NT Final Drive Oil Leak

[RedBird]

It is a great week for riding here in Colorado, and my NT is at Sun Enterprises for final drive repair. It developed a gear oil leak in the final drive so I rode it in this morning. They pulled it down and reported that the seals were defective, whatever that means. A bright spot in all this -- I have 1 month left on my warrenty so the fix is on Honda. The bad news is that Sun has to order parts. I expected that since we have a relatively "rare" bike. Here's hoping that Honda parts are not backordered.

I haven 't heard of this happening to anyone else, so I hope that replacing the seals will cure the problem for good. (Fingers crossed!)

By the way, Sun Enterprises has a new red (non-abs) 2010 NT on the floor, AND a NEW 2002 red Super Hawk 996 (that's a 10 year old bike!).

 

[WVRider]

It is a great week for riding here in Colorado, and my NT is at Sun Enterprises for final drive repair. It developed a gear oil leak in the final drive so I rode it in this morning. They pulled it down and reported that the seals were defective, whatever that means. A bright spot in all this -- I have 1 month left on my warrenty so the fix is on Honda. The bad news is that Sun has to order parts. I expected that since we have a relatively "rare" bike. Here's hoping that Honda parts are not backordered.

I haven 't heard of this happening to anyone else, so I hope that replacing the seals will cure the problem for good. (Fingers crossed!)

By the way, Sun Enterprises has a new red (non-abs) 2010 NT on the floor, AND a NEW 2002 red Super Hawk 996 (that's a 10 year old bike!).

Hi Ken,

Just wondered how many miles you had on NT when the leak showed itself? Hope you get it back on the road soon.

DJ

 

[EX Winger]

Ken,

Did you have it parked near to any BMW'S. I hope they get teh parts and that you aer back on the road soon! Have you , or the deale changed the final dive oil recently , if so was Honda oil piut back into it.
I had my 04 wing have a oil leak in final drive with about 15,000 miles on it, but a friend and I had changed the oil in it about 5,000 miles before this happend. I was in Florida when that happend I had it back in three days and it never had any further problems, mine was parked at a friends house in a garage with two BMW'S, I have always blamed them for the problem LOL, although I did bite my tong, and didn't blame it on my friends bikes for the problem! at the dealership as it was a Honda /BMW dealer shop, I didn't mention to them that I had changed the oil previously . It had 105,500 on it when traded in this past January and never had another problem with leaks anywhere. It did loose the altornator system at 80,000.

Eldon

 

[RedBird]

Hi DJ, I do not have that many miles on the bike at all, around 3500. I did not get to ride it all that much last season. Eldon, if any BMW's were casting spells on my NT, it was from long distance! I don't know if the dealer changed the final drive oil at the 600 mile service or not. I'll have to see if I can find the invoice for that and see what it says. I had a Valkyrie for 12 years previous to the NT, and a 1000cc Goldwing prior to the Valkyrie, and for that matter, a R75/5 BMW before the wing - none of these had final drive problems. With any luck, the repair should take care of the problem for good.

 

[EX Winger]

I agree with that thought of it should be fixed for good! I doubt seriously tha the FD oil was changed at the 600 mile inspection, I think it comes into the 20 , or 25,000 mile service, That is off teh top of my head,my sevice manual is in bike trunk and not handy to gt to at teh moment. The older R bikes never had that bad habit to my knowlege.Your 3500 mile mark is just arround the corner for me on my 2011. I will be watching for any signs of this, but I am inclined to think tha it is one of those things that can happen once in a while, There are so many NT'S running around with well above the 20,000 mile mark W/O problems.

Again I wish you all the best on this problem. I as others will be watching to see how long it takes to get you back on the road again.

Eldon

 

[Phil Tarman]

At least you've got it in a good service department. I've been very happy with the service I've gotten from Sun this time around. Scott Jess, the assistant service manager sold me my first Concours and remembers when their service department was not that great. But since Mike's been there as manager, it's really taken a turn for the better IMHO. They have gone out of their way to take care of me. (But I don't know if it would help you or not if you let them know that we know each other!).

