R1150GS shaft seal

[roughseas]

So I just got my '01 11550GS and topped up the oil in the final drive and the gearbox and now I have oil seeping from the rubber boot next to the final drive.

The final drive seal looks like a days job. Anyone got any idea how time consuming is replacing the seals on the output side of the gearbox and what all will I need to replace when installing the box & shaft back..seals and clips?

For the final drive I guess I need a special tool to remove the seal holder, is there any other special tool required to get the gearbox cover off?

Thanks!

 

[Old Codger]

Font of all Wisdom

Is your friend
Steptoe article recently on the final drive seal including tools required also torqueing up

 

[roughseas]

Is your friend
Steptoe article recently on the final drive seal including tools required also torqueing up

 

[MattW]

Work out which seal is leaking first (what's happening to the levels in the gearbox and FD? Is the inside of the swingarm wet with oil?).

I did my gearbox output seal (twice ) a couple of years ago. Not a huge job, just a bit of dismantling although removing the swingarm and paralever pinions can be time consuming as you have to heat them well and then spend a while cleaning them with acetone afterwards. Getting the old seal out is a bit tricky but possible by carefully drilling the reinforcing ring and putting a couple of self tappers in so that you can grab them with some needle nosed pliers and pull..

What you'll need depends on what you find when you're taking everything to bits. I ended up replacing the paralever pinions and the fixed pinion too but at the simplest it's just a seal.

My experiences:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180313
www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184033

 

[roughseas]

Work out which seal is leaking first (what's happening to the levels in the gearbox and FD? Is the inside of the swingarm wet with oil?).

I did my gearbox output seal (twice ) a couple of years ago. Not a huge job, just a bit of dismantling although removing the swingarm and paralever pinions can be time consuming as you have to heat them well and then spend a while cleaning them with acetone afterwards. Getting the old seal out is a bit tricky but possible by carefully drilling the reinforcing ring and putting a couple of self tappers in so that you can grab them with some needle nosed pliers and pull..

What you'll need depends on what you find when you're taking everything to bits. I ended up replacing the paralever pinions and the fixed pinion too but at the simplest it's just a seal.

My experiences:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=180313
www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184033

Thanks Matt. my guess is its the gearbox seal as I had to top it up with around 300/400ml of oil when I bought the bike a few days back. The bike had not been used for a couple of years (Its only done 26K Kms on the ODO). I may be wrong as when I looked inside the swingarm the final drive side had more traces of oil and the front looked relatively clean. I'll know in 6 weeks time as off to the ship for work, will check the levels when I return.

Great post BTW . The pics are a great help as the GS is my first boxer

I am going to avoid drilling into the seal as I have shakey Rum fingers and want to avoid buggering something.

Is there any way to get to the forward rubber boot without dismantling the swingarm? I might try and make a small hole in it to see if any oil leaks out, seal it later with something.

 

[(RIP) DitchWater]

Is there any way to get to the forward rubber boot without dismantling the swingarm? I might try and make a small hole in it to see if any oil leaks out, seal it later with something.

The fore-end rubber gaiter has a circlip to hold it in place on the 1150 and, you can only decide for yourself whether you would like to make a hole in it as a witness to your problem. It's quite wet where I ride and it wouldn't do the internal components of the swingarm any good to be filling with water.

Also, my BMW manual says that you can carefully remove seals with a screwdriver. I have a spring hook or you could aquire a seal removing tool or make one.

 

[MattW]

The gearbox side of the forward boot is just a push fit onto the gearbox casting. You may just be able to hook it with something and pull it backwards to unseat it (mine had done this to itself somehow and my gearbox oil leak also leaked from there as well as filling the rear boot).

However if you do release the boot from the gearbox as above then you'll have to remove the swingarm to reseat it (there's no way to do it with the swingarm pivots in place).

 

[roughseas]

Thanks guys! If I do dismantle the swingarm, thinking of grafting a small drain pipe to the forward boot, might come in handy some day. Ordering a full set of seals and a boot in any case.

I've been riding the bike in start stop traffic and have to say that its quite a handful!

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Thanks guys! If I do dismantle the swingarm, thinking of grafting a small drain pipe to the forward boot, might come in handy some day. Ordering a full set of seals and a boot in any case.

I've been riding the bike in start stop traffic and have to say that its quite a handful!

Give it time. They have fantastic balance and you'll be filtering like a pro in no time!

 

[MattW]

Thanks guys! If I do dismantle the swingarm, thinking of grafting a small drain pipe to the forward boot, might come in handy some day. Ordering a full set of seals and a boot in any case.

I've been riding the bike in start stop traffic and have to say that its quite a handful!

I wouldn't bother adding drains to boots etc. The gearbox output shaft seal isn't something that routinely leaks - the drain would just be something else to go wrong / cause problems. The swingarm naturally drains down to the final drive anyway so I can't really see the point

Removing the FD and swingarm isn't difficult - just take it step by step and fix an 'issues' that you find along the way (hopefully nothing but a leaking shaft seal). You'll have trouble removing the seal without drilling and self tapping it, in fact it would probably be all but impossible. The 'factory' method is to remove and strip the gearbox, replacing the seal from the inside. If you aren't confident enough with the drilling, perhaps you can get someone to give you a hand?

The only other technique I've read about is to insert a hooked dental pick along the shaft down past the lip of the seal, turn it through 90 degrees so it engages with the back of the seal and pull it outwards. However, I've only ever heard of this being a last resort, done where it's physically impossible to drill the seal. I'd also be concerned about the chance of damaging the shaft with the pick....

With regards to riding in traffic - I really like the stability, balance and 'road presence' of my 1100 (which I think are even heavier than 1150's?). You'll get used to it - the only thing that a lot of heavy traffic riding will do is take some life off the clutch.

 

[roughseas]

I wouldn't bother adding drains to boots etc. The gearbox output shaft seal isn't something that routinely leaks - the drain would just be something else to go wrong / cause problems.

That makes sense.

Tried sitting a little forward on the seat today & the bike felt easier to ride and my arms weren't getting stretched to the limit, plus I was not trying to struggle with it Thanks largely to Captain Morgan

Off topic but on the day of the purchase the bike was not running because of a faulty fuel pump (helped get the price down ) and I replaced it with one from a ford focus...

No problems so far, any suggestions if I should order an OEM pump or carry on with this..the bike runs absolutely fine.

 

[(RIP) DitchWater]

..and I replaced it with one from a ford focus...

No problems so far, any suggestions if I should order an OEM pump or carry on with this..the bike runs absolutely fine.

No. You carry on and report how it goes. What year Focus, or are they all the same, and have you taken it up to 100mph yet?

 

[MattW]

No. You carry on and report how it goes. What year Focus, or are they all the same, and have you taken it up to 100mph yet?

Agreed.
Always good to know about workable alternative parts

 

[roughseas]

Upto 100 kmph, I'll need the highway for a 100mph run.

We call it the Ford Ikon in India, I am sure you guys in the UK had a similar model minus the boot.

I took the pump from the 1.6L / 92PS model.

 

[davegs]

Stretch

If your finding the riding position uncomfortable try a pair of risers, they also move the bars back about 25mm (I") and make life much more comfortable. I did this on my 1150 when I first got it and then several existing owneras copied me saying good idea. Cheap but effective mod after all it's YOU that's riding the bike NOT BMW's!.
dave GS