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Final drive leaking- what did I do?

C

Cafefill

Member
Member
I put the replacement motor in my 2003 last spring, along with the Meanie conversion with 17" front, Sonic 1.1 w/ emulators, on and on. Almost 12,000 trouble-free miles later, I put on a new set of PR3's in preparation for my trip west, leaving on the 10th of May. This weekend was to be a shakedown trip to check everything out, including me.
  The bike ran super, having adjusted the valves and synching the carbs. About 100 miles down the road, I stopped, and noticed oil on the rear rim. The final drive was leaking from between the spline and the wheel.
  I got home this afternoon and pulled the wheel and final drive off as a unit, like I always do. It is indeed leaking from the seal in the ring gear cover, and I have a guess why.
  When I cleaned up the splines for re-lubing with Moly 60, I used a spray bottle of clean parts cleaner (like used in the parts washer) and an old toothbrush to clean up the splines. I then did another perhaps foolish thing and blew it out with compressed air. I'm guessing I drove some grit into the seal and it failed.
  That being said, I still need to get this fixed, or I won't be going anywhere on the 10th. I have the shop manual, and am a handy enough guy to tackle fixing it. Am I missing something, or can I change just the seal? Perhaps someone that has done this before will chime in with the easiest way to get this done.
HELP!
Cafefill
 
I searched the archives, and think i found my own answer. I'll be ordering a new seal today, along with the pinion o ring, and will work at prying the old seal out of there. Like others, I was intimidated by the instructions to heat the assembly, etc, but found that wasn't necessary. Looks like this might be easier than I thought...
Cafefill
 
I found this on the GTR forum:

If we are talking about the 5"ish diameter seal, then by all means, remove the pumpkin.  Drain it first, then put the plug back in.  Lay it on the work bench seal up.  Wipe it down nice and clean so it isn't slipery.  Hold it on its side and drill a small hole (less than an 1/8") thru the seal metal inner support (1/32" think).  Don't use too much force or the drill will go thru and hit the inside surface which is aluminum.  Remove all of the drill shavings.  Get a GOOD inch long #8 or #10 sheet metal screw and screw it in about a 1/4".  Use a pair of wire cutters and a thin block of wood (to protect the pliers from narling the aluminum) to pry the seal out.  The pliers just leverage the seal out by lifting the screw.  Once it starts, it comes out pretty easily.

When putting it back in i've never found factory instructions (my shop manual has you heat the ring gear in an oven! Cafefill).  Clean the metal surface where the seal lip rides with fine scotch brite.  Wipe the seal groove out with brake clean.  I've put them back in with permatex brush-on gasket sealant on the outside edge to help seal and lubricate as it goes back in.  A nice short section of split PVC pipe can be sized with a hose clamp to make a cheap seal installer.  Tap it in with a heavy hammer until it is flush with the outside casing, don't hammer it in all the way.

The seal came out easily yesterday, and I'll have the new one this morning. Looks like a 4" pvc coupling will do nicely as a driver. Hopefully the install will go well also. I'll keep y'all posted.
Cafefill
 
IIRC, I used a 4" pvc cap or pipe.

Be careful not to overdrive the seal into the housing. It is easier than it sounds.
 
Yup- the seal drove in with no issues. I only drove it in flush, which isn't quite as deep as the old one, but that's what was recommended. Need to go for a spin yet to check for leaks, but I'm encouraged.
Cafefill
 
  So- today I went for a test drive to check out my replacement seal. Thirty miles down the road, and it's leaking! Of course, I immediately went into panic mode, as I'm leaving on my 6000 mile trip west next Saturday. Now what? I thought about giving up the ghost and taking it to a shop, but then remembered that there was a COG member about an hour away with an '05 parts bike. One phone call, and I was off to pull the final drive from that bike. I'll be putting it in tomorrow, and hopefully this will be the end of it. Thanks, BTW, to Cary, who graciously offered up the replacement for free, providing I help him install his "replacement" motor in his '01. That's my kind of horse trading!
  I am horribly curious, however, as to what went wrong with the new seal. I feel no mechanical looseness in the bearing, and it ran well with the Meanie wheel for 12,000 miles. I wonder if I drove the new seal in too far? It's flush with the casting, or maybe a fuzz below. Could that have done it? I did examine the shaft before installing the seal, and it has a small "scratch ring" running radially around it in the vicinity of the seal lip. I couldn't feel it with either my fingernail or a sharp pick. I lightly greased the seal lip before driving it in place. Any guesses out there as to what went wrong?  Inquiring minds want to know...
Cafefill
 
Are you absolutely sure it is leaking ?  FWIW mine looked like it was leaking every time I took the wheel off and then put it back on. I just had to much lube on the drive splines.

