After weeks of researching this issue since posting, Doug Penn pointed me to a member in Texas who has an extensive Scott-Atwater collection. He stated my water pump is just as it should be from the factory, and the water that is expelled from the pump is to cool the pump housing since it is mounted so close to the powerhead. (Mumbles, I think you called it!) With that, I felt good about installing the powerhead. To paraphrase one of my uncles, they should have slapped the mama of the guy who came up with that spring suspension system for the powerhead! 😉
She ain’t pretty, but here she is in the assembly process…
Thanks for all the help, gents!
JP