Oil in Starter Motor and All Over Driveway.

Here goes...

Yesterday I got ballsy and decided to replace the gaskets on the rear valve cover (pretty decent oil/exhaust leak) of my '84 Sabre. Put it all back together and it ran like new*. I shut it off to get my helmet and take it out and when I come back the starter sounds like it's making one revolution and gumming up. I decide to pull the starter and check the brushes because I remembered the armature contacts were worn pretty bad when I replaced the brushes two months ago. And then it happened: Oil everywhere. In the starter and now on my driveway.

Here are the facts:
-No oil came out the first time I pulled the starter
-Bike had been sitting for about three weeks
-Had the valve cover off for about four hours (loads of gunk from a gasket older than me)

Bright side:
-Needed an oil change anyway.

Did having the cover off allow the oil to seep back down to the bottom end (like taking your finger off the top of a straw)?
Any pointers, advice, or insults laced with advice are welcome

-sam

*Like it did when I bought it last June

 

How much 'oil' came out of the crankcase when you drained it--maybe it was gasoline washed down the cylinders...?

 

I'm pretty sure all but what's left in the pan. I can see clear through the filler... hole to the starter clutch and through the other side where the starter motor connects. It feels like oil, but smmells like lawnmower exhaust. I did take the tank off and disconnected the fuel hoses from the petcock without clamping them. If it was gas, will this happen again, or is it done getting it out of its system? I possess a low level of know-how and a lot of ambition. Sometimes it gets me in trouble.

 

No oil should come out of the starter hole unless (as KB suggests) oil is overfilled or diluted with fuel from leaky petcock+ float needle. Another clue that engine is flooding with fuel is the balky starter action.

 

right on. opened starter and the brushes are already screwed. gonna have to spring for a new one. as far as the fuel-oil problem goes; I'm probably going to let someone take a look at it. Am I correct in assuming that since nothing else has come out it's only happening when the bike is running?

 

i replaced my brushes and everything works/sounds like new! You have to take time to test armature and clean it good where it comes into contact with brushes with some bagged oot scotchbrite pads or what ever your favorite flavour of the month is. You can google how to test the armature with your DMM btw, prolly a post on here as well.

 

Good call. I did a rebuild and noticed the armature contacts looked like a cartoon apple core. For all intents and purposes "effed." I figured replacing brushes was a stopgap at best.

This is turning out to be like The Old Man and the Sea. How many points for an allegoryception?

 

Good call. I did a rebuild and noticed the armature contacts looked like a cartoon apple core. For all intents and purposes "effed." I figured replacing brushes was a stopgap at best.

This is turning out to be like The Old Man and the Sea. How many points for an allegoryception?