Water Pump Housing Shims - When are they needed?

infernosg · 12-09-2015, 08:03 AM

I measured the thickness of water pump housing to front iron gasket and the shims supplied by Mazdatrix (1757-15-106). Both came out to approximately .020 in. thick so it was looking good for using the shims. However, when I test-fit everything together I was getting a small gap between the water pump housing and the front iron with the shims installed. I was easily able to fit a .005 in. feeler gage in there and a .010 in. gage fit with some effort. For my application my conclusion is the shims should not be used. My hypothesis is that is the difference is in the water pump housing not the front iron, but I'd need to test all the other possible combinations to confirm.

12-09-2015, 08:03 AM	#3
infernosg IT'S ALIVE! Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Richmond, VA Posts: 811 Rep Power: 16	I measured the thickness of water pump housing to front iron gasket and the shims supplied by Mazdatrix (1757-15-106). Both came out to approximately .020 in. thick so it was looking good for using the shims. However, when I test-fit everything together I was getting a small gap between the water pump housing and the front iron with the shims installed. I was easily able to fit a .005 in. feeler gage in there and a .010 in. gage fit with some effort. For my application my conclusion is the shims should not be used. My hypothesis is that is the difference is in the water pump housing not the front iron, but I'd need to test all the other possible combinations to confirm. __________________ '86 Mazda RX-7 Base '79 Mazda RX-7 GS