Page 1 of 1

Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:58 am
by Tomshayes1
Hi

I will be stripping down checking, measuring and reassembling my 53 Meteor engine and gearbox this winter mainly to try to curtail the numerous oil pump bypasses that its developed and pick up anything else that requires attention although I’m hoping it’ll just be gaskets.

Can any of you advise what are the most common areas to attend to staunch the blood flow?

I’m aware of the one under the right-hand cylinder which will be dealt with, with a grub screw and the one to the oil way at the rear of the engine between the two crankcase halves (Although neither of these appear to be letting by at the moment).

Any pointers before the strip commences will be appreciated.

Regards

Tom :D w

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:22 pm
by stinkwheel
Not specific to your bike but I've found using dowty washers wherever possible on any "oil tight" bolts, plugs or banjos significantly reduces the amount of oil egress as well as reducing the temptation to overtighten. Need to watch the alignment with banjos, quill bolts and strainer plugs because they can be thicker than fibre washers, make sure the oil can still feed through.

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 11:40 am
by Tomshayes1
Any thoughts on the best metal to metal sealant?.. I use Wellseal generally on gasket faces...

Tom

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:25 pm
by stinkwheel
I personally use stuff called permabond A136.

It's a pretty stable liquid flange sealant which should cope with anything but cylinder head temperatures. The main reason I like it is it's thixotropic so it only hardens when compressed. Otherwise it's like a thick liquid. You can apply it as a bead, spread it out as a film and you can wipe off any excess with a cloth even hours later providing you haven't assembled the joint. I find it easy to apply to a joint then wipe around the inside with a finger in a cloth to remove any excess. In theory, it will just wash off if you do get a little squeeze-out too.

Smells like red liquorice.

Money where my mouth is. This is the crankcase on my 612 bullet which just ticked over 1000 miles at the weekend.
Image

Also gives a good visual indication when it's done a flange to the edges. Again, any excess wipes off with a dry cloth.

Image

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:56 pm
by Tomshayes1
Great thanks

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2019 5:07 pm
by Marko
Hi, there was a good article in the Gun a few years back re engine breathing mods for the big twins which goes a long way to totally eliminating leaks, I tried uploading a pdf of it on here but cant. If you give me your email adr i'll send it you.

One curious/mystifying leak that had me stumped for ages was traced to the stud to which the primary chain tensioner is attached. It would dribble (from the back) onto one of the crankcase stud/nuts & I kept thinking I had "very porous" castings!

H's sell some modified g/box sprocket nuts for bullets. These nuts fit most of the Redditch twins (other than Connies with the scissor clutch). They make a good job of stopping another irritating leak ;)

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 8:38 am
by Davedup
That's interesting about different gearbox nuts.
Is there a list somewhere on the Hitchcock's site showing uprated or modified items to improve the Redditch twins?
A definitive list would be great.
Really interesting in the post above about fitting a bullet centre stand. The knowledge base on this site is great!

Dave

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 1:52 pm
by Marko
Dave there are quite a few odds & ends that H's stock for the twins but they don't appear in the catalogue or the main website shop, equally they don't appear in the "fitment list". I learned a lot about what fits/doesn't fit from a few of the guys in India on the "cast iron connoseurs" fb group re stuff like stands etc; the rest I learned by trial & error.

re oil leaks: I'll never ever use wellseal or the likes of Permatex ever again! After just having the top end of my Connie off to do a stripped cyl/head stud thread in the crankcase & gone for a ride today, sure enough the engine has developed leaks between the crankcase half's which means...… i'm glad "Permabond a136" has been mentioned & given a thumbs up; in the winter when I strip the bloody thing again that's what i'll be using.

Re: Meteor oil leaks

Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2019 4:15 pm
by Davedup
Cheers Marko,
don't usually do Facebook but might need to start.

Dave