Final Drive Oil Leak

I thought I'd report on my final drive oil leak at 144,000 miles. I replaced the oil seal on the left (wheel) side of the final drive, the big one between the drive housing and the ring gear. The job was incredibly easy: the old one popped right out when I pried just a little with a screwdriver. The new one could be pressed into place with firm pressure from both thumbs on opposite sides, which eliminated the problem where one side pops out while you're pushing on the other.

There was a slight scare when I first rode it. I saw some oil on the rim and thought I hadn't fixed it, but it turned out to be some overflow from refilling that I missed wiping off.

It's a good thing I didn't have the dealer do it. Based on my conversation with the service manager, it's clear he'd never worked on one. His description of the job wasn't even close to reality.