Rebuilt engine - trying to circulate oil before starting

[Rex]

You're not loading up any bearings at tick-over speeds and under no load.
What did all the factories do at the end of the production line? Half a gallon of juice, ride off to the loading bay then run back for another one..

[Scott and Jay]

I confirm Swarfcut's method - prime the feed, squirting oil down with an oil can. Do this while turning engine over - until you see it come out of the feed to the removed PRV. This was the one most important thing our engineer said to do, before starting the engine...

[berger]

when  my mate owned my beezer in 1978 he came to my house with a tin of stp oil treatment [treacle ] and we decided to put it in . I think we stood and watched the oil return hole stop flowing  for about 3 minutes, the stuff was that thick the pump had trouble pulling it and pushing it into the engine and we were both a bit concerned about what was happening all the time he was blipping the throttle, and we were looking at each other with that worried look . he came to my mums funeral today and we had a good laugh about the good old days

[RDfella]

Hi Berger. Glad to hear the funeral went OK - always a milestone losing one's mum. When you see someone in ill health suffering you know it was best for them and it somehow lessens the loss.

[bakerlonglegs]

Good story Berger, I can imagine the looks on your faces as you waited! Sorry to hear of your Mum’s passing, I hope the funeral went as well as it could under the current circumstances.

Thanks again all for your advice!

[Minto]

Just about to put the old girl back together so this thread was great.
My condolences to you Berger, just had my big brothers funeral yesterday, he lived in Germany and we in England so had to do a video link. His German family did him proud.

[Slymo]

When I rebuilt mine right down to small parts I worried about the same thing.  Every day I would kick the bike over without plugs for two or three minutes or until I ran out of puff. I never got a sign of oil.  I was unwilling to go squirting too much around as I want the rings to bed it quickly and so didn't squirt any down the plug holes. I planned to tow the bike around the block but in the end I gave it a kick in the shed and it fired up straight away. The oil was through in about 15 seconds and so all was sweet. My feeling is that if you don't get a scavenge feed in 15-20 seconds turn it off and try plan B but in that time you aren't likely to do any damage.

[ellis]

Hi All

I always use this method to get the oil circulating after a rebuild. Leave the plugs out put the bike in second gear and take it for a walk around the block to get the oil circulating, always worked for me. One time a neighbor said will it not start, I replied no. Will you have to get the dealer to come out to it under warranty.I said the warranty had run out in 1961 as he walked away red faced.

ELLIS

[UKlittleguns]

Hi Everybody,

This is a good topic.  Soon I will have to fire up a newly re-built A7.  Has anybody tried using a new grease gun filled with oil and connected to the oil inlet?  Initially leave the sump plate off and pump away until oil drips out of everywhere.  I'm too old to try 50 kick starts or pushing the bike 50 metres!

[berger]

build the engine with lubrication and a full crank gallery, squirt oil into the feed on the crank case. make sure you have oil down the pipe to the crank case,  start it up , if oil isn't returning in 5 minutes your in the shit but if everything is working correctly it only takes a matter of seconds.

[BSAmoto]

If you have replaced the cam and/or followers you should not turn the engine over a zillion times. Fill every oilway and crank during assembly, fill half a litre in the cases to make the crank sling around the oil. This will lube the pistons and cam for a while until oil exits the bigends. The cam needs a proper break-in so no put-put idling but 2500 revs at least. This will generate the needed oil-wedge which separates the surfaces and reduces the micro-welding happening on new, unrun surfaces of the lobes/followers. As this process is done within the first ten minutes I would ride the bike around the block several times. Hard accelerating gives the rings a chance to bed in instantly. After those ten minutes you will not have ruined anything but done a lot for a long lasting engine. I have an A65 engine here from a bike which did not run properly - 65 mph maximum! Recently rebuilt engine from a high-nosed shop. I found the powerloss - cam lobes are all worn down to between 4,2 and 4,9mm valve lift. The thing was probably assembled dry, took ages to get oil circulating while the engine idled and thus all the damage that followed in those lousy 3000kms that the bike was "run-in" was started on the first kickstart of the new motor...
cheers, Harty

[ironhead]

I always use "Penrite cam & bearing assembly lube"  ( on cams & plain bearings)  never had a problem.

[Triton Thrasher]

On my 650 of another popular marque, it’s easy to see that the oil pump is pumping oil towards the crankshaft, by removing the pressure relief valve and turning the engine over a couple of times.  Or you can do it before fitting the timing cover.  Does that work on a BSA?

That’s all you need to know, to avoid running without oil circulation.  You take a look at any oil pressure indicator, light, or gauge, obviously.

Kicking the engine over 500 times, while looking into the oil tank filler is just a bad joke, as far as I’m concerned.

[ironhead]

wears your valuable kickstart mechanism too   500 starts less

[jjbsa]

I while back I started priming the oil system by spinning the pump using a cordless electric drill as my right hip complains if I do too much kick starting.  You need to have a motor with the tacho drive prongs at the end of the pump drive gear and the task needs to be done at the right stage in an engine assembly job.   You have to take off the worm drive gear before this.  Removing and replacing needs abit of care as you have to rotate the crank while unscrewing the gear, so it's easiest done when the barrels are off.  I made a little thing to fit over the drive prongs out of an old 1/4 inch drive socket (Chinese variety) that I cross-drilled to accept a little peg that can fit down the slot between the prongs.  The photo shows it in use on my A65.  This bike has an oil pressure gauge and it registers pressure after only a few seconds with the drill.    That way the sludge trap gets filled ok and you can check the return side too. 

HTH,

Jon