leak at shifter seal

[oldskool]

I know this topic has been discussed several times before and I hate to bring it up, but I'm going crazy here:

Last month I installed the Jersey shifter bracket, which I love. Works Awesome! I thought the leaking was solved, but it wasn't. My 97 Valkyrie only leaks when the motor is hot.

Over the weekend, I installed another brand new OEM Honda oil seal (my 4th one). I installed it correctly and got it seated perfectly. No dripping or leaks!

The next day I took the bike on the Spring Flood Run 2019 - and it started dripping again. (For reference - I'm using Mobile 1 synthetic 10w/40 motorcycle oil)

I'm going to buy another oil seal and install it during an oil change when it's completely drained. I'll lightly coat it in grease too - I didn't do that last time.

Any other suggestion?  
    
Thanks!

[Bagger John - #3785]

Look at the shifter shaft - any burrs or rough spots where it enters the seal?

Also...is the leak coming from the shaft area itself or is it coming from the outer edges of the seal?

[oldskool]

The inside surface feels smooth.

When I was cleaning the inside area (after removing the old seal) I could see oil accumulating at the bottom within seconds.   

[SCain]

Make sure to cover the splines of the shaft with tape, sliding a new seal over a splined shaft can ruin the seal, maybe use a very light coating of Hondabond, Yamabond on the outside of the new seal before you install it. The equal to hondabond is the grey permatex sealant that stays flexible.
Just some idea's to consider.

[Chrisj CMA]

It's possible and if the case that the seat was damaged while removing a seal, you will need that yamabond or Honda's equivalent to seal it. Should work fine if that's the case

[Tfrank59]

I'd say do what everybody else is saying but here's a question how bad is the needle bearing? In other words how bad is the slop in the shifter shaft? Is if it's really sloppy then even with a good seal it's going to wallow it and oil will leak.

[Chrisj CMA]

I'd say do what everybody else is saying but here's a question how bad is the needle bearing? In other words how bad is the slop in the shifter shaft? Is if it's really sloppy then even with a good seal it's going to wallow it and oil will leak.

Maybe not so much with the brace from Jersey

[Tfrank59]

 Oh dang I missed that he put that on there!  Yeah that should keep it from pulling sideways and everything at least not as much

[oldskool]

Thanks for the great suggestions!

Without the Jersey bracket there is a lot of slop.

 

[oldskool]

Still fighting this...

I installed another new seal two days ago.

I put a light coating of Yamabond on the outside of the seal, grease on the splines and I reinstalled the Jersey Bracket. The bike sat for about 24 hours with no leaks.

I drove it yesterday for about 45 minutes, parked it and it's still dripping.  So frustrating!

[Tfrank59]

Yeah that sucks. And you're certain it's coming from the shifter seal right? Seems odd with all of that you've done it still won't seal it from dripping oil

[Paladin528]

are there any sharp points on the shaft going into the gearbox?  I am wondering if you are cutting the seal when installing it.  It certainly wouldnt take much to nick the seal during install on the shaft.

[SCain]

RetroRob,
I know you mentioned you are installing in correctly and I am not questioning that, what are you using to cover the splined end of the shaft that the seal slides over? If you are sliding the seal over those splines they are cutting it.  Its either that or there is a bur or something that is cutting the seal.
You might take a fine grit emery cloth and go around that shaft before installing another new seal.

In the past I have used very thin walled brass tubing to install these type of seals, you can find this type of tubing at hobby stores. Buy the size that fits over the splines, slide the seal onto the tubing and onto the shaft.
Good luck and keep us updated.

[Grandpot]

Can you tell if the  leak is coming from the shaft to the ID of the seal or from the OD of the seal to the bore it sits in?

[Jjona5]

They make a product called speedisleeves. You might need one if there is any damage to the shaft. You can take a large boba straw and slice it and then put it over the shaft then push the seal over to prevent damage to the seal.

[oldskool]

I didn't see or feel any burrs on the spline... I couldn't get the tape to hold, so I just greased up the spline prior to mounting the seal.

I believe the leak is coming from the I.D. of the seal. 

I'll try the brass tube over the spline next time!

Thanks for the replies!

[sixlow]

Howbout a piece of shrink tubing over the shaft ?  ???  shrunk in place,  even where the seal rests and just trim the toothed area off once installed. Just a thought.

[Tfrank59]

 If he doesn't have any burrs on the splined shaft and he has grease on there, that's probably not gonna hurt the seal going over it (I had no problems installing mine like that). A person would have to work at it to ruin the seal in that situation especially having replaced it more than once and he gets the same leaky results every time.

The question to pursue perhaps is there a leak path on the shaft, not something protruding but something indented -- a groove or a scratch deep enough in the seal area of the shaft, so that once the seal is installed even properly, the oil still seeps past it, particularly since he says it's the seal ID that's leaking.