FWIW
 
look - the final drive is designed to oil the driveshaft slip joint automatically. There's an oring on the input shaft just in front of the pinion (input )seal . the oring seals the back of the driveshaft slip joint and makes a sealed "cup" to retain the oil. There's a hole in the pinion shaft that lets the final drive oil leak out into the slip joint, so there's always going to be oil there. The only difference is that if the oring is missing, the oil can get into the swingarm rather than being held in the slip joint. HTH, Steve
 
cafefill,
did you overfill the final drive unit?  or did you measure the exact xxx (200 I think) ml of drive oil.  when you took the final drive unit off did you inspect the backside carefully to see just where the lube is oozing out from?  as the gear oil gets hot it expands and if you over filled it so it was just shy of the seal anyway, then as it heats up it'll expand and come over the top of the seal.  otherwise, check what Steve recommended I guess.
-Brian
 
  I haven't removed the wheel yet to see where the leak is coming from with the new seal, but with the old one, oil was tracking from the lip of the seal downward and coming out the weep hole between the final drive and the wheel. I'm assuming this one is doing the same. As far as amount of fill, almost 12,000 miles ago I put in the specified 7.4 oz of 80/90 gear lube (I used Amsoil), and it didn't leak until I did this tire change, cleaned and lubed the splines, and reassembled. After draining the unit and replacing the seal, I put 7.4 oz of lube back in. I don't think it's overfilled. Also- why is it that some folks fill to the bottom of the fill hole, which is more than the 7.4 ounces without issue?  It appears to me that I've failed two seals in a row, and don't understand why.  As far as the pinion end goes, it's not leaking there, or shall I say "yet"?
Cafefill
 
..From what I understand, filling to the bottom of the large viewing/filling hole is the correct amount? That's the point? or am I wrong
 
  I know this- we topped off the final drive to the bottom of the fill hole, and I rode it home over 100 miles with it leaking. When I drained it, there was over 8 ounces in there. All I can draw from this is that 7.4 ounces as specified in my manual doesn't fill it to the hole, so it shouldn't have leaked, nor was it overfilled with the 7.4 ounces. That being said, I think we're back to why two seals failed. Like the subject line said: "What did I do?"
  This is going to be an interesting post mortem, which may have to wait until I get back from my trip. I'm simply running out of time.
 
  Ok, so the plot thickens. I installed the "donor" final drive today, and filled it with exactly 7 ounces of 80/90 Amsoil. Took it for a ride, and this one leaked too! The drive was dry when we removed it from the donor bike- there was even grease left in the seal lip area, but now the seal leaks.
  I spent several hours this afternoon picking the brains of the "experts" at two different Kawasaki dealerships. they were clueless as to why this would happens to two different final drives, with one exception. The only thing in common to the two different drives might just be the lube itself. It defies logic somewhat that the bike was leakless running Amsoil in the drive for almost 12,000 miles, and then would begin leaking immediately after the tire change. I did, however, change the lube with the tire change, not necessarily because it had 12,000 miles on it, but more because I had a bunch left in the bottle and it was seemed like a good thing to do. The donor drive, and I'm guessing at this point, probably had non-synthetic lube in it, but now has Amsoil.
  Could it be possible that the Amsoil is just so slippery it can get by the seal? I dunno, but I have to try something, and quick. I'm supposed to leave on my trip Saturday, and right now it's not looking so good.
  So- I now have a bottle of 80/90 non-synthetic gear lube here, and will fill with it tomorrow. Right now, the bike is on the center stand with the plug out, draining. With any luck, and trust me, I need some about now, this will fix the problem.
  I've gone over in my head a bunch of times what possibly else could be common to both drives, and this is really all I can come up with. Assembly is right, nothing binds, bearings are good, no play in the drive output shaft, etc....the whole laundry list, and everything seems right. The drive runs warm, which both dealerships concur is normal. Other than that, the wheel spins freely, makes no noise, brake aren't rubbing, all that.
  If anyone has anything to throw in here, now's the time. I'm at my wit's end, and running out of time.
 
