Shifter Oil Leak Question

[rockjok]

Hi All,

For a while I've had a bit of grunge accumulating on the case near the shifter. I can't positively pinpoint the oil leak but I bent the shifter last summer while high centered on a fallen tree. Thus the shifter seal is my primary suspect.

Does anyone know if the shifter seal is one that can be replaced "easily" from the outside or will I need to do a bunch of disassembly?

Thanks,

Rob

[Deni]

Neutral switch?

Hi, Rob. My leak was from the neutral "switch" underneath the shifter. Mine actually dripped a couple drops every day, and I guess when riding got blown back to make grunge on stuff down there. I think this is a common problem from the rubber or plastic gasket inside the "switch" getting shrunk down or cracked over the years from all the heat (not surprising). I bought a new one from BikeBandit.com for $15.52 and it worked like a charm. I don't know if the oil in the crankcase reaches up to the level of the switch hole, so I changed it out when I changed my oil. This probably could have been sealed with a dab of heat-resistant sealer both on the inside and outside of the center insulator because it's not really a switch. It's just a center contact that is insulated from the grounded housing that gets shorted when a grounded piece inside the shifter mechanism touches it in neutral. But the new one is nice and worry-free for $15. Don't know if this is your problem, but this is a pretty easy fix (screwdriver and socket wrench).
-Deni

[Ken Talbot]

That should be an easy fix, Rob. The seal inserts from the outside:

[Smash]

http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/p...011/newTAG.jpg

[Smash]

ARG why can't i reply to things normally????

[DAVINCI]

If you need the shifter seal, PM me your address. I got a bunch of them last winter NOS.

[natemoen]

it is an easy swap out for that. You can easily do it from the outside. I went and got a replacement seal for that for about 2.50 a couple months ago.