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Removing Stator Cover...It Won't Budge! Need Help!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chuckster
  • Start date Start date
C

Chuckster

Guest
I can't get the stator cover loose on my 1981 GS550T. I've removed all the fasteners but it's stuck like glue. I don't want to go prying on it and ruin the surface of the cover. Any suggestions?
 
Knock it around the edges with a rubber mallet. If you don't have a rubber mallet, use a regular hammer and a block of wood. Do NOT pry on the edges.

Be aware that there are a couple of locating dowels to align the cover rather precisely, so it won't move around much, even though all the bolts are out. On top of that, there is some serious magnetism at work there, so when it does break loose, be sure there is nothing behind you that will hurt you as you fall into it. :eek:

.
 
Steve said:
Knock it around the edges with a rubber mallet. If you don't have a rubber mallet, use a regular hammer and a block of wood. Do NOT pry on the edges.

Be aware that there are a couple of locating dowels to align the cover rather precisely, so it won't move around much, even though all the bolts are out. On top of that, there is some serious magnetism at work there, so when it does break loose, be sure there is nothing behind you that will hurt you as you fall into it. :eek:

.
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve. I do have a rubber mallet and did some with it but was scared of hitting it "too hard". I had also read of gently using a putty knife to help break the gasket seal. Would you recommend this also?

-Chuck
 
Chuckster said:
Thanks Steve. I do have a rubber mallet and did some with it but was scared of hitting it "too hard". I had also read of gently using a putty knife to help break the gasket seal. Would you recommend this also?

-Chuck
Click to expand...
If you can get something like a semi-stiff putty knife in there, that is ok, just be carefull. You want something with a real wide blade like that tho, so you dont put a whole lot of torque on one section of the aluminum as it IS soft. Plus, with there being a gasket mating surface there, you want to avoid any knicks that might give a way for oil to pass. Just takes some good pulling, it will come out. Give it a couple of good firm wacks with that mallet. The rubber mallet wont really do any damage. Those dowel pins sometimes get nice and stuck.
 
I had to whack mine with a rubber mallet for about 10 minutes. I thought it was never going to come off. Finally, it started moving just the tiniest bit. It was the gasket that had to be cracked/loosened.
 
Stator cover removal

Stator cover removal

Isn't there a big magnet in there holding the :idea: cover on? I seem to remember it being quite strong.

Art
 
stator cover stuck

stator cover stuck

Also, wood scraps that are hard (maple) work good to distribute the blow.
They won't harm the cover, either.
 
Art Lacroix said:
Isn't there a big magnet in there holding the :idea: cover on? I seem to remember it being quite strong.

Art
Click to expand...

Very strong. The gasket likely won't be able to be reused, so go ahead and score it with a razor blade. That's what I usually do. And smacking it- hard.:D
 
The magnet isn't that strong. Probably somebody used case glue on the gasket. If you can find out which of your holes have the indexing dowel in them, you can work on a different spot. I found the easiest spot to get a little play was at the back by the starter bulge. You might be able to cut through the middle of the gasket with a utility knife, then you can tear the gasket to get the cover off. I got a little play there and worked a flat headed screwdriver in there and gradually worked it off. Mine tore the gasket since it was glued on with gasket glue. I cut a new gasket from thick gasket material, and after cleaning the surfaces. I got it all back together and torqued it down to 10ftlbs and no leaks without gobs of sealant. The thicker gasket material works great to seal older surfaces.:cool:
 
Stator cover

Stator cover

Well, it so happens I did my stator and RR on the weekend on my gs1150 and the magnetism really wasn't that strong. I seem to remember using a lot more force when I id my gs1000. Use a deadblow mallet if you have one. works great on stubborn gaskets.

Art
 
The rotor is a permanent magnet, but the stator is copper (non-magnetic) and the cover is aluminum (also non-magnetic). Why would the rotor make it difficult to remove the stator? It seems like the only thing making it difficult would be the gasket and dowel pins, and the cover never having been removed in the 20-30 years since the bike was built.
 
I don't know what sticks to what when it comes to magnetism (I smoked my way through 'high' school) but I do know from replacing my stator a couple of years ago that you DO NOT want your fingers or any other bits of skin in between the stator case and the engine when you put it back together... I learned this the hard way :eek:

~~>Jakob
 
chef1366 said:
No you didn't Billy!
Click to expand...
That's an old running joke around here, I guess you know that though. I post it up every time someone has trouble getting the cover off. I hope nobody ever tries it.
 
The core of the stator is iron, so that's what the magnets are attracting.

Removing these things is sort of an art... keep trying! :D
 
I just changed mine out mid-last week - there are dowel rods in a few of the bolt connections, they make the cover difficult to get loose. The magnetism of the rotor is not strong enough to make the cover that hard to remove as you state. Between the gasket and the dowels, it's tough going. I used a wide and firm putty knife and was able to "persuade" the cover to come off with a rubber mallet.
 
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