Final drive leak with beautiful pictures!

So of course I am not too too happy now... nearest Dealer being Las Vegas, 300 miles away, probably 2 weeks behind... and... all this just looks expensive!
96 R1100GS 186 original K's... This is a new one on me... any verdicts? looks familiar... all help will be appreciated!!!... and thanked profusely...









The oil is Red Line Heavy... in case you are wondering!

Be well... in Escalante... Utah!

Ara & Spirit

drain your fluid, make sure it wasn't a failure that caused the seal to leak, then replace the seal. i did mine on the side of the street in brooklyn a few weeks ago. it's pretty easy and doesn't require too much effort.

i drilled a drywall screw into mine, yanked it out with a pair of pliers.

186K, huh?. No need for complaints there!

BubbaZanetti said:

drain your fluid, make sure it wasn't a failure that caused the seal to leak, then replace the seal. i did mine on the side of the street in brooklyn a few weeks ago. it's pretty easy and doesn't require too much effort.

i drilled a drywall screw into mine, yanked it out with a pair of pliers.

Click to expand...

And that is it?... yank it out and put the other one in?... Can Life be that simple and good?... What would you mean by a failure causing it to leak? Like a one time thing?... You know, we are at 1300lbs!... when fully loaded with camping gear!
Anything else I should know?... I am not the greatest mechanic but I thank you for the great news!!!...
Be well... Ara & Spirit

Beemerchef said:

And that is it?... yank it out and put the other one in?... Can Life be that simple and good?... What would you mean by a failure causing it to leak? Like a one time thing?... You know, we are at 1300lbs!... when fully loaded with camping gear!
Anything else I should know?... I am not the greatest mechanic but I thank you for the great news!!!...
Be well... Ara & Spirit

Click to expand...

Drain the fluid from the final drive. If it's a bearing failure the fluid will be full of metal particles. If it's just a seal leaking, there will be no metal particles. Do some searching on here and you will find tons of info, along with some ugly pics.

2BikeMike said:

186K, huh?. No need for complaints there!

Click to expand...

I have never and will never complain about "Old Faitful"... actually I never complain about anything...

Be well... Ara & Spirit

Beemerchef said:

And that is it?... yank it out and put the other one in?... Can Life be that simple and good?... What would you mean by a failure causing it to leak? Like a one time thing?... You know, we are at 1300lbs!... when fully loaded with camping gear!
Anything else I should know?... I am not the greatest mechanic but I thank you for the great news!!!...
Be well... Ara & Spirit

Click to expand...

yes, really, that easy. the seal is large and a bit of a bear to get out, but that really is all you have to do. what i meant by internal failure causing the leak was something like part of the main bearing race splintering off and cutting the seal. if this isn't the case (and you can tell based on contaminates in the oil) then all you have to do is swap the seal. make sure to preform the lip of the seal before inserting it.

Parts http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/fiche.asp

Seal size looks to be 85x110x10

BubbaZanetti said:

yes, really, that easy. the seal is large and a bit of a bear to get out, but that really is all you have to do. what i meant by internal failure causing the leak was something like part of the main bearing race splintering off and cutting the seal. if this isn't the case (and you can tell based on contaminates in the oil) then all you have to do is swap the seal. make sure to preform the lip of the seal before inserting it.

Click to expand...

As well, be sure to inspect the surface the seal lip rides on to be sure it is not grooved too badly. Also there should be no play in the wheel in any direction (indicating bearing failure)

GSAddict said:

As well, be sure to inspect the surface the seal lip rides on to be sure it is not grooved too badly. Also there should be no play in the wheel in any direction (indicating bearing failure)

Click to expand...

You mean in gear? There is always a bit of play... not much, but even the new ones have it. I think.

The oil is clean in the beautiful pan lined with nice red Utah sand (E Bay?) ... the magnetic plug had only an... air bubble... I figured I put it back together, I have plenty of oil... and just go to town, maybe all together a 5 mile round trip... (are you getting nervous? ). I did expect it to leak... but we came back without a drop yet! Dealers are closed on monday... no overnight here for sure... so, I am not going to stay still for another 3 days!... no more than 5 miles however and will keep an eye on it with Spirit... he is being trained to smell Red Line heavy now! Checked out the "Desert Doc", only Motorcycle shop within 200 miles. He was finishing an oil change on an RT and also a new rear tire! I will let him change my tire also and has offered to help me with the seal as he has a seal puller tool (what is that???).

All is well... next... the fixin soon! Thank you... Ara & Spirit

Might see some of you in Paionia...







... air bubble above, in case you are wondering!

Beemerchef said:

You mean in gear? There is always a bit of play... not much, but even the new ones have it. I think.

Click to expand...

Should be no play up/down & right/left rocking - big bearing is slightly preloaded. Hopefully all that is wrong is the seal. Good luck.

Good to hear that there was no metal bits in it Ara! I think there is money to be made if you train Spirit to sniff out final drive leaks.

Yes, soon every bike will have a sidecar with a dog trained to smell trouble... Spirit of course will be the CEO... snifftrouble.com

No play as you describe it... it is all good! Just a few days of patience... catch up on my reading, check out the town mainly as there are a few Art Galleries... and Restaurants... a job maybe?... try again! couple days a week...

Be well and thanks again for the support.

Ara & Spirit

I just replaced my big seal. It ended up being pushed in about 1/16" farther than the old one was. Am I in trouble? I have 250 miles on the new seal and no leaks.
The bike has 173,000 miles on it at this time. All else looks good.
Roy

roybarnes said:

I just replaced my big seal. It ended up being pushed in about 1/16" farther than the old one was. Am I in trouble? I have 250 miles on the new seal and no leaks.
The bike has 173,000 miles on it at this time. All else looks good.
Roy

Click to expand...

Probably not. Most often the new seal will benifit by working a fresh area of the shaft/hub if it is pressed in a touch further. As long as the seal does not rub anything unintended.

johnpeter said:

Probably not. Most often the new seal will benifit by working a fresh area of the shaft/hub if it is pressed in a touch further. As long as the seal does not rub anything unintended.

Click to expand...

I would agree If I remember correctly there should be enough clearance left. 1/16 is not a lot.

BubbaZanetti said:

drain your fluid, make sure it wasn't a failure that caused the seal to leak, then replace the seal. i did mine on the side of the street in brooklyn a few weeks ago. it's pretty easy and doesn't require too much effort.

i drilled a drywall screw into mine, yanked it out with a pair of pliers.

Click to expand...

Well, that was the easiest thing I have ever repaired!!! Just like you said... embarrassing if anyone would have come out of their way to do it!!!
All done... good to go...
Thanks for all your help... once again!

Be well... Ara & Spirit