Would anyone know from experience whether the delivery filler/lip of the water pump cover can be unscrewed (and replaced)? The 998 official parts manual suggests not (probably for sales purposes I am thinking here), but as the delivery filler/lip is available as a standalone part on the generator cover on two other instances (see item 16 in the parts manual) I am led to believe that probably it can also and item 16 would suit it equally as well. On the earlier bikes (916/996), I recall seeing that the water pump's delivery filler (then galvanised) was listed separately. The outer part of all three factory-fitted delivery fillers/lips was found heavily corroded once the radiator hoses were removed. The costs for getting a new lip (less than a tenner each) are a fraction of the cost of a new water pump cover (130).
Yes, its removable but its very difficult. What I had to do was drill a hole through the part and use a long (12") screwdriver. I ended up replacing all 3 of those hose connector parts. With the new parts, I used a flat file I had that was just a bit wider than the notches so I widened them a bit and used to flat file to tighten.
I'm in that exact same (tough) spot myself at present and wondering how much force I should use to get them removed without them cracking (as all three are corroded). Nice tip with the drilling which may come in handy, as there is not much room nor conditions for other alternatives (i.e. heat gun) particularly in the generator cover area.
yup drilling a hole then using a long rod gave me enough leverage to unscrew those pieces. Note that they are very hard to remove. I had to use a 12" screwdriver I had laying around and even with that, I was practically lifting the bike when I tried to unscrew it. Good luck. BTW, put a piece of wood on the other side of the hose connectors to prevent the drill bit from damaging the engine cases (ask me how I know!)
Oh dear! Thanks again for all tips, I'll have a go and see how it goes. I just can't leave them on now that I've seen the state of them.
I got one off but it wasn't easy I bolted the cover to a length of wood for leverage and clamped the spigot in a vice with a socket to fill the void for support. Then lots of heat and plus gas and wiggled it back and forward until the corrosion broke enough to unscrew it . Do take care as spigot can shear off easily
