oil coming out of countershaft- 525exc

[ktm_stu]

gday, just a quick question, i have a 2004 525EXC, that i bought second hand. everything has been perfect on it, but just recently, the bolt on my counter sprocket came loose and i lost the washer and the nut. when i was just about to stop the counter sprocket(and chain, obviously) came off the end of the shaft. as i was just about to stop, the wheel locked and skidded for about 1 foot. the sprocket didnt take any big bites out of anything, so thats ok. ive since replaced the bolt and washer, and ive noticed there is a very small amount of oil leaking out from behind the cup washer. i am assuming this is because my seals on the countershaft are stuffed. but it is a very very small amount of oil. like i could ride ~200km and would only have to wipe it off with a rag, its not like its constantly dripping oil. im pretty sure its engine oil too.

any thoughts would be appreciated, im not sure as to what i should do. i dont want to pay some guy $85 an hour to tell me what you guys\girls can probably tell me. and also:

- is this something that i can replace myself(im pretty mechanically minded)

- how much are the seals going to cost

-what other damage may i have done? (the shaft is not bent)

-what damage could happen if i leave it this way?

thanks again

stu

[Chas_M]

There are two seals behind the countershaft sprocket. It is likely that the inner O-ring seal is leaking due insuffucient pressure being applied by the cup washer. In any case, the seals are relatively easy to replace. Do a search on 'countershaft seal replacement'.

[pelts79]

check out ktmtalk.com for all kinds of info also.

[HemiOrange]

KTM's are also prone to improperly tightened chains. They need to run visibly looser than most others. A too tight chain can cause a counter shaft seal leak and more damage. The trick is to remove the rear shock, push the swing arm down to align the countershaft, swing arm pivot and rear axle, then allow a slight bit of slack from there. Reinstall the shock, set the bike down and measure the chain slack at a constant point on the swing arm from there for future reference. I used to just use a tie-down to cinch the the back end down to alignment and make sure that I had some slack at maximum chain stretch.

[B12Teuton]

That's what I was going to say. Make sure you adjust your chain correctly or any fix you do will be short lived.