Motorcycle Repair: Oil inside the stator on a 1973 CL350, steel hammer, cl350

Question
Hi Rich,

I am back again with another question on my 1973 CL 350.
I took off the stator cover before and a small amount of oil came out, well I checked again, and now I can practically drain the engine oil from there. My question is, can I replace the oil seal without taking the engine apart? Can I just remove the rotor and get at the seal? Do you know if this part is still available through Honda? I found a kit on Ebay, but it is not a Honda brand kit. One last thing, does the rotor require a special puller to get it off?

As always, I appreciate your help,
Greg

Answer
Hey Greg, I don't think were talking about the same parts.  The left cover that has the stator inside has no seal that I know of other than the gasket between the cover and the crankcase.  If you go to http://www.hondaparts-direct.com/ and look up the left crankcase cover for you year and model, you'll see all of the gaskets and seals around the stator and rotor.  

Yes, it takes a special puller to get the rotor off.  The good news is that the rear axle has the same tread and you can use that in a pinch.  You'll have to to put a steel rod or punch through the hole in one end of the axle (I've used a #3 screw driver) and put some torque on the axle.  You may have to tap on the end of the axle with a hammer until the rotor pops off. If you use a steel hammer it will probably mar up the head of the axle but I don't know if a dead blow hammer will break it loose.  It may take a little effort and ingenuity to hold the crank while you tap on the axle.  Put the transmission into high gear and hold on the rear brake to put a little more resistance in the system.  

Regards
Rich