Bronze debris

archie99

Forum User
VOC Member
Following an oil and filter change / clean I'm seeing some very fine bronze like particals in the drained oil and filter.
Removed the timing cover, removed the camshafts, oilite bushes look fine. Idler spindle is moving in it'd housing, found that timed breather had slipped a bit, but no further sign of trouble from anything made of bronze or similar. A steel idler is fitted.
I can only think that that may leave oil pump problems.
Any suggestions?

Cheers,
 

Len Matthews

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I'm trying think of what else is made of bronze; early oil pump worms were, the cages of the roller main bearings also.Small end bush perhaps?
Can you tell us if this metalic swarf had accumulated inside the cavities along the lower edge of the Timing Chest? There's often a build up of debris on a high mileage engine in that area and in many cases, nowt to worry about.
 

timetraveller

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
How about lower valve guides and their lock rings? I do not see how parts of those could get into the oil system but in my bike the front exhaust lower guide had dissapeared and the lock ring was in five pieces. There was a small amount of bronze swarf inside the tappet adjusting cover. There were NO symptons such as smoke etc.

Good luck :)
 

stumpy lord

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Hi,
any debris/ swarf no matter what kind of metal found in the oil filter of a vincent can come from only one place, the oil tank, where it might have resided for years and years following some thing like a bronze idler failure in the bikes past.
One thing I would do is remove the rocker inspection caps and see if their is a build up of copper / bronze dust in the under cut that you will find machined in the cap. where in most motors you will find a layer of rubish deposited thus giving you an indication that the problem is a current one, or one that could have happend years ago.
when I first got my twin ,and following a complete rebuild I could not work why every time I did an oil change I was always finding flecks of aluminum in the oil filter, evan thoe every thing was as sweet as a nut and the bike running beutifully.It wasnt untill I cleaned out the oil tank properly that it stopped, and now I find nothing in the oil filter.
In the mean time do a drain down, and filter change, and after a few miles pull the oil filter , and inspect for contamination.
best of luck,
stumpy lord [norman]
 

timetraveller

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Very sound advice from Lord Norman there. If you have never done this by making an inspection hole you probably cannot imagine the contamination inside the oil tank which does not move with petrol of other normal solvents being swilled around inside. It took me days of soaking and then scraping before I thought it was clean enough. Additonally there was massive amounts of dirt in the oil ways in the timing cover.

Going back to the origins of the bronze; the oil pump housing is also bronze of course!! :(
 

Tom Gaynor

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Metal

My Manx Norton engine builder (supplier of Manx Norton engines to the Nobility and Gentry, but does mine too presumably to qualify as a charity) replaced my magnetic sump plug with a non-magnetic one.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Because I know you, you'll be worrying over nothing. Nortons always have metal in the oil because they wear, it does no harm, and what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over."
It sounds even better in a Lancastrian accent.
Manx Nortons have no oil filtration at all.
I don't dismiss the advice below, but suggest using a strongly detergent (i.e. diesel) engine oil, ignoring suggestions that it will lead to instant plugging of oilways as the sort of story you'd read in the Mail ("Labour's new vaccination could turn your baby into a hamster"). I change the filter every couple of oil changes. It's designed to collect debris loosened by the strongly detergent oil (above) and only costs a few quid.
If you really DO have a bronze bush wearing out, it'll make itself known in due course.


Very sound advice from Lord Norman there. If you have never done this by making an inspection hole you probably
cannot imagine the contamination inside the oil tank which does not move with petrol of other normal solvents being swilled around inside. It took me days of soaking and then scraping before I thought it was clean enough. Additonally there was massive amounts of dirt in the oil ways in the timing cover.

Going back to the origins of the bronze; the oil pump housing is also bronze of course!! :(
 
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