gearshifter shaft seal?

[weasel01]

I have a little leak I'm noticing at the shaft the gear shift lever is attached to.
Is that seal replaced from the outside or inside?
The manual is vague on this?
Any experience?

[Bob_Roller]

It is removed from the outside .

Gear oil will come out when you remove the seal, if you haven't changed the oil in some time, may be a good time to do it .

Remove the allen head bolt, remove the shift shaft, then use something like a cotter-pin removal tool to get the seal out .

Do not apply force to the surrounding area, and don't score, scrape or gouge up the bore where the seal rests , also make sure the seal is in straight, or it may cause shifting problems .

Make sure you get the correct seal, earlier bikes had a seal 2 mm smaller, and if you order your parts from a non-airhead
knowledgeable BMW dealer they may lead you astray, like one of our members experienced a couple of months ago .  

[nhmaf]

+1 on what Bob said - read this whole thread to ensure that you get the right part:


http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1238532285/13#13

[montmil]

Say, Ampy... Check your local bearing supply shop for the seal before you throw a buncha cash into a Beemer dealer's drawer... and maybe get sold the wrong size

DO NOT throw away the old seal! Remove it gently; I've found the 'dental pick tools' offered at Harbor Freight to excel at removing seals and such. Use a magnifying glass to check for any parts #'s on the seal's surface. Take the seal with you for comparison. 26x16x7 I think but, again, confirm.

And do follow Mike's advice regarding the previous post, fer sure. You'll be golden.

Monte

[Crossrodes]

I agree with Monte.  I took a leaking shifter seal to a local bearing shop and they matched it and I have had no problems with it.  

Just follow the remove/install instructions from Bob and you should have no problem.

[Bob_Roller]

If you still have the formed sheetmetal keeper on the shift linkage, try your best not to damage it, as it is no longer available .

The site moderator, Justin makes up a replacement shift linkage with Heim joint bearings, I have one and  it works great .

[weasel01]

Man, now that's what I call a great response!!

I'm really diggin' this forum as it all seems to be good info from first hand experience and no BULL!!

Thanks to all!

[rob650]

ampliflyer, sent me a PM if you have to.  I just dealt with this issue last month.  NHMAF was good enough to post the thread, beat me to it!

[weasel01]

Finally got my seal today and I hope to put it in this weekend is the torque for the allen head bolt that goes thru the seal 13 ft/lbs?

[nhmaf]

Sounds like in the ball park to me - I don't have my manual handy at the moment.   You don't have to be super critical on the torque on that part - make sure that it isn't liable to come loose

[billygoat]

 I just bought a oil sensor/switch ($13.42)and a shifter seal($11.27) today at a&s and I have not don it before. I heading to my bearing shop tomorrow, thanks guys!

 This will be my third oil switch in 2 years so whats the deal? I went to Kragen and Pep Boys to try and order one for a '68 bug but the threads were finer. This one came with a crush washer and the last one didn't so now I wonder if I should take the other two back and complain or are they that prone to leak?

[Justin B.]

You need a switch from a mid 80s BMW car.  The "Bug" switch works in older Beemers...

[Darwin_R65]

What i love about this forum is you guys answer my questions before I ask them.

My shift seal is also leaking, looks like I'll be paying a visit to CBC bearings next week.

John

[billygoat]

   I pulled the ball and housing out and noticed a crack in the plastic part at 3 o'clock. I'm wondering if this is normal and if the crack should be at 12 o'clock. The "crack" looks perfect so it could be how the part came.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3625/3685374230_61f5668b42_b.jpg


 Could be part number 15 in this pic- BMW #23111233383-

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/DiagramsMid/B0000498.png

Thanks for any input.

[weasel01]

I changed out the seal and also replaced the needle bearings in the shifter arm which was really sloppy plus switched over to dino gearlube and I'll tell ya it shifts better than ever very very smooth and controlled..... me likey!

The old seal had backed all the way out and was sitting a little cockeyed
and full of grime .