Hello everyone, got myself a 96 F3 in Oct 09 and been enjoying every moment with it. Still getting to know the bike and getting back to riding after 18 long years. Overall she's a clean bike for its age and well maintained. Did an oil and filter change last weekend and I noticed minor oil seeping from the gear shift seal, can the seal be removed and changed from the outside?

Thanks people, appreciate some guidance. Cheers and safe riding

 

Yup!! Tricky part will be getting the old one out. Smooth off the shift shaft with fine sand paper or scotchbrite pad so it's clean and bur-free for the new seal installation. Grease is your friend.
There is a reason this is leaking though.... Might want to keep your eyes open as to why. Common reasons are bent/worn shift shaft or excessive shaft slop. If you feel any grooves on the shaft...replace it...if not, let it eat! Have fun with it!!

 

Hmm, I was in that area and bought the seal, but read the manual way to do it and said ***** it. If you try motards way let us know with results

 

[quote=motorad service;875144]Yup!! Tricky part will be getting the old one out. Smooth off the shift shaft with fine sand paper or scotchbrite pad so it's clean and bur-free for the new seal installation. Grease is your friend. [quote]

So how did you removed the old seal? I was thinking using one of those small screwdrivers to dig it out but worried that it'll tear and end up being stuck with a worst outcome

 

Did you end up having it changed or left it to seep oil. Mine is a minor leak, maybe it's OK to let it be and to wipe up after each ride. Cheers

 

Yeip, mine was minor also and so I just cleaned the area the best I could and let it go. Figured I have the seal in case I ever need to remove the shift shaft, the job was deeper than I wanted to go at the time and it wasn't like oil was pouring out ... just years of buildup.

If motard has done it before, maybe he has a lil more insight as to what tools to use in removing the old seal. I was planning to use a 90deg scrach/scribe tool ... kinda like what is used by a dentist. But like you said, I didn't want to f it up and end up with a real issue.

 

The pick with the 90 deg end is a good start. Stab it and pry using the shaft as a leverage point. Obviously you don't want to score the bore that the seal sits in.
Good luck!!

 

Thanks Motorad and Nthfirepower for sharing. I cleaned it and took it for a 50kms ride, checked it and no visual sign of oil leak, I guess must be minor and like Nthfirepower build up over the Ks. I figured I'll leave it for now and monitor. Thanks again

 

Good call.... I had many little ones on mine!! 65k on mine before I passed my 96 F3 on... enjoy!

 

Since the seal is only $2 or so, I've gone through about 3 of them. Getting the old seal out is a 30 second job if you have the right tools. I have these tools with points on them and they are designed to remove old seals. I picked them up at Auto Zone for $12... and well worth the cost. You can use a small flat head to get them out, it's just a whole lot more work.