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MarkB

MarkB

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Dec 19, 2011
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Location
Redlands, CA
OK, I finally found something to be concerned about. I was investigating my center stand (another story) when I noticed this:

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Decided I better check the level. Notice the plug? Yeah, not good, almost completely rounded off. :rant: I couldn't get anything to bite good enough to loosen it. Maybe a 12 pt socket?

Obviously got a seal of some sort leaking. The plug being rounded off isn't good. I did a quick scan of flea bay and it looks like I can buy an entire final drive for anywhere from $25 to $50.

Suggestions?

Mark
 
How about; does anybody have a better cap from a trashed final drive? I can probably get that rounded off one out and live with the drip (it doesn't leak enough to make a mess on the floor), but I need to be able to check and top off the oil.

Thanks,

Mark
 
You can probably get it off with a pipe wrench and file new flats on there to fit a smaller wrench. Personally I'd go ahead and get another final drive and retire that for parts if I couldn't fix the leak.
 
HOLD ON! Back the horse up!

That oil could be from wrong grease applied to the splines that liquified and run out.
Sure worth a check. Besides the splines should be looked at and greased anyway on a new to you bike.
 
if on the centerstand and the wheel dosnt have any side ti side play in it ....and it not making any noise or clicking while riding ....then its probably not a problem at all ...if it were me id pull the wheel and finaldrive off together from the final drive bolts to the swingarm ...and axcle out ...then check it all out ...drive splines and all....it will be obvious then weather you need a final drive from ebay
 
Thanks for the tips. I figured I would get the plug out via pipe wrench, never thought about filing new flats, though.

Sounds like a plan with checking out the splines. PO told me he had a new tire put on right before trading it off. The tech told him the splines looked good and regreased them. No telling if he used the right grease though.

Alright, I have a plan. Now if I could just get over this cold!

Mark
 
My 82 Standard had a leak soon after I bought it and changed the rear tire.

This is what it will look like. GL5 (80W90) has a distinct nasty odor to it.
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The older and more used it is, the nastier the stank.

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This is what the slpines look like. What ever lube is on it won't likely look/feel/smell like GL5.

image.php


Since I planned on keeping mine and riding it, and I've gone through many rear ends in cars, I decided to tear this one down and go through it. At the time I was willing to spend the money to have a "like new" final drive. I was able to round up all the seals except for one, the pinion seal. Finding the bearings was the greater challenge. 2 months of searching and carrying old parts into town for somebody to match up, resulted in an estimate of $400 for all new bearings and races, except for the pinion bearing and race. So I was left to accept the fact that the pinion bearing/race and pinion seal are simply unavailable at any cost. And I was unwilling to put it back together knowing the pinion bearing and race was in the condition it was.

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I ended up getting another used unit from a local bike shop with a 30 day guarantee.
 
I took the lazy way out, for now.

Since the PO had made mention that his mechanic said the splines looked great, I left it be. I managed to get the plug out via pipe wrench and checked the diff oil. It was dark and nasty looking, so I went to Highland Cycles and asked them if they had a replacement plug. Mostly all they do is Goldwings and fortunately for me, they had a used one they sold me for ten bucks. I grabbed some fresh oil, went home and drained out the old and refilled it. I also put a few pumps of grease in via the Zerk fitting, then took it for a quick spin. Of course, I wiped the mess off of the final drive so I could see if I had a fresh drip, or not. Nothing so far!! It will bear watching, but it seems to be OK.

Mark
 
One thing of note, when I took out the plug to check the level after my ride, the oil looked kind of foamy. Is this normal?

I will still take the rear wheel off at some point; I've been down with a bad head cold and now nursing a sore knee I seem to have aggravated while working on the washing machine Wednesday evening. Don't feel like rassling the wheel off just yet.

Mark
 
I took it out for a ride today. Went out on the freeway and rode a few miles at freeway speeds. Still no sign of a drip anywhere.

Mark
 
Glad to see all ok with yours, now I just have to find out what is up with mine. Thanks guys I got a lot of good ideas and possible solutions for mine. Good job guys.

Ted
 

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