rebuilt water pump

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rebeltaz83

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Just Did a water pump Rebuild On My 97.............Followed The Book, Made Sure The mechanical seal On The Impeller Side Was Even With a Straight Edge, Put It On, Put Some Coolant In It, fired It Up, Topped Off The Coolant, Made The Fan Come On, And Made Sure All Air Was Out Of The System, Went For a 40 Mile Ride, Got Home, And i Saw a Drip Off Coolant Come Out Of The Weep Hole..........Do These Seals Have To Seat? Or Am i Gonna Have To Do It All Over Again?
 
I'd give it some seat time. If it doesn't "seat" i'd drain the coolant, pull the cover, tap the impellor with the mallet (not hard faced hammer), assemble and try again.
 
When I reassembled I did not push the mechanical seal flush with the impeller. I left it sitting above it 1 or 2 mm. The seal will be pushed back down during proper assembly and this helps ensure the seal remains tight against the housing.
 
i let it Sit, Till It Cold. Then i Fired It Back Up And Run Till It Got Hot, Fan Came On And Went Of, And a Little Came out, Not Enough To Drip. Then i Shut It Off. I'll Fire It Up Tonight When i Get Home From Work, And See What Happens.......Good Thing i Replaced The Seals, That White Nylon Seal Was Cracked.
 
well, today i had time....so i fired it up, let it idle up to temp fan came on, went off....... no leak....... reved it up a little i got one drop of coolant....... let it idle for about ten mins. fan came on and went off multiple times, reved it up a few times, no drips, and the weep hole is dry, fingers crossed i'm gonna let it cool over night and do it again tomorrow........ i'm keeping an eye on the coolant level in the over flow, still full...... i rode it to work yesterday (blew a brake line on my pick-up) and it leaked some during the ride, must only be a drop or 2...... i really don't want to redo it, i might just break down and spend the $200 plus on a pump..... before i get $200 plus in mechanical seals doing it over and over, lol...... pain in the rump!! times like this i envy air cooled bikes.
 
has anybody tried a 13 pound radiator cap to solve this water pump weep? my old cap feels more than 16 lbs. but i'll find out when i get it tested.
 
has anybody tried a 13 pound radiator cap to solve this water pump weep? my old cap feels more than 16 lbs. but i'll find out when i get it tested.

I don't know what the OEM cap is rated for? Swapping in a lower rated cap is just masking an issue. Also, it will reduce resistance to boil-over. Boiling temperature raises approx 3 degrees per lb of pressure added. If the OEM cap is rated @ 16lbs, installing a 13lb cap will make you bike overheat approx 9 degrees earlier than it would with a stock cap.
 
it's stamped 1.1 cm3, according to the conversion chart it's 16 lbs. i bought a 13 and stuck on it for now...... seems to have stopped my weep for now, but i'm gonna have it tested to know for sure if it really is 16 feels way more than 3 pounds difference squeezing it with my hands, my theory is the system is building to much pressure and it's relieving it threw the weep hole. i was also thinking with going with a 170 t-stat. but the weird thing is i rode yesterday wich was cooler than today and the bike ran warm. i put that 13 pound cap on today and rode, and it ran cooler and it's hotter today than it was yesterday.
 
Get the leak fixed. I blew an engine neglecting a slow leak on a long ride. If coolant falls below the filler neck you get no circulation of the coolant and it cooks the engine.
 
suppose i'll get another mechanical seal and try rebuilding it again, nothing to lose, but another 50 bucks.
 
If it's not leaking then you're ok. It could be that you have a grove in the shaft that isn't letting the seal work.
 
i will find out tomorrow......when i ride it to work....... does anybody know if i put a very thin washer behind the ceramic part of the seal on the impeller side to shim it out so it rides on the other half of the seal tighter would work?? rather then buying another seal... it would probably wear out quicker... lol. i realize the $50 for another seal is cheaper than a motor. i've been over 100 miles since rebuild, and it leaks one drop when it goes from cold to operating temp. and i smell a small hint of coolant when i park it, but the weep hole will be dry..... i think it's burning off the exhaust....... and the coolant is still full when i checked it to put my 13 pound radiator cap on.... radiator, and tank were both full, right where i put them when i filled it after the rebuild.......:ummm: lol
 
i did notice it had some side to side wobble when i tore it apart that usually means the bearing is bad like a water pump on a car. and it had that same side to side wobble after i put new seals, and a new bearing in it....... i wonder if the shaft is worn enough to let it wobble under higher rpm, and letting it leak it doesn't leak at an idle, i got it leak once when i reved it up, and only once, but it seems when i ride it, it leaks...... stop signs or red lights i get a little whiff of burnt coolant......... possible??
 
Instead of installing a 13# cap, maybe the 16 isn't releasing at 16?
 
it's not leaking as bad with the 13 pound cap, i stopped at red lights, and i didn't smell any coolant today since changing the cap. previously i could get a small wiff of it with the old 16 pound cap, still gonna get it checked when i get out of work early enough..... dealing with bigger fish right now.... brake lines on my truck....1 turned into 3 steel lines, and 3 rubber hoses, and now calipers. glad i got max to get me back an forth to work, lol. i did notice the shift shaft seal is leaking oil, but thats still full to, lol. i got one ordered with new gaskets, and updated shift segment.
 
Is the coolant going lower?

it's still full....... i think it leaks one drop for every cold to hot cycle...... it's not a constant leak...... just a drip, or not even a drip when it sits over night, and it goes from cold to hot...... once it's up to temp it doesn't leak. it's weird, very intermitent.
 
it could be taking it's sweet ole time seating, or breaking in.... i have no ideas, lol. time will tell, all i can do is watch the coolant level, and see what happens i guess..... can't fix something if it's not broke.
 
I'd give it some seat time. If it doesn't "seat" i'd drain the coolant, pull the cover, tap the impellor with the mallet (not hard faced hammer), assemble and try again.

just gave the mallet a try, still leaking...... gonna do another complete rebuild but this time with an impeller, and shaft..... seems how they come together new..... i also could wiggle the impeller like it had a worn bearing so must be the shaft is worn where the bearing rides...... if a new ine doesn't work, i'll torch it and take the insurance money, and go buy a gen 2, lol. :rofl_200:
 
just gave the mallet a try, still leaking...... gonna do another complete rebuild but this time with an impeller, and shaft..... seems how they come together new..... i also could wiggle the impeller like it had a worn bearing so must be the shaft is worn where the bearing rides...... if a new ine doesn't work, i'll torch it and take the insurance money, and go buy a gen 2, lol. :rofl_200:

Did you look at my sticky on the water pump seal change? If your impeller shaft has pitting its probably that. But when you take it back apart make sure you didnt forget and parts lol

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