Help! Loud high-pitched squeal! *Pics*
#1
10-01-2011, 10:22 PM
Help! Loud high-pitched squeal! *Pics*
2001 F4i, 22k miles, manual CCT
My F4i is making a loud, enough to be embarrassing loud, high-pitched squeal noise. The noise only appears once the bike reaches 186°F and must be at idle RPM (about 1k). If I give it some gas the sound vanishes until the RPMs fall back to idle and if the bike is still warming up the sound won't appear. The sound is coming mostly from the left side and is loudest beside the water pump. I originally thought it might be a clutch bearing (the throw bearing from what I hear) but is consistent regardless of the gear or clutch position.
I got to wondering if the engine has to warm up before the water pump kicks on, like the thermostat in most cars, and it made sense that the water pump might be bad. I removed the water pump and after taking it apart it seems okay, the impeller turns with some effort and has no rough spots or faults that I can see. I can't think of anything else it would be, any tips are super greatly appreciated. Does the water pump kick in at a certain temp, or since it's mechanical is it just always on, what else could be causing this?
I want to ride my baby!
There was also some oil in the coolant but I think it may be because I removed the water pump and some came out from behind. *Pics below*
Background if it could help:
My bike was stolen and missing for 3 months, when I got it back it was missing an air filter/box and spark plugs + plastics. After reassembly and hotwiring the ignition it worked good but I didn't ride it besides a few laps around a parking lot. It never made this noise before it was stolen and didn't for the first week I got it running again.
My F4i is making a loud, enough to be embarrassing loud, high-pitched squeal noise. The noise only appears once the bike reaches 186°F and must be at idle RPM (about 1k). If I give it some gas the sound vanishes until the RPMs fall back to idle and if the bike is still warming up the sound won't appear. The sound is coming mostly from the left side and is loudest beside the water pump. I originally thought it might be a clutch bearing (the throw bearing from what I hear) but is consistent regardless of the gear or clutch position.
I got to wondering if the engine has to warm up before the water pump kicks on, like the thermostat in most cars, and it made sense that the water pump might be bad. I removed the water pump and after taking it apart it seems okay, the impeller turns with some effort and has no rough spots or faults that I can see. I can't think of anything else it would be, any tips are super greatly appreciated. Does the water pump kick in at a certain temp, or since it's mechanical is it just always on, what else could be causing this?
I want to ride my baby!
There was also some oil in the coolant but I think it may be because I removed the water pump and some came out from behind. *Pics below*
Background if it could help:
My bike was stolen and missing for 3 months, when I got it back it was missing an air filter/box and spark plugs + plastics. After reassembly and hotwiring the ignition it worked good but I didn't ride it besides a few laps around a parking lot. It never made this noise before it was stolen and didn't for the first week I got it running again.
#2
10-02-2011, 03:30 PM
Senior Member & tensioner mod inventor ROTM WINNER FEB 2013
Firstly I'd like to commiserate with you on having your bike stolen. Thieves are Kunts. Period.
Now, to get to what might have happened in the missing three months may take more ammo than we've got here in a rational sense. You need to change the oil and the coolant first. Who knows what crap they've thrown in your system.
I would even go as far as dropping the sump off to be absolutely sure there's no sand in it or something equally unhealthy.
If you suspect the water pump, which is not a bad guess for starters, change it if you suspect a bearing failure.
The water pump will run immediately. It's mechanically driven. The thermostat controls the temperature in the engine by letting the coolant flow through the radiator when temperatures rise and shutting off the flow when the engine is cool.
Good luck. I hope those bastards haven't been too hard on her.
Now, to get to what might have happened in the missing three months may take more ammo than we've got here in a rational sense. You need to change the oil and the coolant first. Who knows what crap they've thrown in your system.
I would even go as far as dropping the sump off to be absolutely sure there's no sand in it or something equally unhealthy.
If you suspect the water pump, which is not a bad guess for starters, change it if you suspect a bearing failure.
The water pump will run immediately. It's mechanically driven. The thermostat controls the temperature in the engine by letting the coolant flow through the radiator when temperatures rise and shutting off the flow when the engine is cool.
Good luck. I hope those bastards haven't been too hard on her.
