Welcome to my nightmare -- oil seal, valves, clutch

[Rusty Studebaker]

Greetings from SE Pennsylvania!

1982 GS1100L, long time stored, or at least ridden very little. Title indicated 3,000 miles in last 11 years.

Yeah, it was an impulse purchase.

I recently finished resurrecting a 1981 Gold Wing, and decided to try another project.


1. Drained secondary drive and more water than gear oil came out. If you've ever changed a colicky baby's diaper, that's what the gear oil looked like. Filled it with proper gear oil, to level specified in service manual. No doubt will need to drain it again at least once.

2. Topped up engine oil. Level dropped without engine running more than a few minutes. Possible output shaft oil seal failure, or maybe other internal seal? Oh boy.

3. Exhaust emits white smoke randomly from one side or the other when warming up, then stops, then starts again. Oil dripping from weep hole just in front of left muffler, with some making it out the back. Right side mostly just smoke. Intake boot on cylinder 2 looks oily. I'm guessing valve seals?

4. Clutch seems to be binding. High rev required to start out in first. I put it on the center stand and the engine will run nicely in neutral with the clutch engaged. Put it in gear and the engine almost dies even with rear wheel freely spinning off the ground. Lots of clacking from the transmission/clutch during this. When I pull the clutch in, the rear wheel stops spinning immediately rather than slowly winding down. Something's keeping it from turning -- maybe things are stuck together in there?

I changed the oil yesterday. It was clear and golden through the peeper, but after a short run around the neighborhood it was a good deal darker. Can gear oil enter the engine through a compromised oil seal or is that a one-way street? Or is that just stirred up pan sludge coloring the oil?

I have not yet adjusted the valves, but I did sync the carbs and did a rebuild kit, which I did not know was a bad idea until too late. Also installed new petcock, fuel lines and filter. It starts and runs well, except for (occasionally) what sounds like backfiring on the left side.

Thanks in advance. This forum has already helped a lot.

[Grimly]

"Secondary drive", so it's a GS1100GL, then? A shafty.
The seal between engine/transmission oil and the secondary drive oil can fail, but it's not a game-stopper. Several shaft bikes over the years use the engine oil as lube in the front bevel drive. Up to you if you want to split the cases and replace that seal.
The dirty new oil is likely, as you suggest, nothing more than old muck being stirred up. New oil is good at holding muck in suspension, so let it do its job and drain it after a couple hundred miles.

[Rusty Studebaker]

Thanks for the reply, Grimly. Looking at it a little more today, it looks like I need to open and inspect the clutch, and probably separate the plates. The back wheel definitely does not want to turn. If I can get away with separating those plates rather than replacing them, I'll be happy. It doesn't look terribly difficult to replace them, just pricier.

I read a post on here about an '82 GS650GL with a similar problem, and it was suggested (and neither refuted nor proven) that, with a blind seal puller, the OP might be able to get by without splitting the cases. Here it is, what do you think?

https://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/forum/technical-forums/general-maintenance/1723083-82-gs650gl-output-shaft-oil-seal-plug

The big question, however, is what is the best order in which to do these three things -- valve seals, clutch and output shaft oil seal. I was thinking oil seal first, then valves, then clutch, but I'm a noob and probably overlooking something important.

[Rob S.]

Even with clutch pulled in, I think it's normal for rear wheel to spin when in gear on center stand. (Or is that just chain bikes?) So something's binding. Wheel bearings, brake?

[Grimly]

T
The big question, however, is what is the best order in which to do these three things -- valve seals, clutch and output shaft oil seal. I was thinking oil seal first, then valves, then clutch, but I'm a noob and probably overlooking something important.

Is there oil coming out of the external seal where the shaft drive originates, either on the LH side or the shaft itself?
If both those seals are dry, it suggests that the internal seal between the gearbox and the bevel drive is defective, as you thought in your first post.
Let the bike run for a bit and see how the levels behave. If there's engine oil getting into the bevel drive you'll soon see it when you drain it.
That particular seal, as far as I know, cannot be done from outside.
I'd love to be wrong on this and hope that somebody who's done one can chip in with their two cents.

[Rusty Studebaker]

Rob S, I think you're on to something with your brake suggestion. I just went out and spun the wheel by hand with it on the center stand, in neutral with the clutch pulled in. It was difficult to move. Then I pressed the brake pedal and let go. Now it won't move at all. I hope it's the brake, as a caliper/MC rebuild is already in my skill set. Trying the simplest solutions first is something I preach to other people, then forget to do myself. Thanks!

Grimly, there was a lot of oil and gunk around the shaft boot when I got this bike. I cleaned it all up & filled the secondary's reservoir, and the mess around the boot has not returned. Perhaps all the water coming in (see first post) created an overfill situation and forced it out? Whatever the case, it's not happening anymore. I'll drain the secondary over the next couple days and see what it looks like. I'm now resigned to reality -- this ain't a clean-the-carbs-and-ride situation. Which is fine, just need to make a parts and tool list and go over the tutorials. Here we go!