Oil every were but in the engine

[Fineline]

Hello all. Can anyone help me with the oil priming on my 32V .I have a new rebuilt engine and fuel tank and priming plunger . With what I believe to be all the necessary fitting and oil lines . Well here is what's going on, I put oil in the tank almost to the top pulled out the plunger and pushed it back in one time I try to doit a second time and the oil comes out of the plunger all over the tank. I pulled the oil line going to the oil pump I have oil there but it seems like no oil is going to the crankcase. Any help would be great

[Buster]

Have you pulled apart the check valve that screws on bottom of pump cylinder at bottom of tank and connects to oil line going to motor? It has a ball bearing check valve and a sleeve which runs up and down, mine was completely rusted up. Needed disassembly and derusting for several days and new ball bearing. Really clean out good, including seat for ball bearing. I believe ball bearing is common 3/8, but not sure.

[Fineline]

Its brand new I'll check it though. Thanks

[Steve Slocombe]

Also check the leather washers on the hand plunger. There should be two cup washers, facing down and up, with three steel washers to space them out, plus a fine thread screw at the bottom to hold the assembly in, itself secured by a cotter pin to stop it coming loose. The whole thing can be checked by removing the hand oil line and pumping oil into a can. About 50 ml/two ounces of oil should come out with each full stroke, it should not spew oil out of the top, nor should the check valve in the bottom of the tank leak in the rest position. For the more paranoid, you can inject say 200 ml /six ounces of oil into the cases through the timing plug before first starting the bike. Run for a few minutes on the stand, pull down the cylinder head bolts by hand while hot, then drain the crankcases and put in fresh oil.

[Fineline]

Thanks Steve.the plunger is new from Tom at repelcant.I see the rubber part and the retainer screw . I will have to take apart to see washers. Is 6 ounces the recommend amount of oil say 3 pumps of plunger or less ? . Thanks so much .P.S. The dash looks great

[Buster]

Just curious. You said the lower check valve component is new. I did not know this part has been replicated.

[Jerry Wieland]

I had the same one on my 25 JD and have had it apart a few times and never get it to work for long. I usually squirt oil in the feed hole. Jerry

Thanks Steve.the plunger is new from Tom at repelcant.I see the rubber part and the retainer screw . I will have to take apart to see washers. Is 6 ounces the recommend amount of oil say 3 pumps of plunger or less ? . Thanks so much .P.S. The dash looks great

[Fineline]

Yes I believe I received it from rat at harbor vintage

[Steve Slocombe]

With a fresh motor I would start with three hand pumps of oil, run it for a few minutes then drain. The engine usually settles down with 5-6 ounces of oil in the cases, say 150-200 ml or a small coffee cup. For the first couple of hundred miles drain the oil frequently and dial in the oil pump accordingly. On 1930s dirt roads the chain oiler would be handy, which we usually turn well down or off today. The bikes were probably running without oil rings on the pistons originally, so modern pistons burn less oil, and the VLs tend to overoil today at the factory oil pump settings. More than 6-7 oil ounces in the cases then it comes out of the valve covers, generator, breather pipe or whatever is the weakest spot. You can fill up the crankcases with about a pint of oil and then it really loads up the motor. Spend time early on trimming the oil pump, then it will be fine for a long time.

[Fineline]

Thanks again will do . Any information on gas additives to cushion valve seats ?

[Chris Haynes]

There was no such thing as cushioning for valves in the VL era. They only had unleaded fuel then.

[camsaure]

I agree with Chris, there was very little leaded gas until after the war. The old bikes still went a long time without it. There is always 100LL Avgas (it still has real tetraethyl in it) The EPA is against any leaded fuel on the highways by the way. !00LL is pretty high octane for a low compression VL. But I remember in either a Continental or Lycoming aircraft engine service bulletin (don't remember which one) that came out after the FAA began allowing unleaded car gas in aircraft. It stated that after any top end work(valve job) to run 100LL or a mix in the first tank or so, thus coating the valves, they insinuated that they would remain coated for a long time. I have always done this on any engine I have ever worked on from a lawnmower to trucks, tractors(non diesel of course) motorcycles and airplanes. A word of warning do not use Avgas in computerized non carbed engines. It fouls the sensors in the exhaust system and causes faulty computer reading/calibration of fuel system. Just a thought, I am not telling you to run afoul of the EPA.

[Fineline]

Thanks for clearing that up for me .