Oil Sight Glass Fell Backwards!!!!!!!

Hello all,

I used to be on this sight & riding the bike all the time, but then I got a job and a boat and the bike sat inside for two years.

I went to go start it up with a new battery, gas and some ether, and to my surprise it started . It ran for a minute or two, pretty good, until I started to see some little oil marks to the right side of the bike.

I pulled the drain plug, only about a quart came out, and when I put some fresh oil in to try and flush more old gunk out...nice clean oil came out of the sight glass 8O

I stuck my finger in the hole and I could feel the sight glass, it just fell back and is sitting 90 degrees from where it should be.

Does anyone have any ideas on what kind of sealant or glue I can use to put it back on the right way?

I Hope that this will be an easy fix so I can get in some good fall weather riding. I have never pulled the clutch cover off either, so hopefully that will go nice and smooth. Would I need to buy a new gasket after I pull that too?



1983 XJ550 Seca

 

I would recommend a new gasket, yes.

Pull the clutch cover, and get a new sight glass from chacal and press it in. If it fell out gluing it back in wouldn't be a sound idea.

You've got a real '83? Black with maroon and scarlet flashes?

LIKE THIS?



You are staying on top of the maintenance, valve adjustments, new brake lines, etc., right?

Our bikes are at almost exactly the same mileage. I've got almost 11K on the resto, making it around 18K total. I gotta fix my sig.

 

Yeah, a real 83. At one point in time, it was exactly the same color (black & red), but a PO had a few layers of spray paint, and I've continued that.

Did the valve adjustments right around 20k and the dealership was nice enough to let me swap them out for free. I guess after they charged me $70 for an oil change before I knew anything about the bike was enough for a favor.

Haven't done brake lines yet, but just keep flushing fluid. Some new stainless lines will be up next once I get this running good.

The sight glass didn't fall out of the bike, it just fell back into the clutch cover, basically got pushed in somehow. I'm just not sure how the heck it's held on back in there. Is it just pressure from pushing it in? Is there an O-ring in there that keeps it nice and snug?


PS- Engine looks good. How many polishing wheels did you demolish to get it that bright.

 

It's not an o-ring per se, the "frame" of the sight glass is a heavy rubber similar to an oil seal and it presses in. What happened to you isn't unique; it has shrunk and isn't going to fit tightly any more.