[TrailBoss]

Has anyone tried any type of stop leak sealant, for a temporary fix to the weep hose leaking problem?

 

[toolman]

yeah i did and no it didn't work.

i tried bars coolant stop leak,it work in my internation diesel but it didn't even begin to slow down the rincon leak..the problem is you have a seal gone bad and the shaft is spinning constantly,sort of hard for a stop leak to fix that,but hey it was worth a chance...now put a hole in the radiator and it will do wonders..

 

[honda4strokeman]

Hey TrailBoss, I had the same problem with my waterpump. What caused it was playing in the sloppy stuff alot, the hose got mud and water in it and caused a seal to go bad. Only fix was to buy a new waterpump. Not too bad....only about $300 with parts, labor and taxes...LOL. Think next time (if it happens again) I'll install it myself....save me about $200. If ya find another fix for it lemme know.

 

[TrailBoss]

It's kind of funny that the service manual shows you how to disassemble the water pump,and remove the mechanical seal. There is even a special tool to remove the seal, and another special tool to install the seal. But you can't buy mech/seal anywhere.

 

[honda4strokeman]

Yeha Trail..I tried that too....none anywhere to be found...lol

 

[03rin]

My water pump went this summer. I called my dealer and they told me I had to get to water pump, couldn't get just the seal. After looking at the service manual I called another Honda dealer. He found the mechanical seal for me. It cost me about $90 total: seal, all o-rings, oil, coolant and to have someone put in the new seal. Just thought I would pass that on to anyone who has an 03 that hasn't replaced the water pump yet.
Does anyone know where to get the new style weep hose for the pump?

 

[honda4strokeman]

03rin, $90 is what the whole waterpump and new hose costs. Might wanna check into that. That is if you put it on yourself. I had my dealer put it on for me and the labor was about $160. About 3k more miles later and it hasn't happened again, and I play in the mud every weekend. If it does though, I'll install it myself and save alot of $$$$.

 

[03rin]

I did do it myself. The dealer told me that it would be about $150 just for the pump. A couple places I looked online were wround 150 as well.

 

[03rin]

Dealer also said 1 to 1 and a half hours labor.

 

[honda4strokeman]

WOW!. My invoice from the work done says $92 for the pump and $160 labor at $80 an hour. But then again, I'm in the south and everything seems to be a little cheaper down here.

 

[03rin]

That is true about it being cheaper down there. On the other hand I got the price from the same dealer that told me you can't get just the mechanical seal. Did they actually replace your water pump or just put a new mechanical seal in? $90 is what it cost me for everything, fluids and orings, ETC.

 

[honda4strokeman]

They replaced the whole pump. Showed me the old one when I showed up to pick it up. That is a huge price difference though. But then again, I checked with my dealer here on a rear axle for my '96 TRX 300 (it was hit in the rear by a polaris that wasn't paying attn) and they told me $160 and it would take 2 weeks to get it in. Went to a dealer and hour away, the same dealer I always buy my ATVs from, and they told me $95 for the axle and they would have it in 2 days. So I guess it's just where ya go. They are independantly owned so I guess they decide what their mark-up is gonna be and they decide if they wanna make the $$$ on parts, service or the bikes themselves.

 

[Corndog]

I modified the drain line on my old 03 pump and have had no problems in 2600 miles. Can anybody explain what Honda has changed on their "newer pumps". I believe the problem lies in the hieght oif the opening of the drain line....

 

[03rin]

From what I can tell, the only thing that changed is the weep hose. The pump itself is the same as the 03's. What did you do to modify your pump?

 

[honda4strokeman]

That's right 03rin, the only thing that changed was the hose.Been wondering if it would hurt anything to run an extention from that line up somewhere where no mud or water can get into it.Is that hose a drain of some sort or is it a vac line?

 

[03rin]

I'm pretty sure the hose is just a drain and not a vac line. The dealer that got the mechanical seal said that if coolant is leaking from it the mechanical seal is bad and if oil leaks from it the oil seal is bad. Auto water pumps just have a hole in them, and when the pump goes, coolant leaks from it. I think Honda just put the hose there to make it easier to detect a leak. I am assuming that just taking a longer hose and routing it higher will do the trick. Or point the hose down like the new ones.

 

[RINCON1]

I just talked to a tech at the local dealer and he said after all the Rinny's they have sold, they have only replaced 2 (two) waterpumps. He said he done his and one other...Thats it!

I think the simple fix for this would be to just put a 50 cent plastic elbow in the end of the drain hose and put a clamp around it to keep it pointed down. That should create enough of an air pocket to keep the water and goo from reaching the pump......Just a thought.

 

[MudChucker]

I dont recall who it was that thought of this, I think it was corndog , but sticking in an inline fuel filter isnt such a bad idea... I intend to do this as soon as the snow melts...

 

[Corndog]

Reposted... see a better way to change your oil

 

[RINCON1]

I missed that one.....Thanks!