final drive oil leak

[MNBlue]

Hello everyone newbie to the voyager xii. I purchased a 1992 and everything looked good, runs great, test drove and everything was fine. Took it home drove a couple more times and now I have a couple drops of oil on the ground by the rear wheel out of the final drive. I spoke with the seller and of course he had never seen that before.

Any ideas? I have read that it can be related to light weight final drive oil, leaking seal, plugged weep hole..... but I am new to this and need some things to try. The weather is going to warm up eventually and I would love to have the bike ready to ride.

Any help to this newbie is greatly appreciated!

[mountainman]

Where exactly is the oil coming from? Directly beneath axle area or coming from front part of final drive where it mounts with 4 bolts?

[MNBlue]

Appears to be directly beneath the axle. The front part by the 4 bolts is dry as a cork.

[doug of so fla]

Congrats on your New to you XII (How many Miles on it?The most common reason that the rear end will leak is overfilling, remove saddle bag and remove large plug and check that the lube level is 3/8" below the threads. To much oil in it will build up pressure and leak out thru front seal and it may follow it up drive shaft and leak out rubber boot area also. If it still leaks with proper level of oil in it, there is a place on the inside of the hub, you can see when you take off wheel, there is a vent hole, some do not have it and you can put one in very easy. If it still leaks you may have to replace o-rings and seals but that is usually not the case. Also it is a good idea to change all the fluids in the XII when you first purchase it so you know everything is correct. 2 drain plugs + filter for engine oil change and exactly 3qts 22oz goes into it, no more and no less, and yes, the rear will leak if it has the wrong type of fluid in it. Change clutch & brake & shock fluids & coolant to make sure it is done correct!!!! and it will save you headaches down the road!!!!. You can get all the info you need from the websites for the XII many years and miles of knowledge here that will help you out. Good luck with your XII and let us know what you find.

[MNBlue]

Thanks doug. Planning on replacing oil and gear oil today. Are there recommendations of types for each?

[SgtSlag]

For engine oil, synthetics are better than conventional: synthetics break down at 400 F, while conventional oils break down above 250 F; synthetics do not have long molecules which can be shredded by the transmission gears, which renders conventional, multi-viscosity oils into their thinnest, so 10W-40 becomes straight 10 weight oil, over time. Shell Rotella T6 Synthetic is not a true synthetic, but it sure works like one (run it in my vehicles, and it spins the engine over in sub-zero F temperatures, as if it were 80 F in July!). It is 5W-40, JASO rated for M/C's, SN rated for automobiles, high in detergents. Runs great in these bikes, too.

I'd recommend adding the proper amount of SeaFoam to the crankcase, then run it a short distance to warm the engine/oil, and to allow the SeaFoam to scrub the inside of the engine, and the transmission, clean of varnish, and carbon sludge deposits -- should turn caramel-colored oil, coal black, if there are deposits within. Then change out oil, and filter. Only need to do this once, if you do regular oil changes, with a good detergent oil.

I would also recommend running SeaFoam through a couple of gas tanks full, to dissolve any minor varnish deposits within the fuel system, as well as to absorb/get rid of any minor water deposits within the fuel system. Just a safe, easy, preventative measure. Directions are on the can, as to how much to add. Cheers!

[doug of so fla]

Ditto what SgtSlag says, As he is from the same area as you, he knows about the BRR!! I was born & lived in Mound MN for 32 yrs, so I know what you guys have to go thru with keeping your toys from getting gunked up from winter storage and the #@&%0$0 Ethanol crap!!!
If you go to Walmart the Shell Rottella T6 is available in both syn & non syn, Non about $14.00 a gal. It says that is it is for diesel engines but that is ok! as it is used by many of us and the high detergents work great in the XII & also Seafoam is at Walmart., Dot 4 brake & cluthc fluid ,I usually use Castrol, but whatever is good , I have used 80w/90 Spectro GL-5 Hypoid lube forever and never had a problem with it. & I never had a noisy rear end, (well maybe after some MN beer!!lol!) Spectro products are great, but $$$, but you are only buying a qt and using very little of it. Will last forever. Better get your XII going , the 2 days of MN summer are just about there.LOL!! Ride Safe!!!

[mountainman]

Myself I don't recommend synthetic oil in rear final drive. My opinion is use Bel-ray gear 80-90w. fill too 3/8" to 1/4" below fill hole thread. I keep mine at 3/8".

[gearheadfla]

Ditto on all of the above, I suggest also a smart charger for the battery, the radio draws power even when the bike is shut off, it can drain a battery in a week or so if not ridden often, I know that Doug and myself have a cheap Harbor Freight model that works fine, mine is "hard wired" right to the battery and I keep the plug in my left fairing pocket, when I park it I just reach in, grab the plug and plug it into the wall, but down here in Florida we have our 2 days of winter and I ride about everyday. Welcome to the family.

[MNBlue]

Thanks for the information everyone. I have to ask another stupid question. I changed the oil and filter today and put in exactly 3.5L (used my wifes pirex measuring bowl to make sure) and there is almost no oil in the showing in the oil level window. I am assuming that I should add more to fill in the lines, but wanted to make sure since all I have read is to use 3.5L (or 3qt and 22oz) no more and no less.

Please clarify for the new guy.....

[mountainman]

Your good with the fill. That's where I run mine, you can hardly see oil at bottom of the glass.

[gearheadfla]

I never even look at the site glass , they are VERY unreliable on the XII. 3qts 22oz and forget about it. over fill it and it will leak and the oil can foam, get air in the lifters and they will tap. You are good to go with the 3/22

[mountainman]

The oil should be checked periodically. I still check mine through the sight glass with a flashlight, you can see that there is oil to bottom of glass. If a person doesn't want to check their oil then don't, but I check mine between changes and before a extra long trip. and I believe your manual will tell to check your oil.

