[DrumsXO]

I've got a 2014 track bike. There's an oil leak coming from between the water pump and the oil pan. I've replaced the seal that goes in that location twice thus far, and it still drips about 2 drops per day as it sits in the garage.

I'm reading something about a weep hole and some other seal that could be bad? I'm not very good at all this stuff, so I'm hoping to get some assistance.

When I bought this bike it needed a lot of work as it turned out... I won't go into details, but all of the water pump seals were changed. That doesn't mean one still couldn't be the problem though? I don't know. I'm attaching pictures of the leak.

 

[SparkyMJ]

Yeah man that absolutely looks like a water pump mechanical seal failure. I made a thread a short while back - I just replaced my water pump. I initially wanted to rebuild the pump, put fresh seals. But it turns out that there is one seal you unfortunately can't buy, and it's super dumb. So I just bought a whole new pump and installed it, and it works great. Mine was leaking coolant from the weep hole, not oil, but either could come out. The main mechanical seal prevents oil and coolant from mixing.

I recommend getting a new water pump, and then you separately have to buy the main pump mounting O ring. Your red ink on the parts diagram blocks it, but I think the part number there is 92055A for that large O ring. Get a whole water pump and that seal, and new seals for the hard coolant lines that go into the water pump. I believe in that diagram they are 670 and 670A. Get a bunch of both of those, they wear out easy and go on multiple places on the bike.

Hope this helps. My water pump mechanical seal gave out at 55k miles, so you could expect similar numbers as long as you change your fluids regularly.

-Mike

 

[DrumsXO]

Yeah man that absolutely looks like a water pump mechanical seal failure. I made a thread a short while back - I just replaced my water pump. I initially wanted to rebuild the pump, put fresh seals. But it turns out that there is one seal you unfortunately can't buy, and it's super dumb. So I just bought a whole new pump and installed it, and it works great. Mine was leaking coolant from the weep hole, not oil, but either could come out. The main mechanical seal prevents oil and coolant from mixing.

I recommend getting a new water pump, and then you separately have to buy the main pump mounting O ring. Your red ink on the parts diagram blocks it, but I think the part number there is 92055A for that large O ring. Get a whole water pump and that seal, and new seals for the hard coolant lines that go into the water pump. I believe in that diagram they are 670 and 670A. Get a bunch of both of those, they wear out easy and go on multiple places on the bike.

Hope this helps. My water pump mechanical seal gave out at 55k miles, so you could expect similar numbers as long as you change your fluids regularly.

-Mike

This bike only has 6K on the odometer, but most of that is racing. I bought it sight unseen from a racer in Florida and had it shipped to me. Turns out he was a sheister, because 3rd gear had 3 broken teeth, a blown head gasket, and the metal shavings from the broken teeth shredded the seals in the oil pump and water pump.

92055A, the pump mounting seal, is the one I've changed twice now, the most recent being a couple of days ago, and I even put some gasket maker on it this time. It still leaks oil. I don't even see a weep hole on the pump, and it looks like it's leaking from right where the pump body goes into the oil pan, where that seal would be... Doesn't it?

So, I need a new water pump and some seals? I'll be upset (not at you) if I shell out for a pump and it still leaks... Could I just leave it and ride it? It's a very slow leak, and metal expands when heated, so maybe it'd seal the leak when running? My fairings have a catch belly pan as well.

 

[DrumsXO]

Think this would be legit? This is the seal, right? The one Kawasaki doesn't sell and makes you buy the whole water pump?

EDIT: Nevermind. Kawasaki sells this. So what seal is it that they don't sell, that makes me need a whole new water pump? Can someone screenshot it and circle it on the parts diagram or something? I'm so confused on why I need a new pump if the mechanical seal is leaking, and they sell the mechanical seal?

 

[SparkyMJ]

I wanted all the seals associated with the water pump, not just the mechanical seal. After all, why would you go all the way in there and just do one? That's the thing, there is no part number for the oil seal you can't buy. It is a rubber seal behind the mechanical seal for the shaft, and it is not on the diagram. That is why I scrapped the idea of rebuilding my water pump.

Up to you, you could throw that in there but you'll need a new water cover gasket as well. Hope this helps.

-Mike

 

[DrumsXO]

I wanted all the seals associated with the water pump, not just the mechanical seal. After all, why would you go all the way in there and just do one? That's the thing, there is no part number for the oil seal you can't buy. It is a rubber seal behind the mechanical seal for the shaft, and it is not on the diagram. That is why I scrapped the idea of rebuilding my water pump.

Up to you, you could throw that in there but you'll need a new water cover gasket as well. Hope this helps.

-Mike

I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, if I came off that way... I'm just confused by all of this. And also frustrated now because it sounds like the guy who worked on the bike couldn't have replaced the seal you're talking about that can't be bought...

All of the other seals in the pump were replaced though. So, would you recommend a new pump still, or a mechanical seal and water pump cover gasket?

 

[SparkyMJ]

Not to worry man, sometimes figuring out what's up with your bike can be hard! No offense taken.

Well especially if you've developed a leak at 6k miles, sounds like an extremely stunted lifespan for a water pump. That was the exact scenario I wanted to avoid on my bike, so I actually returned the OEM water pump parts to just then buy a whole pump and bolt it on, and solve my issues. And that it has! I would advise just getting the pump and those three O-rings I mentioned, and you should be good to go essentially for the life of the bike.

