Rohloff e-14 oil leak

[mountaindweller]

Hi All, Way back I had a discussion re: my R&M Supercharger Rohloff E-14 oil leak, where after less than a year it developed a major oil leak , resulting in being returned under guarantee back to Rohloff who changed the oil seal , well it appears that I have another one , same left side and leaking all over the e-14 box , any of you guys going through the same kind of troubles , note I have researched this, and familiar with causes , more so when ones bike is leaning to one side, on its kick stand , but to have two leaks in the space of 26 months is ? your thoughts ??

 

[RMK!]

Sounds like a unique issue with your E-14. Must be very frustrating but it clearly isn't due to kickstand lean. My Delite is stored vertical with front tire on a wall hook and the back tire on the garage floor which is a very unnatural position with no leaks ever. I have read of an issue with the tiny oil drain plug stripping out but never your particular issue. It's a PITA but since their seal replacement failed, I'd request a replacement E-14 be sent to your dealer for swap out.

 

[steve mercier]

Sounds like a unique issue with your E-14. Must be very frustrating but it clearly isn't due to kickstand lean. My Delite is stored vertical with front tire on a wall hook and the back tire on the garage floor which is a very unnatural position with no leaks ever. I have read of an issue with the tiny oil drain plug stripping out but never your particular issue. It's a PITA but since their seal replacement failed, I'd request a replacement E-14 be sent to your dealer for swap out.

This problem is not unique to Mountaindweller. Ask dblhelix and David Berry.

 

[dblhelix]

es: my R&M Supercharger Rohloff E-14 oil leak, where after less than a year it developed a major oil leak , resulting in being returned under guarantee back to Rohloff who changed the oil seal , well it appears that I have another one , same left side and leaking all over the e-14 box , any of you guys going through the same kinE14 id of troubles , note I have researched this, and familiar with causes , more so when ones bike is leaning to one side, on its kick stand , but to have two leaks in the space of 26 months is ? your thoughts ??

I also experienced this (severe leaking). Larger size drops that ran over the E14 before hitting the floor.

1. Temperature changes played a role, notably from cold outdoors to bringing the bike indoors. Presumably the pressure increased as well. The leaking was most severe after a ride in the cold.
2. I learned that the external seals were once considered regular maintenance. The seals and tools were available to the end user. No longer. I consider it unacceptable to have to send the hub away for this service.

Leaking would be much easier to ignore if these bikes were kept in garages with dirty floors, but many of us keep these expensive bikes indoors. I was asked not to bring the bike back to a conference room I use at work after an "incident." The drainage path over the E14 presumably could be diverted somehow -- I don't know if anyone at Rohloff is looking at this since, the party line response is that the hubs don't leak significantly.

My problem was resolved with a new/rebuilt hub. Should this start up again, it'll probably be the end of my relationship with the hub.

I noticed the Australian Rohloff guy told someone that an oily skewer suggests defective seals. My skewer was and is oily since day one.

 

[mountaindweller]

Exactly , the reason i asked, most of us have had our R&M for a few years now , and I am looking for a pattern , is it just the e-14 or are their many other models suffering the same fate , Rohloff are normally reliable and the company are open and honest to a point , but to state that they have had a run of oil leaks with a particular model and make will be ? in the meanwhile i will have to go back to them and get it sorted, re: my first leak , it went all over my gates belt , this one must have drained out while i was touring the UK lake district on holiday, i went to clean the bike and found the e-14 underneath coated in oil , for sure if its another seal repair again, I will write to R&M and make a case, and I base that on having used Rohloff gear hubs for years and never once had an oil leak . the big question being, will I be expected to have these oil leaks every year ?

 

[RMK!]

I also experienced this (severe leaking). Larger size drops that ran over the E14 before hitting the floor.

1. Temperature changes played a role, notably from cold outdoors to bringing the bike indoors. Presumably the pressure increased as well. The leaking was most severe after a ride in the cold.
2. I learned that the external seals were once considered regular maintenance. The seals and tools were available to the end user. No longer. I consider it unacceptable to have to send the hub away for this service.

