oil in drive shaft

Valker

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stripped down my drive shaft only to find it full of oil, it looks like it's coming from the the inner driveshaft bearing seal. Any one replace one of these
 

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How much oil? - From what I've been told, some oil in the FD boot is perfectly normal. I'd check the oil levels in your gearbox and final drive.

In this thread of mine concerning my 1100: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=173934 , Steptoe told me that a driveshaft full of oil is a symptom of gearbox output shaft seal failure. Of course it might also be the FD input seal, but a check of the respective levels should help.
 
As above..check your gearbox oil seal..usual culprit. Small amount gets past and is acceptable but if leaking where you point out, then obviously something has popped !! Not a difficult job :)
 
Seriously, just get a good manual..it really isn't difficult. Just a 2nd pair of hands may be of help. Just need to order the seal and four new shaft/gearbox flange stretch bolts about 60p each ( not worth re-using old ones to save so little money). You may also need the special socket for undoing the swingarm nuts. Leave the rear diff in the shaft and pull the whole lot rearwards when the swingarm bolts are released. Whilst doing that, also check the condition of the rubber boot where the shaft connects to the gearbox..if old/slightly crazed etc..then re-new with a genuine BMW OE parts ( and fit it to the shaft first on re-installing and hold the shaft horizontal ( those 2nd pair of hands ) when re-fitting the boot to the gearbox.
 
Check the gearbox breather - the bolt holding the earth cable should have a hole through it. If it gets blocked it can cause seepage past the output shaft seal.
 
Seriously, just get a good manual..it really isn't difficult. Just a 2nd pair of hands may be of help. Just need to order the seal and four new shaft/gearbox flange stretch bolts about 60p each ( not worth re-using old ones to save so little money). You may also need the special socket for undoing the swingarm nuts. Leave the rear diff in the shaft and pull the whole lot rearwards when the swingarm bolts are released. Whilst doing that, also check the condition of the rubber boot where the shaft connects to the gearbox..if old/slightly crazed etc..then re-new with a genuine BMW OE parts ( and fit it to the shaft first on re-installing and hold the shaft horizontal ( those 2nd pair of hands ) when re-fitting the boot to the gearbox.
I have a Haynes workshop manual, it dont tell you shit about this seal!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Not an an airhead.

I think he means some 'blow by' gearbox oil..about a table spoon or so. Found it in one of my..ahem..paralevers once.

Valker..maybe a trip to s St.Eptoe or similar may be in order !! As spout says, the earth cable has a tiny hole and if blocked the gearbox can't breathe and can push some oil past the seal as pressure builds up..hence maybe the tiny amount you found:nenau
Should be dry in there though as Steptoe points out. The manual tells you how to remove the driveshaft..then you'll need a strong puller to pull the flange off the gearbox outputshaft. Simply remove the seal behind it and squarley push in another one !!!
 
I think he means some 'blow by' gearbox oil..about a table spoon or so. Found it in one of my..ahem..paralevers once.

Valker..maybe a trip to s St.Eptoe or similar may be in order !! As spout says, the earth cable has a tiny hole and if blocked the gearbox can't breathe and can push some oil past the seal as pressure builds up..hence maybe the tiny amount you found:nenau
Should be dry in there though as Steptoe points out. The manual tells you how to remove the driveshaft..then you'll need a strong puller to pull the flange off the gearbox outputshaft. Simply remove the seal behind it and squarley push in another one !!!

Kenny is wrong on this :eek:
If it's a paralever it's not just a case of pushing a new seal in...
I have given a discription on how i do it in this post

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=132284
 
If the seal is gone chances are the bearing is gone too - before you remove the flange have a good check for any roughness in the box.

While you are in there you may as well grease the gearbox splines, and check the condition of the driveshaft UGs. Some folks even put a circlip on the output shaft, replace all the gearbox bearings and reshim the end float too.

And when you put the drive shaft back into the bevel drive get proper anti gall lube on the splines - the stuff sold to by Renault to pack the CV joints on their FWD cars used to be the go and a big tube lasts a long time.
 
Check the gearbox breather - the bolt holding the earth cable should have a hole through it. If it gets blocked it can cause seepage past the output shaft seal.

Where abouts is this bolt please guys? I've signs of a very small amount of, not sure what, fluid from the bottom of the beet but I did think it may of een water that had maybe got inside of the boot and had been laying in the folds of the boot. Is this a possibility or am I thinking Tosh?
 
The bolt is the one that connects the earth cable from the battery to the gearbox. take it out and you will see that it is drilled through the top and is hollow. this is the gearbox vent. it iften gets clogged and if you only have a small amount of oil in the swingarm it is likely that this is the cause. simply clean the bolt , make sure the hole is clear and bobs yer fanny
 
The bolt is the one that connects the earth cable from the battery to the gearbox. take it out and you will see that it is drilled through the top and is hollow. this is the gearbox vent. it iften gets clogged and if you only have a small amount of oil in the swingarm it is likely that this is the cause. simply clean the bolt , make sure the hole is clear and bobs yer fanny


Many thanks for the info Pastyman. Liked the sign off too!
 
The bolt is the one that connects the earth cable from the battery to the gearbox. take it out and you will see that it is drilled through the top and is hollow. this is the gearbox vent. it iften gets clogged and if you only have a small amount of oil in the swingarm it is likely that this is the cause. simply clean the bolt , make sure the hole is clear and bobs yer fanny

I had a look for this bolt yesterday but I'm still not sure where I'm looking. Is it of the top, nearside, offside or where? Or is it behind the starter cover. Having recently moved access to tools is difficult at the moment therefore I wanted to look so I'd know what tool/tools I need to check the bolt.

Thanks

Bastille
 
The bolt is the one that connects the earth cable from the battery to the gearbox. take it out and you will see that it is drilled through the top and is hollow. this is the gearbox vent. it iften gets clogged and if you only have a small amount of oil in the swingarm it is likely that this is the cause. simply clean the bolt , make sure the hole is clear and bobs yer fanny

As shown here: http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1921133&postcount=1

Other end of the engine from the starter :thumb
 
Bastile3.. Just in case you are a bit confused by the (excellent )photos showing renewal of the driveshaft boot..... Look on the offside of the gearbox. you will see where the speedo cable enters the gearbox. the bolt refered to is at this point locking the cable into the gearbox and also bolting the earth cable to the gearbox. Take this bolt out, I think it is a 10mm bolt and you will see that it is hollow being drilled through the head. this is what acts as the breather, make sure it is clear.
Hope this helps:thumb2
 


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