My 300 had lived a hard life through a couple previous owners, and then I got it and put all the miles on it and a good number of all the track days I spent learning, and the water pump finally gave out after all that. So if you replace the water pump and associated seals, I bet you will likely never have to deal with this leak ever again for the life of the bike.

I just suspect the previous guy who worked on your bike didn't do his homework, and skimped on some portions of the rebuild, whether or not they were possible to purchase parts for or not.

Although, before buying a whole new pump and seals, clean the leak and re-observe it leak to be absolutely certain the leak isn't just the pump cover sheet gasket leaking, and that it is in fact coming from behind the pump where the weep hole dumps to. If it's just the cover gasket, that is a no-brainer replacement, so might as well sanity check that it isn't that.

Hope this helps man,
-Mike

 

[DrumsXO]

Not to worry man, sometimes figuring out what's up with your bike can be hard! No offense taken.

Well especially if you've developed a leak at 6k miles, sounds like an extremely stunted lifespan for a water pump. That was the exact scenario I wanted to avoid on my bike, so I actually returned the OEM water pump parts to just then buy a whole pump and bolt it on, and solve my issues. And that it has! I would advise just getting the pump and those three O-rings I mentioned, and you should be good to go essentially for the life of the bike.

My 300 had lived a hard life through a couple previous owners, and then I got it and put all the miles on it and a good number of all the track days I spent learning, and the water pump finally gave out after all that. So if you replace the water pump and associated seals, I bet you will likely never have to deal with this leak ever again for the life of the bike.

I just suspect the previous guy who worked on your bike didn't do his homework, and skimped on some portions of the rebuild, whether or not they were possible to purchase parts for or not.

Although, before buying a whole new pump and seals, clean the leak and re-observe it leak to be absolutely certain the leak isn't just the pump cover sheet gasket leaking, and that it is in fact coming from behind the pump where the weep hole dumps to. If it's just the cover gasket, that is a no-brainer replacement, so might as well sanity check that it isn't that.

Hope this helps man,
-Mike

The "mechanic" who did the work is... questionable at best. He has his good days, and he has his bad days. I know he replaced the seals inside the water pump, because he had me order them, and he gave me all the old seals, which were shredded and knicked from the metal shavings in the system from 3rd gear having broken teeth.

But, he either didn't replace the seal you can't buy, or he replaced with a "best guess" o-ring from the hardware store, which are both sketchy choices.

The leak, as far as I can tell, is coming from the open space between the side of the oil pan and the water pump body. It's like a gap around the whole area, but from other pictures, the gap is supposed to be there, so I assume that's the "weep hole." It's not coming from the pump cover gasket.

In that picture, if you zoom in, you can see the little bit of shiny gold liquid (oil) inside the gap between the pump and the pan.

 

[SparkyMJ]

Man this bike had a rough life - blown gear teeth is rough. Honestly if I blew a gear, and I wanted to save the motor, I would drop the whole engine and do a whole rebuild. Metal shavings destroy stuff so fast. If it was me, I would probably split the crankcase halves and just clean and replace all journal bearings needed, and clean the heck out of every part. Probably overkill, but man blown transmission is tough.

Best of luck, we are here to help!

-Mike

 

[iahawk]

Another guy with a leaking (coolant) water pump, here…was going to order from revzilla but it’s out of stock…and life got real busy…but leaking oil from there, would that be the O ring that is circled in your parts pic that goes between pump and engine? MIne is leaking coolant so I’m getting a new one (bike is 2014 with 13,500 miles)…just wondering out loud if you might get by with an O ring?

 

[DrumsXO]

Another guy with a leaking (coolant) water pump, here…was going to order from revzilla but it’s out of stock…and life got real busy…but leaking oil from there, would that be the O ring that is circled in your parts pic that goes between pump and engine? MIne is leaking coolant so I’m getting a new one (bike is 2014 with 13,500 miles)…just wondering out loud if you might get by with an O ring?

The circled seal in the diagram is the one I've replaced twice. That seals the mating surface between the water pump body and the oil pan to prevent an oil leak.

There's apparently also an oil seal that goes along with the pump shaft bearing, that Kawasaki doesn't sell. That's likely the one causing my leak. It's allowing oil inside the water pump body, where the weep hole is, and it comes out of the weep hole.

That's my understanding, at least.

 

[DrumsXO]

Man this bike had a rough life - blown gear teeth is rough. Honestly if I blew a gear, and I wanted to save the motor, I would drop the whole engine and do a whole rebuild. Metal shavings destroy stuff so fast. If it was me, I would probably split the crankcase halves and just clean and replace all journal bearings needed, and clean the heck out of every part. Probably overkill, but man blown transmission is tough.

Best of luck, we are here to help!

-Mike

Another guy with a leaking (coolant) water pump, here…was going to order from revzilla but it’s out of stock…and life got real busy…but leaking oil from there, would that be the O ring that is circled in your parts pic that goes between pump and engine? MIne is leaking coolant so I’m getting a new one (bike is 2014 with 13,500 miles)…just wondering out loud if you might get by with an O ring?

New water pump fixed it! It was leaking out of the weep hole the entire time, but I literally couldn't see the hole because the oil was covering it.

Installed the new pump, added some UV Dye to the oil, ran the bike, checked for leaks, let it sit for a while, checked for leaks... Nothing. If it's still leak free by tomorrow afternoon then it's solid!

 

[SparkyMJ]

Glad it worked out! Also glad you were able to take the same path as me and have a good outcome!

-Mike