6yrs of Rev3 Waterpump Corrosion

[TRIALTECH]

Hi all. I am curious how many people Australia wide have purchased a new Beta Rev3 only to have the waterpump housing corrode. Its been an ongoing issue since the first magnesium case appeared on the 2003 model and unfortunately the manufacturer failed to address the issue during the life of the vehicle. I personally have had it happen to two of my own bikes and have repaired numerous Rev3s with this problem. Have all Rev3 owners Oz wide been affected or are there differences within the states?

My questions:

1. What model Rev3 did you purchase?
2. How long before the problem surfaced and what were the symptoms? (it varies sometimes from a simple external coolant leak to the extreme dumping of coolant into the gearbox oil which damages the bearings etc)
3. What did you do to rectify the issue?
4. Did it happen more than once?
5. What costs were incured to repair it?

I'll be creating a workshop article on this issue soon so any external feedback is appreciated.

Regards

Denis Lovett
TRIALTECH
Brisbane's Moto-Trials Bike Maintenance and Repair Expert
0437 213 550

[David Lahey]

2003 Rev3 200 - problem has not surfaced

[PA]

I know of two that required attention in South Australia. One required new bearings, the other did not. This is most likely due to being picked up quickly.

The factory went to an Aluminum casing to solve this problem. I can't remember which year but it was some years ago. The new part number is 12.62664.0.67 for $160 from your friendly local Beta dealer.

[grouch]

Rev 3 250, corrosion of waterpump housing around impeller - Repaired with epoxy.

I have seen it on bikes from 2003 to 2008 models even on bikes a couple of months old - dunno about the EVO models but would expect the same.

PA, with respect, why should the customer pay $160 to replace what is obviously a faulty part??? Good for the dealers i suppose but this sort of thing is that is driving people away from the Beta brand.
I would almost guarantee the Beta dealers know more about this than they let on (and if they dont know - they should). As far as I am concerned the 'friendly local Beta dealers' should make some noises to Beta and get the parts free of charge as Beta has known about the problem for years and done nothing about it.

Sorry about the rant but Beta should have nipped this in the bud years ago.

[PA]

As I said Beta changed to Aluminum some years ago. The Coolant should be changed every season along with all the Hydraulic fluids. Using Epoxy for a repair seems to work very well.

[cedric van heerden]

What % are you runninng the water to coolant ?

cause it is recommended that you run 50 to 50

the coolants that you get in the premixed bottles are only at 30% coolant and 70% water

which you will run into problems down the line


Frank van Heerden

VIVA MONTESA

[Stork955]

It there a chance that coolant used is also incorrect - remember the early Commodores etc that had a special type of coolant for their particular aluminium radiators (low silica content or some such thing...). Obviously its important to change regularly but also the type may have some bearing on the ongoing problem.
Just a thought.

Cheers,

Stork

[TRIALTECH]

ok, we are getting somewhere here.

PA - bikes that have come through the workshop in the last few years (up to 08 models) have not had aluminium cases. Even if a new casing is secured, water pump shaft bearings, gear shaft bearing, kick start shaft bush, seals, gasket, etc must be transferred from one casing to another at the risk of getting damaged in the process. Then there is coolant, gear oil, and the min 4hrs labour for the repair – the total repair cost is more realistically around $500+.

Stork/Cedric – in my opinion the problem is caused by a number of contributing factors, primarily the OEM Bardhal coolant that the manufacturer endorses (if thats what is used?). I suspect its corrosion prevention capabilities do not suit cooling systems where magnesium is present (Rev3 03-08). I am not 100% sure if electrolysis is a contributing factor here but what I do know is the cavitation effect from the water pump impellor works to lift the protective coating on the casing near the impeller thereby exposing the magnesium to the coolant and the casing then starts to disintegrate. The magnesium is also exposed to coolant on the inner surface near where an o-ring seats and from the below photos one can see this is clearly a weak point and also possibly where the reaction starts. As a result of my testing, casing failure can be avoided by ensuring a compatible coolant (Motul Motocool Factoryline Organic) is installed from day one of the vehicle’s life. This is the only coolant that has shown positive test results – it does not attack the magnesium in the event the protective coating lifts.

Grouch - why the Rev3 was sold for so many years without this pre-delivery task performed is outside the scope of my posting but the question begs to be answered. However, in defence of the magnesium casing, it does have a weight advantage (I haven't weighed the two casing types but one can feel the magnesium case may be somewhere around 80-100 grams lighter) and potentially this may have been one of the reasons for its continued use.

What I am hoping to understand is the extent of the issue and hearing from those who have had no problems is also important. David has already indicated that his bike has no issue, however, the 200cc 03 rev3 had a casing as used on the 00-02 models and was not problematic (it was probably aluminium). There is some limited evidence before me to suggest the OEM coolant is fine providing the protective coating does not lift but the weak point discussed earlier may make this argument flawed. To ensure the protective coating has not lift would require an owner to be visually checking the casing every few weeks which is an unrealistic expectation.

Repairing the case is indeed an optional remedy, but to perform this requires some technical aptitude, tools and repair products and it is quite distressing for an owner to have to perform such a task (if capable) to a bike that is in many cases is only a few months old. Again, one needs to factor in the costs to perform such a repair.

Below are some photos of just some of the cases I have seen.

[Tee-Why]

The factory went to an Aluminum casing to solve this problem. I can't remember which year but it was some years ago. The new part number is 12.62664.0.67 for $160 from your friendly local Beta dealer.

The above is the solution, replace with 2002 aluminum cover, paid $150 for one recently, cheaper than the mag/alloy one. Replaced 2x covers on my 03 model, epoxy method the problem resurfaced still.

On TC this have been a popular topic and content. The problem has been addressed by Beta for the current model and uses aluminum casing. Mag/alloy ones are still avail as factory parts.

The 200 is a different casing, one hose, not 2x hose type. Yes aluminum.

CAUSE - magnesium is sacrificial to aluminum, as in sacrificial anode due to electrolysis. The fault with the casings is the power coating is too thin, and only affects some owners bikes, not all probably due to the powder coating thickness. I tried the recommended synthetic coolants and brands to no avail.

The aluminum casing has a hole in the back revealing a coolant passage that is blocked at the base gasket. You can choose to ignore this as a dead path, I plugged mine with a rubber stopper and has been ok.

"PA - bikes that have come through the workshop in the last few years (up to 08 models) have not had aluminium cases. Even if a new casing is secured, water pump shaft bearings, gear shaft bearing, kick start shaft bush, seals, gasket, etc must be transferred from one casing to another at the risk of getting damaged in the process. Then there is coolant, gear oil, and the min 4hrs labour for the repair – the total repair cost is more realistically around $500+."

-This quote above is basically BS!! Casing comes with all bushings, bearings, except water pump ones. New bearing shop ones cost me $5 each, new seal $10. New gasket $40. Casing $150. Coolant, some lying around in shed to top up cheap premixed everyday green stuff - cost minimal. Time approx 1hr being fussy. Dont even need to drop oil, just lay bike over flat to work on. Total cost $210 +/- $20. Cost of weight penalty - negligible. Security factor that it will never happen again - priceless!

"Repairing the case is indeed an optional remedy, but to perform this requires some technical aptitude, tools and repair products and it is quite distressing for an owner to have to perform such a task (if capable) to a bike that is in many cases is only a few months old. Again, one needs to factor in the costs to perform such a repair."

- Dont agree, not that hard for anyone that maintains and rides any dirt bike.

[TRIALTECH]

Subanator, did you purchase your 2003 model new?