Shift Shaft - Any Ideas?

[c-152]

My bike is leaking oil out of the shift shaft on my kx500.  I have replaced the seal however the problem is with the shaft itself.  It does not appear bent however it is corroded quite a bit so a new seal just doesnt work.  It is not really that bad, just annoying and I want to fix it.  My dealer informed me tat the shift shaft is discontinued.  I am sure I can get a newone somewere if I do some searching, Bikebandit still lists it but I would like a good temparary fix until then.  I bought a new seal and was thinking about some sort of sylicone that would hold up for the inside of the seal.  the problem is obviously the shaft has to move so it couldnt be solid. 

[alan]

You said the problem is with the shaft, I am wondering if it has worn where the seal contacts it? Maybe the seal has had dirt and grit at the contact point. Just guessing here, possible fixes could be, 1 space the seal out a few thousands 2 Shave the outer back side of the seal so it contacts different area of the shaft. remove the shaft and mic the contact area, then build the area up with anything from JB weld to silver braze or brass or bronze, then have it turned down to the original dimensions. 4 some seals have oversize ID's which could seal the shaft. All of these options are dependant on the shaft being straight.

Just my 2 cents!

[KXcam22]

C-152,
  What Alan suggest will work quite nicely.  You could also put the seal in backwards so it contacts a different spot.  Another comon repair for that is to find some thin wall brass or ss tubing (hobby shop) and epoxy it over the corroded area so the seal has a new surface.  The extra OD is usually not an issue. Hope this helps. Cam.

[c-152]

Great ideas, I am going to tear into it today and go from there.  Thanks guys - I plan on riding tomorrow so I hope to have it done by then.

[maddoggy]

be sure to apply some lube to the sealing lip before installing it. installing a lip seal dry is never a good idea, it's hard on the lip and could cause small gouges to the surface of the sealing lip. you'll want to keep the metal flange dry.  try something like "lubriplate 105 assembly grease" or something similar. don't use a heavy grease as it could get onto the clutch plates and cause you problems. just somethin' to keep in mind, MADDOGGY.

[hangtime]

The shift shaft where the shift lever bolts on an 86 87 88 are smaller than the newer ones. This might mean a seal for these is a smaller I.D. than the one you have.

[c-152]

The shift shaft where the shift lever bolts on an 86 87 88 are smaller than the newer ones. This might mean a seal for these is a smaller I.D. than the one you have.

nice idea - I will order one.  I took ome advice from the forum and shaved the seal done slightly and installed it.  That worked for now, I noticed a tiny bit of leaking after riding but itwas a lot less than before (which really wasn't much). I will order and older seal and see if that helps.  Thanks for the info

[c-152]

Well last weekend I installed a new seal.  I shaved the seal down a little and went riding the next day and haven't noticed any leaking.  THANKS for the advice.  As usual it helped. 
I am still going to try and get a new shift shaft to fix it but for now this seems to have fixed it