Oil in the starter?

Ok, my bike has been giving me trouble starting lately. I normally can get it going by tapping on the starter lightly with a hammer. It's starting to get harder and harder to start though so I decided to take the starter out (no I do not have a manual, I'm just adventurous) and found that there is oil inside parts of it. My question is, does it belong there? And if so, where all should it be? So far it is mainly in the 'head' section (where the two cogs sit on two small posts. The rest of the starter seemed relatively dry, just WAY WAY dirty. Can someone shed a little light on this starter quandry? Thanks in advance, you guys ROCK btw.

 

There should not be oil in the starter. The o-ring where the starter goes into the motor is bad. I had the same problem, rebuilt the starter which proved to be very easy, and have not had a problem since.

 

Check with Chacal he has repair kits, its time for a starter overhaul. There should be no oil in the starter, the front seal/o-ring is bad. Fix it before it brakes down on you and leaves you stranded. Push starting is not fun.

 

Many Original Starters which have not ever been serviced will sometimes fail to Spin.

A buildup of Carbon Dust coating the entire Electric-end, fouls the Commutator, Shorts-out the Brushes and keeps the Starter from Spinning.

The Ideal Maintenance Procedure: Overhaul w/ New Brushes

Cleaning only:
Flush Electric-end with Electric Contact Cleaner until what is sprayed in is as clean as what's coming out.

Overhaul Procedure:

After you get it on the bench ...

Two long screws hold BOTH indexed ends to the main body.

Remove the gear end and COMPLETELY clean and re-lube that end.
You'll need to spread one Circlip to get the Planet Main Shaft out.
Keep track of washers and spacers.
Look on the ends of the shaft and inside the housing for thin Thrust Washers that like to stay stuck where they are.

Keep everything in order as you disassemble the Planet end.
Two small Planet Gears on opposed shafts.
The Ring Gear and Main Shaft.
Every Spacer and Thrust Washer.

Clean the "Whole-works" of the "Business-end." All of it so nice and clean a Marine Drill Instructor would have the Company check-out yours as good example.

Check for washers and thrust washers hiding on shafts and bearing ports.

Clean the Electric end; too.

Pull the Case away from the Motor -- slowly.
There's NO slack in the wire connecting the Brushes to the External Power Post.
Slip the Brushes off the Commutator.
Look for a Thrust washer - inside the Case - surrounding the port for the case bearing bushing.

With the starter exploded. Clean.
Use straight Isopropyl Alcohol loaded into a sprayer that has the Stream or Spray option.
("Honey, did you see the Windex. I can't seem to find it.")

Withdraw the Armature.
Spray everything until its completely clean and what you are spraying ON is as clean as what is dripping OFF!

Shoot the Commutator, Brushes, Brush Housing, Electrical Lead and the inside of the Electric end Case. Clean.

Shoot WD-40 on the CLEAN windings and magnets.

Lube the whole-works as you reassemble the Starter.

Using Top Quality Synthetic Waterproof Grease:
Everything and every surface on the Planet - Business End - gets lubed as it's reassembled.
Shafts, shaft bushing ID's, washers, spacers, gears, pivots, bushings, etc.
Grease everything. Either liberally -- for function, or smeared-on for both rotational forces on it ... or, to hold it from slipping as you reinsert bearing shafts into bushed port on the case.

Spin the Planet Shaft after its re-clipped in and grease the rotating Planet Gears -- "On the Fly" ... as they rotate around the inside of the Ring Gear.

Lightly smear washers and spacers on the Electric End ... but, don't allow the grease to contaminate electric connections and Commutator.

Get a dab of grease into the port on the Electric end; and smear the end of the shaft which fits there.

Now, the fun and games of getting the Brushes lifted onto the Commutator and everything lined-up and back together begin.

It's like a Chinese Puzzle.

Only ... "Made in Japan" !