#3
10-02-2011, 04:36 PM
henry is right, its driven off the oil pump - which is driven off of the main shaft. what does the water pump shaft that has the slot in it look like? whats the o-ring seal look like?
did you notice if the bike had been down at all when you got it back?
flush all the fluids. get cheap oil, just to run a lil while to make sure nothing is wrong.
as far as the whine - does it happen in neutral, does it happen when riding, does it happen when in nuetral and you're walking the bike?
did you notice if the bike had been down at all when you got it back?
flush all the fluids. get cheap oil, just to run a lil while to make sure nothing is wrong.
as far as the whine - does it happen in neutral, does it happen when riding, does it happen when in nuetral and you're walking the bike?
#4
10-02-2011, 05:31 PM
When I got it back the mirrors were snapped off, and wires were everywhere, the rear tire was bald from burnouts, and it was covered in mud. But ebay and China helped fix most of that. I changed the oil with Rotella T6 when I got it back but not the coolant. I came across one person with almost identical issues as mine and his turned out to be the water pump so today I ordered one for $20 on ebay, not bad! 
The dealership wanted $160. The bike was not laying down at the impound, but it was found in someones front yard and probably was on its side there idk for how long. I'll check the slot and O-ring tonight or Monday and see if I notice anything. Thanks for the tips! And the squeal happens regardless of any movement, gear, or clutch position so long as it's at idling RPMs.
The dealership wanted $160. The bike was not laying down at the impound, but it was found in someones front yard and probably was on its side there idk for how long. I'll check the slot and O-ring tonight or Monday and see if I notice anything. Thanks for the tips! And the squeal happens regardless of any movement, gear, or clutch position so long as it's at idling RPMs.
Last edited by jacksla3; 10-02-2011 at 05:32 PM. Reason: Add
#5
10-02-2011, 06:39 PM
ya, you might as well just throw a new water pump in there for that price. it eliminates one thing at least. make sure you change the o-ring too
what did the oil look like when you drained it to put the rotella in? i'm just goin by the pics, but the one with the coolant in the pan (which i assume you took when pulling out the water pump) seemed to have a lot of oil in it as well (not just a little). was the pan clean before you started pulling?
what did the oil look like when you drained it to put the rotella in? i'm just goin by the pics, but the one with the coolant in the pan (which i assume you took when pulling out the water pump) seemed to have a lot of oil in it as well (not just a little). was the pan clean before you started pulling?
#6
10-03-2011, 09:12 AM
The oil was pretty black when I drained it, no sludge or anything it was just black. It needed an oil change before it got stolen and they burned out with it. I probably should have drained the oil before pulling the water pump off but I didn't know to. Now that you mention it the oil floating on the coolant is darker than the oil that's currently in it. The oil in it now is still new and clearish.
#7
10-04-2011, 12:15 PM
Does the engine oil help lubricate the bearings in the back of the water pump? I noticed openings that lead down into that area. And the O-ring that I should replace, is that the ring that seals the water pump to it's cover, or is there an O-ring that seals the back of the water pump to the engine/oil pan?
#8
10-09-2011, 10:39 AM
Senior Member & tensioner mod inventor ROTM WINNER FEB 2013
Jack,
you will probably need to replace both the o Rings. have you downloaded a manual? If you haven't go to the manuals section on the forum and get one. The Honda manual is very helpful.
However, there are some things that are not clear in the documentation and your query is one of them. I've just looked at mine and it doesn't really give any information about how oil is fed to the bearings in the water pump. It is however exposed to the engine oil so I would assume that oil is able to lubricate this bearing.
you will probably need to replace both the o Rings. have you downloaded a manual? If you haven't go to the manuals section on the forum and get one. The Honda manual is very helpful.
However, there are some things that are not clear in the documentation and your query is one of them. I've just looked at mine and it doesn't really give any information about how oil is fed to the bearings in the water pump. It is however exposed to the engine oil so I would assume that oil is able to lubricate this bearing.
#9
07-28-2021, 01:10 AM
#10
07-28-2021, 10:52 AM
Welcome crew
Hi JohnDoe420,
Please take a moment to pop over to the welcome page and introduce yourself to the forum.
Where are you from, how long have you been on two wheels, what bikes do you have etc.
We also love pictures.
As it happens I have not come across anything like your noise issue, but some of the others might have.
It might also be wise to start a new thread rather than tack onto a very old one (I do understand why but on a new thread your issue will be the first thing the other members see!)
Cheers
Al
Please take a moment to pop over to the welcome page and introduce yourself to the forum.
Where are you from, how long have you been on two wheels, what bikes do you have etc.
We also love pictures.
As it happens I have not come across anything like your noise issue, but some of the others might have.
It might also be wise to start a new thread rather than tack onto a very old one (I do understand why but on a new thread your issue will be the first thing the other members see!)
Cheers
Al
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