Oil Leak ALERT! 1200 GS

[Dagley]

:bottle

I just had the 24K service done on my 05 GS. Of primary concern was an oil leak. See the attached document for details but had I let the bike run out of warrranty prior to getting this fixed, the bill would have been over $3,000. (Not counting that high dollar set of shocks I had them install)

The leak appears to have orriginated from a seal on the input side of the transmission allowing oil to get into the dry area bewteen the trans, and engine where the clutch is.

Check the area where the transmission mates to the engine for any signs of oil. There is not suppossed to be oil in that area, so if you see something similiar to what is in the photos, you have a pretty serious problem and need to get it fixed before the warranty runs out.

This is not a common problem but neither is it unique. They should be aware of it.

Cheers,
Dag

[Motor31]

Good post and great pictures! Definitely something to look out for. More and more I am begining to think I need to find an airhead rather than an oilhead to replace my K75........

[PGlaves]

Good post and great pictures! Definitely something to look out for. More and more I am begining to think I need to find an airhead rather than an oilhead to replace my K75........
I can't even imagine why anybody would "replace" a K75. Get another, maybe, but replace??? Nah!

[BubbaZanetti]

3K for an input shaft seal change??? wow

[Dagley]

It was a little more than that:
They replaced all the seals in the tranny, new clutch because the old one got fouled, etc, etc. I may have overstated the estimate but there were other warranty issues with the bike that were included. New battery, reprogramming the computers, sniping some kind of pin, recall issue on the brakes or something. Anyway they said all together the warranty work would have been around 3K.

Bottom line is everything seems to be OK now.
Dagger

[Motor31]

I can't even imagine why anybody would "replace" a K75. Get another, maybe, but replace??? Nah!

I can only have one bike due to load limitations. No garage any more. I wanted a bike better suited to 2 up riding than the K75, that's all. The K75 has been great but it's a bit doggy 2 up.

[raydar]

Thanks for the heads up and the great pictures!

[mjuskiw]

I saw an RT go thru the same thing. It may be a hex head issue.

Im curious if you noticed the clutch slipping due the oil. Or any symptoms at all.

I get some oil in that area and have heard many stories, from a blown seal to antirust oil that will spin off in few miles and is just there for shipping ect/

It definately jumps out on the GS since its so open. It may not show up on the other hex heads.

mjuskiw

[Dagley]

No, I did not notice the clutch slipping and I do a fair amount of off road riding.

I think it was obvious when I brought the bike in that this was a little more than a protective film of oil that may have been applied as any sort of anti-rust coating.

I think at first, they thought I had just overfilled it when I chnaged my own oil and it was just residue blown out the breather but when they really looked and saw where the leak had originated, the problem became clear.

I can't speak highly enough of dealer once they identified the problem. They fixed it right and were very nice about the whole thing.

If you suspect you have this problem, there is one thing you night want to check prior to letting them take the bike apart. I have heard that the clutch plate is on Natl backorder. Be sure they have, or can get the parts before the bike gets surgery so it wont be sitting around in peices. :thumb

Dag

[mjuskiw]

Thanks for the tip on the parts , Ill post a followup if anything interesting comes up

Mjuskiw

[soffiler]

Bumping this one back to the top.

Has anyone else seen this problem? I just discovered an oil leak coming from the engine/transmission split on my '05 GS with 10K miles. I spoke to my local dealer this morning and have scheduled an appointment for early January. They are multi-brand and I wasn't speaking directly to their BMW tech, but the service manager did mention they've seen 2-3 hexheads with a leaky balance shaft seal. I think I'm smelling gear oil, which would be consistent with the failure shown in this thread. I am wondering if a pattern failure is developing, and whether anyone can offer additional insight - like, maybe, some subtle sharp edge that needs to be smoothed down to avoid damaging the replacement seal, that sort of thing.

[BMWRich58]

Bumping this one back to the top.

Has anyone else seen this problem? I just discovered an oil leak coming from the engine/transmission split on my '05 GS with 10K miles. I spoke to my local dealer this morning and have scheduled an appointment for early January. They are multi-brand and I wasn't speaking directly to their BMW tech, but the service manager did mention they've seen 2-3 hexheads with a leaky balance shaft seal. I think I'm smelling gear oil, which would be consistent with the failure shown in this thread. I am wondering if a pattern failure is developing, and whether anyone can offer additional insight - like, maybe, some subtle sharp edge that needs to be smoothed down to avoid damaging the replacement seal, that sort of thing.

I do know at least 1 guy here in the Chicago area that had the "leaky seal" problems. His bike was an '05 model but considered an early '05 model because of the "build date" Nov'04.
My GS is an '05 but according to the VIN# it was built in "June '05" making it a "late model" GS.

[kenk]

This is not unusual for a BMW. My K1100LT has had similar seal leaks twice. The first time was at 45k and it was caught before damaging the clutch, and most recently at 109k. At 109k, the clutch was fouled and had to be replaced. On my R1100RT, the seal was replaced at 48k.

I think you have overstated the cost. I had all the seals replaced in my K1100LT from the main seal all the way back to the rear with a new clutch and basket for about $1100. A buddy of mine just picked up today his RT requiring a new clutch for about the same amount. I can’t imagine why the new Hexhead would cost more. Same disassembly and overpriced parts.

[bbenton]

Bumping this one back to the top.

Has anyone else seen this problem? I just discovered an oil leak coming from the engine/transmission split on my '05 GS with 10K miles. I spoke to my local dealer this morning and have scheduled an appointment for early January. They are multi-brand and I wasn't speaking directly to their BMW tech, but the service manager did mention they've seen 2-3 hexheads with a leaky balance shaft seal. I think I'm smelling gear oil, which would be consistent with the failure shown in this thread. I am wondering if a pattern failure is developing, and whether anyone can offer additional insight - like, maybe, some subtle sharp edge that needs to be smoothed down to avoid damaging the replacement seal, that sort of thing.

Had exactly the same problem with 05 R12GS. Leaking input shaft seal, started to soak clutch disc. First noticed oil seep at engine/trans split at about 14k, had warranty repair at about 18k, did not have enough oil contamination of clutch disc to cause slippage.

[soffiler]

Thanks for the responses. So, does this have the makings of a "pattern failure" or are we just a tiny minority with bad luck? What concerns me is the *next* time... warranty only lasts just so long...

[Boxerkuh]

I had this problem on my 99RT, which began at 35K and ended at 48K after numerous trips to the dealer a ton of money, but some saved under warranty. I was first told it was the input shaft, then the output shaft, then the clutch... after replacing all of it at the same time it was fixed... good luck, it is unbelieveable that they still have not fixed this problem in over 7 years, just like the surging.... and I am thinking about the new R12R...

[soffiler]

I had this problem on my 99RT, which began at 35K and ended at 48K after numerous trips to the dealer a ton of money, but some saved under warranty. I was first told it was the input shaft, then the output shaft, then the clutch... after replacing all of it at the same time it was fixed... good luck, it is unbelieveable that they still have not fixed this problem in over 7 years, just like the surging.... and I am thinking about the new R12R...


Hey Boxerkuh - I can state positively that hexheads don't surge.