water pump weeping. . . normal??

[Hoolander2]

You guys who've had Xciting 500s longer than I.  I have noticed coolant coming slowly out the bottom of the water pump mounting area.  Right where the manual says the "tell tale" is (though I don't see the actual hole).

Not much, but the bottom of the motor is wet and enough coming out that some has dropped on the floor where I park.  The overflow reservoir was at the "add" level when I first got the scoot.  I added distilled water a couple weeks ago and it hasn't noticibly gone down since then, having ridden 200 miles.   

The hose connections are tight and doesn't look like leaking is coming from those.

Should I immediately replace the water pump? Scoot has about 4000 miles on it total.

[zombie]

Yes. There is a seal inside the housing. either the shaft is worn from the seal, or the seal is worn/faulty. The tell tale is there for that reason. So you can spot a problem before getting stranded. It's a simple job to swap the seal yourself. You may even find one local using the ID/OD, and hitting the local auto parts.

[Hoolander2]

Ok, will do.  Dang it, the weather is gonna be perfect for next week or so too !!!   And I've been itching to take it for a real good long ride.  Phooey.  Hey. . . this reminds me of the old days!

If I decide to order a new pump, what's the quickest way of getting one?  Was thinking of Stadium Yamaha?  That is if the dealer in Tallahassee doesn't have one. 

I figure I'll put it on myself and flush the system while I'm at it. 

[zombie]

Stadium has the best oem price policy I have found. Their shipping is just as good. Mention the forum! I doubt the local will have one as your scoot is tooo pricey for them to stock parts. Order a t stat while your at it

[Shaka]

Stadium does have the best prices, but I've been waiting for over 2 weeks for my order!  It should be here monday.  Just plan on it taking a couple weeks for your parts to arrive.  My understanding is once you order the parts.  They order them, have them delivered to them, then ship to you. 

[zombie]

My voltage Reg. took 3 days! Maybe they have lot's of them tho...

[Shaka]

Could be.  I'm guessing they didn't have the transmission case gasket and final drive shaft seals in stock!  Voltage regulators are pretty much "standard issue" stock items.

[winginman]

Hoolander, make sure you replace any coolant with the recommended coolant.  Due to the higher operating RPM of the scooter automotive coolant with silicates or other abrasives will cause premature water pump seal failure.  When looking for coolant make sure it says there are no silicates or abrasives in it.

[Hoolander2]

Yeah, Winginman, I'd been wondering about that.  Haven't researched antifreeze in a while. The stuff in it now is the red stuff as far as I can tell.  I've been keepin on riding it and the leak hasn't gotten worse.  I did order a pump from Stadium.  S'posed to be here end of March.  Thanks.

[Hoolander2]

Installed new water pump.  Flushed whole system 5 times with distilled water.  Filled with non-silicate Prestone antifreeze, 50/50.  Went for 5 mile test ride.  Stopped, checked . . . new one weeps too.  Ahhh. 

Well, guess what.  I'm just gonna keep riding it and see what happens, cause old one weeped but didn't cause a problem or major loss of fluid in 1000 miles of riding.  And the weather is so nice I just ain't gonna take it apart again soon.  So there. 

[zombie]

Did you use gasket sealer? OMC perfect seal is the best. Permatex has a comparable product (I forget the name) and Yamabond is quite good as well. If all else fails Indian Shellac can be found pretty easily.

[Hoolander2]

It's leaking out of the tell-tale/weep hole.  As I understand it, that means it's leaking past the inside seal around the shaft.  No way to fix that except by rebuilding the pump, right?  Very slight leak.

The rubber o-ring which seals the two halves of the pump itself is fine.  The oil seal which keeps the engine oil from leaking out is fine. 

Same as the old one -- which I'm keeping just in case. 

[zombie]

That of course is very unusual. Try a call to stadium, and let them know. It may sound odd, but I would try a quick ride to see if there is something that will work itself out. There may be a small piece of foreign matter on the shaft or in the seal that will "blow" out on its own. Letting the supplier know is the first step tho. I personally hate when something like this happens. Makes it all seem in vain.

[Hoolander2]

Oh, hey, I'm not PO'd or angry really.  How could I be with this great scooter to ride.    But yeah, I'm gonna let Stadium Yamaha know about it. 

Wondering about the anti-freeze that was in it previously.  It could've been some silicate laden crap.  It was really dark green.  There was no engine oil in it, which is good.  And I saw what looked like small amounts of tiny metal crystals or flakes in it when I drained it.  Not a lot, but nonetheless. . . Also, one of the hose outlets on the pump was pretty corroded.  Otherwise, the pump itself was quite clean on the inside.

So then I gotta wonder if the remnants of that harmed the new water pump?  I'll never know, I guess.

[sidthesloth]

Mate, you flushed it five times with distilled water, you cant ask more than that. I feel for ya, it can be a downer when that happens. Give them a ring and see how they respond. Good to see that it is not getting the better of you.