Well…this can't be good.
When owner Jeff dropped off Project 31, a 1986 VFR700 F2, he mentioned that there might be a cooling issue. As part of my initial maintenance, I flush the system, and in this case the coolant was chocolate brown in color. The thermostat was replaced and upon restart there was still marginal coolant flow, which indicated a peek at the water pump — this is what I found upon removing the cover.
Don't think a coolant change should be a part of your maintenance schedule? This is what you risk. Those steel impeller blades were literally rotted away after years of sitting in corrosive coolant. The level of coolant is obvious and if you turned those blades 180-degrees, the blades are missing at that level. The remaining blades were barely hanging on.
So, what to do? The pump is long gone from Honda's parts shelves, but it turns out there's a water pump savior in Arizona, Tom, who operates azv65.com. He rebuilds V4 water pumps and provides miscellaneous seals etc. for those models, and, fortunately, the Interceptor pumps are so similar that he's also able to help out us VFR guys. Tom is a great guy, and he soon had a fresh pump at my doorstep. When I opened the package I was impressed, to say the least. I doubt that the original Honda part looked this good. Mine you, these metal parts are used originals which Tom has restored to new condition, then alodined to this beautiful, durable finish. It's ready for paint or can be installed as is.
When owner Jeff dropped off Project 31, a 1986 VFR700 F2, he mentioned that there might be a cooling issue. As part of my initial maintenance, I flush the system, and in this case the coolant was chocolate brown in color. The thermostat was replaced and upon restart there was still marginal coolant flow, which indicated a peek at the water pump — this is what I found upon removing the cover.
Don't think a coolant change should be a part of your maintenance schedule? This is what you risk. Those steel impeller blades were literally rotted away after years of sitting in corrosive coolant. The level of coolant is obvious and if you turned those blades 180-degrees, the blades are missing at that level. The remaining blades were barely hanging on.
So, what to do? The pump is long gone from Honda's parts shelves, but it turns out there's a water pump savior in Arizona, Tom, who operates azv65.com. He rebuilds V4 water pumps and provides miscellaneous seals etc. for those models, and, fortunately, the Interceptor pumps are so similar that he's also able to help out us VFR guys. Tom is a great guy, and he soon had a fresh pump at my doorstep. When I opened the package I was impressed, to say the least. I doubt that the original Honda part looked this good. Mine you, these metal parts are used originals which Tom has restored to new condition, then alodined to this beautiful, durable finish. It's ready for paint or can be installed as is.
And, here we are during installation. I left the housing in the alodine finish but painted the cover black to match the engine.
Removal and installation on the 2d-gen Interceptor is very simple. Once the four cover bolts, cover and rear coolant hose (the blue hose pictured here) are removed, the entire pump simply pulls outward. The new pump is slid back into place (while engaging the driveshaft notch) and the four cover bolts secure it in place.
Thanks to Tom, this VFR will keep its cool for many years to come.
Removal and installation on the 2d-gen Interceptor is very simple. Once the four cover bolts, cover and rear coolant hose (the blue hose pictured here) are removed, the entire pump simply pulls outward. The new pump is slid back into place (while engaging the driveshaft notch) and the four cover bolts secure it in place.
Thanks to Tom, this VFR will keep its cool for many years to come.
HEY!! Tom is considering selling his part-time pump business to someone who will continue this important service. He's invested many, many hours of skill and experimentation to perfect this process. For a nominal investment he's willing to provide his knowledge, inventory and equipment. Contact Tom via his website.
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