Well, Crap...Coolant Leak

Rode today, deciding against a long ride to Jacksonville, and good thing. Got home after a short 75 mile ride and found this.



Looks like coolant leaking from a weep hole in the front of the water pump. Not sure what I'm going to get into but hoping it's not an involved or expensive fix. Anyone out there have any experience with this?

Google it E ... or check You Tube. You can't be the only one that ever had this issue.

like len said google it , it will be a bit of a job , but doable , good luck on the fix , and bummer on having to shut it down to fix it ,

http://www.fixya.com/motorcycles/t3452863-water_pump_leaking_just_replace_seal , found this eric

The mechanical seal went bad. Pulled the cover off and am in the process of replacing. I talked to the parts guy at the Kaw dealership. A great guy who has been a huge help in the past. He was pulling the bike info up on the computer and his first comment was "Oh, that's the fucking retarded water pump." I asked him what he meant and he said that it runs by chains and spins backwards. Not sure about the difference from other bikes but, o.k.

THis isn't exactly accurate because this particular water pump is inside the side case and mine is external to the side case, but you'll get the idea.

this is the fix for your sled , did they have the parts you needed eric

Getting them in this week. Should hopefully have it back together for the weekend.

that's great bro , on the road again  

Eric hate to hear about the seal thing.  Glad it didn't happen to the VT.  You would have to pull the engine.  Now get it fixed and get up here.  

Well, got the parts in and busted the new seal putting it in. Said screw it and took it to the local m.c. shop. They're treating me good, not charging more than the dealer for the parts and only two hours to do the work. Hopefully back on the road this week.

Sorry to hear you are missing some good riding weather.

Cold ride in this morning but supposed to get into the upper 50's here. Sorry about you problems E.

Thanks Len. One of the gambles with buying a used bike, especially one this old. I'll tell ya, the stark differences between this Kawasaki and my old Honda become more evident every time something goes wrong with this bike. Not knocking the Kaw, just sayin'.

sometimes things just don't go right , glad your fixed and rolling again eric , my old Goldwing had a internal water pump , to change it you had to tear the front end off the motor, then deal with several O-rings in the cover after you changed out the water pump , happy riding  

Not just yet, Billy. The bike shop took three weeks to get the parts. Their distributor told them that Kawasaki had temporarily stopped shipping to Florida. Pure bullshit and I finally called the shop on it. Got into an argument with the owner on the phone. Told him I'd order the damned parts and he would use those. I did, ordered them from the Kaw dealer 2 miles from this shop. Got them in yesterday, took them by the shop and, as if by magic, the shop had just received my parts. I told the tech that their parts distributor made them look like asses and that they were almost as bad in accepting such a stupid excuse. They told me that the bike would be done this morning. We'll see.

Simpleman77 wrote:Not just yet, Billy. The bike shop took three weeks to get the parts. Their distributor told them that Kawasaki had temporarily stopped shipping to Florida. Pure bullshit and I finally called the shop on it. Got into an argument with the owner on the phone. Told him I'd order the damned parts and he would use those. I did, ordered them from the Kaw dealer 2 miles from this shop. Got them in yesterday, took them by the shop and, as if by magic, the shop had just received my parts. I told the tech that their parts distributor made them look like asses and that they were almost as bad in accepting such a stupid excuse. They told me that the bike would be done this morning. We'll see.

Hope it works out and you get your wheels back today.

Thanks Trip. I'll tell ya what, that shop owner got nasty with me and if I could have reached through the phone, I'd have popped him in the mouth several times. Over a month off my bike and three weeks in his shop, beyond frustrated.

my bad eric , glad you got them rolling with out having to draw blood to get it done , good thing you had a back up plan for the parts ,  

Picked her up at 4:30 today. Took a short ride home. Seems to be fine. Gotta wash it to get the coolant off the exhaust and underside. I keep smelling it but she's sealed up tight.

Simpleman77 wrote:Picked her up at 4:30 today. Took a short ride home. Seems to be fine. Gotta wash it to get the coolant off the exhaust and underside. I keep smelling it but she's sealed up tight.

Glad to hear that. Now you can get back in the wind.

Good news E ...  

Good to hear you are back on the road Eric!

 let the riding begain again ,  

Just washed the Beast. Had to get the polish out and work the area of the pipes where coolant hit them while they were hot. Tomorrow, oil and rear dif fluid change

Simpleman77 wrote:Just washed the Beast. Had to get the polish out and work the area of the pipes where coolant hit them while they were hot. Tomorrow, oil and rear dif fluid change

 

yah , she looks ready e , have a good ride