Leaking oil onto chain

[quilkin]

I have read other posts here but can't find anything similar. My chain appears to be getting oiled by leakage from the hub. I keep wiping oil off and after a few miles it's oily again; this has happened several times. There is also oil around the sprocket. There are no drips on the floor while the bike is stored, just this leakage while riding.
I did an oil change about 2000km ago, but this leakage didn't appear to be happening soon after that (Or maybe I just didn't notice it!).
I have read elsewhere that the gears only need a coating of oil, so I guess there's only a real problem if this leak stops. I'm on tour in France so not easy to get a new oil change kit, although could order one for delivery somewhere if I need to.
Any help appreciated.

[Andre Jute]

Was the oil change you mention you did about 2000 miles ago done on tour and therefore perhaps not in as leisurely a manner as other oil changes?

Specifically:

After you inserted 25ml of Cleaning Oil, and rode the bike in gears 3 and 5, or just spun the rear wheel by hand, how long did you leave the syringe hanging down from the hub to drain the now dirty Cleaning Oil?

How much of the dirty Cleaning Oil and the previous service's All Seasons Oil did you get back out?

How much clean All Seasons Oil did you put in? The full 25ml? If a lesser amount, how much?

Are you quite sure you got the Cleaning Oil and the All Seasons Oil the right way round?

Is it hot where you've been using the bike? The Cleaning Oil is an extreme winter blend oil, thinner than the All Seasons. It would naturally mist out more through the Rohloff's vents (and onto the sprocket and chain) than the thicker All Seasons Oil.

***
All that said, whatever is happening here doesn't strike me as a cause to interrupt your tour in the slightest. You put in oil 2000 miles ago and, even with a possible overfill or "wrong" kind of oil in the box, you're not reporting any drips on the floor or graunching sounds or other gremlins. To me it sounds like a case of oil loose in the Rohloff, not sticking to anything, misting out.

If I were as lucky as you to be on tour in France, for peace of mind I'd order a service kit delivered somewhere I'll be in a week or two, but that's because I'm a belt and braces man, and always go the extra step, and one doesn't want to spend a tour worrying about an expensive lump of gears.

You may want to read about Power-Servicing Your Rohloff if you haven't already, or bookmark it for after your tour:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=13327.0
Further reassurance at:
http://thorncyclesforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=12606.msg93564#msg93564

Enjoy your tour.

[quilkin]

Thanks Andre. A lot of questions!

The oil change was done at home; it was the first time I'd done one - the bike was second hand. As far as I remember I did everything according to the instructions, I think a reasonable amount came out and  25ml went back in if that was required. It was back in early May, so a while ago.

It is quite warm here, and of course it has been hot in the UK before I left. And, shortly after that oil change in May, my bike was on a plane to Ireland and back. It was only after that trip that i noticed the oily chain.

So, I don't think I'll worry for now, I should be ok for the rest of my tour (another 1000km or so).
Thanks again - I see from the links that you are something of an expert in there matters!
Chris

[Andre Jute]

If there's a Rohloff owner who didn't worry at first mist, or first drops on the floor, I have yet to meet him.

You're welcome, Chris.

[PH]

Self oiling chain, sounds like an upgrade 
I've never noticed leaking oil on the chain, even though one of my hubs leaks more than it ought.  Are you sure that's what it is? Not changed your oil or chain lube routine recently? Anyway, as Andre said, nothing to worry about.  Rohloff say even if you lost it all, it's still be OK till the next oil change was due. 
Plenty of variation in ways to do an oil change, stick to the manual or choose any of the alternatives, I've gone for the method in Thorn's "Living with a Rohloff" booklet, but I'm not trying to convince anyone that one method is better than another, I like this one mainly because it's cleaner.

[steve216c]

If there's a Rohloff owner who didn't worry at first mist, or first drops on the floor, I have yet to meet him.

Been there, seen that and got the oily rag to clean up the mess... Very true words André.

Many of us have found that transporting bike on its side can cause leaks. Extreme temperature changes too. But Rohloff seals are more about keeping the debris out and less about keeping all the oil in. Also, oil leaks might look huge when you discover them, but the reality is a little oil can cover a vast area.
Don't take my word about not worrying too much, but Rohloff suggest as long as you service oil every 5000km that residual oil on the internals will be enough to keep it running till next service interval. https://www.rohloff-au.com/faq-oil-leaks

I thought I'd lost a ton of oil my first year based on floor oil slick in my bike shed. Yet on servicing I had lost less than 5ml. I have older hub with gear change mechanism integrated and found my oil loss improved when I replaced cable and the paper seal that came with the kit.

It is always prudent to keep an eye on the mechanicals, especially expensive bits like your hub. But my experience over 14,000 km on a 2nd hand hub is that these are highly robust and require much less attention than we give them. So worry less and enjoy your Rohloff as a newly paid up member of the leaky hub brigade.

[Andre Jute]

So worry less and enjoy your Rohloff as a newly paid up member of the leaky hub brigade.

 

[joesoap]

My hub (second hand, 13 years old) just pissed all (I reckon) of it’s oil, over three days; on the floor, then all over the back wheel on the non drive side. It travelled on it’s side on coaches two weeks before. Thorn can replace both seals and bearings (if required) for £140 all told. Good deal, I think BUT, one has to be registered with Rohloff before they will accept it. This can take up to one month, I am two weeks into the wait and cycling around rather nervously; Thorn has assured me that there will be plenty of residual oil to keep the hub happy. It’s not a nice feeling but I’m damned if I’m going back to riding my derailleur XTC in autum and digging the  crud out of the drivetrain weekly

[PH]

Thorn has assured me that there will be plenty of residual oil to keep the hub happy.

Rohloff say the same thing.  If you do an oil change as mentioned above in the "Living with a Rohloff" booklet (p32), you've only left 14ml of oil in the hub and of that only 7ml can leak out.
I'm not bothering to get the seals on my leaky hub done unless/until the bearing feel like they need changing, I will probably change the oil a bit more frequently.  I might feel different if it was a bike that saw a lot of wet weather. 

[geocycle]

I changed my oil a fortnight ago and it’s been leaking since. I think I probably didn’t drain the cleaning fluid well enough. It comes out of both sides. I’ve had that before after an oil change, but not every time, so I think it was human error on my part. I’m reassured there will be still enough inside to avoid damage.

[JohnR]

I changed my oil a fortnight ago and it’s been leaking since. I think I probably didn’t drain the cleaning fluid well enough. It comes out of both sides.

I had a bit of leakage a few months ago after changing the oil and concluded that a combination of adding Rohloff's recommended 25ml plus some residual oil / cleaning fluid resulted in too much liquid in the hub. So I drained off about 5ml and it was happy. I recall that it is stated somewhere in this forum that adding 15ml of clean oil after flushing is enough and this probably takes account of the oil that won't drain so the total is close to Rohloff's required 25ml in the hub.