Gear Shifter Oil Seal Help: Metal and Rubber Seal Stuck

[Guest]

Bought an 81' GS650E recently and it's only major issue is that it has been leaking oil from the shaft seal for what looks like years, given the amount of oil buildup in and around the crankcase. The previous owner gave me a new seal when I purchased it so that's good. However, from everything I've seen, I'm not sure why the seal that is in there has metal around it. Because of the metal, I can't seem to get it out either. There's not enough room to get a screw in there without potentially damaging the gear shaft. It definitely looks as though someone tried to get this thing out to no avail. Any other tricks to getting this thing out? Any and all help is greatly appreciated.



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[Brendan W]

I've had success using wiper blade inserts as a hook - they generally have some sort of notch at one end and a snap pull can get things started. Failing that a chisel action with a fine screwdriver can fold the metal in over on itself and get a part of the seal away from the edge of the hole in the casting. In such a confined space sometimes the only option is to get physical. Yet to have one that didn't seal after.

[geol]

I would like you lever the seal out with a screwdriver; damaging the old seal won't hurt anything BUT take a look at the manual for your bike. I suspect if you took the clutch cover off and removed the shift pawl you could pull the shift shaft towards the clutch side of the bike far enough for you to lever the seal out easily with a screwdriver with the shift pulled out of the way. I know this because when I took my left side cover off for cleaning I pushed the shaft in some by accident and the shift pawl fell off and I had to remove the clutch cover to replace it. It isn't a big deal. Put a pan under the bike but I lost almost no oil doing this on center stand.

There is metal on the outside of almost every seal to stiffen it The bigger seals don't have this metal as they are large and thick enough that the rubber is stout.

When you replace the clutch cover you will have to align the teeth on the clutch actuating shaft with the teeth on the pinion gear that moves the clutch plates out. You may want to have a new clutch cover gasket on hand if you try this method.

[tkent02]

Not sure if you will have to do this, not sure on the 650E but on the others the shift shaft would pull out the right side after the clutch is removed, which will make it easy to pull that seal. Use the correct seal this time, either a Suzuki part or at least the same type of seal. This one isn't the right type.

[geol]

On the 650 engine, like the 1000 engine, the shift shaft goes through shift pawls which turn the internal shift drum. The pawls sit below and to the left of the clutch hub which doesn't need to be removed but if you just pull the shift shaft out (it will easily come out) the shifter side, you still have to open the clutch cover to put the pawls back in place by spreading the return spring arms and positioning them around the fixed stud like thing on the case. I know this because I had my shifter STUCK and though something wrong but found it was only necessary to remove the clutch cover to replace the pawls. You do have to hold the shaft on the shifter side as it easily will push through the engine.

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/search/Suzuki/Motorcycle/1981/GS650E/GEAR+SHIFTING/parts.html

In the fiche above, the #22 shift shaft ends with the mechanism I call shift pawls and are not a separate part of this assembly...two horn shaped ears are shown and these are what rotate the internal shift drum on the transmission.