[MPerry]

I am broke down near Orlando needing a water pump for my 903. Roadside assistance keep wanting to tow me to truck shops that seem unfamiliar and unqualified for the job. Does anyone know a shop in the area they would recommend? I think i would be better off being towed home to Gainesville, about 100 miles vs the 19 miles to a random truck shop.

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I am broke down near Orlando needing a water pump for my 903. Roadside assistance keep wanting to tow me to truck shops that seem unfamiliar and unqualified for the job. Does anyone know a shop in the area they would recommend? I think i would be better off being towed home to Gainesville, about 100 miles vs the 19 miles to a random truck shop.

This is part of the reason I have AAA, hoping that I can get them to tow me where I want to go instead of some random shop. And generally I want to get to somewhere where I can fix it myself. Thankfully I have not had to be towed yet, knock on wood. 
So you are going to probably run into several issues, no places are going to be open until possibly monday or tuesday, depending if they are closed for labor day. Then there is going to be the part, not sure how many folks are going to stock the water pump for a VT903. I wish I knew of a place to send you but do not have a clue about places in Orlando. I am sure there is a Cummins dealer, but if its like the one in Tampa, you would be waiting for quite a while to get it fixed while you wait for your turn in line. 
How bad is the pump? Is it pouring out? Any way to patch it up enough possibly to get you by to get it home? Just some thoughts. I am not real familiar with that engine, but appears its a belt driven water pump. 
You could get on Cummins website and see if they even have the part by entering your engine serial number. Anyone can get on and check. If you do not have access you can send your ESN to me and I can take a look and see what comes up.

[MPerry]

I am broke down near Orlando needing a water pump for my 903. Roadside assistance keep wanting to tow me to truck shops that seem unfamiliar and unqualified for the job. Does anyone know a shop in the area they would recommend? I think i would be better off being towed home to Gainesville, about 100 miles vs the 19 miles to a random truck shop.

This is part of the reason I have AAA, hoping that I can get them to tow me where I want to go instead of some random shop. And generally I want to get to somewhere where I can fix it myself. Thankfully I have not had to be towed yet, knock on wood. 
So you are going to probably run into several issues, no places are going to be open until possibly monday or tuesday, depending if they are closed for labor day. Then there is going to be the part, not sure how many folks are going to stock the water pump for a VT903. I wish I knew of a place to send you but do not have a clue about places in Orlando. I am sure there is a Cummins dealer, but if its like the one in Tampa, you would be waiting for quite a while to get it fixed while you wait for your turn in line. 
How bad is the pump? Is it pouring out? Any way to patch it up enough possibly to get you by to get it home? Just some thoughts. I am not real familiar with that engine, but appears its a belt driven water pump. 
You could get on Cummins website and see if they even have the part by entering your engine serial number. Anyone can get on and check. If you do not have access you can send your ESN to me and I can take a look and see what comes up.

 Thank you, I appreciate the comments. I am definitely running into places being closed for the holiday and it looks best chances are going to be Tuesday. My roadside says that if the guy answering the phone says he can do the job, they are qualified, but i disagree. My first call was to Cummins (Ocala and then Orlando) and was met with a service writer who never heard of a 903, so that didnt go very well. I did try Cummins website, but couldnt find any parts, which could just mean they dont have online support for this model. (ESN 11058025)

I think the best route for me would be to get the rig back home and repair it myself. It doesnt look like a terrible job. Tow quotes have been very high. (2875 to 3500) I have considered driving it home, the pump is a slow drip sitting cold, but gets much larger hot and under pressure. I dont know a lot about diesels and worry about what high heat cycles might do.

[[email protected]]

I am broke down near Orlando needing a water pump for my 903. Roadside assistance keep wanting to tow me to truck shops that seem unfamiliar and unqualified for the job. Does anyone know a shop in the area they would recommend? I think i would be better off being towed home to Gainesville, about 100 miles vs the 19 miles to a random truck shop.

