rear drive leak

redbmwrider · 06-25-2005, 07:16 AM

hello, my 2002 r1100s just turned 21000 miles, and in the last 500 or so miles ive noticed a little bit of gear oil at the bottom of the rubber boot above the torque arm, now i can clean it off, and after about 300 miles there is a little more back on there. so whats goin on? and whats the best way to check the fluid level in the drive unit? thanks in advance, james

BMW Atlanta · 06-25-2005, 07:30 AM

It could be the final drive, but more then likely the output shaft seal on the back of the transmission. Surest way to tell is with some oil Dye and UV Light. However you could drain the final drive and install Redline, then go do a test drive and see if the oil is red or brown to determine if its the tranny or rear drive. The real question is are you going to fix yourself, if the answer is no. Take it to the dealer to fix ASAP and they will be able to diagnose.

redbmwrider · 06-25-2005, 07:40 AM

the gear oil is seeping out right at the front of the final drive, so im inclined to think its the final drive, if so, is it just a seal or something going down? and if i have to replace the whole final drive, then i suppose thats just a good excuse to play around with the ratios.

roger albert · 06-25-2005, 08:03 AM

I'd stick with Bobby's diagnosis. Not a slam dunk, but experience says it's more common. The trans is uphill from the boot, and the reardrive downhill. Plus, the trans seals there seem to fail more often. Can't better Bobby's recommendation for proceeding either. Either way, sure, probably just a seal. Playing with ratios is expensive though.

redbmwrider · 06-25-2005, 11:35 AM

well after cleaning my bike earlier, i checked both the transmission and rear drive fluid levels, both seem to be spot on. but i found this interesting, the oil that i find around the boot definetly smells like gear oil, no dout about it, but its sortof thick, black and greasy. both the oil in my final drive and transmission smell like gear oil of course,

but they are almost clear and thin. maybe there synthetic? but i think i will keep an eye on my fluid levels daily, and have them check it out at the 24k service if it doesnt get any worse until then, but if it does i will take it in. thanks guys,

roger albert · 06-25-2005, 01:42 PM

The darkness is just gear oil mixed with atmospheric flotsam. Gear oil leaks, especially very slow ones, most always give that same dark, hard-as-heck-to-get-off-of-your-hands gunk. Same stuff. A teaspoon of oil will blacken most all of a bike's underside when combined with exhaust and road dirt etc, so it will not show up as reduced levels until it's pretty bad. It's not usually the thing you have to rush into.

later
roger

Steve Carlton · 06-25-2005, 03:34 PM

Is your bike still under warranty? (Even if it expired, you could ask for a goodwill repair, although it seems like BMW is pretty tight).

redbmwrider · 06-25-2005, 09:51 PM

lol, no steve, my bike isnt under warranty. i thought it was, but it turns out my bike was a dealer demo

and the warranty went in affect about 6 months before the original owner purchased it. i will keep a close eye on it and see what happens. i really like this bike and plan on keeping it a LONG time so i hope it wont be really high maitanence. i will probaly end up with another sportbike, but the r1100s is a classic. especially if i keep it 40-50 years, should be interesting to see what the value does.

thanks guys,

plongo · 06-29-2005, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve Carlton
Is your bike still under warranty? (Even if it expired, you could ask for a goodwill repair, although it seems like BMW is pretty tight).

Hahahahahahahaha--zer vill BEE no "good-vill repair" for YOU, olt monn. Remember vot you Americans did to Dresden?....