 

[RedBird]

Ok Phil, but it's too late for that - they already know! Seems like you are "Doc" to them though.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Yep, that's me. For awhile, I wasn't sure if they knew my real name, but when I call and say, "Hi! This is Phil Tarman..." they always say, "Hi, doc!"

 

[WVRider]

Ken, I think you are correct that it will be fixed. It's likely just a one in a million thing. I have been riding shaft drive motorcycles since back in 1978 and haven't had anything else. Here are just the three I liked the most, although there were several others.

First shaft drive, a 1979 CX500 Deluxe; over 55,000 miles in three years - Awesome good bike !

My third shaft drive: a 1984 CB700SC Nighthawk S; over 26,000 hard miles in two years - Great bike though I never like all the wind in my face.

My fifth shaft drive: a 1982 CB900 Custom, that I pulled a trailer with for several years, over 35,000 miles.

Had a total of 6 Honda's, not counting my NT, all with shaft drives and never "NEVER" had a problem with the final drive. So I'm pretty sure your's will be fine once that unusual bad seal is replaced.

DJ

 

[Rmcapozzi]

With that little mileage, it is just likely a defective seal or an issue that occurred during assembly. What I would be concerned about is stories of the FDs failing after many tens of thousands of miles with destroyed gears/bearings. That doesn't appear to be an issue with the NT.

Just a fluke thing I'm sure. First FD fluid change is at 24k and then every 24k miles from then on. VERY low maintenance.

 

[RedBird]

Hi Bob, sure, the leak was inside the drive. I did not see it torn down, but from looking at the service manual my bet is the oil seal in the inside cover of the drive unit. It was leaking out the gap between the drive and the rear wheel, falling onto the rim, and then down the side of the tire. The service guys offered to put it back together so I could ride it back home until they received the parts from Honda, but they really prefered that I leave it if I could get someone to pick me up. I decided to leave it.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Any idea yet on when they can get the parts?

 

[RedBird]

If they are not backordered, Sun's service dept should have them within the week. I'll give them a call early next week and see if they can tell me whether the parts are backordered or not.

 

[Phil Tarman]

So, are you picking the bike up tomorrow? I hope it's all fixed.

 

[Warren]

On the topic of final drive oil I was reading on the UK site that a member mentioned that the owners manual states the the final drive requires a certain amount of measured oil. I think its a little over 4oz. He also said if you fill the final drive with the amount as specified that it does not come up to the bottom of the fill hole which is what some say it should. Any of you that have changed the final drive oil noticed the same ?

 

[RedBird]

I'm picking the bike up today. They replaced both of the seals in the final drive, even though only 1 was bad. Said that as long as they were in there, mine as well replace both of them. They said that they have seen this before, it happens (rarely) on Goldwings also.

 

[Phil Tarman]

And what a lovely day it is to pick up a bike! I hope you got someone to drive you in so you can ride the long way home!

 

[RedBird]

Got the bike today. Indeed it was a beautiful day to ride it home. Hey, they washed it too! It was MUCH cleaner leaving then it was arriving. Also, there was more to this then I was lead to believe. From the invoice:
Rebuilt final drive differential. Replaced outer bearing, all seals & all o-rings.

Parts
Part Number Description
91358-MB0-000 O-RING (46.5x3.5)
91261-MB0-003 OIL SEAL (34x50x7)
91052-MB0-003 BEARING (57/34C3)
91265-MB0-003 OIL SEAL (60x80x8)
91356-MB0-005 O-RING (35.2X2.4)
41433-MB0-010 HOLDER, O-RING
08208-0080 SHAFT OIL 8OZ

Well, no leaks now. Heres hoping it stays thay way for a good long time.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Sounds like Sun did more than a minimal repair for you. They washed my bike the last time they worked on it, too. Didn't do that when I got the PR3s, but that was because it was starting to snow and I had 80 miles to ride home.

 

[mprsns]

My 2010 NT700V (lightning fast red) just experienced this same final drive seal failure. New in August 2012, just 3600 miles on the odometer. Leaking oil (slow drip) from the final drive. Dealer said about a week to fix it under warranty. Quick google search reveals that others have experienced this same seal failure at about this same mileage. Please keep an eye on it if you snap up a good deal on a new 2010. This hickup would not deter me from buying this bike though, it's a peach of a machine.