05 Suzuki King Quad 700 4x4 fi. I just rebuilt the rear diff ($400 b/c no rebuild kit exist for it in the US apparently). New bearings and seals all the way around b/c they were wore out. Put new oil in it and it started leaking out of the left side axle seal (just like it did the last time I replaced the oil seal). Anybody have any idea why or any way of getting it fixed? I can't even wash the bike without water getting in the diff.

 

Just found this out myself when changing a faulty rear driveshaft. A warning leaflet in the box stated that Suzuki changed the oil seal and driveshaft sizes mid production run on the 700. So you need the seal to suit the shaft you have. They don't last all that long anyway on the 450 to 750KQ, and apparently the diff should be filled with special oil, though I have been topping them up with EP90 gear oil for the last 10 years without problems.

 

How do I know what type of seal I need? I'm the second owner of the quad (as far as I know) and the rear axles have been replaced from what I can tell.

 

Don't know. My guess would be that you are buying early seals (2005) but may have late driveshafts, if new seals are not sealing on the shafts. Your Suzuki dealer may have data about the exact diameter of shaft for each seal. Other possibility is the shaft badly worn where the seal runs, a bit of grit can make a mess. On quads, almost all shafts show some wear on the surface where a seal has run.

 

I took a micrometer to the shaft where the seal should sit, took the measurement and converted it to MM. The axle was from a late model based on the measurement coming out to be around 59mm. The inner seal came out to be around 65mm. I checked the parts schematic on Rocky Mountian ATV & MC and showed that later model KQ had a 59mm seal while my 2005 had the 65mm seals. Therefore the brand new seals I bought couldn't do the job b/c there is a gap.

Thanks for all your help Merryman! You ARE the man!