Please Help :(
 

I put my bike back together, thought I had everything totally ready after 6 months. Last step was put some coolant in it and ride into the sunset. And then I get water pouring out of the waterpump cover. I opened it up, didn't see anything wrong, cleaned the gasket area and resealed it. Poured more water in, and I see it was coming out of this nipple on the side of the cover. I know it has always been open since I got the bike, but now it's leaking. I fear I didn't get my waterpump impeller sealed correctly, and now I have water in my crankcase... :( although my oil doesn't seem to be any higher...

Attachment 27564
Attachment 27565
can anyone tell me what this nipple is for? I couldn't find it anywhere in the manual... I'll keep looking of course but any help is GREATLY appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Are you sure that is not the nipple that is to be connected to the over flow tank?

i have no idea. the line goes from the radiator cap to the overflow but then the other nipple on the reservoir is open.

My bike has a tiny open hole there but no nipple. I never would have noticed it if you hadn't pointed it out. It's a TINY hole, does nothing on my bike.

The nipple/hole is a telltale that lets you know whether either the mechanical seal or the oil seal is leaking.
It's in a no mans land between the oil seal that seals out the engine oil where the water pump drive shaft exits and the mechanical seal that seals the pump.
If water is running out in a stream it's because the water pump shaft was moved and is no longer exerting pressure on the mechanical seal.
There is a very specific measurement as to how far the shaft sticks out of the case.
The shaft is supposed to protrude through the ball bearing 16.35-16.62mm, measured from the bearing race to the flange of the shaft, i.e. the first step. Page 6-14 of the service manual will show what I'm talking about.
A leaking mechanical seal will not allow water into the engine, unless you removed the inner oil seal in which case water will flow past the bearing into the engine.
Take the cover back of and measure how far the shaft protrudes from the bearing.
BTW, do not ever use red silicone sealer on a Japanese engine.
The gasket surfaces are machined and matched so well that most of it will be squeezed out. Guess where the stuff goes that gets squeezed out on the inside ? It's a great way of seizing an engine when the oil pump pick up screens gets clogged or one the oil jets gets obstructed and no longer supplies oil to where it needs to be.
Use Honda Bond HT or Three Bond 1207B, both applied sparingly, about the thickness of a coat of paint.

Kai Ju

thats what I was leaning towards, I had to replace my impeller, and I replaced the oil seal but not the mechanical seal, and I did not measure how far in it was pressed. Thanks for the tip!

+4 on the gasket sealer. Use a paper grocery bag and razor if you don't want to go buy the gasket

leak
 

Good info

RTV is made for engine gaskets such as an intake manifold. On any type of engine, it's perfectly acceptable. It's an anaerobic sealer just like hondabond, or yamabond. It's much, much, much better than a paper bag and I have been using it for years without incident, so do not take that as the gospel. If you put on too thick a bead of yamabond, it will ooze into the crankcase as well. Its just a matter of proper application.

RTV oozing out of the entire joint is hardly proper.
You might have used black so as to semi-disguise your impropriety. :rolleyes:


Rex

I've said my piece and will stay out of this, but I'm looking forward to the entertainment.

Kai Ju

Or perhaps I correctly assumed one should use high temp sealant on an engine... :rolleyes:
Perhaps before you get all smug and condescending you should read a label.

I'm kidding! but way to sound like a major d-bag. lol

Well I found the source of my problem, the new impeller is not compatible with my mechanical seal! part of the mechanical seal is supposed to sit inside the impeller, but my new impeller is 1mm too small! so even when pressed in to the correct specification, the impeller is 4mm away from the seal! I MAY be able to take .5mm off the inside radius of the pump to make it fit, but I'm not positive. I imagine I will have to buy a new seal to make it fit. I doubt they have the option to order a different one...

I agree with kai ju. Improper or excessive use of RTV silicone has ruined many engines.

What parts did you change ?
Take a look at the old assembly and check if may have missed something in the transfer.

Better yet, take a look at the manual and a parts catalog and compare you parts to what you should have.

Kai Ju

I remember the first time I remounted my clutch cover with the new gasket, it was a real pain because I needed 5 hands to hold it in place. I quickly found what worked really well was to dab some very thin spots of hondabond ht over the surface to hold the gasket in place and the install was a snap. Did you use the gasket or did you do it with just silicone like the oil pan?

A paper gasket goes between the side cover and engine case. You can apply a thin film of grease to make it easier to remove and possisbly reuse the gasket.

The RTV you have squeezed to the inside will end up in the oil pickup streainer. Don't use it. Simple as that.

As for the water pump... Hopefully you aren't driving the impeller in with a hammer.

You will learn these things with experience. Good on you, for trying. Make sure you understand the way the seals work. It is best to install the impeller rotor with a hydraulic press to keep from denting the bearing races and to control the depth. Ball bearings make contact with the race over a very small surface area, so it doesn't take a very substantial impact to damage the race.

Bad water pump seal.

yeah you're all wrong lol like I stated above, the impeller is not compatible with the mechanical seal which came from the factory. the new impeller is almost exactly 1mm smaller inside diameter than the old one. The mechanical seal sits inside the bore of the impeller, and this impeller is too small. So when it is pressed in (not with a hammer but thanks again for condescending) exactly to spec, the seal is still 4mm away from the sealing surface. And as for the RTV, I did go to school for automotive technology, I'm not an idiot. there is no RTV inside my engine, and RTV will hold perfectly well. It is almost identical to yamabond or hondabond and fits this application perfectly.

got spare impeller
 

Maverick, Live in Fremont and have a spare part. Mike 317-9494

No RTV squeezing out of that gap. what was I thinking?

I'm glad you have it all figured out. Good luck.

Wow, just wow.

:popcorn:

Like I said earlier, I'm enjoying the entertainment.

Kai Ju

Well he did put a window in the side case - I suppose he could see if there are red fleks of RTV floating around. :)
btw my 99 has the nipple with a hose attached that routes to the chin spoiler so it will drip on the ground

well my rtv prowess aside, thanks for the great info from kai ju! And I would like to thank raptorrider, he just sold me a whole side cover, with impeller and all seals, the ignition pulse generator, and two stock cans PLUS two very nice D&D cans for $25! Anyone who is lucky enough to do business with him will be very happy. Stand up guy.

I hate to be a thread hijacker, but My SH has the nipple and it has a slow trickle of antifreeze only when I ride. How much will this set me back at the dealer? This SH is turning into a money pit. :confused:

Well, the problem isn't the VTR...;) It's the fact that you take it to the dealer...;) Get out in the garage and start working on it... Your hourly wage (beer?) is a lot cheaper than the stealers...