Perhaps the cap needs a new o-ring or seal?

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Just checking, you had the bike on the side stand to check the level?

My sabre was very sensitive to the oil level and I needed it below the fill hole by a small amount to prevent a leak at the vent cap.

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Same here. Level ground helps too.

In my case, I checked it in one spot, OK, but when I checked the oil level in another spot (on it's sidestand of course), it drain some over and out the fill hole, and was good after that.

 

does the cap screw on, push down or what? any idea


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There is nothing wrong with the vent/vent cap. It is there to relieve the pressure in the rear drive hub. There is no check valve, etc., it's just an open vent. If you try to remove it, all you'll wind up doing is breaking it, and there is nothing you can do to it anyway.

As Verdeva suggests, you check the oil level with the bike on the side stand. This is a very common problem in cold/cooler weather. For whatever reason at lower ambient temperatures some oil will get slung up and find its way out of the vent. As long as it's not excessive, just clean it up and carry on....

 

At lower temps the oil is thick and therefore does not flow as readily as when it is warmer. Oil gets slung up to the top as the gears turn and some goes into the vent effectively plugging it temporarily. Now as it warms up the pressure in the final drive increases and the oil is forced out the vent as it warms up.

Best thing to do if you are not sure what is in the final drive is to change it to the proper weight and make sure of the level of the oil. Owners manual or shop manual should give the exact amount required to fill it and you can measure out that amount and know you are correct with the level.

 

I switched to synthetic and it all but eliminated the weepy vent.

 

I think someone has forced the vent cap off and poured oil in it..

The correct way to change the oil is to undo the bottom bolt on the shaft drive housing, then undo the middle bolt half way up the housing, then when the oil has drained replace the bottom bolt and using the squeezy bottle the oil comes in and the tube, fill the oil until it starts to leak from the bottom of the middle bolt hole..then just replace the middle bolt..at no time should you attempt to remove the top cap.

John.

 

I had a similar issue with my 2009 Honda Shadow Spirit 750, but it only occurred when the outside temperatures got colder. The oil gets thick and one member even suggested that it might foam up a bit and then "leak" out the vent cap. I bought a bottle of Lucas 75w-90 Synthetic gear oil and will replace the final drive oil next Spring after the snow is gone here in Minnesota. As others have said, synthetic should eliminate the problem. At first I thought the drain plug was leaking but that was just the oil that leaked out of the vent and worked its way down the side of the case. Is sure is a mess to clean up, not to mention a safety issue too. I originally had been using Castrol Hypoy Gear oil.

 

the synthetic lucas doesn't say it's a hypoid gear oil, is that gonna be any kind of problem if i switch over to that? sorry it's been awhile since i responded, had things going on at home. might be a dumb question to but i admit to knowing nothing about gear oils or the final drive on my bike and just want to make sure it's not gonna cause long term damage or lock up on me doing 80mph down the road.


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Should be fine. 75-90w is the one to get.

 

well i drained the oil out of the final drive and switched to the synthetic a couple of people suggested. i took it out for a little bit of a ride and still looks like its leaking some. so thought i would ask opinions about a suggestion from a local guy i know.

what if i took some black silicone gasket maker and filled in this gap (circled in photo) i think it would keep it from leaking out all over the tire but would i have any negative issues to worry about with this option?

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A leak there indicate either you have too much oil in the final drive or the breather is clogged and is actually siphoning oil.

Filling it with RTV will not fix the problem. That case is aluminum, the oil needs to expand and contract depending on it's temp. the breather is there to allow air displacement and prevent final drive pressurization. Pressure in the case will find the weakest point and overpower it. Plugging the breather could only make a bigger leak somewhere else. Either by cracking a weak point, or blowing through a seal.

Find and fix the problem instead of covering up the symptom. Your life may depend on it.

 

would love to but i don't know what the problem is. i know it's not too full of oil so that's not it


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just wanted to say thanks for the advice on the synthetic oil. finally got to run it out for about 30 miles and no signs of leakage today so i'm hopeful that may have stopped the problem. maybe the slight signs i saw when i ran it a short distance after changing the gear oil the other day was just some residual gear oil trapped around the breather cap.


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Just a follow-up. Did the leak stop completely after you replaced the final gear oil with synthetic? Did you use Lucas Gear Oil 75W90 ? Did you fill with the bike on it's side stand ?

 

sorry i actually meant to get on here and update after i got a few more miles run but i forgot.

yes i used the lucas 75w90 synthetic, filled on the stand, i've put about 450 miles on the bike since the switch and not a single drop of oil leakage showing from the final drive.


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When I bought my Sabre, the PO mentioned that he had "issues" keeping fluid in the rear... After I got it home, I found out why...

The inspection/fill cap had been rounded off and was nearly impossible to remove, and the vent-cover was missing. Apparently he had attempted to open the inspection/fill cap with vice-grips and destroyed the plug. THEN, he removed the vent-cover and simply "filled to the brim" with fluid of "unknown origin".

Fortunately, he only put 85 miles on the bike during his nearly 3-yrs of ownership so hopefully no damage to the drive-line occurred. Apparently, his "problem" was overfilling, which caused leakage every time he attempted to ride it... [faceplam]

I managed to remove the inspection/fill cap, drain and flush the system with Lucas Synthetic 75W-90 gear oil (used nearly a whole bottle to flush). Put on a new vent-cap (was a b!tch to install), refilled with proper amount of fluid and replaced the damaged inspection/fill cap with a chromed aftermarket cap. So far... it's been running smooth...