The Ford LSG875i industrial engine, a variant of the Ford 460 truck engine, has been widely used in generator set applications over the years. This engine is commonly found in Kohler and Onan generators. While the Ford LSG875i engine is a rugged performer, the water pump will occasionally need to be replaced. The problem is Ford used two different water pumps on these engines. Unfortunately, they look very much alike and you will hear one is no longer available from Ford, even though we have both styles in stock and ready to ship.
There are three ways to identify which water pump is installed on a particular Ford 460 industrial or generator set engine.
1) Casting Number
There are two main casting numbers, D1JE8505AA and F1TZ8501A.
2) Front Gear Cover Material
If the field service technician can’t see the casting number under the accumulated grease and grime on the water pump he could identify which pump he needed to purchase by the front gear cover material, cast iron or aluminum. The aluminum gear cover commonly uses the 11 bolt water pump denoted by the F1TZ8501A casting number and the cast iron cover uses the 9 bolt pump with a casting number of D1JE8505AA.
3) Number of bolt holes
Since the casting number is often hard to locate and a lot of generator set mechanics don’t routinely carry magnets, we have come up with the easiest way to identify the correct Ford 460 industrial water pump. These pumps can have either 9 or 11 bolt holes. The 9 bolt water pump is most commonly used on generators and is installed on engines with aluminum front gear covers. The 11 bolt pump is commonly installed on cast iron front gear covers.
Counting the number of bolt holes can be difficult because each of the two different water pump housings have several holes in their castings that are not actually bolt holes. As a result, identifying the number of actual bolt holes by looking at the pump while it is installed on the front of the engine can be difficult. The mechanic could remove the water pump and flip it over to see the number of bolt holes on the back of the water pump’s casting that mates to the front gear cover. However, most technicians in the field are not authorized to take a generator set out of service and certainly wouldn’t want to remove the water pump and other components without having the correct replacement pump on hand. We have found a way around that.
We have photographed both the 9 bolt pump and the 11 bolt water pump and numbered each bolt hole for you. With this chart you can identify which Ford 460 water pump you need and call us to order the correct pump. While Ford no longer offers the 9 bolt pump, we do. Just count your bolt holes and call us for same day shipment of either pump. We’re different: we want to help!
