oil line routing and pressure

Lubrication System (oil feed pump and scavenger pump, reservoir, filter, and lines)
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Guest

oil line routing and pressure

#1

Post by Guest »

I am assuming that I have my oil line routed correctly......I changed them out for new ones..............before I start up the bike how can I check for oil flow..................I took one line off of the filter that came off the engine and proceeded to kick and kick..............I get some oil comming out albeit very dirty oil ( I just changed and flushed the tank) but I can't seem to get any of the new stuff from the tank to come out of this line. Does it take a long time for the oil to circulate? So..............my question is how can I check for flow without starting up the bike?

Thanks Dave
1950Bobber

checking oil line flow

#2

Post by 1950Bobber »

Dave,

I'm not sure that you CAN check oil flow without starting you bike! Getting the oil lines installed in their proper postion/sequence is really no problem if you have access to pictures! Just check your manual or look thru as many pics of the right side of a Panhead as you need to satisfy yourself you got it correct...other than that, what can we tell you?

Jim in Seattle "1950 Bobber"
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#3

Post by FlatHeadSix »

Like 1950Bobber said, you will not be able to accurately check flow by kicking the starter.

I assume you are talking about a panhead but all Harley twins since 1936 are dry sump engines and have essentially the same type of oiling system; they have two oil pumps, one which feeds oil from the tank to the bearing surfaces and one which returns the oil to the tank.

The bearing surfaces are "controlled leaks" which provide an opportunity for the pressurized oil from the feed pump to flow through them. Once the oil passes the bearings it drains by gravity down the inside surfaces of the engine and pools in the bottom of the cases where it is picked up by the scavenger pump and returned to the tank. The dirty oil you got with the first few kicks was stuff that accumulated there since the last time the engine was run. The fact that the kicker pumped some out tells you that your scavenger pump is probably working fine.

If you are uncertain about clean oil being fed to the pump you can unscrew the oil pressure idiot light sending unit (or a gage if there is one threaded in there) and give it a few gentle kicks, if fresh clean oil squirts out then the feed line is connected properly. Don't forget to put the pressure switch or gage back in.

There has been a lot of debate about how much oil pressure you should have. The majority of the motorheads, me included, believe that flow is far more important than pressure. If you are able to observe a good steady flow of oil returning to the tank after the engine has reached normal operating temperature, then don't worry too much about the pressure.
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