anyone else with coolant leak?

[stubblejumper]

I finally had time to put some hours on the Grizzly,and it performed great with one exception,that being that it apparently has a coolant leak.I added a total of one liter of coolant over a three day period of riding,so tomorrow the plastics come off,and I go looking for the leak.I can faintly smell antifreeze,but with the plastics on,the leak is not obvious.

[AZ08Grizz]

Check the water pump pee hole hose. If the pump seal is worn it will leak out thru the hose off the bottom side of the pump.

[stubblejumper]

Thanks,I will check that hose,as well as all coolant hoses and connections.

[keeter]

check the reservoir cap my fell off somehow. i kept smelling antifreeze and few drop when i wicked it up everyonce in a while. and found rubber cap missing.

[stubblejumper]

I removed the hose on the water pump and there was a slow drip of antifreeze even when the engine wasn't running.To top it off,the former owner tied a loose knot in the hose to keep antifreeze from leaking out,so nobody would discover the problem until the machine was sold.I checked the engine oil,and the level was normal,and it didn't look as though much antifreeze was forced through the oil seal due to the drain hose being tied off.Perhaps with the engine running the extra pressure forced the antifreeze past the knot.I am going to change the water pump seal,the oil seal,and the water pump bearing,as well as the engine oil and filter,and hopefully all will be good.

[AZ08Grizz]

Glad you found the problem. There's plenty of info on doing the repair here on GC. Good luck

[stubblejumper]

I have a shop manual,but it does list a special tool for installing the seal.Who here has changed out the water pump seal,and how easy was it to do?Any hints that might help?More importantly,other than fixing the seals and bearing on the shaft,and changing the oil and filter,is there anything else to check on the engine?As already posted,there may have been coolant forced into the engine oil because of the knot in the hose.I added almost a liter of oil,so I would have expected the oil level to rise if coolant was forced into the crankcase,but the level is normal.The oil does however appear to be slightly cloudy.

[Mad Mike]

There is a pretty good thread on replacing the water pump some were around here. Some people report having problems with it leaking after the repair.Kinda of a pita to replace the mechanical seal.

[stubblejumper]

I certainly hope this isn't a common occurrence with the 700 Grizzly,as it seems like a real pain to repair.It certainly isn't something that I want to be doing on a regular basis.

[AZ08Grizz]

Do a thorough search on the subject. Some mentioned using a heat gun during the process of replacing water pump seals ect. It's something you need to know about.

[scooter]

Sounds like you bought the bike from a very shady person. I'd give the grizz a real good going over, who knows what else they could of jerry rigged.

[jfer]

How to change mechanical seal on water pump? link talks about using the heat gun. Also suggested to have dealer press seal in for you.

[stubblejumper]

Sounds like you bought the bike from a very shady person. I'd give the grizz a real good going over, who knows what else they could of jerry rigged.

I have changed every fluid,checked every brake,checked the belt and drives,adjusted the shifter linkage,and checked everything from cv boots to fusebox,and everything else that I could find.The engine starts good,and runs well,so I am hoping that this is all that I missed.The machine only had 250 miles on the odometer,and the tires,and everything else looked almost like new.I am guessing that the seal failed more from lack of use than anything else.

[Mad Mike]

the seals go bad from mud and water getting in from the hose.