Constant feed pinion shaft

Groove size for pinion shaft

Lubrication System (oil feed pump and scavenger pump, reservoir, filter, and lines)
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Holtvintage
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Constant feed pinion shaft

#1

Post by Holtvintage »

Screenshot_20190928-000310_Google PDF Viewer.jpg

Does anyone have any personal experience with the size of the groove they've had cut in the pinion shaft for the constant feed modification? Thanks
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Andygears
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#2

Post by Andygears »

Again, not experienced with flatheads. But I can speak from experience from my panhead. 40 years ago when my friend Dennis & I built his motor, with help, we installed a “full circle” pinion bushing into the cam cover. The intent was to increase oil to the crank by a groove machined in the bushing. What a mistake!! That motor set up that way constantly overloaded the motor with oil and puked a lot of oil out the breather. With a belt drive installed, the primary breather pipe had to be routed back to the tank with hose, which caused pressure in the oil tank, and was vented by a hole drilled in the cap, to a hose, that released mist.
When I bought that bike from Dennis, about 5 years ago, it was still arranged that way but the primary belt had been replaced with a chain which now had no oiling provision. When I tore the motor apart, one of the first things I did was pull that bushing and replace it with a stock style with just a hole. Pulling the crank apart revealed a crank pin and rods with relatively no wear due to the high volume of oil flowing thru there. Honing the rod races and fitting new rollers set the new lower end up as it is now, and the correct bushing has the oiling system working perfectly.
By perfectly I mean the breather pipe was replaced and I can micro adjust the primary oil by the oil pump screw as it should be. Stock oil lines were installed, no pressure in oil tank, it all just works as it should.
We screwed up, and are older and wiser now. At the time we thought, “what could it hurt?” Now we know.

Andygears
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#3

Post by RooDog »

Holtvintage wrote: Sat Sep 28, 2019 6:46 am Screenshot_20190928-000310_Google PDF Viewer.jpg


Does anyone have any personal experience with the size of the groove they've had cut in the pinion shaft for the constant feed modification? Thanks
I have this same groove cut into my 1968 Shovelhead, 1/16 x 1/16", and the oil bleed hole in the cam cover plugged since the late 1970s with no problems. Later Shovels had the end of that pinion shaft open but with a small metering orifice in place, called "end oiling", Vs "side oiling", also with no ill effects. If someone had problems with the breather puking, there is some other cause other than crank oiling. All the oil that is pumped into the engine has to come out of there somehow, either the scavenger pump will extract it, or the oil will find some another way to exit.
DSC02705.JPG

....RooDog....
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#4

Post by Andygears »

RooDog, I think you’re dealing with a different animal. A later aluminum pump with more scavenge capacity, an aluminum primary with recycling primary oil and a fixed primary Oiler.

The old tin primaries are looking for a mist of fumes and not much liquid. Not knowing about flatheads, all I can relate is my experience that didn’t work out for me.

A variety of ideas to consider.

Andygears
Holtvintage
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#5

Post by Holtvintage »

The picture I posted at the beginning of this thread was from the manufacturer. They didn't provide specifications though. I sent them a email. I will post any findings.
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#6

Post by RooDog »

Andygears....
At the time of my full flow mods in 1975, I was running an iron pump, tin primary, chain drive.
In 1973 the MoCo went to a higher speed pump drive, and end oiling the crank.
But currently I do have an $&$ pump, aluminum primary, and an end oiling 4-5/8 crank. But still, I had no ill effects with either setup.
Just saying that these mods worked out OK for me, other's results may vary....
....RooDog....
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#7

Post by kitabel »

All of the oil comes back to the cam chest into the return gears. What goes through the pinion shaft passes through the crankcase first, otherwise goes directly into the return pump.
Every time the pistons reach BDC, all of the oil (and vapor) in the crankcase exhausts through the breather. If anything remains after even 1 rotation, it's the breather.
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#8

Post by Pascal »

My 1945 42WLA type VII has a fullflow pinion too, and I don't experience oil being blown out off the breather OR pressure being built up in the tank.
You do need to plug one of the caseholes/oilpassages off in the case over though.
My '41 WLA has an original one-hole pinion set-up.
The next engine I'm building has a second hole pinion, set at 180 degrees...so twice as much as original.
That should be fine for a BTSV too
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#9

Post by Holtvintage »

The instructions were clear on which hole to plug. 8-32 grub screw set in red locktite. I hadn't thought about drill additional holes in the pinion shaft. Seems simple enough. Drill through the original hole to pass clear through. Maybe another set of holes at 90°
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#10

Post by Frankenstein »

I've been end feeding BTSV's for many years, groove the bushing to send oil to the cavity at the end of the pinion shaft, open up the shaft end, and block the "bleeder" hole in the cam cover so oil isn't bled of instead of being sent to the crank. A BTSV needs all the oil it can get to help cool the pistons and prolong piston life. Stock pump delivers 1 Qt/8 minute, the scavenge pump has plenty of reserve capacity.
DD
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Re: Constant feed pinion shaft

#11

Post by RooDog »

Holtvintage wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:16 pm The instructions were clear on which hole to plug. 8-32 grub screw set in red locktite. I hadn't thought about drill additional holes in the pinion shaft. Seems simple enough. Drill through the original hole to pass clear through. Maybe another set of holes at 90°
Be careful, Is the shaft hardened material, I would expect that of a bearing surface, no? Please don't break off a drill bit in the shaft! Which is why I chose to groove the journal. Also. The shaft has a screw in the end that is removed for the truing operation. I could be left out or drilled with a 3/32, .094" metering hole for end oiling. There are many paths to the same goal, but only one way....
....RooDog....
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