Removed side cover and found oil and o-rings...?!?!

I have a 97 Seca II and it has a constant oil leak coming from the left side. After removing the shifter and the engine cover plate, this is what I found.

Anyone know where those o-rings came from?

 

I suspect the o-rings came from the chain, are they all broken? Hard to tell for sure from the pics, but I bet your chain and sprockets are shot.

Looks like you found the oil leak.

 

holy cow!!! there aren't that many pieces in a tubine engine!
it looks like someone opened the cover and threw a handful of orings in there. i certainly don't have a clue but the gurus here will i am sure

 

ha, i didn't even know they put o-ring chains on these things...they aren't cheap.
that makes sense though...if it's void of most/all orings it probably needs to be replaced asap

 

dad-gum double-post

 

I have never even heard of an o-ring chain. Do I need to replace both sprockets and the chain?

Also, what is the cylinder with the screw in the middle? The broken plastic piece seals it off. Can I buy this part?

 

I have never even heard of an o-ring chain. Do I need to replace both sprockets and the chain?

Also, what is the cylinder with the screw in the middle? The broken plastic piece seals it off. Can I buy this part?

 

Those are indeed the o-rings from a FAILED o-ring chain.

That front sprocket is horribly worn, and that chain looks dry as a bone.

You need to IMMEDIATELY replace both sprockets and the chain; quite honestly I don't think o-ring chains are worth the money since they pretty much wear out like "normal" chains... you can just get a standard chain and sprockets for the 600 you'll be fine. I run the plain-jane chains and sprockets on my 550 Secas and they hold up fine.

The "cylinder with the screw in the middle" that broke is your neutral switch. Yamaha pn 1L9-82540-00-00, NEUTRAL SWITCH ASSY. Still available from Yamaha, and since it's the same pn as on all 3 years of 550 Seca, chacal most likely has them as well.

 

Just purchased a new chain and sprocket set. As far as the neutral switch, is that where my oil leak is coming from? Granted, it has a broken tab but it is just an o-ring seal. If the o-ring is in good shape, it should still seal.

Thoughts?

 

If it didn't need all three tabs to hold it in the proper position Yamaha wouldn't have had them. An extra threaded hole and screw starts to get expensive when engines are made by the tens of thousands.

 

That Chain is soooo dry, ... the O-rings in the Chain all decided to gang-up and try to escape before the Chain fell-off the Drive Sprocket, which has more Fish Hooks than a Bait Shop.

You ain't even going to believe you are riding the same Bike after you replace that Chain and the Sprockets.

When you ride a Chain Drive Bike, ... one of things you are supposes to be "HIGHLY AWARE" of ... is the condition and slack of the Chain.

The Reality of this situation should not be taken lightly.
You are extremely fortunate to have discovered you Bike needs to be rehabilitated from a condition of neglect that might have turned out to be disastrous in a BIG Way.

I'm glad you got to this, ...
Before this got to you!!!

 

Wow Interesting..makes me go check how my bikes condition, infact my Neutral light does not come up..its worth having a look there.

 

the first time i took my shifter cover off i found all kinds of crazy stuff inside it, i believe a band-aid and lots of tin foil were among the more memorable items.

 

Mice. I had a pile of some kind of seeds in one of mine once, took me a second to realize why...

BURN THIS INTO YOUR BRAIN. Check before every ride; lube when it appears dry or starts to squeak; check slack weekly and adjust as necessary. I lube every 300-400 miles or so.

 

I don't see it being done, any more, probably because the quality of a good O-ring Chain lessens the need for frequent adjustments.

But, way back when, ... we used to give the guys we were riding with a Hand Signal if his Chain had too much play in it.

If we saw a guy whose Chain was bobbing up-'n-down too much; we'd give the guy a wave, ... like we were trying to get something unstuck from our palm.

Now that I'm on a Drive Shaft Bike; I don't give it much thought, anymore.

I saw a guy toss and bunch his chain, one time ... He didn't get hurt but it tore-up his 2nd Gear and garaged the Bike for weeks.