The trick to the Voyager XII sight glass is the level of the floor where you are parked. You need to park to check oil in the same place each time facing the same direction. Secondly, I have had two XII's and both center stands appeared to me to be 1/8" short on the right hand leg. I found that if I placed a paint stirring stick (which is 1/8" thick) under the right leg the bike would stand up straight. You can walk away and look back and see the bike is now standing straight up. It makes a big difference on sight glass measurement. I have zero problems checking my oil this way.

[MNBlue]

Well an update on the final drive oil. I replaced the final drive oil and the engine oil and took the bike out for a couple miles (at 34 degrees) before we were blessed with our 10" of snow. Anyway, when I parked the bike on its regular stand I placed a paper towel under the differential and checked it a couple hours later and there was a circle about the size of a quarter on the paper towel . I placed a new paper towel down and check a couple hours later and there was a drop circle the size of a nickel . I replaced that towel and check it the next morning and there doesn't appear to be any drops .

I am assuming there should never be any leaks, but if it is that slow is it an issue? Also could the cold weather have any affect on the leak? Finally I called a mechanic and he est. 3 hours to replace the seals, does that seem accurate?

Again thanks for all you help thus far. Next on the list is radiator and fork fluids, I also need to look for a rear rotor (it is a little worn).

Thanks Again!

[Gator Mike]

Actually I'm thinking it will probably leak more in warm weather with oil getting thinner. At any rate changing seals requires bags off, fender off and rear wheel removed so it takes a while but I'm thinking a person with experience can do it in less time. If you have the capabilites you can save bucks by removing the rear end yourself and taking it to him. If you do, make sure to check for the vent hole when it's off......Good luck Gator Mike

[SgtSlag]

If you are inclined to do any work yourself, you can save around $90/hour...

I do the light stuff myself: fork fluid, crankcase oil and filter changes, suspension upgrade [to Progressive Fork Springs, and Rear Shocks (412 Series) -- no air, simpler, easier to deal with, great ride].

The fork fluid change is pretty simple, and straightforward [I just add some SeaFoam to the forks, to dissolve any deposits within the system, pump them around 10 times to circulate it, then I pull the drain screw, and let the old fluid drain out by pumping the forks again; then I replace the drain screws, add fresh fluid (Chevy ATF, for me, clocks in at 7-8 weight), and put the caps back on], brake fluid changes, as is the oil change. The brake/clutch fluid flushes are pretty simple, as well: I use SpeedBleeder, one-way valves, which makes it a very simple, one-man job, but others have had issues with them, so do your homework, and then make an informed decision based on your evaluation, and comfort.

The rest, unfortunately for me, I take to my mechanic. My mechanic is wonderful to deal with: he knows I try to do stuff on my own, and he is willing to give me advice on procedures -- which has led me to bring him work I don't feel comfortable with, so it has actually increased his income, somewhat. I am not comfortable doing a coolant flush, primarily because I don't know the legal, proper way to dispose of the old coolant. The EPA is unforgiving, if you get busted! Not worth the risk, to me, and I trust my mechanic, who has helped me out so many times, not charging me for piddly stuff, it is worth it, to me, to work with him. YMMV. Cheers!

[MalamuteMike]

Water dilutes the anti-freeze, when I change the anti-freeze, after I drain the old, then I fill up with distilled water run it for a few min., then drain and do this a couple of times, then I flush the over flow tank with distilled also, I use a fluid pump I got from Harbor Freight for $5-8 do this a few times, then I mix the anti-freeze with distilled water, 1 gallon anti-freeze to 1 gallon distilled water, I use the real green anti-freeze, not that global green crap anti-freeze, make sure you use distilled water, tap water has minerals in it that eats the aluminum parts.

[ekap1200]

Well an update on the final drive oil. I replaced the final drive oil and the engine oil and took the bike out for a couple miles (at 34 degrees) before we were blessed with our 10" of snow. Anyway, when I parked the bike on its regular stand I placed a paper towel under the differential and checked it a couple hours later and there was a circle about the size of a quarter on the paper towel . I placed a new paper towel down and check a couple hours later and there was a drop circle the size of a nickel . I replaced that towel and check it the next morning and there doesn't appear to be any drops .

I am assuming there should never be any leaks, but if it is that slow is it an issue? Also could the cold weather have any affect on the leak? Finally I called a mechanic and he est. 3 hours to replace the seals, does that seem accurate?

Hello MNblue, When I bought my bike it also had a gear oil leak, It would drip out of the hole at the flange and also migrate up the drive shaft and drip from the boot over the u-joint. I thought for sure it was the pinion seal. I called Carl Leo to order a seal and he suggested the slip joint o-rings and to lower the level of gear oil by 1/4 inch. Well when I pulled the drive off the swing arm the slip joint was in need of grease. With the new o-rings and using bel-ray waterproof grease in the slip joint the problem ceased. A few years later when I had the rear drive off for inspection I then drilled a 0.031 hole in the proper location of the vent for the drive housing and now fill the drive right up to the to the threads with no leak. Now don't panic when ;you have the rear drive off and check for looseness of the pinion shaft.. There will be some play in it as it is not a set of tapered bearings but a ball bearing and a needle bearing. (not replaceablle) If your leak is subsiding now that you have changed oil, give it some time. there is probablly still some gear lube in the swing arm tube that needs time to clear out. Gene from Jersey