Oil around driveshaft boot

[formikec]

I've been noticing some oil around my driveshaft boot where it meets the transmission. Looking at the drawings on kaw website I don't see any seal that could be leaking. Now (at work) got me curios if it could be coming from the oil drain plug and blowing back onto the driveshaft while riding. I'll check after work, but wondering if anyone has had this problem.

Not a lot of oil, just enough for a small spot after parking, and wet around the rubber boot on the front of the shaft.

[blowndodge]

Did you just change the final drive oil? If you did you might have over-filled it.

Smell the oil on your finger.....motor oil smells way different than gear oil. warm gear oil smells like Todd and SWB's breath,,, like HELL!

[macmac]

There are 4 possible fluids.

Engine oil leaking by the bevel gear seal.

Brake Fluid leaking from the clutch slave.

Coolant, but un-likely.

Gear oil runing up the dry driveshaft, passing by the universal joint, up the shaft some more, to spin off the spline at the bevel gear spline. This one just kills me as it seems unlikey as hell to me, but I hear it happens.

Of the 4 choices my bet is engine oil, then brake fluid. Look at the clutch window on it's master for a low level, and if it is pretty soon you will have no clutch feel. If that seems all well, then I would be checking real hard at the boot for engine oil.

Gear oil has a sulfer sweet smell, not like engine oil..

[ringadingh]

I had gear oil from the final drive run up the driveshaft earlier this season, it does happen. It was the pinion seal in the final drive that was leaking. Its all good now.

[Scoot]

Originally Posted by Ringadingh

I had gear oil from the final drive run up the driveshaft earlier this season, it does happen. It was the pinion seal in the final drive that was leaking. Its all good now.

Have had the samething happen to mine to.

[macmac]

yeah I know it happens, but it is pretty hard for me to see my way clear that it happens. On the other hand I have seen oil "sling" up a long shaft before, Where I get in trouble seeing this, is getting the oil to sling past the U joint yokes..

Now my best guess there is the oil gets slung onto the housing, then spreads out, and drips on the other ends where it slings up the shaft more to be under the boot..

If this action was wanted on purpose it wold take a Archemedi's (sp) engineer to make it happen, In fact I hope it is this. It is easier to fix this than my other choices.

[watchman]

Rear end grease. The front seal and O rings leaking by on 3rd member. Happened twice on my 01 Classic FI and just started on the 05 Nomad. Matter of fact I just got back from the shop in Kirskville, MO and they ordered parts for the repairs. Also on this trip my license plate bracket broke and had to have it welded while in Eureka Springs, AR. Cost me $10.00 for 1 1/2 inch of weld.

Mac, Maybe I'm wrong, but I picture the oil running up the inside of the shaft COVER (possibly during braking) rather than running up the actual SHAFT. All I know is its very common on shaft driven bikes to have gear oil leaking out at the boot if the seal fails.

[macmac]

Maybe, I won't say no, but I have seen engines with a seal and a slinger. A slinger is a really big washer like part mounted on a crankshaft. The washer is cupped back to the oil and the crankcase.

What a slinger does is throw oil off at the angle the washer is bent to, and away from the seal. This way the seal doesn't get flooded with oil.

Since in this case the shaft passes thru the seal, and there is no slinger, it is likey that the oil will sling right up the shaft with the shaft spinning, once the seal has leaked by.

After being stopped you way would work I guess, as a pool of oil will form and in the down hill runs, it will flow forward.

So yeah i can see this better now. I just changed my mind.

I would find it interesting to have someone with the problem measure what they drain out of the rear end gear. I bet that would be scarey.

Maybe when we are seated the swingarm is more down to the engine than I think too..

[ringadingh]

When mine was leaking, it was about a good week until I had a chance to replace the seal. I dont think I lost more than a 1/2 ounce at most over the week.

[ponch]

I always thought gear oil smelled like cat piss. :)

Originally Posted by Blowndodge "Darksider"

Did you just change the final drive oil? If you did you might have over-filled it.

Smell the oil on your finger.....motor oil smells way different than gear oil. warm gear oil smells like Todd and SWB's breath,,, like HELL!