Flatspot
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- Joined
- Jan 30, 2020
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A year ago I left my mk2a parked up while we went away on holiday for 10 weeks. On our return it had wet-sumped and oil had bled past the main bearing oil seal into the chaincase. The oil seal was original and 47 years old. Unfortunately I hadn’t changed it when I fitted a CNW electric start and belt drive etc. Thankfully the oil leaked out of the air slots on the inner chaincase and never reached the belt.
I stripped it all down, cleaned up the slight mess, and fitted a new seal. Note to self don‘t let it wet sump again. This was last November/December time.
All was well up until Feb. 6th this year when I had my heart attack. On my escape from hospital I wasn’t able to do very much for a while, I wasn’t permitted to drive a car, let alone ride a bike, and of course it was brrrr cold. So it stayed in the garage.
Knowing I was having open heart surgery in May I needed to get out for a ride, just in case I didn’t get the opportunity again. So I took out the T160 and Commando and emptied both of engine oil and suitably labelled the bike and keys “no oil”.
Then about 6/7 weeks ago I needed to get out and about on the bike as summer was nice and warm, and I was now feeling up to it again. So I filled the Commando and went riding. I went on several rides, not long but enough to know I’d still gone somewhere.
Then I left it for a few weeks and went to go out the other night. I checked the oil level and saw it was empty. It’s wet sumped once more. Ohbuggerit!
Rather than drain the sump by the sump bolt I decided to simply turn it over by the starter motor to get the oil back into the tank. It worked a treat and the tank was quickly refilled. Lots of oil came up the breather as well. Perhaps I should have stopped? But it cleared and all seemed well.
I turned on the fuel, started it up and it was all fine, oil was returning correctly, there was no smoking or anything to make it appear that I’d done something wrong. I went for a ride and all was well. Barring a couple of drips of oil from the n/s front. I wiped it up and went out the next night and again all appears to be OK.
Now I’m about to go away once more for a couple of months and so I have once more drained the engine oil, and I saw a couple of drops of oil at the front of the chaincase. That’s not good as it’s supposed to be dry!
I removed the casing and a half teaspoon of oil came out, obviously past the crank oil seal. Apart from that it was totally dry inside.
Now to the question, of what to do? Has my decision to spin up the motor when full of oil pressurised a little past an otherwise perfect seal damaged it enough to require replacing? Or is it going to be OK and don’t do something stupid like that ever again? The motor has done a genuine 11,500 miles and I’ve been responsible for the last 1500 of them with no ill effects
I stripped it all down, cleaned up the slight mess, and fitted a new seal. Note to self don‘t let it wet sump again. This was last November/December time.
All was well up until Feb. 6th this year when I had my heart attack. On my escape from hospital I wasn’t able to do very much for a while, I wasn’t permitted to drive a car, let alone ride a bike, and of course it was brrrr cold. So it stayed in the garage.
Knowing I was having open heart surgery in May I needed to get out for a ride, just in case I didn’t get the opportunity again. So I took out the T160 and Commando and emptied both of engine oil and suitably labelled the bike and keys “no oil”.
Then about 6/7 weeks ago I needed to get out and about on the bike as summer was nice and warm, and I was now feeling up to it again. So I filled the Commando and went riding. I went on several rides, not long but enough to know I’d still gone somewhere.
Then I left it for a few weeks and went to go out the other night. I checked the oil level and saw it was empty. It’s wet sumped once more. Ohbuggerit!
Rather than drain the sump by the sump bolt I decided to simply turn it over by the starter motor to get the oil back into the tank. It worked a treat and the tank was quickly refilled. Lots of oil came up the breather as well. Perhaps I should have stopped? But it cleared and all seemed well.
I turned on the fuel, started it up and it was all fine, oil was returning correctly, there was no smoking or anything to make it appear that I’d done something wrong. I went for a ride and all was well. Barring a couple of drips of oil from the n/s front. I wiped it up and went out the next night and again all appears to be OK.
Now I’m about to go away once more for a couple of months and so I have once more drained the engine oil, and I saw a couple of drops of oil at the front of the chaincase. That’s not good as it’s supposed to be dry!
I removed the casing and a half teaspoon of oil came out, obviously past the crank oil seal. Apart from that it was totally dry inside.
Now to the question, of what to do? Has my decision to spin up the motor when full of oil pressurised a little past an otherwise perfect seal damaged it enough to require replacing? Or is it going to be OK and don’t do something stupid like that ever again? The motor has done a genuine 11,500 miles and I’ve been responsible for the last 1500 of them with no ill effects