[BRowan]

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I'm thinking of adding an additive to the differential on my GL1200 & 1500. There is a Sllcik 50 for gearboxes that I might try, or even one of those Moly additives. Question is, is it okay to put an additive into the diff, or am I wasting my time?

 

[Dave Campbell]

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Waste of time considering the GL1200 differential starves for oil when filled to the factory level. Hondas fill level (7 oz) aint enough. Fill it, remove the inspection cap, spin the rear wheel forward and watch the oil climb on the ring gear. Bearings starve for oil.

If the engineers that designed it intended it to have additives, it would. Especially dont waste time with Teflon additives, Teflon has no mechanical shear strength and a Manager at DuPont told me that Teflon is useless as an oil additive but they werent allowed to state so due to fear of restraint of trade suits.

 

[GWEddie]

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Dave Campbell wrote:

Waste of time considering the GL1200 differential starves for oil when filled to the factory level. Hondas fill level (7 oz) aint enough. Fill it, remove the inspection cap, spin the rear wheel forward and watch the oil climb on the ring gear. Bearings starve for oil.

Ain't that the truth. The diff on the Wing holds very little oil. There are two ways of getting more oil in, one is to fill the diff with the bike on the sidestand or better still leaned over even lower. Another is to fill it on the mainstand and with the engine running and in gear. This lowers the oil level as some of it splashes around the ring gear and allows you to put more in. There is no risk of blowing a seal doing this as the vent will take care of it. I'd agree about additives. If they do work where gears are involved, it's only for a short time until the gears crush the additive.

 

[WyoWinger]

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Maybe a synthetic gear oil like AMSoil would work a lot better than teflon. I use it in my 1986 GL1200 Aspencade and it run quieter and cooler. WyoWinger

 

[Dave Campbell]

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GW Eddie: Im surprised anyone has noticed this, it appears youve spent some time "under the seat." LOL

The rear diff needs 14 oz. to work correctly, but itll spew about 4 of those out on the rear end.

Ill give this one away for fun. This is one of Hondas "nasty 9" as I term them (design flaws in the 1200's) , it results in destruction of the diff' bearings.

The rear diff needsa level of oil fillthat isnt possible to fill the rear diff that high as gear pressure will blow it out the vent button. With that info, anyone can figure out the rest.

P.S. If you have one of those diff's apart, try and find the oil pump inside. There is one.


BRowan:"Moly" (molebdnium disulfide) is an excellent, high-pressure gear additive made for extreme pressures as found in helical gears (whats in this rear end.) I use nothing but that for additive and never use anything but "moly" grease for chassis and bearings.

 

[BRowan]

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Dave, I got a small tine of "Moly Slip" yesterday and I'll put it in this weekend. Am I understanding your post right, ie you just put the Moly in with no gear oil, or should I add some to the gear oil like it says on the tin?

 

[Dave Campbell]

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It "should be" used as an additive, unless it comes already mixed with oil. Ive never heard of using it straight, and since most oils are a package of properties, Id be afraid to. But, read the tin carefully first.

 

[BRowan]

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Thanks Dave. The tin says to add up to 30%, so I'll do that on Saturday.

 

[Dave Campbell]

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Good idea to flush any gear box with kerosene to rid the nasties that accumulate when oil gets too hot. I was surprised to see how much dark goop ran out of my GL1200 rear end at about 20,000 miles when I removed it to see how many pieces inside. Poured solvent in and it came out black. Kerosene is somewhat compatible with oils, it vaporises quickly so it wont hurt.

Oh, and can you do a favor? I need to know the precise outer diameter of that little chrome breather cap that fits in the rear end of the GL1200. Could you pop that out and measure it? Have you a caliper or micrometer to measure it with? Appreciate the help.

 

[FitzAl]

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I use a tin of Moly in my GL1100 engine oil at every change. I know some people will shout "clutch slip" but I've never had a clutch slip yet and it does make the gears easier to change. Never thought of adding it to the diff but I may do this next service time.

 

[Dave Campbell]

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I suppose the clutch might slip if its on its way out already, or if its adjusted too tight but I cant imagine oil additive hurting it.

 

[Renegade]

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Dave... What are the Honda "nasty 9" issues you have found on the GL1200's?... We would like to know so we can prevent any nasty's on our Wings... Thanks...

 

[Dave Campbell]

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How about I place them on a new thread so's theyre easier to find?

 

[exavid]

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BTW guys, calling that thing hooked up between the driveshaft and the rear wheel a differential is a misnomer since it doesn't do any differentiating, Honda calls it a final drive. That leaves the question of what to call that other thing, faux tank, false cover, or top cover.

:cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1:

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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Having managed a fleet of 50 trucks for 15 years I had the opportunity to test many lubricant additives and the results came up the same almost every time, lubricants as they are manufactured, without aftermarket additives always came up with better scores on the oil analysis scales.

It appears that some additives don't blend as well with regular lubricants as their manufacturers state they do and may cause premature wear and at the very least simply cost you more money to purchase the unneeded additive. In some cases the additive can possibly change the chemical structure of the quality lubricant into something that makes it no longer a quality lubricant.

Vic

P.S. Exavid, it is funny when folks call the final drive a differential.

 

[Dave Campbell]

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exavid wrote:

BTW guys, calling that thing hooked up between the driveshaft and the rear wheel a differential is a misnomer since it doesn't do any differentiating,

True - it doesnt, old habits die hard! I call it other names but Wexman would not approve of posting them.:shock:

How about "right angle helical ring and pinion torque transfer case?" Or "Eric the Half- Bee?"

 

[mjpliv]

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exavid wrote:

BTW guys, calling that thing hooked up between the driveshaft and the rear wheel a differential is a misnomer since it doesn't do any differentiating, Honda calls it a final drive. That leaves the question of what to call that other thing, faux tank, false cover, or top cover.

:cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1:

I was wondering about that myself but didn't want to bring it up being a newbie and all!

 

[Dave Campbell]

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I was wondering about that myself but didn't want to bring it up being a newbie and all!

Why not? May as well be you. Even "goo-ruus" goof up now and again. I did when I got out of bed this morning.:gunhead:

 

[Goldwinger1984]

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Anyone can mess up very easily if you're a human being, it's just that some gurus are a little more full of goo than others. Thanks for putting it that way Dave Campbell.

Vic

 

[Budegan]

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Old habits do die hard. It's a lot easier to say diff than final drive though! I suppose it shows that most of us drive cars as well and the terminology gets mixed up. I often call my Wings windshield a windscreen and my cars windscreen a windshield.

Oh and please stop slagging one another off Vic and Dave. Steve and Ciaran like to keep it spam, advert and FLAME-free. If we want to seethat stuffwe can see plenty ofit on other forums instead. I'd hate to see people being banished or posts being pulled, and we all know thats what will end up happening.