Shift Shaft seal question

[Gearbox Paul]

My 85 FJ1100 has a minor oil leak that is coming from the shift shaft as far as I can tell.  The parts diagram shows a seal (#2 in the diagram).  I'm confused where this seal is located.  To replace this seal, do I have to remove the crankcase cover to get to it.  When I look under the bike, behind the crankcase cover, I can see the circlip on the shift shaft (see picture below).  The diagram shows the oil seal on the outside of this circlip.  If that's the case, where is this seal?  And there is no seal on the engine side of the circlip according to the diagram.  So what's keeping the oil from leaking past the circlip???

I feel like this is a stupid question but I'm confused. 

[Pat Conlon]

The oil seal (#2) is press fit into the side cover....the circlip (#8) and washer (#7) goes inside the case against the engine block.

It's easiest to remove the side cover and use a pick to get the old oil seal out, clean the landing, and evenly press fit in the new seal.

Easy job.  Don't over torque those case bolts. Easy does it 10 n.m. or 7.2 ft.lb (86 in/lbs)

[Gearbox Paul]

The oil seal (#2) is press fit into the side cover....the circlip (#8) and washer (#7) goes inside the case against the engine block.

It's easiest to remove the side cover and use a pick to get the old oil seal out, clean the landing, and evenly press fit in the new seal.

Easy job.  Don't over torque those case bolts. Easy does it 10 n.m. or 7.2 ft.lb (86 in/lbs)

OK, so replacing the oil seal is a simple job.  But I'm still confused as to how this oil seal is supposed to stop oil from leaking out of the engine block.  As shown in my picture, there's a gap between the engine block and the oil seal  that is mounted in the side cover.  How can the oil seal that's not even touching the engine block, stop oil from leaking from the block?

[Pat Conlon]

The simple oil seal on the case keeps the oil from your chain from leaking thru the shaft on to your boot.

I don't know about the inner seal on the shift shaft...a good question for Randy and Robert.
 I suspect the shaft runs outside of the crankcase oil.

[RPM - Robert]

There is a seal in the block and there is also a single seal or two seals on the sprocket cover, depending if you have the roller bearing or just the straight through cover.

Both are in stock https://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=93102-12321

https://www.rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=93109-12075

To replace the case seal you will need to remove the clutch cover and pull the shift shaft out.

[Gearbox Paul]

Thank you Pat and Robert.  Robert, what you are describing (i.e. the single seal on the case and the two seals on the sprocket cover) is for the FJ1200 shift shaft, according to the FJ1200 part diagram below (single seal in case is #2 and  dual seals in sprocket cover is #20).  I have a 1985 FJ1100, not an FJ1200.  The part diagram for the FJ1100 only shows a single seal (part #2) in the sprocket cover and no seal on the case.  That's what doesn't make any sense to me.  Unless these part diagrams are incorrect but that seems unlikely. 

So back to my original question, what's stopping the oil from leaking out of the case when there is no seal installed in the case?   

[RPM - Robert]

The shift shaft seal case I linked is what stops the oil. I can't see the picture but that is what's in the case.

The other seal for the shift shaft is in the sprocket cover it keeps oil and debris from getting onto the shaft and wearing the sprocket cover out prematurely.

Your bike has both. I can't see the picture right now but that is what's there on every bike from 1984-2016. Only difference on the later years is the sprocket cover went to a roller bearing design and requires two seals.

[Gearbox Paul]

The shift shaft seal case I linked is what stops the oil. I can't see the picture but that is what's in the case.

The other seal for the shift shaft is in the sprocket cover it keeps oil and debris from getting onto the shaft and wearing the sprocket cover out prematurely.

Your bike has both. I can't see the picture right now but that is what's there on every bike from 1984-2016. Only difference on the later years is the sprocket cover went to a roller bearing design and requires two seals.

Thank you Robert, that makes sense to me.  So there's another oil seal in the case, somewhere behind the circlip.  And I need to pull the shift shaft out to access and replace this oil seal.  To pull out shift shaft, I assume I just need to remove the circlip and pull the shaft out, or there more to it than that? 

It's just very odd that the parts diagram for the FJ1100 does not show the oil seal in the case.   

[RPM - Robert]

There is a circlip and a washer holding the seal in. The shift shaft has to be removed from the clutch cover side. The other side has the mechanism that moves the shift barrel that won't come out the sprocket side of the bike.

[Gearbox Paul]

There is a circlip and a washer holding the seal in. The shift shaft has to be removed from the clutch cover side. The other side has the mechanism that moves the shift barrel that won't come out the sprocket side of the bike.

Yup, makes sense.  Thanks again Robert, very helpful.