Leaking would be much easier to ignore if these bikes were kept in garages with dirty floors, but many of us keep these expensive bikes indoors. I was asked not to bring the bike back to a conference room I use at work after an "incident." The drainage path over the E14 presumably could be diverted somehow -- I don't know if anyone at Rohloff is looking at this since, the party line response is that the hubs don't leak significantly.

My problem was resolved with a new/rebuilt hub. Should this start up again, it'll probably be the end of my relationship with the hub.

I noticed the Australian Rohloff guy told someone that an oily skewer suggests defective seals. My skewer was and is oily since day one.

Not all garage floors are "dirty" and I feel pretty confident in saying not all E14's leak oil. I hope that the OP is taking this issue to the dealer he purchased this "expensive" ebike from as well as posting here. Rohloff tech support is for supporting dealers with trained techs who can properly handle issues and seek assistance from Rohloff if it is a defective product or warranty issue.

I'm glad to hear about potential problems with the E14 and while it may be therapeutic to gain the support of other owners, it won't get your bike fixed.

 

[Alaskan]

This problem is not unique to Mountaindweller. Ask Alaskan and David Berry.

Don't ask me cause I won't write about it all over again. Search for it in this forum. Extensive stuff from me and others about leaky Rohloffs and appallingly bad service from their designated warranty service provider in the USA. All my bikes have derailleurs and chains now.

 

[dblhelix]

Not all garage floors are "dirty" and I feel pretty confident in saying not all E14's leak oil. I hope that the OP is taking this issue to the dealer he purchased this "expensive" ebike from as well as posting here. Rohloff tech support is for supporting dealers with trained techs who can properly handle issues and seek assistance from Rohloff if it is a defective product or warranty issue.

I'm glad to hear about potential problems with the E14 and while it may be therapeutic to gain the support of other owners, it won't get your bike fixed.

Your comments betray a lack of knowledge, so consider this before trying to stifle users discussing their experiences in good faith

 

[JVBulman]

Weeping out of the non-drive is pretty normal in my experience. I'd say 3/5 bikes we sell usually have some weeping within the first 3000mi (especially around spring/fall when the temprature changes) and thus far it's always gone away after the first oil change.

My working theory is that they ship with too much fluid in them from the factory (25ml) and it's been the recommendation of our state-side technical support that we only put 10ml of oil back in when doing an oil change which seems to do the trick.

 

[Explorer-1]

Ya, lots of reports of leaking so this is nothing new. They are not going to admit to any deficiencies it's one of their faults, you can't fix the problem if you don't admit to it. ... and R&M is going to back them all the way because they are part of the same engineering culture.

 

[Alaskan]

Weeping out of the non-drive is pretty normal in my experience. I'd say 3/5 bikes we sell usually has some weeping within the first 3000mi (especially around spring/fall when the temprature changes) and it goes away after an oil change.

Not at all relevant. That is precisely "the party line" spouted about any leaks by true believers who are not among the unlucky few who have experienced this uncommon but not unheard of issue. We are not talking about "some weeping" but rather oil drenched E-14 mechs, oily brake rotors and puddles of oil on the floor.

These leaks are caused by failed seals that are not sold to the public and require a special tool that Rohloff only makes available to their authorized service facilities, which in the case of those in the USA, are very poorly chosen and provide appallingly slow and unresponsive service.

It is not a good look to be downplaying dangerous, messy and major oil leaks with Rohloff propaganda about "mist, weeping and pressure equalization" being normal and acceptable "learn to live with it" conditions. As you well know, oil on a brake rotor is a potentially dangerous situation which should not be casually dismissed.

 

[JVBulman]

@Alaskan I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience and weren't able to get the support you needed at the time.
---
My recommendation to anyone with a relatively new Rohloff that's having issues with weeping is to purchase an oil change kit and follow this procedure specifically (Note: it is different from the official procedure offered by Rohloff.) I've had great success solving weeping across multiple R&Ms thus far doing this.

If it persists, then yeah, maybe your issues are more serious and if you live in the Seattle area I can recommend two shops that can do deeper work without having to send the hub off to Germany. (Edit: See comments below)

 

[Alaskan]

@Alaskan I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience and weren't able to get the support you needed at the time.

