While I was out riding this weekend my water pump seal sprung a leak which brought my riding to an end. After reviewing the Polaris manual I see they use special extraction tools and insertion tools to replace the seal. Has anybody done this without the use of special tools? How tight is the original seal pressed in? Can it be pried out with a screwdriver without damaging the casing?
I am sure I could make the special tools but that would be a lot of work for what I hope is a one time fix.
Help is appreciated.

 

Dave,
I would advise against trying to remove the seal without the puller. If you should slip while prying and bend the impellar shaft, the engine has to be removed and the crankcase separated to replace the shaft. That's if you notice that it's bent. If you don't notice, and it gets bent, you'll never stop the seal from leaking. I had the same problem with a '99 SP500 that I had. Figured the price difference between the tools and the price for the dealer to do it would be little...I let the dealer do it. Good luck!
Dale

 

I had to do mine also & under advisement from the dealer, I removed the engine & gave it to them to fix which is allot cheaper than if they have to remove the engine. Plus just removing the engine was enough work for anyway.
Jim

 

dave,
I have heard the horror stories of water pump seals and bent shafts....
I've also heard of the 400's breaking the shafts into...
I would take it to a reputable dealership.. If you are trying to save money, buy the tools, and start doing them for other people to save money...
I would also suppget that you extend the overflow bottle vent so that you dont get mud/dirt into the system.. Thats how most water pump seals get destroyed...
Use a valve stem out of a wheel (with the core removed) and install it in the overflow bottle cap, attach some nylon tubing to it and route it up high in the frame of the machine....

 

Well I purchased the special tool ($90 CAD) for removal of the pump seal, unfortunately they were out of stock on the installation tool. As it turned out I had a piece of steel pipe just the right size to tap home the new seal.
There is no need to remove the engine; all that needs to be removed is the right side floorboard. Removal of the seal with the "Polaris Special Tool" is straightforward and with very little risk of bending the shaft. However extreme care must be taken when tapping home the new seal, as there is no guide to keep it square. All in all it was a straightforward job.
Doing the job myself was cheaper than having the dealer do it but that’s not my main reason. I figure if the seal failed once it could fail again only this time I will have the parts and the tools to fix it and not have to end my ride prematurely.
I thank you all for your responses and words of wisdom. If I can be of any help to anyone wanting to undertake this task, let me know.

 

Dave,
I'm assuming that antifreeze got in the oil. If this is correct, how do you think is the best way to say, get water out of the oil? I went riding yesterday and completely sunk my bike. The swamp I was riding in looked to be about 1-2 feet everywhere and I wasn't expecting a 6-foot deep hole. Anyway, the bike got water in the oil. I know to remove it, you have to change the oil, but I was wondering if you used something other than fresh motor oil to keep changing it until it came clean. Also, how did it act? I mean, when the seal went out, how did you know something had gone wrong. Just so I know what to look for. I also own a sp500. Thanks in advance.

 

One good thing with my episode was that I did not get water in my oil. As long as the weep hole isn't plugged with mud or some other such article the antifreeze will leak out onto the ground and not get pushed through the oil seal into the engine.
My problem was first noticed when my riding buddies noticed coolant on the ground after I had been stopped in one spot for a while (2 to 3 mins).
As for your problem I would drain all of your oil, and not just from the tank but from all the drain points indicated in your owner’s handbook. If I remember correctly there are 3 drain points. Once all the old oil is out of your system refill with cheap new motor oil and run it for a few mins. Via the dipstick check the oil for whiteness, if the oil looks relatively normal run the engine for a while longer but keep checking the oil condition. As long as the oil is not white all is OK. If the oil is discoloured change it again with cheap new oil. Running your engine at normal operating temp for 10 to 15 min is all it needs.
Drain the oil one final time and fill with your normal oil and all should be A-OK.

 

The same thing happened to my 99 Mag 500. I took it to the dealer and they called Polaris. Even though it was out of warranty by 6 months Polaris gave them the go ahead to fix it at no cost to me. I would ask your dealer to call the company and ask for their approval to fix it. I watched the whole proccess and it took about 45 min. There is no way I would try it without the special puller tool.