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Which Final Drive Seal(s) are bad?

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Tictac 
#1 ·
My rear rim has oil splattering and it's not from too much oil or grease. Here is the evidence:



The above picture shows oil coming from the center of the wheel. The below picture shows ONLY puddled oil inside the splined shaft that fits into the wheel. The outer areas are clean.



I wondered if this was caused by the seal that is visible in the second photo. Could anyone tell me which O-rings or seals might cause this? Thank you in advance.
 
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#4 ·
I don't believe the problem is over-oiling or over-greasing because nothing in the rear end has been lubed in at least 4,000 miles. I realize there is a small seal near the bearing, a larger seal near the ring gear and a big o-ring. I suspect the o-ring is OK because the oil is not leaking out of the square hole at the bottom of the housing. Just wondering if it's the small seal or large seal. Because I'm in Canada, shipping is outrageous, so I don't want to order both seals. Thanks for your suggestions.
 
#5 ·
Tictac,
I agree with Michiganteddybear.
This past summer I had the same issue start with my bike. It looked exactly like your pics. After longer rides, I started noticing black/grey drippings on my rear wheel rim while parked. It was very thick and not really wet at all. I was very troubled for a time. I was sure, as you seem, that some seal inside had worn out, causing the gear oil to leak.:mad:

When it recently came time for a new rear tire, I cleaned the wheel, splines, pumkin/hub, etc. very good. I had a new tire installed on the wheel, and when I was putting it all back together, I painted moly 60 on all the proper places. I say "painted", to describe a thin coating placed with a small brush (picture painting size), not globs placed with a spoon or ice cream stick type of tool. This was the manner described on the moly 60 package.

I think even if there wasn't too much grease on the wheel splines before, that it broke down over time and became thin enough to sling off when things heated up.

Since my new tire has been on, there have been no more drops of dark mystery sludge on my rim, even after longer rides.:)

By the way, while doing this I did check & lube the driveshaft splines & universal joint. They were DRY, but not yet worn. There was a dark powder left, but NO grease. I think I got it just in time.:rockon:

Best of luck!:motorcycl
 
#6 ·
Thank you all for your advice. I cleaned up everything and put it all back together without changing any o-rings or seals. I also greased as Sculpinyakker suggested. So far it has remained clean. I'm now preparing to store the bike, so I'll keep an eye on it next spring. Thank you for all the input. This site has been a great help to me.
 
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