06 KTM 300 shifter seal removal ... ???

[Nestrick]

Help!

Searched for threads on removing a shifter seal ... comes up empty ... amazes me because there is a great post on changing a counter sprocket seal which is dead easy to do because you can get a tool like a spring puller behind the seal to pull it out ... ... nothing on how to get out a shifter seal which doesn't have such an advantage.

I am at my wits end this afternoon ... had a leaking counter shaft seal which I replaced in less than 15 minutes ... opted to replace the shifter seal while I had things apart ... that turned out to be a major headache and mistake since it wasn't leaking! I have tried several tools to pry that bugger out ... in the process, destroying the seal on the two easy sides to attack ... no joy!

Called Lansing Cycle and the gentleman at the parts desk said they sometimes have to drill a small hole in the seal and insert a dry wall screw to give a means for extraction. I am a bit worried about this approach ... not much clearance between the shifter shaft and the wall of the case ... a mistake with either the drill or the screw could result in messing up either of the sealing surfaces. Anyway, I don't have much of the original surface of the seal left to try this technique due to my "inappropriate attempts" thus far.

Any suggestions, tricks or tools on getting a stuck shifter seal out?

Thanks ... terry nestrick

 

[Nestrick]

No suggestions, eh?

Well ... futzed around at Sears this AM and found a set of long reach picks for 10 bucks ... one of them in combination with a pair of pliers and a small hammer compose a set of tools for removing the shifter seal.

See photo below ... the pick is sufficiently small on the tip to permit insertion between the shifter shaft and the rubber portion of the seal without damaging the surface of the shifter shaft ... I inserted the pick with the point facing down which allowed me to hook the bottom of the seal ... then I grabbed the handle of the pick with a pair of pliers and gently tapped on the inside with the small hammer ... two taps and the seal popped right out clean as a whistle.

Cleaned up the surfaces with a rag and a swab and inserted a new oil seal. Also, I did trim off the sharp tip of the pick with a pair of side cutters to prevent it from penetrating the side wall of the seal and potentially damaging the surface of the case ... perhaps it could break off while prying which could also be a problem.

Now that I have all the correct tools ... changing the counter shaft seal and the shifter seal on a KTM 300 is about a 15 minute job. I don't break the chain or loosen and move the rear wheel forward to remove the counter sprocket ... on my KTM with proper chain tension, there is sufficient slack to permit you to pop off the lock ring and pull the sprocket off of the shaft, then pull the sprocket out of the chain and let the chain slide to the rear out of the way. Reversing the process allows reassembly with no problems ... sometimes aligning the teeth on the shaft is a bit tricky, but using a large screw driver to pry on the trailing edge of the sprocket helps to let it slip back into place.

I guess I should mention that this 300 is equipped with 13/50 sprockets as perhaps any change in these units [at least the front sprocket] might make the described technique for removing the counter sprocket a problem?

Hope this procedure saves somebody else time and frustration ... I spent a couple of hours fooling around with screw drivers and small screws with no success ...

terry nestrick ;)