1981 starter

I have a 1981 XJ650 Maxim that is having some starter issues. I opened it up and found lots of oil in it. What "O" ring and or seal on the starter keeps the oil from getting into the motor? Second question what other years and model will fit the XJ650's? I think I have narrowed it done to 81 750's, and 1980 650. I would really like not to have to fork out the $180 plus for a new one and I don't think mine is going to last much longer the com looks pretty ruff so I n\know it's going to destroy the what's left of the brushes here soon.
Also if anybody knows of some place else besides Ebay that I can look on line I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks
Oh I was able to clean the oil out and it is running great for now.

 

Hey kerstingm,
Sorry I haven't seen your post until now.

The problem with oil leaking into your starter is due to a bad shaft seal on the starter output shaft. Mine's had this problem since 2006, and I just got brave enough last week to press out the shaft in my bench vise to see what's behind it.

There's a rubber shaft seal that easily pries out with a screwdriver. And under that is a bearing retainer clip that you can remove with a pair of pliers (after which the bearing can be lightly pressed out using your bench vise).

Do you have a bearing supply house nearby? I carried the old shaft seal AND the non-sealed ball bearing (which was still good, by the way) into my local industrial bearing distributor, and within minutes he had a new SEALED ball bearing in my hand and an order placed for an upgraded shaft seal which I will pick up tonight. The seal is an upgrade because it has the circular spring around the seal lip that will keep it against the shaft (the OEM seal does not have that spring). These two items were less than $30 (US).

Between the improved sealed bearing and the upgraded shaft seal, this thing should be oil-tight.

If you don't have a bearing distributor nearby and can wait a little while, I contacted Chacal, our resident parts guru, and he's willing to begin carrying these parts once I'm able to provide him the brand/part numbers and he's able to source them.

I'm also hoping to post a little pictorial how-to of this repair. It sounds like more of us owners are starting to see this problem with our 30-year old starters, and a $30 fix is much better than $160 for a replacement.

Hope this helps.