Oil tank filter

[Topdad]

Hi Bill , re the oil I buy mine from Merseymotor cycles on Regent Rd Bootle ,£19 x 5 ltrs is a much better price than the £36 quoted by another local shop which is also a Royal Enfield dealer . At that price I think you could drain , fill and run it for a time then change again all for what you could have paid anyway plus you'll have peace of mind knowing the oils fine . Sounds perdantic but I'd take the tank off first ,clean out completely ,has per previous posts, reinstall fill run and then take it off again and clean it out again, that way you'll see just how clean or not the inside is ,regards BobH ps no association with the named shop.

[bsa-bill]

these also with free delivery (Amazon)

20/50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-CLA20505L-20W-Classic-Motor/dp/B002RPJ67E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402306485&sr=8-1&keywords=classic+motor+oil

30
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-CLA305L-Classic-Motor-Oil/dp/B002RPFJ7K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402306626&sr=8-2&keywords=classic+motor+oil

[Bill ss]

these also with free delivery (Amazon)

20/50
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-CLA20505L-20W-Classic-Motor/dp/B002RPJ67E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402306485&sr=8-1&keywords=classic+motor+oil

30
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Comma-CLA305L-Classic-Motor-Oil/dp/B002RPFJ7K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402306626&sr=8-2&keywords=classic+motor+oil

Thank Bill,and everyone else all this help is priceless.

[muskrat]

If you use a multigrade it is advisable to use a filter in the return line. Multi's carry the rubbish to the filter, mono's leave it for the sludge trap.
Cheers

[Gerry]

OK just a correction here....the tank "filter" should be called a strainer as it is definitely not a filter although called that, it is a misnomer. As said here earlier "it will allow minute (and not so minute) solids of various description to pass through and continue to wear out items in the engine. Why have the military of many countries insisted on a good quality filter which is either of the felt type (M20) or paper (B40) to be fitted in the return line of their machines? Because the strainer in the tank does just about bugger all in the way of stopping foreign bodies from circulating in the oil. The British Army B40 had a British Filters paper element fitted in the return line of all their bikes yet BSA still didn't fit one as standard on any civilian bikes. Cost saving I imagine. I made sure I fitted one to the Ceefer before even starting it after the rebuild. Now I'll get off my soap box. Cheers. Gerry

[Bill ss]

After looking at the filter/strainer i will be fitting a inline filter,lots of good tips thanks guys.

[Triton Thrasher]

If you use a multigrade it is advisable to use a filter in the return line. Multi's carry the rubbish to the filter, mono's leave it for the sludge trap.
Cheers

They must have clever additives that know how far to carry "rubbish."

The real difference is that multigrade oil doesn't thin out so much when hot.

[vwphillips]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BSA-Fork-Top-Nut-Spanner-Tool-A7-A10-B31-Gold-Star-RGS-/300610384223

[BSA_54A10]

If you use a multigrade it is advisable to use a filter in the return line. Multi's carry the rubbish to the filter, mono's leave it for the sludge trap.
Cheers

They must have clever additives that know how far to carry "rubbish."

The real difference is that multigrade oil doesn't thin out so much when hot.

Yes they really are clever .
Multigrades use detergent addatives that are homophobic so after they totally envelope the impurity paticale they prevent any further agglomeration so the now quite big envelope of addatives with crud in the middle can not pass through the filter medium

Monograde's detergent addatives are homephillic so after they envelope the crud they join together at infinitum to form a big lump of crud which sinks to the bottom of the oil tank to form a sludge.

[charles whitfield]

The sump plate needs to come off as well.
I would be concerned if the oli is 30 years old, has the engine been run during this time, or just left standing idle.
You will expect to find a lot of sludge to be present in the bottom of the oil tank, and its not easy to flush out.. Main worry will be the sludge trap in the middle of the crank, if its any thing like mine after years of standing it will be completly blocked and prevent oil flow throughout the engine. Worst case would be engine strip down and inspection check up and clean.

I was told the engine was a rebuild with 19 miles on it,it has been run recently and the oil is returning to the tank,i think it has mainly stood for the last 30 years.

The last owner died and the family asked the local bike shop to sell it on for them.

Having been involved in house clearance for years, I would take the 19 miles, not run much, dealer involved story with more than a pinch of salt. Call me cynical? 

[Greybeard]

Multigrades use detergent addatives that are homophobic so after they totally envelope the impurity paticale they prevent any further agglomeration so the now quite big envelope of addatives with crud in the middle can not pass through the filter medium
Monograde's detergent addatives are homephillic so after they envelope the crud they join together at infinitum to form a big lump of crud which sinks to the bottom of the oil tank to form a sludge.

The above is interesting. After rebuilding my A10 I decided to use single grade SAE40 in my engine together with a return line oil filter thinking belt and braces must be a good idea. Was this a mistake; should I change to multigrade?

[chaterlea25]

HI Greybeard and All,

The above is interesting. After rebuilding my A10 I decided to use single grade SAE40 in my engine together with a return line oil filter thinking belt and braces must be a good idea. Was this a mistake; should I change to multigrade?

I have been running the same setup for 12+ years  and have built several customer bikes with tha same setup and ALL IS FINE 

HTH
John

[Derby Rob]

hi,
    i keep reading about these return line oil filters.So where would i get one that looks ok on these old bikes?

[Greybeard]

hi,
    i keep reading about these return line oil filters.So where would i get one that looks ok on these old bikes?

 

I bought a Norton 850 oil filter head and filter from Ebay intending to fit it in the toolbox of my plunger frame GF as others have done. However, the assembly was too wide to fit in the toolbox so I have mounted the filter on the rear mudguard behind the gearbox using nylock nuts.
Both parts are dull black so fairly inconspicious.
When mounted the filter head union stubs point towards the chain.
I've used Goodyear 8mm/5/16" ID reinforced rubber pipe to do the plumbing.
The oil feed pipe from oil tank to pump union pipes is as original.
The return from the pump is carried over the top of the gearbox, down between the vertical frame tube and the gearbox  then gently curves around to meet the filter inlet stub.
The filter outlet pipe is routed tightly underneath the gearbox and then up behind the pump union assembly so it appears adjacent to the original metal pipes. It lines up nicely with the rocker feed banjo and oil tank connector.
Finished off with proper hose clamps it looks neat and not too obtrusive.

Here is a link to some photos of the set up.

http://tinyurl.com/cqbbnj7

Neil Ives

[Derby Rob]

thanks Graybeard