stereomind

I'll poke around the old coupling and see if there are any holes. The new final should be here by this weekend, so as soon as I get that beast out of my garage, I'll have some room to do an autopsy.. lol Vlad

I'm wondering the same thing. This is an '03. I see no signs of spline lubrication from the final. Vlad

Some more pics of the carnage... Looks pretty dry. Don't think it's ever been serviced. There's a bit of grease on the forward end of the driveshaft, and the hub side of the final.. Splines on the hub don't look bad. These, however, are toast. There's no sign of anything rubber in there, either. Wonder what happened to it? Peace Vlad http://imgur.com/HkxA9Vyl.jpg http://imgur.com/YqnSoF8l.jpg http://imgur.com/vboxADFl.jpg

Ah well.. this is all that's left of the boot then. Perhaps there's a piece of it still in the receiving end, but it certainly didn't come out with the drive shaft. I'll know more when I get some garage time. Vlad

I couldn't find the o-ring. The driveshaft basically fell out of the final drive.. I'll take some more pics in the next day or two.. the gear lube looked like Coke syrup.. doubt it's been touched in a long time... Vlad

I ordered a complete final assembly, drive shaft and all. Not gonna take any chances. The receiving splines in the final look marginally better than the driveshaft.. time to chunk this one in the trash. Peace Vlad

And a follow-up question.. Would a '96-97 driveshaft and final fit on an '03? Thanks! Vlad edit: nevermind, looking at ebay, and seller is um... misinformed about year models

Three guesses what's wrong with this driveshaft... :D:D peace Vlad

Oh hi Carl! I still have my XJ... I'll check the splines tonight. Waiting on truck and trailer so we can bring the bike back to my house. peace Vlad

Thanks for the input, guys. I think we're gonna go get the bike tonight and I'll be able to properly diagnose it then. Peace, Vlad

Hey folks. So I'm still having some issues with this high mileage '03 RSV. Got the oil leaks under control, it seems, but now I got the call from the owner as he was loading the poor thing on the trailer on the side of the road. It seems something in the final drive gave up the ghost. It shifts into gear just fine, and at first, feels like it's gonna pull ok, but then all power to the rear wheel goes away and gears start grinding.. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the final and (crossing fingers) not the middle gear. U-joint appears OK, from what I can see past the dust boot. I'm ready to order another used final assembly off ebay, but wanted to hear if anyone had similar symptoms. The bike is not in my garage so I can't easily take a look at it right now, but I'll probably go load it up and haul it back tonight. Are these finals prone to issues? Granted, this one has 122K on it. Also, what years are compatible? According to part numbers, it seems '99 and up is the same.. Is this correct? Thanks! Vlad

Hey Brian, The company is Purvis Industries.. They're based out of Texas but have a store here in Tulsa. Their number is 918-622-3344. They had to order the seal for me, as they didn't have it in stock. The seal is an SKF brand, part # 563793. I found a place online that appears to carry it: https://www.motionindustries.com/productDetail.jsp?sku=03238217 (ninja edit: I spoke with the front desk guys briefly about the seal's application while I was waiting on the receipt.. They'll probably know what you're talking about right away ) peace, Vlad

Just a quick update.. The leak is... Gone! Took it for a spin, came back.. Seal is bone-dry on the outside. So if anyone else has trouble sealing up the shift shaft, Try a 13mm ID double-lip spring seal. Mine was 7mm wide but I don't think that's crucial, that's just what the bearing house had in the catalog. peace Vlad

I picked the seal up at our local bearing house in Tulsa, OK. It appears to be available online from a few vendors -- SKF part# 563793. Just went out in the garage and took a peek.. Not a drop under the bike or around the seal, so it's definitely an improvement, as with the other seal it would weep even without the engine running. Will post an update once I put a few miles on it. peace Vlad

Well, I decided to go with a undersize seal. Stock calls for 26mm OD, 6mm width and 14mm ID. I went with a 26x7x13 (7mm width and 13mm ID) so it would snug up against the shift shaft a little better. So far, it looks promising. No leaks while sitting with engine off and full of oil (the stock replacement seal leaked right away).. I'll take the bike for a spin some time over the next couple of days, once the rain clears... Fingers crossed.. I'd like to get on with the project and fix the clunky U-joint, and get this bike out of my garage peace Vlad