69' BSA Rocket 3 Oil pump

I'm no engineer and I can't explain why it worked one day and not the next. When the pump was first taken out it was drained from sitting while the repairs were being done. Then again installed and not work. Maybe I got lucky ?
The anti-sump valve (ball & spring) is free & clear. But the tank will drain down in short order anyway.??

I'll report back once I get the pump back.


Tim_S

Ok....I'm back. I got my oil pump back from Mr. Brown at www.triplesrule.com. Once installed and all it's other primary parts assembled I fired the old girl up and within seconds I had a nice full stream returning back to the tank. Glory Be To God and Mr. Brown !!
Ran the bike for a few minutes. Let her sit a few minutes then restarted the bike and once again the oil cometh back to me. So I had to finish up putting the footpeg bracket and brake rod back on and check all my fasteners again then I looked into my oil tank and it was empty ?? So the short time it took me to assemble all the other parts the tank drained it's self again.
The 7/16" ball & spring behind the kickstand look Ok and I haven't messed with the oil pressure relief valve because I can't get a wrench on it. Heck,,I can bearly see it.. :? WHY is this fast draining happening.

Tim_S

Id guess the check valve isnt working. The ball and spring have to work and
the seat and the ball have to be in good shape. Replace the ball. Clean the area.
One way to profile the seat is to take a new ball braze on to a rod, put a little
valve grind compound on and lap it like a valve. Clean and flush to the max after.
I think somebody on this list offered alternative of new ball in place hit it with
a drift and hammer. REplace with new ball.

Yes,,,,,,,,, the lap in the ball method has been mentioned. What have I got to lose? At least I have a nice full steady stream of oil flowing again........thanks to Patrick...


,,,Tim_S

Onder said:

Id guess the check valve isnt working.

Click to expand...

If you mean the anti drain valve (between the pump and filter chamber as there isn't any other "check valve" on a triple) then it's unlikely to be the cause of the tank draining in half an hour or so, as the feed oil should have to pass through the feed pump gears before it reaches the anti-drain valve. Even if the anti drain ball bearing and spring were removed and the oil allowed to drip into a container, the rate of drain should be only a few drops (2 to 3) per minute so it would take many hours for the oil tank to drain.

OK, so if he takes out the spring and ball, what and how much how
fast issues forth? When hot? When cold? Running 20 wt?

Onder said:

OK, so if he takes out the spring and ball, what and how much how
fast issues forth? When hot? When cold? Running 20 wt?

Click to expand...

I would not expect more than a few drops per minute, as I already said (because the oil would normally have to get past the pump feed gears before it reaches the anti drain valve), at least, those were my own findings when I tried this using cold 15w/50 synthetic (and that wasn't with a newly refurbished pump).

Hot isn't entirely applicable, from Tim's reports it happens when the engine is cold or the engine has only been running for a short period.

If the ball and spring are out of the picture, and hot oil isnt the case then
the oil is somehow getting past the gears. What is driving it? Sure there is
some head from the height of the tank and that tank isnt somehow pressurized
so where is the leak.
Just covering all bases, if you take off the sump plate and screen, can you
peer around up inside with a strong light and mirror and see any clues?

If you take the pump out and jig up some kind of oil feed to it, does
it leak? Maybe it pumps but is still loose enough to leak.

Time to put this issue to rest . Ok,,,after removing the oil pump again and totally draining the complete system and starting from scratch. I blew compressed air throughout the system. I did get some black & some brown oily mixture out of the lines. I replaced all the external oil lines. The short front feed line to the oil cooler was real soft inside compared to the other lines. I then took the anti-sump valve ball & replaced it after lapping it in with the old ball and I also extended the spring a touch to add more pressure on the ball to help slow down the wet sumping. I refilled the oil tank and let it sit overnight. The oil level was right where I left it the night before come this morning.
Since I didn't have a working oil pressure light I ran a new wire to the dash bulb and wired it accordlying. The wiring harness must have been replaced as there was no wire to be found anywhere near the switch. Now I have a working warning light. After 3 start-ups the oil is flowing fine and holding it's level in the oil tank and not draining rapidly as before. One of the notable things I discovered when I examined the oil pump was that the screws were a little loose and it took some doing to get them all evenly tight. That could have been part of the reason for the faster wet sumping?
So for now I'll give her a few test runs before I report back and close the door on this discussion. Many thanks to Patrick Brown for renewing my pump and to all of you knowledgable listeners out there for your support. Until next time .........

Cheers !

Tim_S

Nothing like sequential troubleshooting! Your problem could have been a little
bit of everything adding up.
Thanks for getting back to us, problems make us smarter.

Well,, it's been a week since our last post and I have to say my situation is back to normal with the BSA. So far the oil sitting in the tank has stayed in the tank and not wet sumped anywhere near as fast as before. Little if any oil has moved. The lapping in of the ball seat and the extended spring seemed too have helped. Oil pressure light is still working to. Chalk one up for a new experience. So until next time. Let's stop meeting like this and ride somewhere to have a pint and enjoy these fine machines for a little longer....


Cheers !

Tim_S