Cafefill,
I suppose it's possible that the Amsoil synthetic is so slippery it's getting past the seals.  that's a long answer to I don't know.  however last year I put Mobil 1 synthetic in the final drive on my C10 and like you after you changed to Amsoil synthetic, no leaks yet.  well... a little weeping, but I think I over filled it.  once the excess came out it quit weeping.  the bottom side of my C10's final drive was pretty black, as that gear oil spreads out into a thin film and attracts dirt like crazy.  but not enough weeping to cause runs or drips, so I'm not going to worry about it yet.  I would find it hard to believe that the seals would deteriorate due to synthetic oil.  your surmise might be accurate that the synthetic stuff is so slippery that it's just sliding out under the seal lip.  I haven't looked carefully at the seal lip.  is it a double lip?  if so, could one edge have gotten folded under with the air compressor blowing on it?
-Brian
 
Now you guys are pulling at straws. Leaking has nothing to do with slipperiness. It is about a passage, wanted or unwanted, and fluid with a low enough viscosity to fit through said passage. Seals, gaskets, and O-rings are your friends here.

With that said. My final drive seems to weep all the time. Do I worry? Not really. It was leaking, as in dripping all over the place and making one hell of a mess. I changed the large seal, and now it only weeps from the four bolt flanged coupling. I'm sure it is the o-ring, but again, I don't care at this point. It probably has something to do with that silly 17 inch wheel I have to keep changing, as in removing and reinstalling the pumpkin with it.

And when you say 'leaking', what exactly does that mean? Weeping? Or dripping? Or the wheel is coated with oil?

I have also found that overfilling the drive is not a way to improve lubricating properties of the drive, but it will help lubricate everything near and around the axle, the exterior that is. The weep hole does a nice job of eliminating excess fluid. Bear in mind, that stated capacities may or may not take into account residual fluid. You may also have Moly paste weeping out if you applied liberally during application. Excess will sling. More of that physics stuff.

In short, pull the wheel, wipe the large seal clean(someone mentioned 'film negative' to slide in there to pickup foreign objects), inspect the forward o-ring, reassemble, test ride.
 
  Nope- it's a single lip seal. Anyway- the last time any compressed air got near a seal was right after the tire change with the original seal. Since then, I changed that seal, and it leaked. I then changed out the final drive with a good, dry donor, filled it with Amsiol, and it leaked immediately. But all this was with the Amsoil. If changing the fluid tomorrow with non-synthetic fixes it, I'll breathe a sigh of relief, and let you all know.
  There, IMHO, are only two more variables in this equation: how I assembled, and the Mean Streak wheel itself. The wheel ran fine for 12,000 miles with no issues, and the bearings were replaced when it was installed with SKF. They looked and felt fine when I examined them today. Far as assembly goes- I'm 99.9% sure I have it right. Actually- I'm getting pretty good at taking the wheel off and putting it back on, having done it so many times lately. Hmmm....
Cafefill
 
Handyman:
  Sorry- you must have posted while I was writing my last response. By leaking, I mean there was a puddle of oil in the rim after 20 miles. To me, it's a significant amout of leakage to not take the bike anywhere. What gets me is that I put a good, servicable, dry replacement final drive in there, and it leaked too. The only change I made was changing the oil in it. Today will tell- I'll fill it with non-synthetic, and if it doesn't leak, I'll have my answer. Otherwise- ???
Cafefill
 
That is a pretty good leak. The other common element here is the wheel.

I would pull the wheel and inspect all of the sealing surfaces. Inspect with a magnifying glass if you have one, and illumniate the areas you are inspecting. My field is Hyperbarics, and we typically find issues with aging softgoods leading to minor leaks. A tiny imperfection or grain of sand or grit can ruin your day.

Also, the leak should reveal its source when you pull the wheel. It is possible that the drive is full and venting through the upper weep hole. I had this issue last year when in haste I filled the drive to the threads just prior to rolling out on a slab run. Resulted in an oily wheel. HTH.

