'04 K RS rear seal

[runnerhiker]

See the attached picture of the rear drive of my '04 K1200 RS. At 16k miles, it lookded like that and the dealer changed out the rear seal under warranty. At 18k miles, it looked like that and the dealer again changed out the rear seal under warranty. The attached picture is at 20k miles (right now) and the warranty runned out yesterday.

Do you thnik it is the rear seal? Or something else?

Ron

[GregFeeler]

To me that looks like a leaking front seal on your rear drive - the pinion shaft seal. Do you know exactly which seal(s) your dealer replaced? If it's the pinion shaft seal all these times, you have other problems, like some damage to the seal surface on the pinion shaft, or a bad bearing.

[cjack]

What does it look like up the swingarm at the rear of the transmission?

[runnerhiker]

What does it look like up the swingarm at the rear of the transmission?

The rubber boot looks dirty but dry. Like maybe a very small amount of oil that has caught a film of dirt. It is not wet like the boot over the rear joint. It's very difficult to get a good look and I don't think I can take a picture of it.

Ron

[cjack]

I was thinking that it may be the trans output, but doesn't sound like it. When it gets fixed, they need to look there for sure anyway. Check the vent on the final drive, replace the seal and the ring it rubs on, and so forth.
The warranty doesn't run out on repairs until a year after the repair...actually I think it is 2 years now. This covers parts and labor til the end of the bike's original warranty or 2 years after the repair which ever is a greater time.

[runnerhiker]

Thanks for all the tips and comments. I am trailering the bike to the dealer tomorrow. The original warranty runs out Sunday! They have offered me a 2 year extension for $1000.

Ron

[runnerhiker]

Thanks for all the tips and comments. I am trailering the bike to the dealer tomorrow. The original warranty runs out Sunday! They have offered me a 2 year extension for $1000.

Ron
The bike is back from the dealer. They changed the pinion shaft seal for the 3rd time and didn't find any other problem. I think it's time to go someplace else for service. But I still have the problem of not knowing whether this repair is the charm or whether it will leak again. Any tips on contacting BMW to at least ensure that if it happens again they will pay for the repair?

Ron

[cjack]

The bike is back from the dealer. They changed the pinion shaft seal for the 3rd time and didn't find any other problem. I think it's time to go someplace else for service. But I still have the problem of not knowing whether this repair is the charm or whether it will leak again. Any tips on contacting BMW to at least ensure that if it happens again they will pay for the repair?

Ron

The warranty doesn't run out on repairs until a year after the repair...actually I think it is 2 years now. This covers parts and labor til the end of the bike's original warranty or 2 years after the repair which ever is a greater time.

[pfls]

It is common for what is thought to be a pinion seal leak to actually be oil coming through the threads of the threaded ring that the seal is installed in. These threads need to have Hylomar on them when the ring is installed. The output seals on the transmission commonly leak too, and it can be difficult to determine where the oil is coming from. If there is any doubt, the swingarm should be removed so that the output seal can be inspected close up. After three tries, this would be a good idea. I would have done it after the first comeback.

[runnerhiker]

It is common for what is thought to be a pinion seal leak to actually be oil coming through the threads of the threaded ring that the seal is installed in. These threads need to have Hylomar on them when the ring is installed. The output seals on the transmission commonly leak too, and it can be difficult to determine where the oil is coming from. If there is any doubt, the swingarm should be removed so that the output seal can be inspected close up. After three tries, this would be a good idea. I would have done it after the first comeback.

pfls,

Thanks for the info, this is a great forum to get stuff like that. I would not have known about the tips you mentioned above so I would not know to ask the dealer to take the swing arm apart. I depended on them to know how to deal with a recurring problem. Alas, they didn't know, now I am somewhat stuck.

I am disappointed that BMW's have such seal problems. I am disappointed that BMW dealers don't have the knowledge to deal with such seal problems, specially considering all the practice they get.

Ron

[cjack]

pfls,


I am disappointed that BMW's have such seal problems. I am disappointed that BMW dealers don't have the knowledge to deal with such seal problems, specially considering all the practice they get.

Ron

Most of the dealers with all this practice are gone now.
Back in the '70s, there were bevels filling up with swingarm oil. The factory determined that the oil was getting past the splines where the ball spline fit onto the pinion gear under the nut and washer. The fix was to disassemble and seal that area with heavy grease I think. Lots of seals around the outside of the pinion gear shaft were replaced until this came to light.
Interesting about the lighter gear oil. BMW uses it in their latest bevels. It might be a problem overfilling though since they (the 1200s) are not vented.