Oil leak from output shaft

[skimhitz]

Hi everyone,

Earlier this year I've discovered that my GS is slowly leaking oil from the output shaft. It only leaks when the bike is brought up to operating temperature though. If it's been sitting there for a while, it's fine, but if I go for a spin and then park it it will leak for a while. It got to the point where in my trip, I had to carry a bottle of oil with me and top it up every day. Some days the dip stick would go from the top of the hash all the way to the bottom.

I've search the forum and there seems to be a couple different opinions. One thread said you can try pulling the seal without splitting the case, and other threads have said you have to tear down the engine and might even have to replace the output shaft.

I'm wondering people's opinions on what is my best option. Completely disassembling my bike and tearing down the engine is a bit beyond my ability, and I'd rather not waste the entire summer by having the bike in pieces (the bike is in storage now and inaccessible until spring). I could take it to a shop, but with shop labor running at $100 an hour I'd be looking at a couple thousand dollars for a repair.

Any thoughts? Or am I stuck with a leaking bike for the rest of its lifespan? Thanks for the help!

P.S. Happy new year!

[Big Rich]

I would be really surprised if the seal could be replaced without splitting the case. Could be possible though. While I don't recommend it at all, I have seen gobs of silicone used as a short term fix.. 

[Shepa]

I believe the outer seal can be pulled out with sharp flat screwdriver, so no need to take the engine apart.
Just be careful not to push a screwdriver too deep (because of the inner seal).

Mine was leaking through the pushrod seal, so I changed it yesterday, and while at it, I've changed the shift-lever seal too, just in case.
15 minutes job (adding oil and test ride included).

[sledge]

No need to remove the engine or split the cases. If you have the right gear to hand the seal takes minutes to replace.

Forget screwdrivers and self tapping screws, you need a removal tool, like this one......... http://www.sitebox.ltd.uk/product/clarke_1801267/cht267-seal-puller-tool/

Drain the oil and take the sprocket off. Push the small tang on the tool  in between the shaft and the seal just under the lip.........and lever it out. Be careful not to damage the or score the shaft or hit the spacer behind the seal. Dip the replacement seal in clean oil to lube it and drift it squarely back into the housing using a tube or socket while ensuring the lip doesnt turn inside out.

Simples.

[The Buddha]

Its possibly chain lube.
Cool.
Buddha.

[JAY W]

Be careful riding when leaking,did it once on a VF500F2 oil got on the rear tyre,i cracked the throttle open after rolling up to a junction and it highsided me off,that made me fix it.Check the bearing on the shaft before replacing,if there`s play in that the new seal will wear too.

[Shepa]

Its possibly chain lube.
Cool.
Buddha.

Possibly, but how 'bout the engine's oil level dropping? 

... It got to the point where in my trip, I had to carry a bottle of oil with me and top it up every day. Some days the dip stick would go from the top of the hash all the way to the bottom...

[skimhitz]

Thought at first that it might be chain oil, but with the oil level dropping as rapidly as it does, it would lead me to believe it's leaking. Not to mention that the engine oil and chain oil are different colors.

Thanks for the tips though. Come spring time I'll check the shaft and see if I should try replacing the seal. Hopefully it's just the seal and not a bent shaft or crushed bearing. I fear I may have caused this by over tightening the chain...

[noworries]

Simatool have a video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjCUNXlB2zM

showing bearing seals being pulled using a slide hammer style tool that cld easily be cobbled up in the garage from bits and pieces.

[madjak30]

I was worried that was the problem on my bike...I replaced the seals and still had a leak (you don't have to split the cases...you do not want to do that...)...I pried them out carefully using a small flat blade screwdriver...anyway, check to make sure it is the seals...wipe out the area really well and take the bike for a ride...as soon as you get back take off the sprocket cover to check...if the seal is wet, then you are probably right...mine was leaking from the crank case cover on the left side...the cover gasket had a chunk missing (not sure if it blew out, or if the previous owner removed the cover and put it back on without replacing the gasket)...the seals were $6-10 each and the gasket was $12, all directly from Suzuki...so none of it is expensive...just check for the actual leak before you start spending money you may not need to.

Also, if you decide to use some kind of engine degreaser...be very careful not to get any on your chain or the seals...the degreaser will cause the rubber in the seals to swell and wear out...and your chain probably has rubber o-rings and if they swell your chain will cease....use caution...

Good luck.

Later.

[skimhitz]

Thanks for the tips, madjak30, I'll definitely check that out first. 

[skimhitz]

Before anyone wonders about the thread revival, I figured I would give people a follow up to this thread, since I finally got around to tearing apart the bike to fix that oil leak.

Upon taking off the sprocket cover, my first reaction was the amount of crud in there. You could literally scoop out heapings of gunk. Lovely. I got it cleaned up as best I could, started the bike, and ran it for a while to see if I could find out where the leak was coming from. I ran the bike for a good 15 minutes, but couldn't spot any oil leaking. I did notice though that the stator cover had what looked like engine oil (opposed to chain oil) along the edge of the gasket which would normally be covered by the sprocket cover.

I figured that there was a good chance that was where the oil leak was coming from, rather than my original thought about the output shaft. I took off the stator cover and sure enough, the gasket was hardly covering the metal edge where it was leaking. After alot of research and alot of elbow grease, I got the gasket off, put a new one on, and buttoned up the bike again. I didn't even bother touching the oil seals on the output shaft and gear changer, since I figured best not to potentially screw anything up if I don't have to. Sure enough, I've been using the bike for about a week now and it hasn't leaked a drop of oil!

Lessons from the repair?
-Oil leaks are very hard to determine where they're coming from.
-Don't remove gaskets with a razor blade. Buy some gasket remover and a plastic scraper. So much easier.
-I'm pretty sure the torque value listed for the case cover bolts is wrong, considering I used a torque wrench to that value and snapped two bolts before I just did it by hand instead.

All in all it's good to have the bike fixed and on the road again. Thanks for the help everyone.