This is part of the reason I have AAA, hoping that I can get them to tow me where I want to go instead of some random shop. And generally I want to get to somewhere where I can fix it myself. Thankfully I have not had to be towed yet, knock on wood. 
So you are going to probably run into several issues, no places are going to be open until possibly monday or tuesday, depending if they are closed for labor day. Then there is going to be the part, not sure how many folks are going to stock the water pump for a VT903. I wish I knew of a place to send you but do not have a clue about places in Orlando. I am sure there is a Cummins dealer, but if its like the one in Tampa, you would be waiting for quite a while to get it fixed while you wait for your turn in line. 
How bad is the pump? Is it pouring out? Any way to patch it up enough possibly to get you by to get it home? Just some thoughts. I am not real familiar with that engine, but appears its a belt driven water pump. 
You could get on Cummins website and see if they even have the part by entering your engine serial number. Anyone can get on and check. If you do not have access you can send your ESN to me and I can take a look and see what comes up.

 Thank you, I appreciate the comments. I am definitely running into places being closed for the holiday and it looks best chances are going to be Tuesday. My roadside says that if the guy answering the phone says he can do the job, they are qualified, but i disagree. My first call was to Cummins (Ocala and then Orlando) and was met with a service writer who never heard of a 903, so that didnt go very well. I did try Cummins website, but couldnt find any parts, which could just mean they dont have online support for this model. (ESN 11058025)

I think the best route for me would be to get the rig back home and repair it myself. It doesnt look like a terrible job. Tow quotes have been very high. (2875 to 3500) I have considered driving it home, the pump is a slow drip sitting cold, but gets much larger hot and under pressure. I dont know a lot about diesels and worry about what high heat cycles might do.

I would try to get it home, but that's me. Yea, I have not heard good things about Cummins service, and if they are telling you they do not even know what you engine is, that is not a good start. 

Can you tell where its leaking from? Does it have a weep hole? Is it coming from the weep hole? 
Looks like it might be hard to see as it appears they have a large pulley on them for belts. 
I think if you take it easy and make regular stops to check the coolant level you could probably limp it home. Just keep a close eye on your temps, if you start creeping over 210-215F I would immediately pull over and cool it down. Max temp on most of those engines is 230F.

[Richard]

You could remove the cap to minimize the pressure in the system.

[Little]

Did you try removing the cap? Before I got towed I'd keep pouring water in, even running a hose to the fill. Towing is an expensive crapshoot. I don't remember ever doing a water pump on a 903 except at overhaul, so it may be a difficult source. I do know that Cummins Mid Canada still supports the 903, even though you may be hard pressed to find a mechanic who has seen one. Good luck, being broke down anywhere is no fun.

[MPerry]

Its hard to get a view on the front of the pump. It has fluid running down the front of it which makes me think its either out the weep hole or the front seal. I dont think this engine has ever been touched so the pump parts are 41 years old. Seems to be at least one pump rebuilder in Texas, who also has rebuild parts.

I am not looking forward to a tow and would rather drive it home, however running up the temps makes me really nervous, but maybe something I should consider further. I would have probably 30 minutes of driving with very limited space to pull off due to construction or small roads but it opens up after that. 

Would running a couple hours capless create cavitation issues?

[Little]

I don't think the water pump for a 903 is very complex. Shaft, bearing, impeller and seal but I've never had one apart that I can recall. Rebuilt ones were cheap so most were just swapped out.

If you keep the water level above the heads and don't work engine hard enough to get the heads hot you should be ok.

if you lose 1 gal/ 20 miles a 5 gal pail should get you home. Our 86 had a block heater leaking coming home from Quartzite and we rigged up a hose to the filler. Wife turned on the water pump for maybe a min once in awhile and we made it home without issue. We were about 80 mies out. Good luck.

[ccjohnson]

I would consider putting a bottle or 2 of Barr's Leak in it and then stop every 5-10 mins to see how bad it's leaking. Be sure to keep plenty of water / coolant with you to top it off when needed. Remember to weigh the cost of tow bill against engine replacement if you get it it too hot. That's why you have to stop fairly oten to visually check on the leak. Also, in some vehicles the temperature sensor doesn't work when the water level is not high enough to keep it covered.

[MPerry]

Thank you to everyone for the replies. I went out today and topped off the radiator with the idea of seeing how bad it was leaking while running with hopes of driving it home. Started up and was leaking a lot, but biggest problem is the water pump pulley wasn't turning, pump is locked up tight, so it looks like we are going out of here on the hook. A very good friend has offered a spot for repairs about 50 miles from here, so its looking like we will go there.