Exhaust Valve Lifter
Peter,
We found the split pin (69) in the bottom of the timing chest (luckily). The operating rod for the front cylinder had then come adrift from the rear (ET166 had dropped out of ET69R). Once this has happened it had somehow got itself wedged and stuck - forcing the front exhaust valve open. The end had been snapped off the spring (ET129) but again luckily we found it in two pieces down at the bottom of the timing chest so I'm pretty confident we have no large pieces floating around - that's not mentioning where the "wear" off the cams and followers has gone though!
I had "felt" something strange in the exhaust valve lifter the last couple of times I had used it but couldn't quite put my finger on it, my starting method is as taught by my father, ease over compression using the lifter and then a positive downward stroke with no lifter in operation to fire.
And that's when I don't cheat and press the button to start....
I tend to use the lifter to stop the engine at tickover only less than 50% of the time (in petrol stations for instance) - usually I prefer to shut the fuel off and run the bowls dry.
I am now going to fit a "kill" switch into the circuit with the electronic igniton now that I have checked with Francois Grosset that this is an acceptable way to stop the bike with one of his electric starters fitted.
Yes - I am loving the bike to bits - it does most of my motorcycling miles now - I really enjoy riding it and am so looking forward to the Manx GP at the end of the month (so here's hoping I can get it all sorted and back together by a week on Friday - hence the rush).
Trying to look on the bright side (trying hard) at least it happened here rather than in the IOM - and within an hour of me diagnosing the stuck exhaust valve on Wednesday and reaslising it was beyond me to sort it I had two VOC members offering to fix it for me (both of them putting themselves out to do so), and within 24 hours it was in one of their garages, stripped, examined and spare parts (Godet manufactured cams, Maughan manufactured followers cause unfortunately Russ Kemp didn't have cams) were ordered and in parcels on their way - all with a bike almost 60 years old - now that's just a wonderful story in itself. It gets better - Patrick Godet sent me the bits cause I needed them in a hurry and then said we could sort the money out afterwards. He gets a Gold Star (not a BSA one) in my book.
The bike has always been noisy on the timing side from when I got it back from Australia after the owner had had the work done - with just 12 miles on the clock from an engine re-build - everything replaced on the timing side - my Dad noticed it and also the chap who is helping me fix it this time noticed it last year when he helped me with a couple of other bits when it had less than 1000 miles on it. The bloke who did the engine said that it might quieten down as the new steel idler ran in. I have often admired near silent bikes at the various meets though - have you listened to Colin Pearson's Shadowised Rapide - silent! Goodness knows what stress I've caused it, after 2500 miles I've had it up at the magic number once or twice.
However, again trying to look on the bright side (still difficult) I needed to take the kickstart cover off to re-grease the electric start sprag clutch (every year or 3500 miles) and was putting it off as it was a pain to remove the pipes - so I did it yesterday whilst it was all in bits. Reference your comments below - I also found a couple of loose bits inside the kickstart cover that should have been tight but weren't - perhaps that'll sort out the gearchange then!!!
I hope and imagine that if I make the Manx, then as I'm riding it round the Island the sheer shock and disappointment of what I found in the Timing Case will have abated, and I may even have got over the pain of the price of new cams (ouch!). I should have a pretty big grin back by then, but am still finding it pretty tough right now I have to say........and I've certainly learnt alot from looking over the shoulder of the chap stripping my engine yesterday, I even turned the odd spanner myself (under guidance).
Your bit about your bike caused me to laugh, when I got mine back with it came two large army ammunition boxes full off all the bits that had been taken off the bike and replaced - in there are 4 cams and 7 followers (haven't found the eighth yet) - every single piece looks like it would still do service to me.......ebay here I come to try and soften the expense of my repairs.
Cheers
Stuart
I would find it very hard to imagine that you could have a sweetly running Vincent for 4000 mls if the valve collars were clouting all four valve guides at 3000rpm, my money is on poor quality parts, if the cams and followers had reached sufficient temparature to soften all those surfaces I would imagine the whole lot would have been blued and the failure even more catastrophic, if you can file and remove metal from an untouched surface on a cam follower I would think that you have found you problem, or at least some of it, did you acertain why the valve lifter failed, I only ask because it also points to poor quality parts or workmanship.
Good Luck Stuart, you seem to really enjoy Vincent ownership, I hope you fix it soon.
PS If it is any consolation everything is fixable, when I first got my Vincent in 1965 the timing chest and rockers were so knackered the previous owner had ground away the top half of the rocker thread to continue getting adjustment, having said that my cams and followers still looked in better nick than yours do right now!