It's looking like I might have to remove the alternator side engine cover.  I have a small oil drip that's bugging the crap out of me.  

I'm replacing the o-ring on the starter suspecting its the culprit.  I found some oil in the catch tray below the starter that may be flowing out the drain hole in the tray.  Funny how they put that drain hole there like they know the darn o-ring is gunna leak.

That said, I might have a gasket leak at the bottom of the engine cover.  And it may be where the stator wires come out - I tried to patch up that plug area with RTV (maybe it didn't work).  I just can't quite tell where the drip is originating from.

If I have to pull the cover to replace the gasket, it seems simple enough....  But, any tips?  It unnerves me a bit that you have to remove the long through bolts and remove the foot pegs.  Worried I'll get 'em out and then they won't want to align right and go back through.

To make the washer dilemma clear.  
TWO washers go on the front (anti back lash) gear.  One on each side.
NO washers go on the idler gear (next to the starter gear).

"Funny how they put that drain hole there like they know the darn o-ring is gunna leak."

I believe the drain hole is intended for water.  If the bike is outside in a rain storm, the starter cavity would fill up with water if the drain hole wasn't there.

Inspect your wires carefully.  I had a new stator start leaking at just a few thousand miles.  The Teflon insulation on the wires had cracked.  The oil ran through the stranded conductors and out through the cracks.  The insulation on that particular piece of junk is Teflon.  No sealant will stick to it.  It's pretty much a boat anchor now.  Maybe someday I will try to install new wires.

Look at this piece of junk.

youzguyz wrote on 01/20/24 at 09:42:21:


I'll look at the manual, but what do those washers do?  How do they stay in place?  "One on each side."  Each side of what?

Sorry, I didn't see your other comments before I replied in my last comment.

Thanks youzguyz!  Weird.  Does that outside washer just hang on the outside?  I'm not grasping its purpose.  It'll probably make more sense when I get in there.  Thanks.

Wow , All that great info. I’ll be replacing rotor here soon , what great timing. One of the items on winter maintenance list that I’m late on getting started on.  
It was like a refresher course.
And drain hole isn’t for oil , it’s to drain water away from starter pit.

ThumperPaul wrote on 01/21/24 at 05:30:36:


The COVER holds the other end of the shaft for that washer.  See picture.  See the two holes in the upper left?  The one on the left is for the idler gear. (it does NOT need washers).  The one on right is for the backlash gear (it gets a washer on both sides).
Does that help?

"DBM has already said “good luck and just let it drip”.  This is so unlike Mike."

Paul, can you point out the post where I said that?  I would like to get a feel for the context.  

I suspect the comment pertained to the type of insulation on the wires.  If the insulation is Teflon (like the wires I show in my picture), you aren't going to find any sort of sealant that will stick to the insulation.  So, good luck getting that sealed up.  I opted to just change the stator assembly even though the one I had in the bike was still almost new.  I hate screwing around with cheap, poor-quality aftermarket electrical parts.  Mechanical stuff I can fix, electrical stuff not so much.

The only good fix I can see for the cracked insulation shown in my picture is to unsolder the wires at the stator, pull them out of the plug, and replace with new wires.  Someday I will attempt that.  The stator checks out electrically, but the crack in the insulation leaks oil like crazy.  It also bubbles like crazy when I air test and check with soap solution.

I don't know why you haven't air tested yet.  It's easy to do and works great.  If you are afraid of 10 psi, test at 5 psi.   You are correct to be respectful of air pressure.  It can be dangerous and has the potential to pop an engine case just like a balloon.  I install a bleed valve between my regulator and the item under test.  Then I open the bleed valve all the way and adjust the regulator until I just start to see pressure on the gage.  Then slowly start closing the bleed valve until I achieve the desired test pressure.  An even safer method is to use a bicycle pump.  Put a little air in that thing and soap down all the joints.  The bubbles will show you where the leak is.