Oil leaks

[muskrat]

What I do know, is that with a full tank, an ambient temperature of about 17 C, and a 12 mile motorway ride at 55mph, the oil tank only got barely above body temperature.

That sounds about right.
You know your getting old when you go to the shed and forget what your there for. That started in my 40's 
Cheers

[duTch]

 

....My '61GF has the minimum oil level marked on the tank. And I found it leaked like hell when I overfilled it. Can someone tell me where the min and max levels are please, as I have a rough idea of what is "too much", but I don't know if the previous owner got the minimum level transfer/decal correct....

 In my opinion, 'Oil Level' marks/stickers are pointless and only for looks. According to the Haynes book pre-'55 models take 2.27L and '55 on take 3.1L, so this is what you put in after an oil change, and then make a note how far down it is from a reference mark (top of filler works for me).
 
 When checking your oil in between changes (day- to- day), if it's low it may have wet-sumped some, but if not too low, check it after start up until the solid flow stops and the bubbles start....check against reference mark.
 
 When filling or topping up (after a start-up) so long as the oil is below the oil-return hole should be ok (~1/2"ish), it won't get any fuller while riding unless you add more, this maybe needs to be balanced with tank venting

 With the Oil filter on mine which holds ~200 ml (I think), I can do two changes from one 5 Litre bottle, and only adds an extra ~30ml to tank level.

[berger]

i have not been to the pub, that made me the bit about not filling above return hole,i filled mine above thinking the small filter and flowing oil would bring it down just below the hole. BUT twat head whos owned the bike forty years [ME!!!] put the pipes on the wrong way round and set off to cadwell park from chesterfield and I got about 50miles when I got excited doing about 80mph i wacked it to full advance with the idea of backing it off to find a happy engine. o deary me she complained and I pulled into the side and on getting off she was stinking and proper cooked , I got her fired up on the fith kick after smoking many fags while she cooled  she didn't sound very well so I nursed her home not doing more than forty.long story short after looking at her the next day I took prv off and kicked her up only to see oil mist fireing out. it was then that I banged my head many times on the wall and had to strip the engine to fined genuine bsa camshaft and followers with more wear than greybeards , she'd thrown a circlip and ground the bore up and a few more horrors. but filling above the hole had provided her with a bit  of oil but no real pressure and I got away without her throwing a rod or throwing me , crank was ok but shells had taken the stick. ive now modified the oil lines so carnt do that trick again. and that mistake cost a fortune to get things back to how they should be, I must add that valve gear was starved but colisbro guides coped very well . ps pub tmow cos they recon its going to rain, pps carnt see a japanese bike getting that far starved of lube so good old brit iron!

[muskrat]

G'day berger. Your penance will be no pub for a week (OK two days).
One thing worries me. You should have been on full advance long before 80mph (like about 20mph). Running retarded at those speeds might have cooked it as well.
Cheers

[Peter in Aus]

I though the max oil level was about 2 1/2in down from the lower lip of the filler neck. am I wrong?
I made a dipstick "marked" to check mine.
Filling it to the inlet hole in the oil tank (I would have though) would made it blow oil out the oil tank breather!
Peter

[Worty]

I fill the oil tank so it's just below where you can see the oil returning (maybe a tad lower).  I can tell you at 17 degrees and a 130m run the oil tank is too hot to touch - 12m is just about warming up.  I do ride my GF quite hard sometimes, not always plodding.  I don't take it above about 75 mph (depending on where the Smiths lands).  It doesn't leak quite enough to put it back in the garage and fix it.  When I need to take it apart again, I'll look to finding some more sealing solutions.  To be honest, I can see the bike coming apart quite regularly so don't mind mind a bit of a leak if it makes life easier.

Sunny outside, wife and kids at their aunt's, going for a big ride.

[berger]

very good to point that out  muskrat , *respect*thinking about it now I would have cooked her at that point of messing with the lever as the pipes were blued as I remember, unless knob head here wacked her to full retard using my nonsense brain because I was excited about the triples meet that day, but she did well running on oil mist it could have been a disaster for both of us

[bsa-bill]

I though the max oil level was about 2 1/2in down from the lower lip of the filler neck.

Yep something like that, as long as it's below the hole in the return it should be fine, it's not like we get them that far over we need a knee or elbow to hold them up 

[stanwhite]

That is really great guys, so much info, and I am very grateful for the help. Sounds like my oil levels are "about right", and the oil temperature is low...  Always a good thing!

So sorry to hear about your engine, berger. Sounds like it could have been worse...  But not much Hope the rebuild is quick, and not too expensive...

 Regards,

 Stan.

[stanwhite]

Oil levels correct, been for a ride, and now only one leak!!!  That is from where the magneto joins the timing case, so will have to pull that to pieces. It is not serious, so it can wait!

 Reckon I have had 9 oil leaks so far, not counting the ones I caused myself from over-filling it!

Then my Son rode it, and I followed him. Blue smoke on the over-run, so I am thinking valve guides. I guess on an old machine, it never stops... 

 Thanks for the help guys, and yes, I have the oil tank at a good, but not too high level, and I can see oil returning with the engine ticking over.

Happy dayz!!

 Stan.

[berger]

cheers stan that was about 2 years ago I had her stripped in about 3 hours and back on the road about a month later with different crank cases because the cam bushes were shot and I had good ones in the spare cases, new shells ,new mains, [ line bored bush] camshaft and followers, left the barrels on the workshop floor and put some  spares on with new [taiwanies or whatever they are +40 pistons &rings], ground valves in, srm oil pump and prv  and jobs been a good en apart from about 700 dump out of sky rocket

[duTch]

 

.....That is from where the magneto joins the timing case, so will have to pull that to pieces. It is not serious, so it can wait!

 Keep in mind when you do, there's about 70ml of oil in the pump chamber,  and the only way to drain it is to pull the cover (unless you do another one of my el-bodgo special mods 
 That 70ml plus the 170ml in the sump also need to be taken into account when refilling after a change

[stanwhite]

Thanks duTch, I guess the best level is observed with the engine running and oil returning to the tank. I am seeing that, with the oil maybe an inch below the return stream 

It gets dirty quick... So far, I changed all the oils after 200 miles, and will probably do the engine in another 200. Give it a good "clean out".

700 quid berger?  Ouch..  I thought this was recent, would have been more today then 

Mine has a roller bearing on the timing side. Or at least, I have paperwork for it, I have not been in there yet. I may see it when I take the cover off to do the mag oil leak?

Cheers,

 Stan.

[berger]

i have not been to the pub, if your oil is getting very dirty after you've changed it a couple of times I would be looking at the exhaust valves and guides, assuming the rings and bores are ok

[Greybeard]

Thanks duTch, I guess the best level is observed with the engine running and oil returning to the tank. I am seeing that, with the oil maybe an inch below the return stream 

It gets dirty quick... So far, I changed all the oils after 200 miles, and will probably do the engine in another 200. Give it a good "clean out".

700 quid berger?  Ouch..  I thought this was recent, would have been more today then 

Mine has a roller bearing on the timing side. Or at least, I have paperwork for it, I have not been in there yet. I may see it when I take the cover off to do the mag oil leak?

Cheers,

 Stan.

Stan, you appear to have snuck in without introducing yourself. How about clueing us in to your background and motorcycles you've owned, with pictures!