Final drive leak

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Mike Brown
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First check to make sure that it is not over filled as this will cause oil to be flung all over the wheel.
 
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Post a picture of the leak your referring to. If its around the filler plug, its probably just the O-ring gets smashed flat and allows the cap to sit metal on metal, thus seeping out. Order a new O-ring.
If its the drain plug leaking, order a new crush washer. If oil is spilling out of the little chrome fitting on the top of the housing (vent) It may be over filled and blowing oil out the vent, in that case simply remove the fill cap and let the oil drain out until it stops flowing.
 
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DaveST
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Wheel side of the final drive. Dripping out thru the hole in the base of the black plastic ring. I have not looked with the wheel off yet.
 
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First thing I would suspect, is someone didn't use moly paste on the splines, and just used automotive grease, which will be flung off the splines, gather around the plastic ring, and then leak out under the heat, making the grease melt.
I hope that is all it is. You will have to pull your rear wheel to check the inside oil seal.
While your in there, service your splines, check your flange bearings, and make sure you put it all back together in the proper sequence (stopper bolt gets tightened first before the axle nut does).
Let us know what you find.
Igofar
 
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DaveST
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Molly every tire change by me. It's about a teaspoon of oil on the wheel when it sets on the side stand. I wiped it all off and rode a bit Sunday and about the,same amount of oil on the wheel setting on the side stand. It's not leaking from the filler or the drain or the vent.

How much of a job is it to replace that seal around the spline shaft of the drive? Can that be done without splitting the case?
 
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DaveST
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I'll take some pics but probably will not get to it until the weekend. I ordered a seal. $10 WTH.

I'm a little worried a bearing is going.
 
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DaveST
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The last time I changed final drive oil was probably 2 years ago. I just noticed this after I got back from Maine trip a few weeks ago.
 
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Are you sure its oil? Gear oil has strong sulfur smell to it. Could it be brake fluid?
Check to make sure oil is not leaking from around the front driveshaft or oil filter, then running down the swingarm and dripping on the wheel.
Look everywhere!
Good for you for the moly every time :plus1:
 
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DaveST
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Pretty sure it's gear oil. Pretty sure its not brake fluid. Brake fluid would eat the wheel. Lol. I spilled some on the frame. Still etched. Looks like it's "dripping" from the hole in the bottom of the black plastic dust cover ring. Dripping is too strong, because it isn't much.
But it's mostly speculation right now. If that seal is gone, I'm afraid a bearing is loose and tearing up the seal. I know. I should be looking and not texting. Curse of "working".
 
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It may be worth changing the breather first. A blocked breather can cause pressure to build inside the diff which in turn forces the fluid out of the weakest link. I suppose on reflection a breather and a seal at the same time as you're in there anyways.
Hope you get it fixed.
Upt'North.
 

dduelin

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I bought a tube of moly grease for my Aero. Bike I had before the ST. I bet I've not used 1/4 of it
I bought a 3 oz tube of Honda Moly 60 in 2006. After 12 years and 210,000 miles of changing shaft drive rear wheels about 25% of it remains. I bought another tube of it a couple years ago but I'll likely never get into it.

To your leak.....Final drives for STs are very easy to find on fleaBay and are inexpensive. If I developed a leak on my bike I'd likely just install another one and keep on riding rather than mess around with shimming FD bearings and such.
 
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Dave,
I had a seal go bad on my FD it had about 170K miles on it & I 3 more FD's sitting there so I just changed it.
To answer your question the seal can be changed without opening the case & its not very hard to do.
How was the trip to Maine? Did the bugs carry you away?
Kevin
 
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DaveST
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Dave,
I had a seal go bad on my FD it had about 170K miles on it & I 3 more FD's sitting there so I just changed it.
To answer your question the seal can be changed without opening the case & its not very hard to do.
How was the trip to Maine? Did the bugs carry you away?
Kevin
Maine was a fast up and back. Going back up in Aug. I bought a seal but have not gotten into it yet. I had to fix the wife's Suzuki first. Priorities. I hope I can at least take a look with the wheel off this week.
 
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DaveST
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I had a seal go at about 25K miles. After taking the wheel off it was actually easy to replace. The part # for the seal that was leaking is 91265-MY3-003. I'm guessing it was about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Thanks. I'm pretty sure that is what is leaking.
 
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