Cheers,
Randy
 
  I have only ever filled the drive to about 1/2" fron the bottom of the fill hole. That equates to a bit less than 7 ounces of lube. the manual, and the dealer call for 7.4 ounces. Changing the lube today from the Amsoil to a non- synthetic slowed the bleeding, but it's still leaking. I'm really hoping it'll slow down and quit, but right now after a 50 mile run, there was a puddle in the rim.
  Last time I had the wheel off, which was yesterday, the leak was definately coming from the seal. It was wet all the way around the lip, and was tracking down the cover and out the weep hole.
  Help me here- what would the wheel have to do with any of this? I don't get how it could affect the seal, especially when it's been on the bike for 12,000 miles. And- why with Amsoil did the second, dry drive leak? I think these are the big questions.
  Hope it doesn't sound like I'm getting in anyone's face here. I'm simply frustrated, and at my wit's end.
Cafefill
 
cafefill said:
  I have only ever filled the drive to about 1/2" fron the bottom of the fill hole. That equates to a bit less than 7 ounces of lube. the manual, and the dealer call for 7.4 ounces. Changing the lube today from the Amsoil to a non- synthetic slowed the bleeding, but it's still leaking. I'm really hoping it'll slow down and quit, but right now after a 50 mile run, there was a puddle in the rim.
  Last time I had the wheel off, which was yesterday, the leak was definately coming from the seal. It was wet all the way around the lip, and was tracking down the cover and out the weep hole.
  Help me here- what would the wheel have to do with any of this? I don't get how it could affect the seal, especially when it's been on the bike for 12,000 miles. And- why with Amsoil did the second, dry drive leak? I think these are the big questions.
  Hope it doesn't sound like I'm getting in anyone's face here. I'm simply frustrated, and at my wit's end.
Cafefill
Click to expand...

Both final drives leak by chance? go back to your original, and re-do the seal job. Make sure the seal seats all the way
 
I have had TWO final drives start leaking and get worse to  the point of not usable.
At approx 35K after high speed extended run in 90+ temp. Checked vent, changed oil and generally covered everything that would contribute to it....
As this happened in middle of my winter vacation in FL , I purchased a used final drive with 17K miles from a dismantler (97 vintage). Cost 50.00. Installed and no issue until approx another 35K miles had  passed. Then leak started again, slow at first but continuing until untrustable (all in approx 1K).(again while on winter vacation in Fl.

Rear #1: I changed big seal and inspected drive and could see no issues.(Might add that the big seal and Oring cost about double the cost of the used rear........)I have not used/tried this rear since, partly because it was home, 1500 miles away when I needed it and partly because after the second failure I do not feel that the issue is resolved.
Both failed rears had traces of oil in side cavity where axle shaft goes through, where spacer resides. I am of the opinion that my failures (my bad luck ::) are caused by beginning failure of the small bearing on the carrier and resultant oil leakage at that seal working its way across to leak on the other side by big seal.
The second rear is sitting on my bench waiting(STILL) for me to disassemble to prove/disprove my theory. After this thread, I will post up my findings when I finally get to it.

In the mean time I purchased a 3rd drive from a 06 with about 17K on it. It is installed and not leaking (yet) for the same 50.00 price.

And everyone says BMW drives fail early........ :-X :-\. Only add because I have one that hasn't (now jinxed)and Connie has now let me down twice ;D. Can only take comfort  that most BMW related issues cost about 10x Connie issues for same used parts :))
 
I will be very interested to hear what the resolution / solution finally is to the mystery leaking final drives.
-Brian
 
Canadian Steve:
  Wow- you don't have any better luck than I have! The donor drive came from an '05 with about 30,000 miles on it, I think. My '03 has about the same. Neither drive had oil in the cavity that you mentioned. They are both leaking from the lip of the big seal. What gets me, and I'll say it again, was that I'm horribly confused that my original drive would start bleeding profusely after a tire and lube change- nothing else. The donor drive, when removed from my friend's bike, was bone dry inside, but leaked immediately when run on my bike. That was, however, after draining his non-synthetic and replacing it with Amsoil.
  Both shops I visited yesterday thought it was the lube itself, but that doesn't explain why I had the Amsoil in the first drive for 12,000 miles, and it starts leaking profusely now. I mean, really, I even replaced the seal in that one, and it leaked right away too!
  One thing I was wondering about was whether these things were vented or not. You say they are, so if the vent plugged, could it conceivably cause this problem with a small buildup of pressure? Where is said vent, and if plugged, how would I unplug it? I'm told these drives run warm (both of these do), so I'd imagine with heat, pressure could build up if a vent was plugged driving the lube past the seal? Since you have one on the bench, could you post a picture showing the vent or at least describe where it is?
Thanks in advance.
Cafefill
 
