convertible top motor/pump

[Burdar]

For those of you with a convertible, I thought you might want to see the inner workings of the pump/motor.  I've seen new motors for sale for around $225.  There are also rebuild services for around $150.  I wanted to see how complicated they were internally and if I could rebuild one myself. It turns out they are super simple.  I was able to go through mine for only $20.  They used these motors for many years. This one came out of my Dart.  A Cuda/Challenger pump is probably the same exact thing.

Here's what I started with.   It didn't look that bad considering the car sat in a lean-to with the top down for many years and there were raccoons living in the trunk.  I tested it before I took it apart and it ran. That was a good sign.

[Burdar]

There is a bolt on the end that goes through the reservoir.  With that bolt removed, the reservoir comes right off.  You can see the old fluid turned to varnish and coated the bottom of the reservoir.

[Burdar]

The electric motor is on the other end.  Two long screws hold the outer barrel and end plate to the pump housing.  With those long screws removed, you can slide the barrel off of the armature.  The end plate won't separate from the barrel completely.  You can see that one of the brushes is connected to the windings attached to the barrel.  You can also see the brushes in this particular motor are in really good shape.

[Burdar]

Here is the armature still inserted into the pump housing.  So far everything was looking really good.  I did notice that when I turned the armature, there was a tight spot in the pump.  With the varnish I found inside the reservoir, that wasn't very surprising.

[Burdar]

There are 5 bolts that hold the cover on the pump.  At this point, I didn't know what I would find inside so I was very careful.  The armature was still inserted into the pump.  It turns out you can just pull and remove the armature at this point.  Be aware that there is a small check ball on top of the armature. Mine was held in place with some old grease.  Don't lose it.

With the 5 bolts removed, the pump cover will come off.  As you can see, there is nothing to these things.  There are two check balls inside.  The new gasket kit I bought came with new ones.

[Burdar]

This is basically everything. Pretty simple.  There are six O-rings total.  2 on the inlet/outlet ports, 1 on the armature shaft, 1 large O-ring on reservoir, 1 on the reservoir attaching bolt and finally, 1 on the reservoir fill plug.  I bought the gasket kit on E-bay for just under $20.  It came with the above O-rings, two check balls and 4 mounting grommets.  The kit wasn't vehicle specific either.  It was listed as 1955+ so these were used for a long time.

The varnish in the reservoir and on the pump housing came right off when sprayed with brake clean.

[Burdar]

I soaked the reservoir and mounting bracket in EvapoRust.  They cleaned up really nice so I just sprayed them with a satin clear.  I tried cleaning up the barrel on the motor but the zinc came off in one area and looked bad.  I ended up painting the barrel.

The "points" looked good so I just put a piece of paper in between them and pulled out the paper.  I did this a few times just to make sure they were clean.  The brushes were a PITA to get back in.  After trying a few different things, I found an outside snap ring plyers that I forgot I had.  That worked perfectly to hold the brushes back while I set the cover over the armature.

Here is the finished product.  With as simple as this was, I think most people should be able to get by with just cleaning their existing motors.  My guess is that most people just replace the motor with a new one without even trying to take theirs apart. 

At the very least, you should be able to take yours apart and see if you can rebuild it.  If the motor is fried or the pump is broken, you can replace the unit.  No need to just replace it without checking it out first.

[1 Wild R/T]

Very Nice Job.....  However I chose a different route.... The pump motors from the 87-95 Lebaron Convertibles are nearly identical back in the 90's I was picking them up at the local Pick N Pull for $10.....  I still have three on my shelf.....  Since they were nearly new when I pulled them they still look new & work perfectly...  The mounting rubber grommets are the same, the wiring is the same, the hose sets are the same, the only difference is the reservoir on the newer pump is about 1/4" longer than the original..... Heck the top lift cylinders off the 81-86 K car Lebaron vert works on an E body too.....

[Cuda Cody]

Very nicely done.     Thanks for sharing. 

[Brads70]

Great write up. I'm sure others will find this useful for years to come!
Good on you for taking it apart and fixing it, seems like most people don't/can't anymore!

[303 Mopar]

Great write up and thank you for including pictures!  I am always hesitant when it comes to things like this and usually chuck-n-duck the old and buy new, but like you said at least try it first to see if it just needs cleaning.

An thanks 1 Wild about the 80's pumps being the same, probably a cheaper alternative especially if you can find them in a scrap yard.

[Burdar]

You can buy the rubber mounts for about $5.  The check balls really don't need to be replaced.  You could probably source the rest of the O-rings at a local parts store and save a little money.

[340challconvert]

Great information for us convertible owners!

[HP_Cuda]

Hey Darren, good writeup!

If I had that apart I would really look into replacing the brushes as long as its open. I know this is dependent on how much usage the unit got.

[Cuda_mark]

Great write up. I just bought a correct date coded one I'm going to try to rebuild so I appreciate the info!!