Hi. Picking up a 2009 GS on Saturday. Looking forward to it. Got a few questions. Tried the search facility and came up with a blank screen.. I'm led to believe that the final drive had a redesign and a breather and drain plug are now fitted. Mine is a May 2009 build. Will this be the uprated unit? Also - how much oil is required for a service? Thanks in advance
The vent is on mid 2010 and newer. The FD oil is 180ML, engine oil 4 Quarts/Liters and the trans is fill on level ground until level with the fill plug, about .78 liters.
Hmm.. This says the 08 / 09 has a breather and a lower drain. I'm now confused.. http://www.ascycles.com/Illustrated...Right-angle gearbox with vent&bindCat=33_1622
08 09 has a lower drain but definitely does not have a breather. I belive parts have been superceded though. If you were to by a new FD for an 09 I think it would have a breather. Make sense?
Those drawings cover the range, but are not representative of the actual final drive from the factory. What I said earlier is correct. However, if you were to replace the FD then you would have a vent.
Got it. You mention transmission oil. Is it still separate engine / tranny oil then, and is it the same spec stuff as the FD?
Yes, the transmission runs in its own oil. Personally I run Redline 75-90 in both the transmission and final drive. A baby bottle with a piece of tubing and a zip tie makes a handy way to measure and put the oil in the final drive. You have to fill it slowly. Jim's service videos are excellent if you plan to do your own work.
Personally I'd run a good synthetic. It doesn't take that much gear oil, and the final drive and gear box are both expensive pieces of equipment.
You can drain and refill the 2009 FD w/o disengaging its spline from the U joint however you should probably take the time to do it that way since you will then be able to lube the spline, check the u joint and inspect for leakage from the gear box output seal and FD input seal. Inspect the wheel carrier for hairline cracks. Be sure to torque the rear caliper bolts properly and lube the caliper slider pin. Won't take very much additional time to do the whole job. As Jeff noted you might possibly get additional benefit if using a quality synthetic GL 5. I achieved noticeably better shifting by switching out the BMW syn with only 3500 on that fill to premium syn (Sta-Lube 2495). Likely will not increase the longevity of the components. On the 2009 you will want to make sure that the clutch hydro line has been re-routed per the factory service campaign and that the front brake line replacement has been done. Failures on the 2009 clutch slave have been noted which were attributed to either "wrong fluid installed at factory" or "defective slave". Check the service history. It's a good idea to insure that the foam packing has been removed from the alternator belt and to treat the front engine cover to a protective wax at this service since corrosion has been noted in those areas.
