Drip from gaiter on driveshaft

[oilyrag]

Hello...  
I have a drip of oil (transmission oil?) coming from the rubber gaiter on the drive shaft. Besides checking that the gaiter has no holes/splits what is the solution to this drip and what is the source of the oil?

Is it from the gearbox or the lubrication in the shaft itself?

Can I live with it if I replace the missing drips every so often? I presume that replacing the gaiter is a major job. Are there any split gaiters on the market that could be used?

Thanks

[Bob_Roller]

If there are no holes, or leaks in the rubber boot itself, I would try tightening the band type clamps. They are not a particularly robust part, so don't get too overly enthusiastic with tightening it, or you will be replacing it. The oil is from the drive shaft not from the transmission. The gaiter is a bit of a project to replace, I don't know if you can replace it without pulling the swing arm assembly back a few inches to give you enough clearance to get the gaiter off and then back on. When was the last time a transmission input spline lube was done?

[oilyrag]

>When was the last time a transmission input spline lube was done?

Hello...

All the lubricants in the bike were replaced some 3 months ago, the gaiter I think was replaced too (but not 100%),

So its oil in the drive shaft that is leaking.... I will need to keep it topped up with a small amount now and then.

Thanks

[Bob_Roller]

If the gaiter was replaced just recently, the orientation to the gaiter seems to make a difference. There is the word 'oben' molded into the gaiter, from what I can remember from what little German I learned in high school, oben means up or top. Check that , I put mine together wrong last time, and I had a leak that would not go away until I rotated the boot 180 degrees, and the word oben was on top, and have not had a leak to this day. I don't know if this was a coincidence or not  but it worked for me. Also on the clamps, there is a small piece of metal that bridges the gap between the'ears' that the screw that tightens the clamp threads through. If that is missing, you have about .5 inches of the boot not secured by the clamp, and could cause a leak as well. The reference to the transmission input spline lube, was if you have to replace the gaiter, you are at about the halfway point of doing a spline lube, so if it had not been done in 5 years or so it might be a good time to accomplish this often overlooked maintenance item. It can get quite expensive if the splines wear to where they fail.

[Chris_in_BC]

>When was the last time a transmission input spline lube was done?

Hello...
All the lubricants in the bike were replaced some 3 months ago, the gaiter I think was replaced too (but not 100%),
So its oil in the drive shaft that is leaking.... I will need to keep it topped up with a small amount now and then.
Thanks

Think Bob was asking you when you last greased the  input spline on the gearbox. This is not related to an oil change. To grease the splines, the gearbox needs to be removed or at least pulled back and to do this you would have had to open up the drive shaft boot.
There is only 150cc in the drive shaft and even if that drips down to 100cc you would still be OK as it just gets splashed around. So if you don't mind wiping up a drip, you could easily leave it to the end of the season when you should probably be changing all the oils anyway.
Bob' s idea of checking orientation is a good one, as  is snugging up the clamp. Don't over tighten as it is possible to brake the clamp bolt where it is spot welded to the strap.

[Ed Miller]

snip  The gaiter is a bit of a project to replace, I don't know if you can replace it without pulling the swing arm assembly back a few inches to give you enough clearance to get the gaiter off and then back on. snip

You have to pull the swing arm back from the transmission, as you said.  Somebody, at a tech day I attended in Portland, told an R90S guy that he could change the boot without doing that.  He wasted a lot of time trying to figure out how.  I don't know why they told him that.

I think it would be easiest to completely remove the swing arm and attach the rear of the gaiter, then get the swing arm back in place to attach the flange bolts and the front side of the gaiter.  The rear part is a real pain to work into place in situ.

[thrang]

I've always had to pull the swing arm out to change that bloody gaiter, as I (in my kack handed way) would be bound to rip the thing to shreds trying to slip it between the output flange on the gearbox and the UJ.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

The hose clamps on that boot are specific, as well.  They are narrower than any you are likely to find at the average hardware store.

The part # is 33 1 71 458 346 and they run about $9 a piece, retail.

This is where I found the part #: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do
Just put in your bikes' serial number, and it will take you to the correct microfiche.  Bookmark it.

Chicago BMW is well known for their 20% discount (the above straps are $7.20 on their site) and equally well known for a long wait on parts, so don't order from them if you are in a hurry for something.  

There are many retailers.  Max BMW is a popular retailer that also offers the microfiche online.

Motobins in England is very R65 friendly, offering items not available from the BMW catalog.  They also have a forum of their own, once again, very R65 (and R45) friendly!  They are also fast on delivery time to North America, and if the item is not too bulky or heavy, postage is no barrier.

[Bob_Roller]

I have used ty-wraps in a pinch to replace the metal clamps, I just would not leave them on there for any longer than you had to.

[Ed Miller]

I've always had to pull the swing arm out to change that bloody gaiter, as I (in my kack handed way) would be bound to rip the thing to shreds trying to slip it between the output flange on the gearbox and the UJ.

I wasn't clear.  They told the guy that he didn't have to undo the bolts holding the u-joint to the transmission output flange.  I still don't see it.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I wasn't clear.  They told the guy that he didn't have to undo the bolts holding the u-joint to the transmission output flange.  I still don't see it.

I don't see ANY way to replace it without removing the driveshaft from the transmission.

And for the record, no, there are none that are split down the side - least ways I have never seen one.  A solid one is hard enough to make seal, it seems.

It has been a very long time since I replaced one.  Heck, it has been a long time since I have had those four bolts off the flange.

Transmission removal is on the list for this fall.

[Justin B.]

I think he was wondering if anybody sourced a zippered boot like those available for some automotive CV joints.  They are designed so that somebody can replace their boot without a pile of tools or mechanical expertise and seem to work fine for their intended purpose.  But, as pointed out, he's gotta do it the "old fashioned" way...  

Surely, somebody telling the goober he could change the boot without disconnecting anything was meant as a joke, right?  I could see a couple of the ornrier boxerworks folks telling a newb this and sitting around for half the day drinking beer and reveling in the poor sucker's frustration!

[Ed Miller]

Two of us Boxerworks people were, in fact, there, but we weren't the ones who told him that.  I think I have a sense of humor, but not that kind.  (I hope the first clause of the previous sentence wasn't funny!)

The cv joint boots only have to retain grease, not oil.  I've never heard of one for our bikes.  I think getting the dang thing in place to be clamped is way harder than undoing 4 bolts; what a pain.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I (*heart*) my bmw...  

[Justin B.]

Ed, there are a couple over there that I think would get a kick ouit of watchin' somebody go crazy...  Kinda like when we used to send newbs all over the base looking for 50 yards of "flight-line" or a 5 gl can of "prop-wash"