XZ550 - Starter Seal Replacement
May 03, 2020
As is frequently pointed out on various XZ550 forums, the stock starter seal is inadequate. I opted to purchase a 20mm x 35mm x 6mm double lip spring seal on Amazon. I also picked up a starter rebuild kit from ebay that came with new o-rings, a brush holder assembly, and a bearing. I’ve been using the wayback machine to view xz550.com before it was taken over by some Chinese company, giving me access to a wealth of knowledge.
According to xz550.com, you should: “Remove the spring clip and working from the “sealed” side of the bearing, gently tap the bearing out of the casing with a long thin drift or punch and a hammer. Be sure to tap on the OUTSIDE of the bearing.” This was an incredibly helpful start, but I was unable to find any pictures or diagrams showing a breakdown of the process. Hopefully the following pictures will be useful to other inexperienced XZ550 owners.
I started by removing the output shaft from the bearing. I supported the outer casing with some scrap wood and used a vise to apply even pressure to the shaft.
With the output shaft removed, the starter seal was visible. I believe that my starter had an aftermarket seal on it, however, it definitely was not up to par as the starter had been flooded with motor oil.
After removing the seal, a spring clip was revealed. I used a pair of pliers to remove the clip, allowing the bearing to be easily pushed out using a socket and a vice. I then reversed the process to install the new bearing.
I used two sockets and a vise to reinstall the output shaft. I would recommend being careful to only apply pressure to the bearing and the output shaft. I saw some unfortunate pictures online of someone that busted through the outer casing on their starter because they didn’t properly support the bearing.
After installing the aforementioned o-rings and brush holder assembly, I am happy to say that my starter lives! I plan to make a more detailed write up on the work that I have put into my XZ550 within the next week or so. COVID-19 has certainly made all the days blend together, I didn’t realize how long it had been since I made a post to the website…
~ JHE
