Is this a death sentence?

Hi guys,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I took out my starter motor today and noticed it was covered in oil. As I poked around a saw this hole in the compartment where my starter engages in. Is my engine cooked?

1981 XJ650 maxim

 

Damn. Looks like it's been chewed away from the inside...
Can't quite work out where the primary drive chain would be but that would be the only thing flapping around that area, that I can think of. Although I would think it wouldn't be that close.
Pull the stator and check the oil spray nozzle behind the plate that holds the starter clutch. If it is sheared off then it may point to the chain.

 

Is there a problem besides the “hole”?

like @cds1984 said, it looks like it’s been chewed on.

if there is no other problems maybe it’s fine.

I tried to get a photo of a “normal” hole but lighting was bad this morning. Can try again later

 

Thanks Dan!

I have been on eBay searching for an engine and they all seem to have that. Is that an issue or a feature maybe?

 

And thank you! I’ll pull that stator and see what’s in there. Thank you!

 

Here’s a “normal” version.

It’s either got to be some sort of casting defect or there’s got to be some serious carnage in that crankcase.

 

Not sure if you mean internally, but there shouldn't be any oil in the starter as there is an oil seal on the end of it to prevent that. The hole does look fairly normal, but as others commented perhaps a bit chipped on the edges. How is the starter motor gear? Is there any axial or radial play where it might move and cause that damage? Same for the idler gear that you see in the photo, does it feel secure on the shaft?

A starter rebuild thread if you haven't found it, unfortunately it has been polluted by Photobucket, but still very useful. If you need a clear picture without watermarks you can right click "copy image address" and paste into the address bar of a new tab and open that

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/replacing-your-starter-motor-brushes-w-pics.45727/

And knowing why you were there might be helpful - were you having a problem, hearing something, etc?

 

It looks to me like the starter mounting bolts may have been a tad loose at some point in the machine's life. Replace the oil seals on the starter and reinstall. You may as well clean the carbon out of the starter too, and put in new brushes.

 

asking the real question.

 

If it has been like that and you have been running it shouldn't be a problem. Any metal fragments in the oil or sump?

 

So the oil, unfortunately, was on the outside of my starter. It looks like I have a leaky head gasket?

The starter is solid, I have had it bench tested and taken apart. The brushes are great. Gears are solid. I took it off because my bike just never wants to turn over. It usually takes me about 5 minutes to get her going and by the the battery is drained so I just push her up a hill and pop her into gear. It's rather annoying, lol. I think I am going to check the voltage from my stator and rectifier next.

 

Franz, I'll be changing my oil this weekend. I have a new fuel filter that may help my starting issues.

 

a new battery