Only one vent hole

[Comanche]

Last week I changed the tires on my Champion Trike. Noticed that there was a large deposit of grease and oil on the inner side of the right wheel and on the axle on the right side.

There was not grease or oil on the left side. Thought I had a blown seal which I ordered from Champion. Today, I took the trike to a mechanic who told me the seal was fine. It was that someone had over filled the differential and the excess was blown out of the vent hole.

I asked on another forum why it did not come out the left side as well and George Patrick, a legendary installer said that the differential is only vented on the right side.

Another mechanic told me he thought it was not a blown seal, but over filling of the differential. I would have taken the trike to him, but he is 60 miles away and in this Texas heat, I am a wuss.

Any way sharing information. The differential is only vented on the right side.

 

[Gorilla]

Thank you for sharing that info

 

[skuuter]

"Normally", most Automotive Rearends have the vent to the right side because of direction of rotation, and the ring gear is generally on the right side...the left axle housing usually has more diff lube in it and will push it out sooner if vented there even if not over-filled. Car Racers sometimes vent both tubes, and have to run long tubes up high to prevent this....."ask me how I know this"......

 

[Gorilla]

Okay Skuuter how do you know that? Lub all over the back of the race car?

 

[skuuter]

Okay Skuuter how do you know that? Lub all over the back of the race car?

Yep...."VERY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE" with this.......:laugh:

 

[Comanche]

After months of wrangling with Champion and them telling me the differential was fine. They said my problem with the trike still throwing oil out the rear end was that the oil was contaminated. The installer was less than convinced, but since I was paying for it, changed the oil and was very careful not to overfill the axle.

The trike continued to throw now clean oil. Champion sent me a new breather vent which is nothing more than a small rubber snap in tube about 1/2 inth long.

They were very specific that we should drain the differential for at least one-half hour to get all of the oil out. Then, measure carefull and put no more than one quart back in.

This, they said should fix the problem. Hope so.

 

[Comanche]

A happy follow-up

About 2500 miles after I put in the new breather cap for the vent hole Champion sent me and draining the differential for one half hour. We put exactly on quart of gear lube back into the differential and it is not leaking.


It is Not leaking. Got one less thing to bitch about. Thanks very much Mitchell Trikes - Gatesville

 

[Papa Zook]

So after all that it was the vent tube? Thats good news.