Tri Z guys...impeller question

[Darius1502]

For Tim Sr., Dyno Fox and others...

is there anything missing from my impeller and shaft? It looks like the shaft melted the area around the impeller causing it to slip.

Do I need any other parts besides a new impeller assembly?

I assume the right side case will have to come off to put the new assembly in?

Thanks so much for all the help!!

Darius

[davham]

Your right, you do need a new impeller assembly and put in a new seal while your at it.

Dave

[whiteman350x]

Dave is right, be sure you put a new seal in also. Yes, the clutch cover will have to come off.

Whiteman

[TimSr]

They dont actually melt, though it looks like it. The Platsic part is supposed to be adhered to the metal shaft, but as youve found out, they eventually come off.
The Clip and pin, SSJ3 was talking about in the other post are on the inside of the side cover, and they connect to the shaft holding it in. They have nothing to do with the plastic part coming off. The sidecover must be removed to replace the impeller shaft in order to remove the pin and clip to get the shaft out. You may want to replace the seal when you do it, as well.
At this time, nobody makes an aftermarket impeller for the Z. They sell one piece aluminum ones for Banshees, but they are inverted and will not work on the Z. Many have tried home-brew repairs of impellers, with varying degrees of success, myself included, but nothing Im confident to suggest.
One other note on thermostats. I have never, ever seen one get stuck or fail in the closed position. They always stick wide open. I took mine out several years ago, and havent run a thermostat since. If you open the radiator cap, let it warm up, and dont see any flow, its almost certainly the impeller.
I was wondering if anybody sells clear radiator hose? I always thought it would have been a wise choice for the Z, as you could see failure of flow very easily.

There is a small clip that goes on the end of the clutch cable to hook it to the engine case at the little fork.

[catfishwhisker]

tjpartsxpress.com have the impeller's for $21.99. They also have the shaft, seal and gasket too.

[J.D.]

That's normal impeller 'blowup' as I call it Darius. I've blown 2. Just the actuall impeller blade piece comes off the shaft, in which case you will have to replace it of course. These guys are right too replace your seal. It's gonna run you 40 bucks for the repair(did me anyways), but if you have to get another clutch cover gasket add another 15 bucks. Be careful with that right sidecover too, they're some kind of cheap-ass metal and break fairly easy. Good luck dude! (btw I also took my thermostat up and had no problems, just toss the junker)

[Tri-Z Pilot]

Yeah, if you are going to be running wide open most of the time, just scrap the thermostat.

[Darius1502]

To scrap the thermostat do you just find a fitting with 3 holes for the hoses (like a 'T' fitting) or do you do something else.

What does the thermostat do anyway?

Are there any disadvantages to removing the thermostat?

Thanks guys!

Darius

[Tri-Z Pilot]

You can do that, or you could just open up the thermostat housing and pull the thermostat out.

[TimSr]

I just took mine out of the housing. The purpose of the thermostat is to restrict coolant flow, while the motor is cold, allowing it to warm up faster, and then its supposed to gradually open, as the coolant gets hotter. I think the Z is about the only one that uses a thermostat. The only disadvantage I have found is in very cold winter riding (20 degrees and below) it has difficulty reaching operating temperature, and runs very rich, especially when open field cruising, not such much during stop and go woods riding. Of course a little cardboard in front of one of the radiators solves that problem.

[badtriz]

i redid all of my radiator hoses with clear ones and just put a brass tee fitting where the thermostat housing goes. cleans it up very nice too, you can see them herehttp://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=11559

[TimSr]

Now that I like! Id just replace one to use for a "sight glass". Where did you get these hoses, and are they designed for automotive use?

[badtriz]

i got it at lowes, its just regular hi pressure hose with braiding inside of it

[Jeb]

badtri-z, You know where you put that L nipple in, right above the front of the water pump? You could get a spring from the hardware or automotive store to put inside those hoses (make sure the spring just fits in the hose) and then they won't kink and you might be able to eliminate that fitting.

Your engine looks great. I like those clear hoses. I know they are high pressure. I guess they are high heat also?

It would really look trick with that orange coolant, but I don't know if you can run that stuff in a Z.

[TimSr]

I know they are high pressure. I guess they are high heat also?


Thats what I was wondering. Also some plastics get eaten up by certain chemicals, and I wondered about that too. How long have you been running these, badtriz? Any problems so far? Theyll probably outlast an impeller, anyways! Id probably just replace one, instead of all of them though for my purposes. Which one best shows coolant flow? My guess would be one of the ones between the thermostat and the radiator.

[badtriz]

i guess its high heat, i havent had any probs with it, you can see it flow the best everywhere because its all going at once, but you cant see it under the cover so whats the point of just putting it there? yea thanks jeb i have heard that you could put a spring in there but only after i had put those elbows in there, i might change it later, but i dont feel like changing them right now. the only thing i dont like is that when you first put the radiator fluid in there its bright green, and then when it runs through, it changes in to this un-bright green color. oh well