Forum

[Daiwiskers]

First a question
Did you buy from a dealer?
If so contact them see what they say

The oil that came out you say was full of metal bits! If that's the case I would say the damage has been done, you may be lucky or not

Check the oil return as rattlebattle said take of the dummy pushrod adjuster cover

Get it down to Performance Classics for a full check rebuild and tuning work

Does the motor have a separate oil filter if so cut up the old one and have a look if full of metal it's not good news if clear you have been very lucky

Sorry but with oil full of metal it's not good

Sorry hopefully you have been very lucky Dai

[Jerseyplym]

It was a private sale so no joy there! I have checked the oil filter and it's pretty clean, so the swarf in the strainer has hopefully been there a while.
The helicoil went in alright, with the bike tilted over a bit more than usual there was enough clearance for a cordless drill and it was easy enough to see to keep everything aligned.

I'm waiting on seals and oil so I won't know for sure yet, but I'm now of the opinion that if any damage has been done it was probably a while ago and I've got lucky and avoided further problems as it does run as smoothly and quietly as any of our bikes can!

Thanks for all your help and advice, this place really is a mine of information!

[PetePete]

It was a private sale so no joy there! I have checked the oil filter and it's pretty clean, so the swarf in the strainer has hopefully been there a while.
The helicoil went in alright, with the bike tilted over a bit more than usual there was enough clearance for a cordless drill and it was easy enough to see to keep everything aligned.

I'm waiting on seals and oil so I won't know for sure yet, but I'm now of the opinion that if any damage has been done it was probably a while ago and I've got lucky and avoided further problems as it does run as smoothly and quietly as any of our bikes can!

Thanks for all your help and advice, this place really is a mine of information!

Quite often that filter gauze does not seem to be removed on a service, I don't think this had been removed on my GT at the dealer servicing, so when I removed it myself for the first time it was full of gasket sealant etc. Since first removing this, it has been pretty clean on subsequent services.

[Rattlebattle]

Some dealers may have stripped a few threads on the filter plate, so are a bit wary of disturbing them. FWIW having just split the crankcase on my C5 I can say that RE are very liberal with their sealant, which is a light grey or off white sort of colour, not lurid orange. I’m pleased to say that there is no untoward debris in the crankcase, probably because the magnetic filter has removed it. Over the past 3,000 miles when doing oil changes there has been an increasing amount of grey sludge on the magnet, more than there was at the first oil change. If I were the OP I’d be inclined to have a look at this again after, say, 500 miles. If there is only a little then probably no damage has been done. If not then one or more of the bearings has probably been damaged, like mine.

[Jerseyplym]

Just a quick update on this:
It's all back together now, and the main sump plug and strainer plate have sealed nicely.
Refitting the decompressor has made starting much better - it turns over faster and then fires much more reliably.

However, the front drain plug has thrown up some problems, again!
It appears that when it was drilled out to M12 it was not done at exactly 90° it is visibly off centre! Even a dowty washer leaks. They are tolerant of some misalignment but this is too much.

I've now tried a nice thick copper crush washer (a proper crushable one that's rolled, rather than just a soft flat washer) hoping that on the "thin" side it will crush right down, and deform less on the "wide" side, but unfortunately that is dripping a little.

Does anyone have any suggestions of helping this to seal reliabily, short of redrilling and tapping it straight, and even more oversize

[stinkwheel]

Bond it in place with JB weld/chemical metal and don't use it again?

Centre drill and tap a plug to M6, bond that in place and use the M6 as the drain?

File the facing so it's perpendicular to the hole?

Bit of alloy plate with a 12mm hole through and sand/file an angle on one face, sealing washer each side?

Lots of PTFE tape?

TIG weld hole closed and re-drill and tap?

[Rattlebattle]

Sounds like a gorilla owned or serviced your bike...I would say that of the three drain plugs the front one is the least likely to strip a thread so someone has been very clumsy in tightening it, no doubt because it leaked because he didn’t use a new (or the wrong) washer.
I think that the JB weld suggestion is a good idea; after all the earlier UCE models didn’t have this drain plug. Just put a plank of wood under the main stand to raise the rear end a bit when changing the oil. It’s not possible to drain out all the oil anyway because, for example, some sits in the oil flinger for gearbox lubrication. That is why a newly built engine takes 2.7 litres ( verified by me having just done this) rather than the 2.3 litres in a normal change. It also explains the fluctuating level readings.
To tell or not to tell the next owner, that is the question.....

[papasmurf]

Sounds like a gorilla owned or serviced your bike...I would say that of the three drain plugs the front one is the least likely to strip a thread so someone has been very clumsy in tightening it, no doubt because it leaked because he didn’t use a new (or the wrong) washer.
I think that the JB weld suggestion is a good idea; after all the earlier UCE models didn’t have this drain plug. Just put a plank of wood under the main stand to raise the rear end a bit when changing the oil. It’s not possible to drain out all the oil anyway because, for example, some sits in the oil flinger for gearbox lubrication. That is why a newly built engine takes 2.7 litres ( verified by me having just done this) rather than the 2.3 litres in a normal change. It also explains the fluctuating level readings.
To tell or not to tell the next owner, that is the question.....

More like 1.3 litres at a normal oil change of there will be a lot of oil in the air filter chamber and worse.

[PeteF]

Make up a wedge shaped washer??

[Daiwiskers]

O-ring on drain bolt Hylomar on thread
The o-ring will seal the Hylomar will help seal and hold the thread

Cheap and easy Dai