oil and the generator signal cover

[dgxser]

I have my new to me Katana 600 GSX600FP (93) ready to start. I got the starter cranking, put some starter fluid in the airbox and it halfway started.

Now I am getting oil dripping from the signal generator cover (lower front right side cover, where the timing components are). Is that supposed to be a dry area? The bike had been dropped on that side, hard enough to crack the cover at the bottom corner. I fixed it with JB weld, but I did not fix the gasket assuming it was just there for dust preventon.

Is there a crank seal in there tha could be bad?

thanks for any guidance.

[shift6]

There is a little bit of oil in there. I would look at getting that cover and seal replaced.

[md86]

Cincy , huh ? Whereabouts ? Maybe I can help with that in person ....

[91_gsx600F katana]

I've had mine off like 8 times. I always use rtv and call it a day. Seals everytime. No need for gasket

[dgxser]

I am in Colerain Township / White Oak area. Near intersection of I-275 and I-74. First, is there supposed to be oil in that area. I am not use to that area getting oil on other bikes I have worked on. If so, I can use some RTV to seal the cover with until a replacement comes in.

[TRPUT]

Yes, there is supposed to be oil in there - not pressurised - it just splashes around. Hence, a good seal is essential.

[md86]

I am in Colerain Township / White Oak area. Near intersection of I-275 and I-74. First, is there supposed to be oil in that area. I am not use to that area getting oil on other bikes I have worked on. If so, I can use some RTV to seal the cover with until a replacement comes in.

Forest Park , here . :
Careful with the RTV . Use too much , the wrong kind , or don't let it cure , and it could get ugly .

[91_gsx600F katana]

Haha rtv will seal better than the gaskets. It's a permanent fix until u open it again. If u use rtv and order a gasket that's just bonkers.

Clean gasket surface, whipe down gasket surface on both sections with brake clean to remove all traces of oil and then lay a very small amount like a 1/16 bead or just put some on ur finger tip and put a small layer on. Put 2 bolts in the cover and align the bolts and thread them in by hand while holding the cover. Pull the cover in and tighten bolts, then put the rest in. And your done. Depending on outside temps it may take 1 hr to dry or 4 hrs. I usually do it and leave the bike over night but that's cuz I Dnt need to ride it. They also have 1 min gasket rtv which is super awesome and will literally cure in 1 min and I use that stuff all the time.

Rtv doesn't matter, grey, black, red, clear its mostly all the same some can resist higher temp but they are all 100% silicone. Do Urself a favor and buy a tube of 100%silicone from like homedepot and use that (clear) so u don't make a mess. It's the same
Stuff as permetex and other brands but cost much less.

I use the clear stuff on my cover and my race car.

[md86]

Then what's the point of the stuff that says "gas & oil resistant" ? THen there's the high-temp stuff , too . These oil-cooled engines DO get pretty warm . My oil temp gauge goes above 425*F if I sit in traffic too long .... But yeah , don't go overboard . I've found chunks of the stuff in my oil pickup filter before .

[dgxser]

Thanks guys, I put RTV on it. But, now I have more problems, I got the tank on and fired it up and have no oil pressure. So now I need to figure this one out. Pulled the filter, hit the starter, I get pulses of oil, so it seems the pump is working. Going to put a new filter on. Do the oil coolers get plugged up?

[md86]

Dunno about THAT , but if that DOES turn out to be the case , I happen to have a 600 oil cooler in the garage collecting dust ...

[dgxser]

Thanks for the reply MD, I created a new thread for the oil problem. Got it figured out, and now I am on to the cam chain being quite noisy.