Water Pump Replacement Tips & Tricks

GL1800Winger · May 21, 2011

As a matter of preventative maintenance, I decided to replace my 03 1800 water pump with a new assembly. New pump from Honda comes complete with thermostat, shaft pin & clip and pump housing to engine o-ring assembled and ready to bolt on. I hope the following info will be helpful to others through my experience and varying from the service manual in some regards:
1 DO remove the fuel tank (get new o-ring for fuel pressure hose fitting).
2 DO remove the alternator (3 bolts simple and get new o-ring where alternator housing slides into the engine case).
3 DO NOT remove the starter (absolutely not necessary).
4 DO allow the cooling system to completely drain to avoid excess spillage during disassembly (I let mine to continue to drip out overnight).
5 DO remove, drain and flush the coolant revisor bottle.
6 DO use caution using "tools" to remove all water hoses not to tear or otherwise damage the hoses. (They will be stuck tight after you loosen the hose clamps, a little WD40 as you wedge and wiggle the hoses will help).
7 DO remove the Lt & Rt water hoses at the bottom rear of the cylinder block fittings (lets you slide the hose assembly with the lower water pump hose back and away from the pump making pump removal much easier. Also completely clean the scale off of those Lt & Rt aluminum hose fittings at the block (mine were corroded and showed evidence of seeping).
8 DO carefully clean any scale from inside the hoses at the fitting points to avoid coolant seepage after reassembly.
9 DO NOT separate the water pump housing for removal (3 bolts and the pump comes off and out as an assembly as sold by Honda).
10 DO clean the corrosion off the 3 water pump bolts and apply anti-sieze compound SPARINGLY to the length of the bolts and threads (electrolysis occurs on the steel bolts encased by and threaded into aluminum, mine didn't break loose very easy and glad they didn't break).
11 DO get and reinstall hoses with "wider" automotive hose clamps, do not over-tighten, good-n-snug is good enough (the skinny Honda clamps are especially prone to leakage at the hose fittings and probably more so reusing existing hoses).
12 DO refill the cooling system ONLY with Honda approved coolant (I always use the OEM Honda coolant to be on the safe side).
DISCLAIMERS: A) If you don't think you have the tools or mechanical expertise to do this work then you probably don't. B) Use this information in concert with ALL the procedures outlined in the service manual with exceptions through my experience noted herein.
Cheers!

GL1800Winger · May 21, 2011

ADDITIONAL Water Pump Replacement Tips & Tricks

A few more tips I forgot to note....

Loop a couple foot piece of mechanic wire (or similar) around the upper water pump hoses and loop the other end around the left handlebar grip to SLIGHTLY raise these hoses out of your way to remove and replace the pump assembly.

When installing the new water pump ASSEMBLY (unless you want to split the new pump apart to turn the pump impeller by hand to align the pump to the engine...) Remove the timing hole plug on the front of the engine and manually rotate the crankshaft counterclockwise (looking at the engine from the front) to position the pump drive slot vertically (12 & 6 oclock slot straight up and down). You can confirm this position by "feel" or use a mechanic mirror and a flashlight to look inside the housing to view the drive slot. Rotate the pump pin slot to match then slide the pump in WITHOUT the o-ring on the housing to be SURE you're engaging the pump pin to the drive slot in the engine and that the pump fits flush to the engine case. REASON?? The pump pin that is held on with the clip "wobbles" and it's difficult if not near impossible to align the pump pin TONGUE with the engine side drive pin SLOT if the SLOT is not VERTICAL (unless you split the pump apart to turn the impeller by hand). Once you're sure the pump fully seats flush to the engine case (drive pin engaged properly), remove the pump, oil and install the housing o-ring, then final install the pump being sure the pin is engaged and the pump fits flush to the case. **Install and just SNUG the 3 bolts.

**IF you want to be SURE you've properly engaged the pump pin into the drive slot without any doubt, CAREFULLY insert a finger into the lowest pump water fitting and manually turn the crank counterclockwise SLOWLY. You will feel the impeller blades rub your finger as they pass, confirming the pin and drive are properly engaged. You may need a helper with this.

