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Oil leak from stator cover on 81 XJ550 Seca

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by DannyBoy1798, Dec 27, 2016.

  1. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi guys,
    I'm not sure if this has been asked before however if it has, I can't find it. I'm working on an 81 Yamaha XJ550 Seca that was mistreated in her former life. The idea when I bought the bike was to modify it into something similar to a brat bike. Brat is a very familiar word to me however let bygones be bygones! Anyway I got the bike going after all the usual stuff like a top end rebuild, fork seals, carbs rebuilt, calipers rebuilt, the odd electrical gremlin and even an LED indicator upgrade. Having not done anything like this before I was chuffed so many thanks to this forum and the many Youtubers who posted inspiring and valuable videos. Having had the bike out for several spins I noticed an oil leak directly under the stator cover. Upon closer inspection I could see that it was coming from the stator cover. So I googled the problem and found out that there should be a little oil in the stator cover to lubricate the metal moving parts. Although the oil leak is very small it bothers me so I took off the cover and couldn't see where it was coming from without removing the rotor which I don't have the tools to do. I proceeded to clean up the mating surfaces to replace the gasket when I noticed a factory notch in the cover measuring about 6mm wide by about 1mm deep which seems to be there to allow oil to escape after doing its lubricating job. That blew my "just replace the gasket" theory out of the water although I did replace it anyway.

    After such a long-winded story what I want to know before I start pulling things apart is this, is there a seal that is easily replaceable behind the rotor or is this oil leak going to be major surgery to fix?

    I would greatly appreciate any feedback from anyone who is familiar with this kind of issue.

    Cheers.

    PS: Just an FYI, I am known for long-winded explanations so be thankful that I am not texting this!
     
  2. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The leak is probably coming from the alternator shaft oil seal. it's a fairly straightforward fix.
     
  3. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi k-moe, thanks for the prompt reply, can you direct me to a "how to" or a video on what to to?

    Belated Merry Christmas by the way!
     
  4. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    I had the same problem on my 85 xj700. I ended up replacing the shaft seal, the housing o-ring and the oil nozzle o-ring. I discovered a small casting flaw in the groove for the housing o-ring that was allowing oil to seep under the o-ring. Since is was very small I filled it with RTV and the leak has stopped.

    It is a fairly easy job but there are a couple of things to look out for. First, you will need the small metal rod that goes in the shaft before using the bolt to pull the stator off. It prevents damaging the threads on the end of the shaft. When you pull the shaft housing off be very careful not to pull the shaft with it--I did, and it scared the h--- out of me, but fortunately it did no damage and I was able to get it back in.

    I made pictures of the entire procedure but haven't had time to post them . If you are interested let me know and I'll find time to post them.
     
  5. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The 550 alternator shaft setup is similar to the 700, but not same-same. the main difference is how the bearing cover plate is retained.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2016
  6. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi tabaka45 and thanks for the reply. Yes it would be great to see your photos and your step by step post. I have spent a long time getting this bike on the road so I'm keen to ride it during the New Zealand summer which is about halfway through. Just wondering if you were riding the bike while it had the leak? Also where did you get the part numbers? Thanks in advance!!
     
  7. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi again k-moe, am I likely to get the job done with XJ700 instructions or will I need instructions specific to the XJ550? Although I'm a reasonably competent home mechanic, I'm not good with surprises! Also where would I get the correct part numbers for the seal and two o-rings mentioned above? Again, thanks in advance
     
  8. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The XJ700/750/650 instructions will do; things will just look a bit different is all.
     
  9. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    thats from the manual . clear as mud
     
  10. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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  11. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    The rotor holding tool isn't necessary. Borrow a foot, and have it press on the brake pedal with the bike in gear.
     
    XJ550H, Lightcs1776 and chacal like this.
  12. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi XJ550H, thanks very mush for posting this. I have an XJ550 PDF manual which doesn't show this, only some assembly details. Now that I see the details in your manual, I understand what my manual is talking about. In the meantime I found this, http://xjrider.com/viewtopic.php?t=2101 which is fixing the same problem on an XJ600 Seca 2 so now I get the idea. I used the part numbers listed in this article to explain to my local dealer which O rings and seals I wanted as she didn't quite understand what I was looking for, I think that she was new to the job. This allowed her see the O rings and seal in a diagram of XJ600 Seca 2 and compare them to and XJ550 diagram. All parts now ordered and will be shipped from Yamaha in Australia to Christchurch, New Zealand which will take about six days from Jan 4.

    Thank you very much and hopefully Yasmine (yes, I gave her a name) will be leak-free for years to come!

    Happy New Year!!
     
  13. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    Hi k-moe, I will un-weld my son from the couch to enlist his assistance! Thanks very much and Happy New Year to you!

    Cheers
     
    k-moe likes this.
  14. k-moe

    k-moe Pie, Bacon, Bourbon. Moderator Premium Member

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    FYI, you can order parts from Chacal (member here) and have them almost as fast. Some parts are difficult to get from Yamaha, though I understand wanting to get things locally whenever possible.
     
  15. Xjrider92117

    Xjrider92117 Active Member

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    Ebay always temps me for parts, but o rings, gaskets, and well pretty much everything else I get from chacal. Your not gonna get the wrong part or a pos part from him. Also, he knows what he's talking about, and comes with lots of info....

    It sucks buying stuff twice!

    He's also the fastest shipper!
     
  16. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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    G
    Good to know. I did get some quotes from the preferred xjbikes retailer and while the prices were reasonable the shipping to New Zealand was way, way too much. Unfortunately sometimes we need to buy from the stealer and just suck-it-up! The next time I need something and I can wait for delivery I'll get in touch with chacal.

    It's 10.30pm in New Zealand and I'm in a pub so I should probably stop communicating with you guys before things go downhill!!

    Happy New Year to you all!
     
  17. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    What has happened to shutterfly?? I've downloaded my pictures 3 times but they don't show up. In fact only a few of my previous downloads show up. I'll keep trying.
     
  18. tabaka45

    tabaka45 Well-Known Member

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    k-moe and Stumplifter like this.
  19. DannyBoy1798

    DannyBoy1798 New Member

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