XT600 Kickstart Shaft Loose
 

My 1985 XT600Z Tenere’s kickstart shaft (not the lever, the shaft) has got so loose the the seal in the clutch cover was leaking. So I pulled the kickstart shaft to inspect it.

All the springs, teeth etc look good and measure within spec. However, the shaft has a lot of play in it, I’d say 5mm or more at the tip. Way more than my brothers Honda XL600.

My question, how much play should the kickstart shaft have?

The shaft at the surface that mates into the crank case is 14.96mm. I don’t have long enough calipers to measure the female mounting surface in the crank-case.

Or does the kickstart shaft rely on the seal and contact with the clutch cover to give it rigidity?

Video of the issue here.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...rter-shaft.JPG

It should have minimum amount of movement . The shaft slips in a bore in the inner case and then the bore in the cover where the seal is. There should only be about .0005- .0015 clearances between the shaft od and bore id.

Thanks jjrider.

Sounds like I need to replace this part "bore in the inner case". I can't seem to find this bore on a parts fiche. Do you know where it is or the part number?

You'd think it would be on one of these:
Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 1985 XT600N CRANKCASE COVER 1 Diagram
Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 1985 XT600N STARTER Diagram
Yamaha Motorcycle Parts 1985 XT600N CRANKCASE Diagram

The bore on the cover isn't "fixable" it is the case itself that the shaft rubs against . A new cover is the only real option as there isn't enough material to bore and install a bushing . I don't know where your located but I have a pile of parts that I should be able to come up with a tighter set for not much .

If the inner bore in the center case is badly worn from the outer case being so loose it will cause faster wear on a new cover, to a point. The 2 bores are the support for the shaft and work together to keep the shifter shaft straight , when one is worn it puts more wear on the other . A new inner case is the fix to that , which is basically the bottom end and both case halves should be replaced as a matched pair . I think that one could be bored ot a little and a custom bushing made .

The idler gear that is driven by the kicker , how is that fitting on its shaft ? I have made new bushings for 2 of them to make them nice and snug , they tend to bind when worn and cause more pressure on the kicker shaft, thus the bores.

Hey jjrider, I'll buy a black outer cover from you for sure. I think that and a new seal should do the trick. I'm located in Los Angeles, California.

I'll dig through my pile of boxes for a good cover , there are a few out there. If you have a micrometer and can measure your kicker shaft to make sure it isn't worn some as well . Might as well try to make it as tight as possible.

I just ordered a new kickstart shaft from Partzilla to be sure! So it should be stock. I'll measure it once it shows up, but I'm out of the country until first week of December unfortunately.

A new one shouldn't be a concern to measure then , it'll be good .

OK jjrider lets do it then. Can you just send me the tightest one you have then in black?

I have 2 covers not on motors ,will do that.

I was cleaning those covers up to take some measurements and pictures for you when it hit me , Get a cover from an E model , '90-'95 . They don't have kickers (unless an owner added it) so the bore will be brand new size. You'll need to put a plug in the transmission line port if your motor doesn't have the external line but otherwise it will bolt on . It'll be grey , but you can paint it satin black and remove the little ring around the old covers kicker internal boss and slip it on the new cover.

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/...pszknvphky.jpg

Rough measuring of my old covers shows .2mm wear on those bosses , probably better than yours but still not "new" sizes .

What about the difference if you see on the right side down on the edge, the hole is different size and dont seem to come out in same place inside. And under the oilfilter the is a hole missing?

The picture makes things look a bit different. The right side has the kicker decomp mechanism that will need to be moved to the E start cover , holes for it are there . No hole missing on left , lineup dowel hole is there but doesn't show up well in picture if that's what your seeing .The crankshaft oil seal is pulled out of the 3TB cover but is in the old cover yet so that hole looks different but isn't. I put both covers on the 2 motors to verify the swap can go both ways, but the oil port going to the tranny is what would prevent the old cover working on the 3TB motor otherwise they bolt up and oil ports line up and the same on the inside.

Hey JJrider, I like your idea, but I'd like to try the easy approach first. I'm down to buy the better of your two side covers. Please PM with a price. Thanks!