vent is a small hole that is on the wheel side of the drive.  the hole is hidden of course when the wheel is mounted.  it's behind (to the rear) of the axle shaft and about 2/3 of the way up from the axle shaft to the top of the drive.  it appears to be about 2-3mm diameter.  yeah, if the vent is plugged hard enough the heat pressurization would drive gear oil past the seal I would think as well.  I just looked at the exploded view and there doesn't seem to be any kind of "filter" over the vent from the inside.  I know when my final drive tipped while changing a wheel I had gear oil running out of the vent.  I suspect it would be easy enough to just poke a toothpick or something like that in the vent and see if it's open.  or, take the filler cap off with the drive upright so the oil doesn't run out and blow some compressed air in the vent hole and see if it comes out the open filler hole.  a plugged up vent was actually a good idea to check on.
-Brian
 
  I got home this morning and checked the original drive I have sitting on the bench. I found the vent, and it was clear. Blew some air through it with the fill plug out to verify. I don't know if the vent is plugged on the drive still in the bike, but you can bet I'll pull the wheel and check.
  Next thought, and it may be pretty far fetched. Could overtorquing the axle cause this leaking to happen? Granted, I'm drawing at straws perhaps here, but the spec is 87 ft lb, and I torqued a bit further to get the cotter to slip through the castle nut. Thoughts?
  I found a new seal, and have it coming overnight pony express. I also have located an entirely different "donor" drive at a boneyard, and will be looking into maybe buying that also. But, why? Again- thoughts?
  Hopefully this can be resolved, and it's off to Yosemite on Saturday.
Cafefill
 
Grasping at straws here too, but have you noticed any vibration with the new rear tire?  Just wondering if something about the new tire or perhaps slight damage to the wheel during the change could be causing the seals to fail.  I don't understand enough about the rear end configuration yet to speak intelligently.  I'm just looking at changes made to the system after 12,000 trouble free miles.
 
Looking back at the original post, the common denominator in this scenario is the sealing surface on the hub of the wheel. In all cases of a disassembly and reassembly, the sealing surface of a software interface is susceptible to damage or foreign body intrusion with resultant leakage. When I mention the wheel in a previous post, I was referring to inspecting the sealing surface on the hub. If two separate drives are leaking, and even with a seal replacement, the hub comes into question. This scenario is common to the drive wheel interface.

In troubleshooting, we must look at the base elements, and what has been disturbed/changed/modified during the original maintenance action. In this case: the new tire, a non-issue here; the flange interface between the drive and swingarm, also a non-issue at this point; the interface between the drive splines and wheel splines, a non-issue; and the interface between the seal and the sealing surface of the wheel. I still think there is an issue with the hub, and this needs to be inspected before swapping any more parts.

I deal with this stuff everyday, and when it comes to seals and interfaces, it is either dirty, dried out, damaged, or installed improperly just to name a few. Just making a general statement, not directed by any means.

Interested in your outcome.

Randy
 
  I'll be putting yet another new seal in the original drive tonight, and will get it on the road in the morning to see if it leaks. Meanwhile- I noticed something last night. With it torqued as tight as I had it, the rh spacer in the wheel hub showed more shoulder than it should have, as if the wheel was displaced to the left. Perhaps with all that torque, I displaced the bearings throughout laterally just enough to lose seal. To do this, I would have had to take up all the play in the cush drive cover. This all seems odd, and I can't really explain why this could happen, but it did. When I reassemble, I'm going to watch the mark on that spacer- if it moves, I'm done. Perhaps my torque wrench has gone south, and I'm way over the prescribed 84 ft lbs.
  I examined the wheel hub and bearings this morning, and they are in the same locations as the stock wheel. They are butted up to the spacer, but the spacer can still move side to side. They also turn freely. I also measured distance through the hub from outside of inner race to outside of inner race, and compared to the stock wheel. They are identical. Given that the outer bearing in the wheel is retained by a snap ring, this tells me all is right there.
  Wow- if this is just a matter of overtorquing stuff, I'm going to be terribly embarrassed, but relieved at the same time. Think I'm onto something here?
Cafefill
 
