Final Drive Cover Removal

[F6Dave]

This is a follow up to my question this morning about a leaking seal on the left (wheel) side of the final drive.  I talked with a Honda mechanic and, as I suspected, that big (65MM) seal must be replaced from the inside of the final drive cover.  Also, the cover is a tight fit and the drive housing must be heated in order to remove it.

This sounds tricky enough that I'm tempted to pull the unit and take it to a dealer to replace the seal.  However, if someone who has opened his final drive is reading this, I'd appreciate comments  about how difficult getting that cover off really is.  Once it is off it seems like a simple job to change the seal.

[Don07tncav]

Dave if you're talking about the Pumpkin it took a bit of penetrating oil and a lot of patience to pry the two halves apart but it's doable. I was able to get a bit of leverage where the shock attaches to get the two halves apart after tapping with a rubber mallet. No leaks yet, while you're doing it, don't forget the seal where the drive shaft goes into the Pumpkin. Mine was leaking. Now getting that c clip off was an adventure for me....

[F6Dave]

I just read through the archives and either the mechanic I talked to wasn't very good, or I wasn't good at explaining my problem to him.  Just a few months ago there was a post where a member removed the big (65x85x7) seal from the outside of the final drive using a dental pick.  He then re-used the same seal.  It looks like this may be an easier fix than I thought.  This is a great board!

I also noticed that the manual says final drive leaks can be caused by a clogged breather.  Has anyone had that happen?