£1000 for a gearbox seal?? Eeek!

Jumpjim said:
Just been for a service at BMW Coopers in TW (I know...)

I've noticed a bit of oil on the ledge right at the bottom rear of the engine, above the oil pan (?) It's dripping onto the bash plate at the bottom, but not enough to drip onto the garage floor so I take it it's only leaking when being driven. Bike is a 2004 1200GS.

Guys at the garage reckon it could be one of the oil seals in the gearbox and have suggested a complete strip down and replace all the oil seals (All 4?). He also "suggested" that it might be a good idea to replace the clutch while they're in there... (The clutch is fine at the moment and the bike has only done 16K miles). For the record the clutch is NOT slipping.

Total price including VAT and parts comes to around £1500... which I haven't got.

So I'm after advice please chaps... I'm hoping you're going to tell me about somewhere in the South East that will be much cheaper, or failing that somebody on here who like farkling and doing jobs for cash :augie
Click to expand...

If the leak is as small as you say I would not do anything other than keep an eye on it and top up as necessary. Its highlt unlikely that the leaking seal will fail catastrophically - it will simply slowly get a bit worse.

Longer term, it will make sense to replace the seal but no need to touch the others unless they also are leaking. Clutch does not need changing either - the idea of a clutch going after 10k or so miles is ridiculous.

Dont panic. The advice you have from the main dealer is not good advice but advice to generate income for them.
 
birdseye said:
Clutch does not need changing either - the idea of a clutch going after 10k or so miles is ridiculous.
Click to expand...

Not true my friend.....

Mine has been slipping occasionally since 9800 miles when ragged in 5th/6th eg overtaking at large rpm or riding like a twat (which I sometimes do).:D

Agree with you wholeheartedly on the other stuff though.

I chose to "ride around it." with my clutch slip, I'll fix it myself when I have more time.
 
When the seal(s) is (are) done they can usually be pulled out with a special tool. Alternatively, screwing a pair of self tapping screws into the seal base metal to give something to pull it out with. Then grease the new seals and tap then in. Cover any sharp splines with masking tape to protect the seal while its fitted. All good, but the bike has to come apart to do the job.

The thixotropic oil idea was a bit tongue in cheek. But it's used a lot in industry. often in conditions far more demanding than a bike gearbox.

This is interesting from the Castrol website http://www.gannonoils.co.uk/castrol/castrol.html
Quote -
Alpha Gel – is a semi-fluid synthetic gear lubricant primarily intended for ‘sealed for life’ gearboxes. Alpha Gel is a soft, self-levelling, thixotropic lubricant which flows easily when agitated by gear teeth but which gels when not in motion and restricts leakage past worn or defective seals.

Not to be confused with this -
http://www.themodernman.co.uk/king-of-shaves-alpha-shave-gel-sensitive-skin-150ml.html
 
Nice Mr Steptoe has said it should be around £700 all in (Excluding the clutch obviously....).

Just done nearly 2000 miles up to Scotland and back and it must be a really small leak as hardly any oil on the ledge at all.... I think I'll live with it for the moment and see how it goes..
 
Don't they use sealed for life bearings on these boxes? If so ignore all my guff about pulling seals out.
 
I have a similar problem to the OP; small oil leak at rear of the gearbox dripping onto the rear of the bash plate.

When I first noticed it, there was about 5 or 6mls of fresh oil on the plate. Since then there has only been very small amounts (I've done 1400 miles since), no sign of clutch slip.

Dealer wants to strip the bike and replace the seals and clutch - quoting about £550.

I've had the bike since new, it's a 2005 with 32000 miles on it; and I intend keeping it for a few more years. Is it worth spending the money and having the work done now, or waiting? Is 32000m about it for a clutch? I tend to use the gearbox a lot rather than the brakes :)
 
I'd be very wary about that quote. Sounds like that might just be labour, excluding parts and VAT. Did you get a breakdown of it?
 
PeeBee said:
I have a similar problem to the OP; small oil leak at rear of the gearbox dripping onto the rear of the bash plate.
Click to expand...

You've got to be more precise... it could be the gearbox seal behind the clutch slave cylinder that's leaking.
That's a £50 job. ;)
 
bikeclutch.jpg
The oil is collecting at the point ringed in red and eventually drips onto the bash plate. There is a bit of a light mist around the slave cylinder - but not a leak.

* Not my bike - couldn't get a clear picture of mine.
 
I hear the bloke you borrowed the torx screwdriver off would like it back one day !!



:augie
 
I've had my output gearbox seal leak a couple of times - each time I found the gearbox breather blocked.

I now clear breather as part of routine maintenance and since have not had any further leaks.
 
DSCN1139_3351.jpg

Managed to get a better picture of oil drip on my bike. This amount has collected overnight after a 200 mile run yesterday.
 
I'd wait till there's another reason to get in there like worn clutch and have it all sorted at once, preferably in the winter, just keep an eye on it for now :thumby:
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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