Bandit GSF250V coolant leak

[scary]

After three years of trouble-free commuting my faithful Bandit has sprung a leak. There's antifreeze dripping from a point at the bottom of the water pump housing. I hope its just the O ring that's gone, shown on the attached pic. The manual (section also attached) suggests its pretty easy to just take the outer cover off to replace the O-ring without disturbing the inner seals and bearings that would then need to be replaced but I can't find a replacement set of O rings on the internet. I'm pretty new to this mechanical maintenance game so should I be looking to replace all the seals and bearings anyway or can I get away with just replacing the leaking O-ring? Is there anywhere I can get these online or am I just better off approaching Coleman's Suzuki in Auckland?
Cheers,
Chris

[AllanB]

Could be the o-ring, could be the pump ....... you won't know until you open it and have a perve. The o-ring is a easy replace first - change coolant too.

Me I change my coolant every 2-3 years. Cheap insurance.

[Akzle]

o-ring? Or gasket?

O-rings are cheap as shit. Either is easy. Id totally watch you borrow my tools. Except your in dorkland.
Gsf is a sick, though boring bike. Rape it. Rape it good.

[ducatilover]

There is a small tell-tale hole under the pump, closer to the engine. If it is dripping from there you have a leaking mechanical seal on the shaft and need to rebuild the pump, any decent mechanic or handy fulla can do it

The pump housing gasket/o-ring may be leaking. If you cannot find a new one, use a nice quality sealant

The pipes to the pump may be leaking

The 8mm drain plug should have a copper washer on it and may be leaking

I may have posted a waterpump rebuild thread here before, but here's the one I put on ZZR-international http://www.zzr-international.co.uk/v...p?f=13&t=13795

Worth isolating the problem and then attacking it

[scary]

Awesome, thanks for all the info, especially ducatilover. That instructional thread is both hilarious and very useful. Coleman's have quoted 1-2 days to procure oil seal, bearing and the mechanical seal. Cost for 3 parts is $69.35.

Can I just use liquid gasket instead of the O-rings? If not, what? I guess I can pick up one that looks about right but this feels a bit dodgy.

[Akzle]

Can I just use liquid gasket instead of the O-rings? If not, what? I guess I can pick up one that looks about right but this feels a bit dodgy.

no. you can use an o-ring.

[ducatilover]

You can use a liquid gasket type thing for the water pump cover, providing the o-ring is still in.
I would not use it behind the pump though

[AllanB]

It's a Jap bike the O ring will be a standard metric size.

[ducatilover]

It's a Jap bike the O ring will be a standard metric size.

98% of the time, yes, the other 2% of the time they are fucking retarded sizes that are specific to a very few models

[Big Dog]

I have seen more than a few in service that has been the case so the mech has cut a larger one and used a vulcanising agent to glue it to the size. If the join is at the top it should not leak.


Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[scary]

Okaaayyyy, I got the parts on Thursday, including the O-rings (took a month for them to arrive). I've spent the last two days degreasing and cleaning and baking and freezing things and now she's all back in one piece! And won't start.

Despite having sat for a month it started fine yesterday when I warmed up the oil to drain it. I've put new oil, filter and antifreeze in it and bolted everything back up. The only thing I know I've done wrong is neglect to put liquid gasket around the mechanical seal. Hardly the cause of a starting issue.

When it turns over it feels like there's no spark. I need to get a vacuum cleaner into the plug holes before I can even start pulling them out to test them as there looks to be bits of crap that shouldn't end up in the cylinders down there. Ho hum. Watch this space for news. As usual, any suggestions gratefully received as I'm a real amateur at this game.

[Big Dog]

Has your oil changed colour?
Have you changed anything else?

Before you panic too much get a good charge in the battery and see.

Not uncommon after a long sit for a bike to start easily for a test but not run the following day. If you only ran for five mins to warm up then you probably used more power starting it than you generated running it.



Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Akzle]

Okaaayyyy, I got the parts on Thursday, including the O-rings (took a month for them to arrive). I've spent the last two days degreasing and cleaning and baking and freezing things and now she's all back in one piece! And won't start.

Despite having sat for a month it started fine yesterday when I warmed up the oil to drain it. I've put new oil, filter and antifreeze in it and bolted everything back up. The only thing I know I've done wrong is neglect to put liquid gasket around the mechanical seal. Hardly the cause of a starting issue.

When it turns over it feels like there's no spark. I need to get a vacuum cleaner into the plug holes before I can even start pulling them out to test them as there looks to be bits of crap that shouldn't end up in the cylinders down there. Ho hum. Watch this space for news. As usual, any suggestions gratefully received as I'm a real amateur at this game.

awwwwwwwww. it warms my cockles to see a fledgling grow...

[unstuck]

Sounds to me like you have dislodged a wire or shorted a wire and blown a fuse.

[scary]

Has your oil changed colour?
Have you changed anything else?
\

No and no.

Before you panic too much get a good charge in the battery and see.

Not uncommon after a long sit for a bike to start easily for a test but not run the following day. If you only ran for five mins to warm up then you probably used more power starting it than you generated running it.

Yup, charged it and tried again. No good.

Sounds to me like you have dislodged a wire or shorted a wire and blown a fuse.

NIce, I'll check the fuses. I had remove the sprocket cover and pull the clutch cable out past the coils to get to the pump so I might have done this but I couldn't see anything wrong. God I hope this isn't electrical or I will shit myself.