strike three...leaking pinion seal

[kevdog6]

My 2002 rt has blown it's third pinion seal as evidenced by the seeping oil underneath the rubber boot. It's out of warranty, so it'll be 2-3 labor hours to repair plus parts. Dealer told me seals last longer when bikes are used frequently, bathing it in oil regularly. I'm still very PO'd! I've been holding back putting miles on it in anticipation of the new models, trying to keep resale value up. I guess I'm gonna pay no matter what. I'm pretty discouraged, even thinking of going with Honda's ST1300. I'd appreciate any insights into what you folks think.

[jrbldr]

That's too bad about your pinion seal. I agree with the dealer in general - bikes that are used regularly, even a lot, tend to have higher MTBF. Also, it is false economy to hold back on miles to improve your resale - you are just driving up your cost per mile. You are going to take a big hit on depreciation anyway - might as well spread it across as many miles as you can and ride the heck out of the thing. It might even break less frequently...

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Third seal leak in how many miles?

 

It is likely that the seal is not at fault but rather either the sealing surface on the pinion shaft or the technique of the installer.

 

Oil seals need a nearly clean room enviornment on assembly. Even dust can ruin a new seal. Inspection of the new seal prior to installation often reveals some surface irregularities that should be cleaned with 600 sand paper prior to install. I'm betting the seal surface of the pinion shaft is scored and it should have been replaced. That's a much bigger job as the rear drive needs to come apart. You can probably make a pretty good argument that this should be covered under warranty as constant seal failure, especially if the seal has previously been replaced under warranty, is not normal mode.

[mikewarax]

Most dealer installed parts have a 12 month, 12k mile warranty thru BMW. Why don't you look at that angle.

 

Good Luck

 

Mike

[smiller]

As Ed said, how many miles are you talking about here? If the failure interval is relatively short it seems obvious that the repeated seal failure is likely due to a problem in the final drive, probably some imperfection on the pinion shaft. If three seals have failed in short order your dealer should have picked up on this.

 

If any of the initial failures were within the warranty period and it can be reasonably demonstrated (common sense?) that these failures are related then this repair should be under warranty.

[kevdog6]

The last seal was replaced 3 years ago at 9K. The bike now has 15K. My dealer said that even though the new seal has only 6K miles on it, 3 years is too long for BMWNA to cover the cost of repairs for me. I fully understand how frequent use would keep the seal well lubricated, yet it still makes me wonder if there aren't other issues as some have mentioned.

[smiller]

The last seal was replaced 3 years ago at 9K.

 

Aw, 3 years is probably stretching it in trying to get warranty coverage so you are probably out of luck there. In any event there is still a probability that the failures are related so if you have it fixed I would have them check the pinion shaft over very carefully for any possible problems.

 

As others have mentioned 6k miles in 3 years probably hurts the bike's longevity more than helps it.

[Paul Mihalka]

Any BMW part has a one year warranty. If it was installed by a BMW dealer, the warranty is parts and labor.

[Stan Walker]

My '02 pinion seal and boot oozed for over 40,000 miles (I never replaced it). It's seems to be better now at 61,000 then it ever was (still haven't replaced it). Like the rings, it has a long break in.

 

My '96 pinion seal leaks a little bit too. Maybe because the metal clamped boot seals better I wasn't aware of this, it never showed on the outside. Apparently over the course of 70,000 miles about an oz or two of oil had relocated into the boot.

 

As long as it's only a oz or two I just ignore it and ride. When it gushes I'll fix it. It's never gushed on either RT.

 

Stan

[kevdog6]

Made an appointment today to have the leaking seal fixed with a different dealer other than the one who did the first two repairs. Hopefully this fix will last at least until I can trade the bike in for something new next year. I certainly am lusting after the new R1200RT, or maybe the next generation K1200GT, but may not trust BMW reliability enough to pass over Honda's ST1300.

 

Maybe I expect too much in thinking a pinion seal should not fail 3 times in 4 years with 15,000 miles.

 

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Maybe I expect too much in thinking a pinion seal should not fail 3 times in 4 years with 15,000 miles.

 

You certainly do if none of what you were told has sunk in. IMHO and that of others, this is more a dealer fault than a systematic fault. The fact that the problem recurred shows clearly that it wasn't fixed in the first place, only patched by replacing the seal. You would have to be pretty dim to continue to blame BMW for a problem the dealer should have recognized. The no ride thing is pure BS. The seal requires nothing to maintain its seal but a smooth surface against which to work. If its doing its job, no lubricant will pass within anyway.

[Ken H.]

How much of a leak are we talking about? An slow ozzing or a flood?

[kevdog6]

How much of a leak are we talking about? An slow ozzing or a flood?

 

Seems to be just a slow oozing.

[smiller]

Seems to be just a slow oozing.

 

If it's just a few teaspoons of oil appearing in the boot about every oil change interval then what you are experiencing is rather common and probably not worthy of a repair effort.

[Ken H.]

Well then you can have them try replacing the seal again, but honestly IMHO you're fighting a loosing battle.

 

Consider it part of the bikes 'personality'. Just ride it and enjoy.