Copper crush washer on secondary fill?

[fivetoedsloth]

I'm about 10 minutes from changing the secondary and final gear oil on my GS850GLZ. The secondary fill plug needs a new crush washer. The bevel oil pdf from Bikecliff's site mentions an aluminum washer, but the only thing the auto parts store had in 20mm was copper. Is this OK, or should I wait until I can get one in aluminum?

Thanks!

[bwringer]

Sure, it'll be fine.

[fivetoedsloth]

Thanks!

Much appreciated!

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I over-filled my secondary gear oil the first time I changed it. Be sure to use the "dribble hole" when refilling to get the proper level of gear oil. I think I mention this in the addendum to that guide. At least I hope I do.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[fivetoedsloth]

Hi,

I over-filled my secondary gear oil the first time I changed it. Be sure to use the "dribble hole" when refilling to get the proper level of gear oil. I think I mention this in the addendum to that guide. At least I hope I do.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Yes, it's mentioned at the bottom. Thanks for hosting all those documents.

The PO, my wife's uncle, was fairly religious about oil changes, brake fluid every 2 years, making sure it would pass inspection, etc., but admitted to me that he didn't know about changing the bevel gear oil. He put about 13k on the machine.

80w-90 was the closest the auto parts store had to the oil specified in the manual. So that's what I used.

The secondary was very low and the oil was black and smelled cooked. There was a little sludge on the magnet at the end of the drain plug, but no visible metal shavings or debris. (FWIW, the secondary drain plug on my 1982 GS850GL is the same size as the drain plug on the final. It wasn't 17mm.) I plan to change this one again in a few hundred miles.

The final drive looked better. The oil level was right where it was supposed to be and had a clear-reddish color to it. It did not have that slow roasted aroma. I did succeed at dropping the drain plug into my funnel, which promptly filled with oil and then overflowed. My guess is about half of it ran down the rim and tire onto my driveway. Yay, fun.

Thanks again for the advice.

[chuck hahn]

should only be 2 or 3 bucks at the dealership..I think its basically the same size as the oil pan drain plug too.