R1100RT Final Drive Oil Leak

[markbreen]

Hello All,

I have a 1999 R1100RT that I love, (as well as my K1200LT).

The final drive is leaking oil all over the rear break disk and dropping down onto the wheel. The leak is not coming from the final drive sump, but it seems to be leaking from where that unit is joined together. It looks to be two sections sandwiched together, and where the two pieces meet seems to be leaking.

What made me notice it leaking what a sort of grinding noise coming from the final drive, not a very pleasant experience.

Prior to the grinding noise appearing, the clutch as started to slip, but once I adjusted the clutch cable at the handlebar, that seems to go away.

Thanks in advance for any tips on where to start looking at this problem. I have not worked on the final drive yet, so I have a bit to learn,

Mark

[JATownsend]

Hmmmm...Leaking FD housing...grinding noise when turning rear tire...ah, you sir, in all probability, have a failed final drive main bearing!

Not as common on the lighter bikes, RTs, GSs, older LT1100s, but it certainly does happen. :(

[meese]

Bummer, Mark. Start with this thread (http://www.bmwlt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9734).

[gtmdriver]

It's not an easy DIY fix.
Officially you need special tools to dismantle the drive box and also to measure bearing preloads on assembly.
You could save a lot of money by taking the drive unit off the bike but from that point on it's a secondhand unit or a dealer fix unless you're very experienced.