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[Adrian]

Good news for later classic engine Indian Bullets (early ones have the Redditch-type PRV), but our hosts haven't developed one for the Electra-X.



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[steveW]

Hi Adrian, sorry for being a bit thick here, but when you say oil tank breather, do you mean on the crankcase? Our host does do return to the oil filler neck, but I think this is for wet sumping, which touch wood has never been a problem on my Electra!

If it is the CC breather you mean, then thats what im planning to do. Cant see any down side to it anyway.
PS I did move the catch can some time ago from its inaccesible position between the covers to just at the rear of the battery, in a vain attempt to remove some tight bends.....waste of time, but it does now make it easier to bin the lot!

[Adrian]

Yep, that 1/2" pipe fitting coming out of the top of the oil tank portion of the crankcase casting is the one.



As you say the breather tower is to fix a different issue and would normally not be much use on an Electra-X as the old breather stub on the left hand crankcase is either left un-drilled on early Electra-X models or missing altogether on later ones. If you wanted to use one as Mr H. intended use you'd have to re-instate the crankcase breather in its original position and plug the internal hole through the crankcase wall into the oil tank. I do have an Electra-X project engine where this has actually been done...



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[PeteF]

Not sure you have it quite right if I understand you. That pipe to the timing side is not a breather. That's where the catch can is supposed to drain. If you remove the catch can, it needs sealing off.

[Adrian]

No Pete, I'm talking about the 1/2" pipe union which points **upwards** when fitted to the top of the oil tank portion of the Electra-X crankcase casting.



THIS ONE!







I do not mean the smaller pipe into the back of the timing cover which, as I have already said, needs blanking off.



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[steveW]

Just a quick update to the catch can saga and a technical question.... I removed the catch can and lined up the CC breather to the rear..guess what, rear tyre now a slick! ( oil that is) good news is no mayonaisse so I thought cut out the middle man and connect the breather to the rear timing chest. BAd idea... the pressure in the chest was forcing oil out of the tappet cover, which didnt leak before. So, Im going to revert to the catch can, but site it under the carb, in the hope that a short route will keep it all warm to prevent mayo.

Now for the question... why is there so much pressure in the oil tank part of the CC? Shouldnt it just 'return' into the tank...I was shocked by the amount of pressure and therefore volume of oil spewing out. Dont recall this issue with other brit bikes Ive had

[Adrian]

When I had my Electra breather running to the back of the bike via a non-return valve I didn't get the tyre covered in oil, how much oil have you got in there??? I ran the breather pipe out to the back of the rear chain guard and got no more than the odd grey dribble out of it. A common view is that the engine oil capacity stated in the handbook recommendation is actually excessive, and that the minimum level on the dipstick should be regarded as the maximum.



Don't forget that the underside of the piston is acting as an air compressor. If you're getting blow-by from the piston rings, it will be worse.



Most British bikes would have had a separate oil tank well away from the engine. The fact that on the Bullet it is part of the crankcase casting, though originally not connected, made it easy for the Indian factory to tinker with the design. With post 2004 bikes the crankcase now breathes straight into the oil tank via a hole drilled through the alloy wall between the two halves of the casting.



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