Vulcan Eng oil line kit

[55FL]

Recently installed outside oiler line kit from Vulcan Eng on my 55 with STD heads, Nicely made kit, fit fine. Ran the oil supply off the oil pressure sending port.
Oil pressure started out @ 45 psi + as soon as the motor warmed dropped to nada. No leaks, plenty of oil in the bag. Muttering to myself I allowed the motor to cool and tried it again. Same thing. Let the bike sit overnight.
Next day fired it up, 45 psi + rode it around the block, it's a big block, and oil pressure is nada, idiot light blinking at me.
Checked oil lines, dissassembled oil pump, breather etc all ck ok.
Theory I have is that the orifices of the lines and fittings in the kit are too big allowing excess flow which causes the pressure to drop. Anyone else see this and what was the fix ?

John

[Panacea]

I know Knuckle heads need an oil restricting orafice to prevent this same problem,as well as over oiling and pooling into the guides. I'd talk to STD, I'm sure they know exactly how to control the flow. Mike

[fourthgear]

The above post is right on, some are restricted at the supply nipple and I thought most use the tappet screen plug as a feed port ( not directly from the feed side of the pump and some what metered in it self ).

Are your stock feed line holes to the heads plugged or are the STD heads only out side oiled , with no provision for stock oil feed ?

[Robert Luland]

55fl, I don’t see were the heads would make any difference. Weather you were using stock or after market rocker blocks the result would be the same. They are set up to only let a certain amount of oil to flow unless there shot. With the exception of 48 still using the governor and spring changes. I can’t remember reading about any other restrictors or similar devices. I have STD heads on one of my 60s. When that bike is at idle and hot the pressure gauge registers zip. Even on the NY throughway wide open it doesn’t go over fifteen pounds. Those gauges are crap. I get top of the line refrigerant gauges for my business that are out by 5 lb plus right out of the package. What do the walls of your pump body look like? Any gouges? Maybe a weak check ball spring? An old timer gave me some advice twenty-five years ago with regards to panheads. When it sounds like the whole thing is going to blow up. It’s running just fine. It took a long time but I finally had to agree with him. Bob

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[fourthgear]

As said above , my gage when motor warm reads "0 " at idle and does not get past 12-15 at highway speeds . I have a 48 motor and it has restrictors in the motor case for the feed to the heads , don't know if its stock or not ,but it works .

You have to watch those sending units , we had a thread on those a while back about how the repop ones just do not work right . Most go to NOS or some one who sells OEM types ( And I'm even suspect of those too, sooner or later you will run out of nos parts , if they already haven't )

You have to remember that the heads were not feed directly from the pump head ,but a metered passage in the case and with your 55 , even if you are running solids , the oil will go to the lifters before it goes up to the heads ,meaning less flow to the rockers . So it is restricted or controlled to a point ,just by the feed passages , you can say the heads are getting secondary consideration as far as oil flow is concerned , with a bone stock system .

[Robert Luland]

Fourthgear, What do those restricter look like and were are the located. Thanks, Bob

[fourthgear]

They are right where the feed holes are at the cylinder deck . I was told to leave them in there because they had seen them before and was also told that some early motors had over oiling problems like some Knuckle heads . Just going by what I was told by a engine builder down here .

They look almost like one of those split pins ,but with out the split , you can tell they were put in there , I've seen a lot of cases and they didn't have any thing in those oil holes . I do not have a photo , I just looked , I've got the cases ,but nothing of the top of the cyl. deck and I thought I took photos of every thing .

Like I said , who knows how or who put them there. I've got over 10K and you would thing there would be a problem by now if there was not enough oil flow getting up there . I do have an S&S oil pump on and the oiling system has been changed to the late Shovel mod., not that would make any diff., but ya never know .

[PanPal]

I thought the restricter was in the end of the pinion gear shaft. I may be way off, but I believe I noticed one in a S&S flywheel a while back.

[Robert Luland]

Fourthgear, Man I wish you had a drill size of the feed hole. I just went out to the shop floor and the hole on my 48s seems to be idenical to the the ones on a 57 lower end i have apart. I do more resesrch. I get back to you. Reinbeck is coming. This is were I get three days to pick minds. Bob