I got a spare head, but I don't think it has covers with it.  
Let me check tonight.

Question...I have no idea how the thumper works...does anyone know or have a pic of how the oil flows?? I am wondering if the 650 is like an HD...low oil pressure up top is fine. On a gauge, you won't see more than 3lbs at idle. its oil flow that keeps it alive, not pressure. I know the older HD (sportsters, I don't have any love for any big twin past a knuckle head) twins had loose tolerances and the pump would blow oil 20 feet at speed. The 'oil bath' lube system relied more on flow than pressure. Could it be worth while to add restricters to the oil return ports or cut channels to keep the oil in certain areas longer??

On my hot rod XLs, because of the external pump, I extend the pressure relief valve out so I can tap 2 lines to feed the rocker boxes (mainly on ironheads) and also tap in external drains on the rocker boxes ( I restrict the factory ports with a pipe plug I drill a small hole in) so the oil will pool just a little around the exhaust valve guides. Gotta be precise with this because the valve guides don't use seals, they are just tall. And the XLs love to eat ex valve guides...its wear part!

Or does it work like the Brit twins of old and use a scavenge off the return side to lube the upper?? Below 1000rpms would lead to top end death in short order. I know that the new Triumphs use 2 oil pumps. The top end has its own pump!

Run In Results:

A 1/2" 2hp 1,000 rpm industrial drill was attached to the alternator bolt through the cover hole and the drill was run in reverse to power the crank rotation during the oil fill and oil pressure run in.  

The first glass full of oil up through the top cam bearing journal passageway was collected and found to contain tiny tiny tiny strands of a dark filmy material -- supposition is that it came off the walls of the oil passages as the oil ripped up through them.   This stuff would just go on through the system and perhaps be stopped by the filter on the return trip (no real concern for this item).

Running the engine at normal idle speeds (1,000 rpm) took 27 seconds to fill the oil filter cavity and all the passages up with oil to the point oil exited the clear tubing to start to fill the glass.   A normal tea glass took 14 seconds to fill 3/4 full of oil.  

OIL VOLUME ACCEPTABLE as this amount of oil cannot possibly go out through the cam bearing gap clearances at the normal pressures commonly seen at idle speeds.  Back pressure will develop at this volume.

Passage was then attached to the oil pressure gage and the motor was run again at 1,000 rpm.  Oil pressure wavered between 2 and 3 PSI which is a commonly reported situation on our bikes at idle speeds.  

Oil used was Rotella Syn 5w40 weight, so I do not think these numbers would totally go away with a hot engine, but they would likely be lessened somewhat as the oil viscosity would go down some when hot.   The pressure would go down and the volume would increase a tad using full hot oil.

The big industrial drill was put away and the engine was run with the starter motor for the compression testing so as to match normal testing methods.   Compression testing was of course approximate as the piston rings were not seated to the freshly honed bore yet and the valves were likely somewhat sticky due to a lack of running for several years now.  Still, 150 PSI was seen -- within the book service specs but at the low side to be sure.   This would likely improve with motor run in, but it is good enough to consider the old motor serviceable.

I was struck by the amount of "huff" volume created by the big piston at 1,000 rpm as observed through the rotor timing hole.  It is no wonder to me that we get oil in the airbox as the huff was moving oil in a fine spray about 2-3 feet.   I am also wondering how much of the available power is consumed just pumping air back and forth inside the engine ....

================================

Engine will be stored with oil in it as it is not leaking any (interesting to see if this remains true over the years of storage that this engine may well see).  All open intake and exhaust holes are blocked off with duct tape to keep the insects out.  Engine will be stored at TDC on the compression stroke to keep tension off the valve springs and keep everything sealed up well with the valves.  Intake and exhaust valves are sprayed with oil before sealing, spark plug threads lubed with never seize and for the life of me I can't think of anything else to do to it to aid in the storage other than wrapping the whole engine up well in a big plastic bag and storing it on a piece of plywood to keep the aluminum from contacting the concrete in the garage.

It's done folks .....

Babyhog,

A 2 hp 1,000 rpm industrial drill is used to stir 5 gallon buckets of drywall mud at the same time with a mixing paddle.

It can drill a 2" diameter hole in steel with a normal bit,  12"diameter hole with a steel cutting hole saw bit.

It can run a 8" screw feed wood boring bit straight down through a 5x2x12  floor joist (to put in a plumbing main line run)

You can buy an accessory for the unit that is a 3 people cable lift hoist, powered by the drill unit itself.

It comes stock with a 14" long 3/4" pipe threaded rubber gripped handle which offsets the 12" long main switch handle.   It has a warning label that says

"Kickback torque from a bit jamming in the hole can cause damage to arms and wrists.  Use one of the 3 mounting holes to put a longer blocker 3/4" pipe to prevent counter rotation of your body parts."


     


hmmmm .....  maybe both my hands were right busy and I didn't have a helmet mount for my video camera?

Great info, thanks for sharing it!

Regarding your drill, we used to have one like that, the guys had a name for it, "The Arm Breaker".  Congrats on finding a simple way to simulate the engine at idle.  

A couple questions for you:

What do you think the stringy stuff was, maybe gasket material, old sludge and dirt?    Varnish/film coating on the inside of the oil passages, that had dried up and curled up over time.

The 27 seconds to fill up the oil passages etc.  Was that the time for the first trial after filing the case with oil?   Yes, this was the one that filled up the oil filter cavity.

Do you know how long it takes to get flow up in the top end in under normal circumstances, say after it has been run and then drains back down, I hope it isn't the 27 seconds.    It is a variable depending on how much passageway has drained empty back through the oil pump due to extended sit time.

I missed the beginning of this experiment, why is it now being put in storage?   It is the spare engine, the one on the bike is doing fine so it isn't needed right now.

Service range is 140 to 204 so 150 is inside the service range on the low end.   As was said earlier, piston rings are not seated yet and valves are likely pretty sticky acting as the motor hasn't been turned over in years.

And yes, if I put it in a frame and broke it in good I'd expect to see some higher compression readings than 150 psi from it, but really that ain't too shabby for a trashed 56,000 mile motor that had died twice due to no oil pressure ....

                    at least it has good oil flow and pressure up at the head bearings now, so it has a good chance of being a good running stand in motor should my modified engine blow up on me and I need a drop in to keep my bike rolling while I work on the main engine



So, who else has a dead engine or head that they have given up on as unfixable?   Tell me the details of the death symptoms and I'll see if I find any interest in attempting to overcome that type of engine death for the Tech Section.