First I smelled it, then I saw it....gear oil. See in the pic how my frame rail looks all nice and shiny and freshly painted....I didn't do that. The leaky oil seal on the passenger rear wheel did.

Not going to lie...replacing that $10 seal is going to cost you a bit more - mostly in time and a little more money. You have to pull the axle out of the rear to get to the seal. That requires removing the pumpkin and getting to the gears. But it's not a BIG deal really, just a bit time consuming. I got one look at my rear brakes and just decided to rebuild the entire rear end. Baring any problems with gears, I was only looking at seals, bearings and all brake parts. I think I spent a little over $220.

Owner caption September 2008 · Photo 10 of 62