1993 gl1500A water pump

[clydeturre]

I have a drip coming from the water pump which seems to originate at
the gasket between the two pump halves. Honda says you have to buy the entire
pump as a whole yet it seems I can order just the gasket as an aftermarket
product. Anybody done this repair?

[WingAdmin]

Are you sure it's actually coming from the gasket and not the weep hole? The weep hole on the 1500 is up higher and behind the water pump, and drips from it tend to travel down to the bottom of the water pump (right where the gasket is).

GL1500 water pump weep hole

[clydeturre]

It is coming out the weep hole. That is kind of why I figured I needed to replace the gasket between the two halves of the body. I recieved that gasket today. I am trying to figure out if I need to put gasket sealant on it but it is an odd shaped o-ring style gasket, like the photo shows of the water pump

[clydeturre]

Ok, I think I now know what you are telling me. That the leak in the pump is behind the gasket so is something else. Maybe that is shy Honda only sells the complete pump?

[WingAdmin]

If it's coming out of the weep hole, then the gasket is not your problem. Most likely you will be needing to replace the water pump, and new O-rings at the same time. The weep hole is there to indicate that there is an internal seal failure in the water pump. It can also be caused by a failed O-ring on the pump itself, but if the pump hasn't been removed, the O-ring isn't likely to just fail on its own.

You will need that odd-shaped O-ring gasket, along with a new water pump and its O-ring.

Don't put sealant on the O-ring gasket. As long as the surfaces are clean, it will seal just fine on its own.

[clydeturre]

Maybe I need to look closer at the pump. I am not sure now it is actually coming from the weep hole. I assumed it was because the liquid was at the bottom front of the unit. About a drop every 10 minutes or more. I will look at it again. I hate to spend $200 for a new pump right now. Thanks.

[clydeturre]

Ok, the fluid IS coming out of the weep hole, so, new water pump. Thanks, you have been very helpful, glad I found this site.

[Whit3B3ard]

Was searching the internet for this very issue and it brought me here. Just wanted to say thanks to all who answered this question. Sadly, your answer is going to cost me a lot of money.

[WingAdmin]

Was searching the internet for this very issue and it brought me here. Just wanted to say thanks to all who answered this question. Sadly, your answer is going to cost me a lot of money.

Not necessarily...you can do it yourself and pay just for a new pump and a set of gaskets.

[guitarzan]

I have a 1994 Goldwing SE 1500, it's been a couple of years since I've had it running, it's been on a lift for a few years and I notice that maybe every month or two, I see on the floor that a drop of coolant has dripped from the water pump. I can't find where it's coming from but I thought that I would start by checking the bolts fot proper torque. Any thoughts from anybody?

Frank

[Rambozo]

Start it up and ride it. Seals don't like sitting around. It will probably either stop leaking, or completely fail, once it gets running again.

[joeincalif]

You need to drain the oil before you remove the water pump.
Be careful when replacing the water pump, don't over tighten the mounting bolts or the drain plug. It is an easy job.

[guitarzan]

Hi Joe,
Thanks for the advice, I'll torque them down.

[schjas8078@gmail.com]

You need to drain the oil before you remove the water pump.
Be careful when replacing the water pump, don't over tighten the mounting bolts or the drain plug. It is an easy job.

Newbie question: I'm thinking I need to replace my water pump also on my 1993 GL1500 Interstate. I bought it used last year around 92,000 miles on it. This season after a few rides, there is a very slight coolant leak coming from that area. I was hoping and thinking it might be the seal gasket between the front cover and the pump itself...but I'm overly cautious and will probably just pull the whole assembly and put in new to be sure.

Anyway, my question is why do you need to drain the oil before removing the water pump? I'm a new rider, but not totally lost in the shop; but also seriously not a mechanic...just good enough to do things once I understand what and why... please advise. Thanks,

[guitarzan]

Start it up and ride it. Seals don't like sitting around. It will probably either stop leaking, or completely fail, once it gets running again.

It's not leaking anymore and it didn't fail.
Thank you

Frank

[DougEFresh1123]

Anyway, my question is why do you need to drain the oil before removing the water pump? I'm a new rider, but not totally lost in the shop; but also seriously not a mechanic...just good enough to do things once I understand what and why... please advise. Thanks,

According to my son, not a motorcycle mechanic but an automotive mechanic there is probably a shaft with a seal going into the water pump to make the inner mechanics of the water pump function, that shaft is lubricated with oil, once you remove the water pump the oil now has a place to leak out.

[joeincalif]

Anyway, my question is why do you need to drain the oil before removing the water pump? I'm a new rider, but not totally lost in the shop; but also seriously not a mechanic...just good enough to do things once I understand what and why... please advise. Thanks,

According to my son, not a motorcycle mechanic but an automotive mechanic there is probably a shaft with a seal going into the water pump to make the inner mechanics of the water pump function, that shaft is lubricated with oil, once you remove the water pump the oil now has a place to leak out.

That is correct

[joeincalif]

Usually if the water is leaking you will see anti freeze on the bottom of the pump coming out of the small hole on the bottom of the pump.

[guitarzan]

DougEFresh1123,
I looked in my 1994 GL 1500 Service Manual and on page 5-15 under Water Pump, it says to "drain the engine oil."

I hope that helps

Frank

[DougEFresh1123]

DougEFresh1123,
I looked in my 1994 GL 1500 Service Manual and on page 5-15 under Water Pump, it says to "drain the engine oil."

I hope that helps

Frank

Frank,
For those of us that are not mechanical it doesn’t make sense until someone explains how the various systems are tied/linked together.

My original thought was coolant and oil shouldn’t touch each other so I questioned why would we drain the oil since they are two separate systems. My son showed me on the engine how the water pump and oil system are linked together and if I pulled the water pump were the oil would drain from. It is really rather simple but for those of us that are not mechanical being showed how things work together helps us understand why certain things need to be done.

I always thought of oil as it’s only purpose was lubricating the pistons and not some of the other parts, such as the shaft to the water pump.

Thanks - Doug.

[GBKid]

What are the torque specs for the water pump mounting bolts for a 2000 gl1500SE? Turns out mine is now leaking from the weep hole and. Needs replacement. Thanks everybody for the information previously and for the torque specs I’m sure someone here will have.

[bellboy40]

I don't see any specs on the water pump bolts but they are 6mm and the manual says the standard torque value should be 7 ft/lbs for that size bolt.