Oil drip from water pump breather tube after ride

Toadster said:

Hello,

After a ride and my bike has been parked a while, I always get a few drops of oil drip out of the rubber tube that comes from the water pump and opens up under the bike.

Checked the oil and coolant. Both look good. (No mixing of the two. Coolant is clear and blue. Oil is golden.) There's no residue on the coolant cap either.

Is this a sign I have a seal failing somewhere? If so, which one? Should I replace it right away or wait until things get worse?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I just did water pump repair on Suzi 2014 VS650.11,000 miles but was demo model that sat two years on delaer floor so maybe thats why it failed so early . Can do repair without pulling those water pump bearings and yes use only OEM parts including gasket. I was able to tap a razor blade behind the mechanical seal metal cup perimeter then gently pry out the mechanical seal with a small flat blade screwdriver . It's not in there very tight. I pulled the clutch out to ease access to the inner case for cleaning off stuck gasket . The rubber KOYO brand seal behind the mechanical seal had failed thus the weep from the small vent tube. The mechanical seal comes with a seperate ceramic mating seal that resides at the green water pump impeller . It pries out pretty easily. I replaced all the o-rings ( 3 of them ) and take care to put the shim washer behind the plastic water pump gear. A lot easier to refill radiator if remove the right side deco covers and loosen the radiator mounts . The new clutch cover gasket already has silicone bead around the two oblong water passage slotted holes so no need for any RTV to do the job right. The primary gear is a two piece gear which the outer element has to be gently dialed back about 1 mm for the clutch basket to fully seat while wiggling plastic gear that drives water pump. On the clutch pay attention to the direction of the innermost large concave spring washer on the clutch hub - it faces most open side out . The innermost plate is fiber type and is different than all the other fiber plates. And remember the hardened washer behind the large clutch basket . The clutch nut is normal RH threads and responds well on and off to impact wrench - no need for clutch holding tool . I pre-brend the clutch nut holding washer to 45 degrees so can get behind it to seat onto the tightened clutch nut. Merecdes or BMW blue coolant same additive package as Suzi coolant .

Toadster said:

Hello,

After a ride and my bike has been parked a while, I always get a few drops of oil drip out of the rubber tube that comes from the water pump and opens up under the bike.

Checked the oil and coolant. Both look good. (No mixing of the two. Coolant is clear and blue. Oil is golden.) There's no residue on the coolant cap either.

Is this a sign I have a seal failing somewhere? If so, which one? Should I replace it right away or wait until things get worse?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I just did water pump repair on Suzi 2014 VS650.11,000 miles but was demo model that sat two years on delaer floor so maybe thats why it failed so early . Can do repair without pulling those water pump bearings and yes use only OEM parts including gasket. I was able to tap a razor blade behind the mechanical seal metal cup perimeter then gently pry out the mechanical seal with a small flat blade screwdriver . It's not in there very tight. I pulled the clutch out to ease access to the inner case for cleaning off stuck gasket . The rubber KOYO brand seal behind the mechanical seal had failed thus the weep from the small vent tube. The mechanical seal comes with a seperate ceramic mating seal that resides at the green water pump impeller . It pries out pretty easily. I replaced all the o-rings ( 3 of them ) and take care to put the shim washer behind the plastic water pump gear. A lot easier to refill radiator if remove the right side deco covers and loosen the radiator mounts . The new clutch cover gasket already has silicone bead around the two oblong water passage slotted holes so no need for any RTV to do the job right. The primary gear is a two piece gear which the outer element has to be gently dialed back about 1 mm for the clutch basket to fully seat while wiggling plastic gear that drives water pump. On the clutch pay attention to the direction of the innermost large concave spring washer on the clutch hub - it faces most open side out . The innermost plate is fiber type and is different than all the other fiber plates. And remember the hardened washer behind the large clutch basket . The clutch nut is normal RH threads and responds well on and off to impact wrench - no need for clutch holding tool . I pre-brend the clutch nut holding washer to 45 degrees so can get behind it to seat onto the tightened clutch nut. Merecdes or BMW blue coolant same additive package as Suzi coolant .