Extra Bolts!

[bugeye01]

Hello,
I'm looking for some input. I have a 1995 F350 with 460 and EOD, 2wd. I had to replace the water pump. Due to a significant amount of out-of-town work, I took it apart in May and just last night got it back together. Memory might be the real issue, but my problem is, I ended up with one bolt left over and I cannot figure out where it goes. It is a large (maybe 3/8") long (maybe 6" long) bolt, so it might just be important. I had 3 or 4 more exactly like this one, but they all went into the huge cast bracket on driver's side that carries the power steering pump and A/C compressor. I thought it should probably be another one of those for that same large bracket, but I cannot find another hole for it there, or anywhere else. Ideas?

 

[fatherdoug]

Found this on a 460 forum(picture is not mine) 1996 F350. I have an '89 F250 460, but I've not had to replace the water pump on it yet.(knock on formica)

1 2 4 7 and 10 use the 2.25"
3 and 5 are 4"
6 8 9 and 11 are the 4.5"

93 and up EFI with the HD water pump uses longer bolts than the earlier 460's.

#1 hole goes through the front cover. The danger can be a long bolt hitting the cam gear.

#3 goes into the water jacket. Use silicone on the threads.

 

[bugeye01]

Well, this was useful information! But does not solve my problem. When I took inventory of the water pump bolts I had five 4.5" 5/16" NC bolts and one 4.25" bolt, plus the five shorties. Did not have any 4" bolts. I went to the dealer who printed off for me a very crude drawing out of his parts book that seemed to indicate that the short bolt went into either 3 or 5. Could not clearly see which one. Before I installed the pump I took a 4.5" bolt and bottomed it out in each hole, measured how much was left sticking out, then measured the thickness of the appropriate shoulder on the water pump. The difference was same for all of them, so I just put the bolts in. I don't know where the 4.25" bolt is. At that point it seemed to me that it didn't matter. I didn't think about any of them hitting the timing chain. Now I think I am going to at least pull 3 and 5 back out, get a couple shorter bolts (probably 4.25" because that is what came out of mine), and put thread sealer on no. 5. I also have a huge multi-binder factory Ford manual for this truck. It doesn't mention any of this.

However, the bolt I was originally concerned about is a 3/8" bolt, about 6" long. I see no place to put it. It does not have anything directly do with the water pump. As I had said originally, this bolt matches some others that bolt down the big bracket for A/C compressor and power steering pump, but I cannot find any place for one more.

Thanks for looking into this, and thanks for the tip on the water pump bolts.

 

[bugeye01]

I just noticed your timing cover photo is upside down. The parts book drawing from the dealer (which was right side up) showed the 4" or 4.25" bolt goes into either 9 or 11. Now I am really confused. More research.

 

[bugeye01]

Thought I would follow up on this subject. The issues around water pump bolts turned out to be no issue. I took one of the 4.5" bolts ran it in to the threads until it bottomed out, in each of the six holes, and measured how much of the bolt was still sticking out. I don't for certain remember the measurement, but they were all the same. I did it three times. Then on the water pump I measured the thickness of the shoulder the bolt goes through. again, all the same, I think it was 1-5/8". So my conclusion after that was that it doesn't make any difference where I install this one shorter (4.25") bolt. And the idea that one or two of the bolts can be long enough that its tip end can interfere with the timing chain is just wrong. These bolts all pass completely through the timing cover and thread into the cast iron block. So they have to get past the timing chain just by where they are located, and they do. There must be some other reason Ford did something like this (having a shorter long bolt) but I have heard no other opinions, stories or facts, and I can't think of one. Then there is the issue of one or two bolts passing through the water jacket, so we must seal the threads. It is true that some of the bolts do pass through the water jacket, but again the bolts thread into the cast iron block. So the purpose of the thread sealer has nothing to do with a coolant leak. It would just be an attempt at protecting the threads. I ended up just putting all my long bolts in at random, and I did not put any thread sealer on any bolts. Truck is running well, no leaks, no rubbing on the timing chain. All is well, but I still have not found a place for the one extra 3/8" x 6" bolt (my original question).