WR400 Oil Leak

[deek]

I have a '99 WR400 and it has a very slow oil leak from the primary drive shaft seal. It leaks from between the seal and the drive shaft. It's not alot, but enough to leave an oil mess around the case area after each ride and several drops of oil on the garage floor each night. Anyway, I am mechanically inclined, but have never split cases and I am assuming I need to split the cases in order to push this oil seal out from the other side of the case? Has anyone done this before, or at least split the cases? Is it a big job, or not too big a deal? Should I leave this one up to the dealer, or give it a shot? I would especially love to hear from anyone who also had to change this oil seal on the primary drive shaft (front sprocket).

[MOmilkman]

This is not a problem at all and you do not have to split the cases.

Search the forum for "countershaft" or "oil leaking around sprocket" or something similar in the search area of the forum and you will probably find a wealth of info on this subject as it has been covered many times. If you still need help or are not finding your answer then we can still help.

I know this may be a silly question to you but how tight do you run your chain. I was running mine too tight and I had a buddy tell me that I was and I didnt belive him and my seal started leaking also. I have also seen and heard numerous other guys say the same thing. Of course, you could possibly just have dirt in it.

When you have the new seal in hand, simply take the countershaft sprocket off and there is a seal guard that has 2 bolts holding it on. Take it off and under that is the seal you need to take out. (before you take the seal out you might consider draining the oil or laying the bike down on its side)

Then pry the seal out with a screwdriver carefully. Lube up the new seal and cleanthe area around where the new seal will go thouroughly. push the new seal in evenly and reinstall everything.

Hope this helps.

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Darin in Missouri - 1999 WR400F

Enduro Heaven - Ozark Mountain TrailRiders

[deek]

Originally posted by MOmilkman:

This is not a problem at all and you do not have to split the cases.

Search the forum for "countershaft" or "oil leaking around sprocket"

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Thanks for this suggestion, i'm off to start searching.

I know this may be a silly question to you but how tight do you run your chain. I was running mine too tight and I had a buddy tell me that I was and I didnt belive him and my seal started leaking also. I have also seen and heard numerous other guys say the same thing. Of course, you could possibly just have dirt in it.

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Actually, I do run my chain on the tight side. That is probably the problem, as you suspected. I'll replace the seal and then run a looser chain.

Thanks for all your help.

[MOmilkman]

No problem.

Also I have heard running your chain tight can also possibly damage crank bearings. Can anyone confirm this?

Deek, check your service manual regarding how much freeplay to put in your chain (Im not sure exactly, I always just eyeball it)

Good luck.

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Darin in Missouri - 1999 WR400F

Enduro Heaven - Ozark Mountain TrailRiders

[Gobbler801]

Hey Deek, Curious, where do you live? I am in AZ, and I used to have a friend who we called Deek as a nickname. I think he moved to colorado or something like that though. Ever lived in AZ?