Motorcycle Repair: 1985 vt700 Starter, starter solenoid, crank case

Question
Hi Rich,

I have a 1985 Honda Shadow VT700. When it is warm the starter works great, but when it is cold or cooled down a bit and you push the starter button, it wont do anything. Sometimes if you hold the button in it will go in a couple seconds. Sometimes if you push it repeatedly it will go. Do you have any suggestions???

I also have a 1973 CL350. I recently took the stator cover off and I had a small amount of oil that came out. Is there a seal that I can replace if I take the rotor out of the way?? Will the oil damage anything in there??

Thanks for your help!!!!

Greg

Answer
When it's cold try taking a screw driver and jump across the two main terminals on the starter solenoid.  If it cranks good, the problem is in the solenoid or the starter circuit.  It could be a dirty switch contact or it could be the solenoid. If the starter doesn't engage correctly, it's probably a tired starter.  

The stator cover is connected to the main crank case on those old 350s.  So when you pull the cover it's normal to get a little oil dripping out. You can pull the rotor without taking the crank case cover off and you should have no problems.

Regards
Rich