Honda CL70 Kickstarter Seal Fix and Foot Rubber
 

Yeap that's right. Time to fix the annoying things.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_01.jpg


The seal is just old and used up to the point that it leaks consistently. This is an easy fix of course. It actually took me longer to find a new seal on the internet then it was to actually change the seal out.


http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_03.jpg

I kinda put this little operation off because it's a dirty little job. Once I start working on something I have to clean it all up so I knew this would take me a little longer. So here are the CL70 parts I ordered up. A nice set of foot rubber and a complete factory Honda gasket set and Honda 70 seal set. Once I got started on this bike I wanted to make sure I had a gasket kit on hand in case I needed to remove any covers while working on the engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_04.jpg

I was VERY happy with the small price I had to pay for all this stuff. The stealership would surely rip you off for all of these parts. I got all of this for about $40 when it was all said and done. So let's get started.

Once more "before" picture... ewwwww. Time to start cleanin up!

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_02.jpg

First I wanted to ID the seal and make sure I had one of the same in the kit that I just bought. :D Nothing worse than getting started and finding out you have the wrong part. Ok looks good. I have a replacement in my kit, ready to move on...

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_09.jpg

OK let's get moving. How to change out seals 101. You don't have to punch out most seals from the back, especially this one. Most all seals are just a steel ring with some rubber around it to protect the steel from corrosion and to keep crud out. Now what you want to do is use a sharp small punch to go through the rubber and actually drive into the steel ring inside it. Then you can use your punch like a pry bar to leverage the seal out of it's recessed cavity. Just give the punch a hard smack and push it into the steel inner part of the seal to get a bite on it. OR you can just start smacking the seal so that it deforms enough so that you can pry it out somehow with your tools. Either way it will give in and they are pretty easy to get out once you have done it once.

Here I'm using a cheap tiny screwdriver that you can buy anywhere. That way if I bend or break it I just throw it away. It's nice and brittle so it won't bend easy.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_10.jpg

Now I've hit it a couple times and got enough of a bit into it to pry it out.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_05.jpg

This is pretty much a guide to removing most all the seals on a Honda engine. So lets get some more detailed pictures posted of removing the seal.

A few more strikes and out it comes nice and easy.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_06.jpg

Out I say! (hey it's getting late and I'm losing my mind)
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Now look at that nice machined seal cavity. Clean anything out and you're ready to install the new seal.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_08.jpg

And Viola! Grab a deep socket that matches the diameter of the seal and tap it in. Clean the kick starter off of course so you don't get any dirt in the seal. The seal should stop from the depth of the area that it fits into but as long as the seal is flush with the case of the engine you are in good shape. All done.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_11.jpg

Now time to clean up all the oil that leaked all over the bottom of the engine.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_12.jpg

And how about some snazzy new footpeg rubber! I was completely missing the left side rubber and the right was about to fall off. The replacement aftermarket rubber was perfectly acceptable and I'm just glad to have found it on Ebay! Now the bar was a little bent on the left side and I had to use all my energy to bend it back a bit in the vice. I got it close enough not to notice.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_13.jpg

Now to get the rubber on the bar it takes a lot of force. I used some simple water and a little soap. Then I brought out the Windex to help out as well. Anything as long as you don't use grease or oil! From a standing position I just put one end towards the ground vertically and twisted each side back and forth while pressing down really hard.

And there we have it. Straightened out and rubber installed ready to bolt back up under the CL70 engine.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_14.jpg

Wow I couldn't be happier. What a huge improvement for this little bike. It's looking much more civilized. New rubber and all cleaned up.

http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_15.jpg

The left side of the little Honda 70 all cleaned up and with rubber on the peg for the first time in a couple decades.
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The CL70 right side all cleaned up, oil free with a greased up kick starter swivel now.
http://www.fourwheelperformance.com/...er_seal_16.jpg

Next I'm ordering up and installing the new fork oil seals. The forks don't hardly have any oil in them and they just bounce a lot. It's not good when you weight over 100lbs.