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2012 final drive question

brownie0486

Well-known member
I've had the final drive fluid changed twice in 12K miles BUT

The splines/gears [ not sure of the correct terminology ] at the rear of the drive have not been checked to see if the boot has let water in. I don't ride through streams, it saw several days of heavy rain last year heading to Ak. but that's it. 23K on the odo

Should I have my mechanic break it open and check the gears for rust issues. It's been bugging me since I saw one whose gears were completed rusted but had not caused problems for the owner [ yet ].

Is this something I should have checked while it's in for oil change/plugs/valve adjustments? Or is it, as my mechanic states, something rarely checked on a scheduled basis?

Thanks
 
I've had the final drive fluid changed twice in 12K miles BUT

The splines/gears [ not sure of the correct terminology ] at the rear of the drive have not been checked to see if the boot has let water in. I don't ride through streams, it saw several days of heavy rain last year heading to Ak. but that's it. 23K on the odo

Should I have my mechanic break it open and check the gears for rust issues. It's been bugging me since I saw one whose gears were completed rusted but had not caused problems for the owner [ yet ].

Is this something I should have checked while it's in for oil change/plugs/valve adjustments? Or is it, as my mechanic states, something rarely checked on a scheduled basis?

Thanks

Sure. It only takes a few minutes.
 
You can easily see surface rust by pulling back on the rubber boot with a strong flashlight. Though not 100% always accurate, if you have a lot of surface rust, you can bet that your splines aren't perfect either.

I periodically pull back the boot to check for water intrusion, just make sure you fully seat the rubber boot when you're done taking a peek. As Paul noted, it doesn't take an experienced home or pro mechanic to get in to check (and they may as well lube it up while they are in).
 
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