**Tighten the 3 pump housing bolts to the specified torque 9 foot pounds.

TAKE YOUR TIME installing the pump assembly. You need to be CERTAIN you properly engage the pump pin to the drive slot in the engine. I don't even want to think about what damage might occur if the pump isn't installed correctly...!

Ray&Oy · May 22, 2011

Thanks for your great write-up for replacing the water pump. It will save all of us allot of guess work when we have to change ours. :thumbup:

ChgoD · May 22, 2011

How many miles did the original pump have?

GL1800Winger · May 22, 2011

Water Pump Replacement Mileage

ChgoD said:
How many miles did the original pump have?

Only about 65,000 but I had the fuel tank out for other work I was doing. I figured my wing is 9 years young so I may as well change it out before it possibly started to leak or the thermostat stuck (it's all in one assembly). I had it that far apart anyway. But given proper cooling system maintenance I guess I see no reason a pump wouldn't last well over 100,000 miles and more. More likely that the thermostat would wear out and quit working properly before the pump seals leak IMO. However, it's about as much a job to just replace the thermostat as the complete pump so I went that route for piece of mind albeit more costly.

Ron Fuller · May 22, 2014

I realize this is an old thread but I wanted to thank GL1800Winger for sharing his tips. :thumbup:
I just replaced the water pump on my 2005 and it appears to have fixed a coolant leak that has been giving me grief for some time.

The tips were very valuable, especially the ones about rotating the crankshaft so that the water pump drive slot is vertical before attempting to slide the pump into position. Verifying that the slot drive was properly engaged was a bit trickier since I was not able to feel the impeller with my (too fat) finger. So I made a tool from a piece of plastic milk jug. I was able to insert it into the lower hose connection to "feel" the impeller while Mary turned the crankshaft with a socket wrench through the timing hole. I chose thin plastic because I wanted something soft and flexible that would not damage the impeller. The tool was kind of "cane" or "j" shaped. The slot drive was engaged on the first try!

This coolant leak had been plaguing me for sometime. Conventional wisdom was that it was merely a case of hose clamps that needed to be tightened, and I did find some that were loose. But in the end, I had to replace the pump to stop the wet spots on the garage floor. Getting sufficient evidence to convict the pump was not easy. The weep hole on the water pump is not visible with the alternator in place. I ran the engine with the alternator removed. But coolant coming from the weep hole was not obvious. What I found was that it would come out of the weep hole and run along the bottom of the pump housing and then drip.

Another tool that I found very helpful was a radiator pressure tester. I used one from Harbor Freight, but I understand that some auto parts stores may loan them. Leaks due to loose hose clamps tend to only happen when there is pressure. In my case, I would not have found all of the leaks without a tester.

Ron

goldwing fan · May 23, 2014

Ron just curious what do you think caused the pump to fail :thumbup:

Ron Fuller · May 23, 2014

goldwing fan said:
Ron just curious what do you think caused the pump to fail :thumbup:

I don't know. I am reasonably certain that this motorcycle had only silicate free coolant as required by Honda. It started leaking somewhere around 135K miles and had 145K when I replaced it. Towards the end it was using on the order of 8OZ (1 cup) per 1000 miles.

Ron

goldwing fan · May 23, 2014

Thanks I replaced the waterpump on mine at around 80K due to my own mistake did not know at the time i used a car coolant with silicants in it which i am certain took out the pump now i use only honda coolant :thumbup:

Donnieontheroad · May 24, 2014

More Info

[FONT=Arial said:
TAKE YOUR TIME installing the pump assembly. You need to be CERTAIN you properly engage the pump pin to the drive slot in the engine. I don't even want to think about what damage might occur if the pump isn't installed correctly...!
[/FONT]

Unfortunately, I can answer that and it's a painful memory. You'll ruin the water pump and have to get another one and try again which is what I had to do years back. My water pump failed on my old 04 Wing at 235K miles. I tried to replace it myself. I learned many of the same things discussed in this thread the hard way. In fact I even busted off a bolt on the case in the process as well. This will be a great thread to keep around because if you ride your Wing long enough the water pump will eventually wear out and fail and you may need these tips. My lessons learned are chronicled in the link below

http://donnieontheroad.com/styled-35/index.html

I had a lot of help from many great board members here to resolve my issues:bow:.

