Small block rear drive seals

[solarsea]

My rear drive leaked again, and this time its not seepage through the level plug but instead oil all over the rim. I left it at the dealer (4000km, has another year under warranty) and simultaneously ordered both seals and the paper gaskets as I expect that given the season its going to take a while :)

Question though, can't those seals be fixed in place by a gasket maker of some kind, e.g. victor reinz or similar ? I've used the later successfully for the valve cover and a diy manual cct on my 125cc enduro, but those were fixed, non-moving parts.

[pehayes]

1- if it is under warranty, stay away from it and don't be ordering your own parts.  Make the dealer SOLVE it.

2- explain what you mean by seals "... fixed in place ...".  Both the larger/outer and small/inner seal press into recesses in the drive body.  Never heard of one moving.  No forces in place to make them move.  The problem is rotational wear to the sealing surface.  What are you asking to do with this :... gasket maker..."?

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[solarsea]

1. Dealer is the sole distributor of Guzzi for the whole country here and I think that they are current selling less that 2 guzzis per year (mine V7 last year and now they've sold a V9 bobber) so their channel with Italians and service are not just there yet when compared to other brands.

2. As for the gasket maker, I've used such to do gaskets/seals in place and they tend to hold once it cures. I was wondering whether anyone had tried using a gasket maker instead of a seal on the final drive.

Thanks!

[Toecutter]

Were I close to you, I'd bet a cheeseburger that it will be due to stripped bolts in the final drive. Keep us posted.

[pehayes]

2. As for the gasket maker, I've used such to do gaskets/seals in place and they tend to hold once it cures. I was wondering whether anyone had tried using a gasket maker instead of a seal on the final drive.

Ah.  Understand the dynamics here.  We're not talking about a paper gasket.  Yes, there are gaskets in there.  But they are generally NOT the source of the leak.  The drive has two, traditional oil seals which ride on precisely smooth areas of the rotating hub.  No way that any kind of sealant material is going to replace a spring-loaded lip seal.  You might use sealant on the outer surface of a pressed-in seal, but I've never seen one leak from the outer surface area and there are no forces to make the entire seal move within its recess.  The seals in question will look like this:



You'll not be replacing that with a tube of gasket maker!

Incidentally, the paper gaskets involved have a specific thickness.  The proper meshing of the crown gear and pinion gear are dependent in part on the spacing of the gear cover plate.  Eliminate the gaskets in favor of a sealant substance and you completely alter the inner spacing dimensions.  I wouldn't go there.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[solarsea]

I got it , thanks for the explanation :)

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Numbers 3, 15 and 38 are seals as Patrick describes. 22 is a gasket.