Water Pump Seal R&R

Joined
Feb 3, 2005
Messages
311
Age
72
Location
Lebanon, TN N36?19.56198, W086?16.89564
Has anyone done/ seen a water pump seal removed and replaced? Just wondering if you had to pull the front crankcase cover also?

My Dealer, I guess with good intentions, felt they had to pull the front crankcase cover to R&R the water pump seal so now we are waiting until next wednesday for the gasket :confused: :(

At least they are throwing in an oil change since there is now antifreeze in the oil.

PMS till next week.

Neil S.
 
The water pump impeller, impeller bearing, oil seal and mechanical seal are pressed out and in from the engine side of the front crankcase cover. So the cover has to come out for either an oil leak or a coolant leak out of the weep hole or water pump cover.

Usually a both seals are replaced and a new impeller bearing is installed. A new front crankcase cover gasket is always needed and usually the o-ring for the water pump cover is replaced also.
 
Neil, good to see that your dealer appears to be following the correct procedure! Now, take a deep breath...Indigo will be back with you before you know it!
 
Thank you, that's what I needed to know. Studying the SM it never mentions removing the the front crankcase cover. As you stated, the pump shaft has to be pressed out through the front cc-cover, bearing, oil seal, and pump seal. The bearing is on the aft side of the front cc-cover.

Alright, I'll chill and wait until next week, wahhhhhh :cus: . Alright I'm better now. It's going to rain :rain1: Saturday through Tuesday so it will be better than if it was sunshine.

Later.

Neil S.
 
Update 06May06:
400 miles after water pump seal R&R, it's more than weeping out of the weep hole again. Dropped it off at the Dealer Saturday afternoon, he is overnighting the parts. I should be back on the road Tuesday or Wednesday if parts are available ;+{

Neil S.
 
Neil, Sorry to hear about your troubles.
+1 MMOB.
Mine was weeping within the first 1000 miles of new.
I replaced it myself (I don't let anyone touch my bikes).
Mechanical seal replacement is a tricky/delicate operation. The mechanical seal is actually two mated pieces of polished ceramic glued into rubber. Any tiny little nick can render them useless.
Hopefully your service guy can get it right this time. :(
 
Update:
The pump shaft was not a press fit through the bearing (like it was supposed to be) soooo the shaft slipped in the bearing and the impeller rubbed on the water pump cover. Now I have new: impeller, shaft, bearing, oil seal, water pump seal, water pump cover. 2 coolant changes in 2 weeks, 3 oil changes in 3 weeks.

On this repair I have 500+ miles and it seems to be holding up. Crossing my fingers and riding it like I stole it, what other way????

So this week I'm at MSF RiderCoach training. My mileage will be down since I'm in class and it's only 2 miles away. Such is life. Time2Study

Neil S.
 
ccryder said:
Update:
The pump shaft was not a press fit through the bearing (like it was supposed to be) soooo the shaft slipped in the bearing and the impeller rubbed on the water pump cover. Now I have new: impeller, shaft, bearing, oil seal, water pump seal, water pump cover. 2 coolant changes in 2 weeks, 3 oil changes in 3 weeks.

On this repair I have 500+ miles and it seems to be holding up. Crossing my fingers and riding it like I stole it, what other way????

So this week I'm at MSF RiderCoach training. My mileage will be down since I'm in class and it's only 2 miles away. Such is life. Time2Study

Neil S.

Glad its fixed. They should have replaced all those parts the first time too.

I'm curious about the coolant and oil changes. Usually the tech will drain and reuse the existing fluids for warranty work unless the customer agrees to pay for new fluids. Are you sure they used new stuff?
 
Paul said:
If the service procedure calls to drain any fluids, oil, water, whatever they are replaced at no charge under warranty. If your shop is charging you for anything related to warranty work report them to Honda then find a new shop. The only thing they can charge you for is the removal of any accessories not covered by the Honda warranty.

Paul

Interesting. I'm certain that the practice at my dealership is to reuse existing engine oil and coolant, but to not charge the customer for any top off to fill.

With the water pump seal service, the customer would get new coolant and oil only if they asked for it and agreed to pay (or supplied their own).
 
The shaft had worn but I don't know if it was the cause of the 1st seal failure or the result.

When the front crankcase cover is removed coolant will contaminate the oil. Since it's hard to tell if it's a few drops or a few ounces, it's best to change the oil. I had flushed and changed the coolant in late January when I changed my thermostat. There was a potential for contamination when the 1st seal went south so they flushed and changed the coolant. This last time there was real contamination from the impeller rubbing the water pump cover.

Bottom line was the technician should have realized that there was an improper fit of the water pump shaft when he was able to push the shaft through the bearing by hand and did not need to use a press. During this last assembly a press was required to press the shaft through the bearing to the proper distance.

Time4Sleep.

Neil
 
I'm having the same trouble at the moment...parts backordered until :eek: JUNE THE 12TH..*****. We only have so long to ride here in the great white north as it is, now I'm down for a month!:mad:
 
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