Donnie

1wingman4u · Sep 3, 2015

Thanks for the informative writeup.....I will use this to replace my pump which is screaming like a little girl. No coolant leaks just a God awful noise that starts about 10 minutes into being run at idle...it stops as soon as the revs come up but a stethoscope verified it is indeed the pump. 120k miles on the bike

Jchefboyardee · Sep 3, 2015

Bookmarked, thanks

rcdoc · Sep 3, 2015

water pump

Jchefboyardee. thanks for the write up on an easier way to replace the water pump. if you have photos it would be greatly appreciated.

coy55boy · Sep 15, 2015

1wingman4u said:
Thanks for the informative writeup.....I will use this to replace my pump which is screaming like a little girl. No coolant leaks just a God awful noise that starts about 10 minutes into being run at idle...it stops as soon as the revs come up but a stethoscope verified it is indeed the pump. 120k miles on the bike

I've been researching a new noise on my Wing and my focus has narrowed to the water pump. The symptoms are the same as yours. I'd like to confirm the diagnosis and have a stethoscope, but I'm unsure as to how to get the probe to the pump without first taking stuff off. Can you tell me how you did it?

jfink · Sep 16, 2015

Using this write-up as a resource, last year I changed my water pump AND replaced my alternator as a matter of preventative maintenance. I have a 2004 which has been one of the ones which "overheated" in slow or 'parade' mode. After the water pump replacement, I have had no instances of overheating even though I have driven through like conditions that had caused overheating before. I suspect I may have had a faulty thermostat or bad impeller all along.

I appreciate the effort put into writing this procedure up. Thanks.

1wingman4u · Sep 27, 2015

I just finished my new water pump install and must say that if my bike EVER needs one again, I will PAY whatever it costs to have it replaced.
First item.....I don't know how hard it is to remove the starter, but having that huge chunk of metal out of the way would be a huge help. I left it in as instructed, but looking back....i don't know if that was a good idea.
Second item.....The idiot that designed the drive mechanism on these pumps needs to be shot! A wobble assembly with a 1/8 inch deep drive groove is idiotic, when there is no way to get at this ******* to make sure things are lined up.
Third item.....if the pump drops into place and the cylindrical part goes all the way in.....DON'T TAKE IT BACK OUT! The first time I tried it, this happened, and being the idiot that I am, I felt the need to verify that things were in fact lined up, since it went in so easily. 2 1/2 hours later I experienced that same situation and decided to leave it in that time. IT WAS LINED UP! If it goes all the way in, it is lined up!
Forth item....don't forget to install the alternator BEFORE you reinstall the tank....if you do (like I did) You can still access the ******* bolt by raising the front of the tank as far as possible.
Fifth item.....you may almost want to order a new tank before you try to remove that wedged in ******* if it seems to be brittle at all.....I was waiting for the cracking sound the whole time i was screwing it out of the frame. Thankfully things were ok though.
Sixth item....the fuel line......why would honda decide to spare the dime on the clamp and instead GLUE the fuel line onto the fuel pump outlet? Be prepared and cut your fuel line 10 inches or so from the pump, when you remove the tank...that way you can install and 1/4 double ended hose barb with a couple of clamps and be done with it. I tried to remove my fuel line from the outlet and there is no way to get it off without destroying the hose and there isn't enough extra to get away without splicing in a piece anyway. Plus you will spend about 1/2 hour cleaning all the rubber off the outlet before you can install the new hose.
Give yourself at least 2 full days to accomplish this task and be glad if you finish in less than 3. Good luck!!!!compare

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