My recommendation to anyone with a relatively new Rohloff that's having issues with weeping is to purchase an oil change kit and follow this procedure specifically (Note: it is different from the official producer offered by Rohloff.) I've had great success solving weeping across multiple R&Ms thus far doing this.

If it persists, then yeah, maybe your issues are more serious and if you live in the Seattle area I can recommend two shops that can do deeper work without having to send the hub off to Germany.

I know that Aaron at Rat City Cycles is knowledgeable on Rohloff. Are you recommending this for bikes still under warranty? Does taking a Rohloff for warranty service to a provider other than Cycle Monkey or Peter White have any impact on your ongoing warranty?

 

[JVBulman]

I know that Aaron at Rat City Cycles is knowledgeable on Rohloff. Are you recommending this for bikes still under warranty? Does taking a Rohloff for warranty service to a provider other than Cycle Monkey or Peter White have any impact on your ongoing warranty?

Rat City is one yeah, the other would be R&E.

Aaron is a Service Partner according to his site.

I'm not sure about R&E's official status, just that they work with a lot of Rohloff and have someone on their staff that used to work for the company.

I'm also not sure about the warranty question, but I'm going to be looking into how deep dealers can get into a Rohloff before involving a Service Partner, Thanks!

::EDIT::

Ok, so I heard back and the extent of work dealers can do is more limited than I realized - oil changes, sprocket/carrier changes, cable changes, as well as axle plate or gear mech changes. Shops dealing with E14 ebikes can also switch out those parts - But anything beyond that needs to be handled by a Service Partner to maintain your warranty.

 

[Alaskan]

Rat City is one yeah, the other would be R&E.

Aaron is a Service Partner according to his site.

I'm not sure about R&E's official status, just that they work with a lot of Rohloff and have someone on their staff that used to work for the company.

I'm also not sure about the warranty question, but I'm going to be looking into how deep dealers can get into a Rohloff before involving a Service Partner, Thanks!

::EDIT::

Ok, so I heard back and the extent of work dealers can do is more limited than I realized - oil changes, sprocket/carrier changes, cable changes, as well as axle plate or gear mech changes. Shops dealing with E14 ebikes can also switch out those parts - But anything beyond that needs to be handled by a Service Partner to maintain your warranty.

Has the list of North America service partners expanded beyond Cycle Monkey and Peter White?

 

[JVBulman]

Has the list of North America service partners expanded beyond Cycle Monkey and Peter White?

When I checked earlier today they were the only two listed, which has me wondering if Aaron actually still maintains that status or if he's just bad at updating his site...

 

[webcurl]

My recommendation to anyone with a relatively new Rohloff that's having issues with weeping is to purchase an oil change kit and follow this procedure specifically (Note: it is different from the official procedure offered by Rohloff.) I've had great success solving weeping across multiple R&Ms thus far doing this.

I've never had a leak on my non-E14 hub, now at 3 oil changes but interesting video.
Especially about the back pedalling during cleaning & over-night or longer drainage.

 

[RMK!]

@Alaskan I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience and weren't able to get the support you needed at the time.
---
My recommendation to anyone with a relatively new Rohloff that's having issues with weeping is to purchase an oil change kit and follow this procedure specifically (Note: it is different from the official procedure offered by Rohloff.) I've had great success solving weeping across multiple R&Ms thus far doing this.

If it persists, then yeah, maybe your issues are more serious and if you live in the Seattle area I can recommend two shops that can do deeper work without having to send the hub off to Germany. (Edit: See comments below)

Thanks @JVBulman. This information was very helpful and I was very pleased to discover a Rohloff warranty service facility is minutes from my home. By heeding the recommendations in the linked oil change video and due to the relatively mild climate where I live, I hope to get many miles of service from what is arguably the best performing IGH available.

 

[JVBulman]

I've never had a leak on my non-E14 hub, now at 3 oil changes but interesting video.
Especially about the back pedalling during cleaning & over-night or longer drainage.

The overnight drainage has been something to see - 30ml+ of fluid waiting for me in the catch container some mornings.

 

[peterh_nz]

Interesting comments comments regarding Rohloff hub leaks.

My hub also leaks occasionally.

I would appreciate hearing, from those whose hubs have leaked, what colour the oil patch is.

Thanks

Peter