Leaking Oil Seal - Behind Sprocket

[JAD777]

I'm hoping someone can help with this.  I bought a 93 K5 a couple months back and just finished getting everything ready for this season (i.e. Oil Change, Brakes, Grease, etc.). I now have oil leaking out of the seal for the front sprocket.  Note: When I drained the oil, it was real dark / thick and there wasn't much (i.e. I'm thinking the level was lower then the seal).

My question is:  Can I change the oil seal from the outside (without having to remove and split the engine) - See diagram?  If so, are there any tricks / gotcha's that I should know.  Or can I simply work out the old one and install a new one...

Any info would be great!!!  - This site is the best...

Thanks
JAD777 - Ontario Canada

[gowen]

Yes you can change the seal from the outside, just remove the sproket then the metal collar, then use a flat head or seal remover to pop out the oil seal. There is a o-ring you can get from home depot that will fix it too, I'll let you know if I find it.

[hoopty]

It's NOT that seal that is leaking. It IS the tiny little o-ring behind the metal collar that is leaking. Search the forums and you'll find a posting by one of the admins concerning this very thing and how to ensure it doesn't happen again.

[hughes]

The 0-ring is after the seal. So if oil is leaking pass the 0-ring than it must be leaking by the seal. Replace both and be done with it. I suspect the 0-ring is to keep the colar from contacting the seal.

[hoopty]

Pull out the collar and you'll see what I'm talking about. I replaced seal after seal after seal until I took it apart and realized the o-ring is too small and THAT is where the leak is coming from. Fixed that and it's been years since I've changed one of those seals. But hey, you're in there anyway so change the seal while you're at it...

[2000desertkx500]

I doubled up on a Kawasaki o ring and had no probs since.

[JAD777]

Thanks everyone...  I took another look at it and with the c-clip installed, the sprocket seems a little loose.  If I'm reading the diagram correctly, the sprocket sits against the collar and the collar sits against the o-ring (Correct?).  This would suggest that the o-ring is gone/bad...

Like Hughes suggested, I will likely replace both - Do it right, do it once!!!.

Another question from the newbie - Can/should I remove the collar before the oil seal, or oil seal first?

P.S.  Although I have the owners manual, I found this site that shows the detailed parts diagram - Helps me see the problem (In case you haven't seen it yet).

http://www.buykawasaki.com/Default.asp?strContentURL=Site/VIVehicleInformation/VIChooseVehicle.asp?intCatalogID=2&intParts=1

[gwcrim]

So where on that parts diagram is this little O ring?

[hoopty]

So where on that parts diagram is this little O ring?

It's not on that diagram. If you pull the countershaft sprocket off, there is the metal collar on the shaft and the seal on the collar. Pull out the collar and you can fish out the little o-ring. It sits on the shaft and is used as a seal between the collar and the housing behind the collar.

[hughes]

Look in the transmission diagram. Order of parts. Sproket,Collar, 0-ring,Oil seal. If oil is leaking at the counter sproket that means your oil seal is leaking. The oil seal is the first line of defence. Behind the oil seal is your counter shaft bearing.

[hoopty]

Wrong. The collar fits over the countershaft (which has the teeth for the sprocket) and the seal fits around the collar. It's that way because the teeth on the countershaft would eat the seal. When oil leaks from this area it is coming from the back of the collar - where the o-ring is. When I get my digital camera working I will post pics.

[hughes]

You are right. But my 87 might be a little diff. but it has been a year scents I had to replace mine. Let's just replace the 0-ring and oil seal. Anyway if oil is leaking out then it must be leaking pass the o-ring and then the oil seal.

[JAD777]

To close this off, I pulled out the collar and found no o-ring at all.  That would explain the leak and why the sprocket was loose.  Replaced the o-ring and it looks good - Hope to run it this weekend.  My oil seal is also on order, so I will replace that once it's in.

Thanks all for your help.

[TheCultivator]

Right I'm confused. Ordered my parts and got the little seal that goes on the shaft, and also the big plastic seal that goes around the metal collar. 1st I started ripping into the old big plastic seal around the collar. It appears it was stuck to the case with some sort of glue. I had to peal it off with a chisel, craft knife and screw driver. But here's the confusing thing. The new plastic seal that goes round the collar is about 3/4 of a cm thick. For those not into metric, about as wide as your front tooth....it's huge. When I put it round the collar it protrudes out to such a degree you have no chance of getting the sproket on. Do I have the wrong part??? or do I need to force the sproket on compressing the big seal...this would create huge friction and probably knock about 20 horsepower off the beast. Any ideas??