Ok, gang. I think we found it. When I installed the wheel bearings in the Meanie wheel, I drove the outboard bearing home until I thought I heard the "happy sound", but evidently not. I sourced new bearings this morning, and while I was at the MC shop getting them installed, the mechanic discovered that the snap ring on that bearing wasn't seated in its groove. This allowed the bearings to shift to the right almost 1/8", allowing the cush drive plate to bottom to the male spline on the drive, and put pressure on its gears. How this thing ran 12,000 miles like that I don't know, unless I hadn't torqued the axle as much previously.
  Anyway- there was the root cause. I will be picking up yet another used drive tomorrow morning, and will assemble it. Maybe the old drives are still good, even after being loaded that way, but I'm not taking the chance. This way, with a known good drive and fresh, properly installed wheel bearings, I should be good to go.
  This has been a long, convoluted road, but it's good I finally found out the "why" of all this.
Best regards,
Cafefill
 
Even though it was a PITA, you will now leave on your ride smarter about the machine and with a warm fuzzy feeling that the back of the bike probably will not fall off somewhere down the road. :great:
 
Well, Sorry I just got here.  When I was reading the entirety of this thread I was thinking wheel and/or bearings, but when you said the C-clip was in place I sort of dismissed that part... except you said the spacer could move side to side and that brought it right back to mind instantly.  I belt you've got it now.  Man, I'm sure that this HAS been one major frustration fest.  Hope this is the end of it and expect it will be.  Have a fun trip... and RELAX.
 
WHEW!!!! Ok, now i feel better. Thanks to all for being sounding board and mentor. Glad this one is solved. And yes- I'm going to feel a lot better on this trip knowing the "why".
Cafefill
 
Just got back from a 100 mile ride, all is dry and right. I'll be leaving ffor Yosemite at daylight tomorrow, a day late, but confident the bike is ready to ride anywhere.
Does this mean I'll have to post a ride report?
Thanks to all,
Cafefill
 
Looks ain't everthin'.

I gotta go get an hour's sleep and back here to work.  Even I'm startin' to think I'm funny.
 
I read early on a guy wasn't worried if it leaked inside the drive shaft a bit. If this happens it will run down the propeller shaft housing get in your swing shaft bearings and delute the grease. I do use synthetic oil and so far no problems. But yes it is more likely to weap out if any weaping is going on.
 
I read through this thread hoping to find the magic cure because I replaced the rear tire (stock wheel) and the rear drive gear oil, at the same time, on my '02 that I just purchased used, and when I put everything back together I had the exact same oil leak - coming through the slit between the drive and the wheel.  (It was not leaking previously.)  I never removed the drive, just the wheel.  Bearings were fine, all parts are in place, I cleaned and greased the gears where the wheel mates with the drive, axle bolt torqued to 80 ft. lbs, wheel spins freely.  It doesn't leak when it just sits in the garage on the side or center stand, only after it's been ridden - it leaks out about a teaspoon after a 10 mile ride.  I double checked the volume of oil in the drive and it was a hair under 7 oz. and was 1/4 to a 1/2 inch below the threads like described earlier in this thread.  I used Golden Spectro 75W/90 GL-5 synthetic gear oil (the red stuff) and that's what's leaking so I know it isn't extra grease flying off the gears.  I just ordered the 2 oil seals (the big one and the little one) and the big o-ring and figure if I'm taking it all apart again I might as well replace them.  I'll check the vent when I take it apart.  The bike only has 27k miles on it but the swill that came out of the drive when I drained it looked like it had been in there a while.  (I also don't think there was enough in there to begin with.)  Hopefully the new seals and o-ring do the trick - is there anything else I should be checking?
 
Ride&time said:
I read early on a guy wasn't worried if it leaked inside the drive shaft a bit. If this happens it will run down the propeller shaft housing get in your swing shaft bearings and delute the grease. I do use synthetic oil and so far no problems. But yes it is more likely to weap out if any weaping is going on.
Click to expand...

Well, that is not exactly what I said. What I was speaking to was, that I was not worried about weeping from the four bolt flange. Any leak in excess of weeping is an item of concern. I have experienced the 'leaking' from the large main seal and replaced same.

Some of these leaking seals can be attributed to foreign materials entering the sealing surfaces during wheel removal and replacement. A wise man in another thread stated that using film negative to 'sweep the seal' may remove small foreign bodies from the sealing interface. The hard part is finding film negative nowadays.

Had a good look at my main seal this weekend while doing a 'field replacement' of an Avon Storm during Ed's Last Resort Rally, but that is another subject.
 
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