was a check valve in both directions! This was likely causing very
high forces on the water pump pistons, which is probably why my cross heads are
so worn.

The fix is to machine the pumps to accept 3/8" nylon balls. I cut the seats at
45° and milled clearance slots on the backside so water can flow around the
balls.

You will find detailed photos in the files section in "Wayman modification
photos". at

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Likamobile

This failure happened at about 400 miles. I highly recommend that you
do not run more than 200 miles with your origional stainless steel check
valves, as you may have the same problem with possible cross head wear.