[WingSki]

Hello all,
My friends '03 Wing has been sitting for 'bout a year. I installed a new battery for him and started it up to get the oil heated to do an oil change.
Then we noticed an anti-freeze leak. I had to remove the anti-freeze recovery tank and lay the wing on its right side in order to see where the leak was coming from)
Hard to describe but it is a small plate ( with 2- 10 mm bolts holding it on ) it is located above the coolent recovery tank approx. half way up on the engine.
Can anyone shed some light on what this is.
Thank you in advance
Rich K ( WingSki )

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Sounds like you are discribing the bottom of a water pump. The pump sits dead center (from side to side) in the back of the motor. A better view would be to pull the gas tank, then the alternator. It sits inboard of the alternator. It is probably the seal that is needed. To correct, replace the water pump. Make sure he is replacing the coolant with the correct type every 2 years or 24k as required maintaince.

 

[rocket1lf]

I have a friend with an 03 that also has a coolant leak from the same area on the water pump. His has around 100,000 miles on it. My 03 with only 38,000 miles isn't leaking. (I'm still working, he's retired.) I'm wondering if this may be a problem coming up in the future. Is there anyone else having this problem with 03's?

 

[WingSki]

Greg,
Thank you. Sounds like a BIG job. How much does the stealer take from your pockets for this??
Rich K ( Wing Ski )

 

[31261]

Try riding it a bit. About 500 miles. Will not hurt anything if a small leak, may seal the seal itself.

Sitting kills a bike, causes leaks, some will stop with use. Not always, but sometimes.

Not a big job you can do it, buy a manual and tackle it. A tenth the price of a dealer including cost of the manual.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Greg,
Thank you. Sounds like a BIG job. How much does the stealer take from your pockets for this??
Rich K ( Wing Ski )

I charge $230 for the pump and 3.0 * $50/hr. Plus new coolant if needed and a possible rad cap.

 

[Rocky]

Hello all,
My friends '03 Wing has been sitting for 'bout a year. I installed a new battery for him and started it up to get the oil heated to do an oil change.
Then we noticed an anti-freeze leak. I had to remove the anti-freeze recovery tank and lay the wing on its right side in order to see where the leak was coming from)
Hard to describe but it is a small plate ( with 2- 10 mm bolts holding it on ) it is located above the coolent recovery tank approx. half way up on the engine.
Can anyone shed some light on what this is.
Thank you in advance
Rich K ( WingSki )

Rich.Here is the parts break down for the water pump.You can look at it to see if you recognize the area you see coolant leaking from. http://www.hdlparts.com/fiche_secti...ry=MOTORCYCLES&make=HONDA&year=2004&fveh=3505

As you can see DLP sells it for $168.39 w/free shipping. A very good price.:thumbup:

I'd go to a local auto parts store and get a Loaner Pressure tester with the honda car radiator adapter and pressure test your system first before you order anything.

The GL1800 has a lot of hoses under the gas tank in that area,and you'll want to be sure what you are trying to fix before you order anything.

A service manual would be the start to get this done.or check with the dealers in your area to see what they would charge?. if you don't feel up to the task at hand?.
Any bike shop can do the same work and would most likely be cheaper in labor rates than a dealer,and may they let you buy the pump/honda coolant to save you some cash?..Ask first!.

Now if you're mechanically handy.I'll help you do the work via the phone if you like (Free)
It's time consuming for a first timer,but nothing a handy guy can't do himself.It's up to you.

PM me if interested.

 

[Pigeon Roost]

WHOA guys! When the water pump seal fails, it is typically in service, not at rest. Coolant leaks with bike cold or after rest are most often loose clamps and there are plenty of them above the pump. When the seal of the pump leaks, I would expect to see the leak at the weep hole, which is a designed tell-tale. Removing the seat adn fuel tank are not big jobs and will let your see quite a few of the suspect clamps; refer to Fred Harmon's web page for photos to help. Even before removing seat and fuel tank, I would remove belly pan and coolant recovery tank, jack teh bike up, place rear on jack stands and inspect with a bright light from below as there are three pesky clamps just above the right cat and you may see enough other structures to trace the leak to its source.

It may be the water pump, but check easy stuff first.

prs

 

[obwielnls]

My little VW truck's water pump leaks at the seal if its been sitting up.. A day of driving and its fine again. Not saying its not broken but I know it starts leaking after sitting over the winter.

 

[WingSki]

Guys,
Thank you ALL for the info. Right now my friend is in South Carolina. He was forced to take his mustang ( he planned to take the wing, lucky him, he hit TONS of rain on the way down yesterday ).
I will update this when he returns.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN !!!!!
Rich K ( Wing Ski )

 

[bobnpaso]

When the air temperature drops below 50 degrees (approx) I will get the sweet smell of antifreeze seepage. During the summer I don't get the smell. Smell and slight seepage I live with, I have tightened the clamps until I don't feel comfortable getting them tighter. I have not found a puddle nor have I found a stain, but I know where it is coming from. Left radiator at the front below the balance hose.
I did have some drips before pulling the fuel tank and going over all hoses under there and both radiators, and by the shift lever and.. just going over all clamps.
I used a mityvac (or mine is simular)to pressurize the system to 12psi and let it set overnight. Helped find the cold connection seepage. Since the overflow feeds into the radiator, that is where I applied pressure. Make sure you have a guage and I choose not to exceed 12psi even thought the system is operating at a higher pressure. Going into the pressure relief side means if you over do it, you could find the weak spot quicker than you want. :wrong:

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

WHOA guys! When the water pump seal fails, it is typically in service, not at rest. Coolant leaks with bike cold or after rest are most often loose clamps and there are plenty of them above the pump. When the seal of the pump leaks, I would expect to see the leak at the weep hole, which is a designed tell-tale. Removing the seat adn fuel tank are not big jobs and will let your see quite a few of the suspect clamps; refer to Fred Harmon's web page for photos to help. Even before removing seat and fuel tank, I would remove belly pan and coolant recovery tank, jack teh bike up, place rear on jack stands and inspect with a bright light from below as there are three pesky clamps just above the right cat and you may see enough other structures to trace the leak to its source.

It may be the water pump, but check easy stuff first.

prs

All of that is correct. GL1800s pumps usually do not leak under a presure test. They are usually condemed by a visual inspection. Once the alternator is removed, or the tank, there is a small ledge that coolant will rest on, on top of the clutch cover. If it is leaking you will see coolant there that came from the weep hole. A small mirror is also helpfull.

Sorry, forgot to answer the PMs original question. The dealer will most likely charge more then the HDL list price for parts (at least all the ones around here do). I use HDL's list price for quotes. On the 3.0 hours to repair, multiply that by their hourly rate and that will get yo close to a dealer estimate.

If you do this by yourself, make sure you presure test the system after. Pressure test it cold with low pressure 6 or 7 lbs and high pressure 16-20 lbs.

Do call Rocky if you do it yourself. The 3 bolts can pull if not done corectly and am sure he knows the procedure to help you to avoid that.