Draining Oil

youngjohn

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If you change the oil (without filter) and loosen the bottom banjo bolt to drain it, dose this also drain the contents of the filter chamber?
 

Howard

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In the absence of a reply from someone who knows for certain, I'm fairly sure you won't drain it completely. You may get some of the oil out, but that would probably depend on where the oil pump has stopped, and if there's a way into the filter for air to replace the oil as it drains. I would say no, but I've always replaced the filter.

H
 

davidd

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Howard,

When I change the oil on the racer, I undo the banjo bolt that drains the UFM. This leaves oil in the sump, oil in the filter chamber and oil in the scavenge chamber at the rear of the crank case. I usually open up the oil filter chamber and clean it even if I do not replace the element. I also drain the sump with the drain plug. There is no practical way to drain the scavenge chamber, but some builders have provided holes at the bottom of the crank case through the lip so that the scavenge chamber will drain through the standard drain for the sump. Maybe someone who has done this will comment.

As I remember the filter chamber itself, the input oil hole is a center hole, the banjo, and the exit is located near the top of the rear part of the chamber. Thus, I think that it will not drain down as one might expect in a modern engine design.

David
 
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Howard

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I think what we're saying, is there's always some oil left in the engine.

I have to say, if I was changing the oil without changing the filter, I'd clean the filter chamber out too, if for no other reason than to check for any telltale swarf.

H
 

youngjohn

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Thanks for your replies. I'm just 'flushing' a couple of tankfuls of 20/50 through, doing 25 miles between them. Then it will get a thorough oil/filter change.
 

clevtrev

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Howard,

.

As I remember the filter chamber itself, the input oil hole is a center hole, the banjo, and the exit is located near the top of the rear part of the chamber. Thus, I think that it will not drain down as one might expect in a modern engine design.

David

Completely ass about face. The oil enters from the outside of the filter, from the hole at the top of the filter chamber. Through the filter, into the banjo, into the timing cover.
So you could be suffering from memory loss. :))
 

davidd

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Yes, thanks for the correction. I knew that but I was not thinking about the feed but rather the relief valve and pictured it backwards for some reason. The holes are still at or above the halfway line.

David
 

Tom Gaynor

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Use disposable paper filters before changing to a felt one. Or keep on using paper ones, but change at longer intervals. Better still, at some cost in peace of mind, is to use a magnetic sump plug. This collects most ferrous particles. The reduction in PoM comes from the fact that there are ALWAYS ferrous particles floating about, and it brings the borders of paranoia even closer. Vincents have old style lube systems, depending more on oil quality than the combination of oil quantity, a "micronic" filter, and oil quantity. The tolerances aren't as tight as those on modern engines. Use an old-fashioned toxic-additive-rich oil like Morris SAE30. Although generations of Vin motors seem to have done vast mileages on "totally unsuitable" oils. Be interesting to know what Stuart Jenkinson used on his way to 741,000 miles.
 

ET43

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What is interesting is that having spoken to the late Awful Dave Williams a long time ago, I fitted a car type cartridge filter to the Red Thruster. When it was fitted was immediately after the UFM had been cleaned out by way of a ferkin great hole in it, and after the elastic band job had taken place. I( It's been in MPH ) fitted a new paper filter in the normal place and fitted the car type jobby in the return line before the feed to the rockers. After the usual running in, ha, ha, ha, and the usual obligatory oil change after 250 miles, I went on to do 2,000 miles more and then removed the paper filter which proved to be absolutely spotless!!! The car cartridge was cut apart and found to be full of all sorts of detritus, certainly there were three colours of metal in there, horrifying, but good to know that it had done it's job. Needless to say, the tricycle already has one fitted. Cheers, ET43
 

davidd

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Just a note of caution on the paper filters. On the Comet the casting inside the oil chamber that the paper filter seals to is not always uniform. I have one crank case that the filter will not seal to so it allows unfiltered oil through. On the twins, this casting area seems to be much more uniform. I am sure that this problem can also vary with the brand of filter and how it seals, but the felt filters seal against the wall of the filter chamber and the paper filters I have seen do not. Just make sure you look in there and it all makes sense to you before you buy a case of the paper ones.

David
 
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