'84 Gold Wing final drive question

[trikebldr]

Anybody out there who has an '84 Gold Wing and has had the final drive/swingarm/driveshaft apart?

I noticed that most of the used final drives listed on eBay have the driveshaft still attached to the final drive unit. I bought one of these assemblies and it came boxed up like that. Kinda wierd considering how long the box had to be! Also, one end of the box was completely oil-soaked. As I took the driveshaft out of the final drive a lot of oil came gushing out a 1/4" hole that seems to be drilled all the way through the pinion shaft. There was also a seal between the shaft and the splined coupling on the pinion shaft.

Just my adding two-plus-two, but it looks like they intended the gear oil in the case to move forward through the hole in the pinion to lube the splines on that coupling and driveshaft end, and that seal was supposed to stop the oil from going any farther.

Kawasaki uses similar splined couplings on almost all of their shaft models, but they just recommend greasing those splines up every time you remove the rear wheel. All gear oil is restricted to inside the final drive case.

My two main questions are these. First, is my assumption about the purpose of the hole through the pinion correct? Second, couldn't that hole simply be plugged and that splined coupling greased as most other bikes do?

I understand that the Gold Wing underwent many changes in '84. Was this one of them, and do they still use the gear-oil lube system on their splined couplings?

[Mr Jensee]

The hub of the Voyager in the early days had a hole drilled out on the spline side as a vent for expanding gasses I assume in the final drive oil. Many members recommended drilling out a hole in later models to prevent seals from leaking. I never did that and have had no problems with mine which is a 2001. It could be that Honda had the same concerns. There are an awful lot of Gold Wing folks out there that could probably address your questions on a Honda forum if it can't be answered here. You might even try contacting some Honda dealers who have mechanics that go back that far who would know the answer.

[Lucasind]

Hey Bruce.I joined this forum a while back... ask that same question here :

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[trikebldr]

Hey Bruce.I joined this forum a while back... ask that same question here :

http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wow! No response yet, but 37 views in just an hour over there, Tony! VERY active forum! A new topic can get buried quickly over there.

Aside from that, I poked a straight wire into the hole in question and it did indeed go all the way through the pinion until it hit the final drive case section that surrounds the axle. Very poor engineering, IMO, because there is a free-flowing vent on the top of the housing, so it has to be for the purpose of lubing that splined coupling. Gonna just plug it up and grease that coupling.

[SgtSlag]

Have you consulted the OEM Service Manual, or an after-market Manual? This should be covered in the appropriate section. Manuals should still be available online, either in print, or in PDF files -- try your favorite search engine. Best of luck. Cheers!