Believe it or not, when i changed mine on my 2001 bobber i used a small hook screwdriver and just hooked it beside the shaft and pulled it out. BUT i also did it without draining the oil. I found a decent slope and laid a blanket down and gently laid the bike on the right side. Crazy i know.

 

I thought about that kind of tool as well. In the thread I read about changing it, it seemed like a dental tool would work perfectly. I have some soldering tools that look like that & think they'll work (if I can find them as they're a little bit buried in the garage right now.)

Re: laying the bike down so you don't have to drain the oil... not sure I want to do that - especially w/ a full tank of gas. I plan on draining the oil & pouring it back in when I'm done. I ordered the Pepsx stand a couple of days ago & was figuring this repair would be its first use.

 

Yeah i know, laying it down was crazy, but hey, it worked. I only leaned it over about 35-40 degrees

 

That was my post.

It's easy to do and a little bit of a hook on the end of a blade would work great. I was very careful not to scar the shaft or the perimeter of the housing ........ maybe too careful and that's why it took me a few try's to pull it out. It does come out fairly easy though cause the shaft has oil on it from the leaking. Just make sure you put the new seal in the right direction.

 

Just make sure you put the new seal in the right direction.

Yes, I recognize your name from the post. I haven't seen the seals yet. How do I know which way to put them in? You mentioned they were "directional", but which direction?

 

Dental tools a great. I have about 6 different ones. I get 'em at the flela market for $1 a piece

 

Your dentist or hygienist will most likely give you their worn out ones for free if you ask

 

And T-man - did you put grease on the seal before you slid it into place? Any partiular kind? or will the motor oil work?

 

IS it any problem dis-assembling the gear shifter linkage to get to that seal & then hooking it back up? Any tips/ tricks I should know?

 

Thanks for the quick replies... hoping to have the seals here sometime this week (along w/ the pepsx stand) & get the repair done by the weekend.

 

Tell us how it went when your done.

 

Dammit! Got the Pepsx stand on Wed, but Partzilla's distributor just mailed the oil seals out & I won't get them until Monday ==> likely won't have the leak fixed/ bike up & running until mid-to-late next week. Went to Ride-now yesterday to see if I could get one quickly. They don't have one in stock (or course! Why would a Suzuki dealer stock seals/ gaskets that wear out & need replacing most routinely?) ARRRGGHHHH!!!

 

Gotta hate that!

When the parts are out of stock here, they'll have it in a day from 600 miles away if you pay a bit more for express. If not, you get it in 3 days.

 

Of course, this makes me glad I ordered 2 of the seals. Next time one needs replacing, I won't have to go through this "penis-polka" to fix the problem.

 

Seals got here in the mail Sat afternoon ==> might try to get them done Sun morning before I go out for a day w/ the wife. Hope things go as planned & I can get everything cleaned up in a reasonable amount of time.

 

Changed out the oil seal this morning. Took a little bit of digging the get the old seal out, but I eventually stumbled on the technique required. Pointed soldering tool didn't work too well as it just tore through to seal. I found a flat head screw driver that was thin enough to get in beside the shifter shaft & pry it out. Used to deep well socket/ hammer technique to seat the new one. Re-attached the shifter, gave the bike a wash, & then left for the day. No oil on the ground below the bike when I got home ==> good sign. So far, so good.

Pepsx stand made the job much easier.

 

Am I hearing an echo?!

Nice that you got er done and it all worked out! :applause:

 

That's whats so great about this forum!

I've been helped out more than once and the advice\suggestions have been good. It's nice going in blind so to speak.