mfergel

Gotta respect a man who owns both a Buell and a Mustang. :-)

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Yeah, get that seal checked. Hard to predict when failure will happen but it will.

moosestang

Guys, your gear oil isn't going to leak while sitting in your driveway. it's going to leak while driving, so you will never see a puddle. You could have lost a little bit or a lot. Pull the plug and stick your finger in there. If you can feel oil, then you're good, for now.

Lots of things can cause the pinion seal to leak. Do any high speed runs lately? Is your vent tube plugged with dirt? Having the car lowered and not adjusting the pinion angle, especially if you have an aftermarket drive shaft that doesn't use the CV joint at the pinion.

HOTRODD77

No crazy runs, dont think the vents plugged(still get oil on the axle). I'm going to go grab an angle finder today check the pinion angle. Went by the dealership the other day and they told me shouldn't be an issue changing it under warranty, prob take a couple hours. Just gotta find a day this coming week I can take it in. What's an acceptable pinion angle on an auto? Isn't like -2 to -3 where you want to be, or am I way off?

moosestang

What you don't want is more than 3 degrees working angle, in other words, you don't want the difference between the drive shaft angle and pinion flange angle to be more than 3 degrees. I measure my engine crank/transmission angle and then set the pinion flange opposite. My engine, measured off the crank pulley, is 2 degrees, if memory serves, and that's 2 degrees downward angle from front to back, we'll call that -2 degrees for simplicity. Set my pinion flange to +2 degrees or pretty close, which left me with a work angle of 1-2 degrees, can't remember exactly, but it was small. This is for a 1 piece drive shaft.

moosestang

Love my Buell 1125CR! Most fun to ride sport bike i've ever owned and I've owned 5. A v-twin with a 10.5k redline and 150hp is the perfect combination.

HOTRODD77

Thanks, moose. I'll be measuring this in the morning to see where I am at.

HOTRODD77

And where is the fill plug so I can check the level?

HOTRODD77

One more question. Sorry for all the posts, but my phone won't let me edit.

How can I check to make sure that the axle vent is for sure not clogged. If it is, how do I unclog it, and if it is clogged and causing the leak at the pinion flange, could it just be a leak and not a bad seal? Okay, more than one question, lol. Thanks again for all the advice.

moosestang

Once the seal starts leaking, it needs to be replaced. You can unscrew the vent, but I doubt it's clogged. Mine was covered with sand and I still didn't blow my pinion seal.

The fill plug is on the right side of the pumpkin when looking from the front. Use a 3/8 inch ratchet with extension to remove it.

Trying to measure the pinion flange angle is difficult. It's much easier with the back of the drive shaft removed.

So you have a 1 piece drive shaft?

HOTRODD77

I have te stock drive shaft. I'm about to go out and try to get a measurement here shortly(long night, lol). Don't you just measure the driveshaft angle before the pinion, then the angle of the pinion itself and take the difference of the 2 numbers to get the pinion angle?