Rear axle vent repair

Noticed a pool of oil under my rear right wheel and as this did not feel right I took of the rear drum and this is how it looked inside… yiaak!. As oil on brakes is filed under not so good things I started to ponder how this could happen. (NB this was found after a long highway cruise in rather warm ambient temperature.)

Soon started to suspect overpressure in the rear axle which hydraulically pressed out the oil through the bearing seal. As I found out there is supposed to be a air vent somewhere on the rear axle housing (so everybody told me) which location I couldn´t find in any documentation. Just have to start looking for myself then. After a lot of grouping around in the dark feeling for nipples, tubes, vent nozzles or whatever a finally found this little steel flap covering a small hole in the top centre of the rear axle housing.

As it was covered in dirt and rust before I took this photo it was not so easy to find. I cleaned it with a steel brush and pried it open and with a thin steel wire cleaned the grease filled hole below it now probably will serve as the intended vent. Will have to see during next summers cruises. Changed the breaks and reassembled everything and hope for the best.  Still good today (July 2010 and the repair was made during winter 2009) Happy cruising !!