internal water seal failure

[pskjerven]

While my kart was sitting in my garage for approximately a month and a half (in Aug and September), I had an internal water seal fail. When I ran it for the first time after sitting, I noticed water dripping out of a little hole in the back above (or below, I can't remember) the exhaust port. My engine builder told me that these seals do go bad and there is nothing really to do about it other than to replace the seals when it happens. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Do I need to be worreid about this happening often, and is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening again?

[Garry Lobaugh]

Which engine type?

[pskjerven]

Micro max

[Andy Seesemann]

Paul,

You cannot leave the water sit in the motor and radiator for weeks on end without circulating it.

Water is very corrosive.

At FTK, we drain the radiators if the motors are going to sit for more than a week or two.

A

[pskjerven]

But Andy, if I were to drain the water and let the engine sit for a month or two, wouldn't the seal dry out and crack - thus ending in failure again?

Thanks -

[Andy Seesemann]

Nope.

The seal doesn't dry out.

The water corrodes the tiny hose spring that compresses around the water pump shaft. When the spring breaks, it allow water to seep along the shaft and in between the seals and out the weep hole.

A

[Frank833]

I have had this problem with the engine sitting - no water.

Last time I needed our spare motor, we put it on fired it up and it was seriously leaking. It had been sitting for about 2 months since it had been in the shop for a top-end. At that time the bottom end was not touched so I know the shop didn't do anything wrong.

I suspect the seal had 'stuck' to the shaft and when I fired it up it tore the seal. It was leaking way to fast to be something short of a torn seal.

So, I think either way (water or no water), this is a possible issue when the motor sits. Perhaps one of the anti-freeze products on the market could address both situations (seal drying out and tension spring rusting). We personally use Engine-Ice (one of the track and enviro safe anti-freeze products) during the winter months as we see outside temps in the teens and race all year round.

Might be worth letting an old seal soak in Engine-Ice for a month or two and see what happens to it.