weep hole at water pump is weeping

Re: weep hole at water pump is weeping

by jay white » 14 years ago

jay white

36 97 23

Thanks,
I think Roger said that the repair was not for the faint of heart, Man What an under statement.
My engine is coming off for a water pump! Good thing it was coming off for the isolator mounts too. Im not scared, no really, not at all. Anybody want to tell me the scary things that can happen to me here. I see the CDI connectors are tough to disconnect, the EGT probes have a little corrosion, etc. Anything I should be watching out for?

I know, I know, never feel sorry for a guy who owns an airplane.

Re: weep hole at water pump is weeping

by Roger Lee » 14 years ago

Roger Lee

131 5.38k 5.44k

Hi Jay,

This isn't something learned and followed well out of the book. You can ruin several things here and not know it until you get it all back together. This is something better learned in a class. If you only had the seal to worry about it might not be too bad, but there are other things to watch for.

---

Roger Lee
LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
520-349-7056 Cell

Re: weep hole at water pump is weeping

by jay white » 14 years ago

jay white

36 97 23

Thanks Roger,
I"ll rethink my strategy.

Re: weep hole at water pump is weeping

by jay white » 14 years ago

jay white

36 97 23

I wish I could ignor the little leak, but that wouldn't be a realistic approach. Leaks get worse not better and this one is worse today than when I first discovered it, so there aren't any options other than to fix it.

There aren't any repair facilities for Rotax within hundreds of miles so there aren't any options except to fix it here.

The pump can't be accessed without pulling the engine so there aren't any options except to pull the engine,

The mechanic who I hired to do the job is letting me help so I am learning a lot before I go to the repair school next month.


The only option I really do have is ... cash or check.


dissassembly wasn't too tough. Lots of hoses, connectors and cables. The mess is minimal and the reward will be knowlege, mechanical integrity and safety. Aviators need all three in spades.

The engine is on the hoist tonight, I'll let you know how it goes when the special tools arrive.

Re: weep hole at water pump is weeping

by jay white » 14 years ago

jay white

36 97 23

The seal replacement went smoothly. The engine is back together and all the measurments in the line maintenance, heavy maintenance and Service Instruction came out. The special tools I got from another source were great. A must have to do the job. I didn't realize the starter on the Kitfox model IV was in a place where engine removal was a requirement to fix it. What do you do if you land at a remote strip and lose a starter? I guess I can answer that myself. I have shoes.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted.