Water pump question?

On a recent trip I noticed the bike was using oil, no sign of smoke or leaking anywhere, just oil going on the missing list, on my return I emptied out the reserve coolant tank and its contents where about 10% oil.

Now me being me, I go directly to the head gaskets I'd recently replaced, figured I had buggered the job up somehow, (though I was real careful with it,) but it had never done this before the head job. I strip off the heads again and am now awaiting parts.

Today I read that this could be a water pump issue and not heads at all, does anyone know of this?

And if this is the case, is it more likely to be the pump O rings to blame, than the pump itself?

Thanks.

the rebuilders of the water pump will post

Make sure the weep oil on bottom of front trans cover is not stopped up and is there evidence of oil from the weep hole ? Pull the lower radiator hose goose neck and see if you can wiggle the water pump impeller in any direction. If you have any play in the impeller, you have a problem. O-ring leakage should have dumped out the weep hole. There's a diagnostic diagram of the pump in the gallery, I'll see if I can find it.


Found it: gallery/album.php?album_id=2013

Have you drained the coolant? Any oil present? What does the inside of the radiator look like?

If your coolant looked like this...


You have a head gasket leaking.....at least, that's what caused my oily coolant. :crying:
You can click on the image, and see where I found the leak to be from the head gasket that got oil into the coolant, but no coolant in the oil.