[busmec]

I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with there uce eng?
I've had problems with the shift shaft ( vertical shaft cracked end to end), just had eng decompressor removed by dealer because it was making so much noise ( like valve lifters not pumping up ) & now it seems the oil pump gave out , will find out later this week about oil pump, the reasoning that the oil pump might be bad is ,when start bike up oil level in sight glass doesn't move at idle or above & the engine makes a lot of noise. All these problems & only 1388 mi on bike.  I'm thinking I got a end of the run engine , when they build a block of 100 engines  & the people building the engines don't think the parts meet their personal standards, the parts are in specs but not quite right, any one who has worked on engines has come across this type of part.
And the end of run engine is built entirely of these type parts.  Any thoughts?

[Arizoni]

I haven't had any problem with the UCE engine in my 2011 G5 Deluxe and the bike just passed 5000 miles.

I'm surprised the dealer would even think of removing the Auto- decompression lever.

This not only reduces the load on the starter and the sprag clutch but it keeps the engines crankshaft from kicking back from the cylinder compression on shut down.  That also protects the starter sprag clutch.

The auto-decompression lever is totally mechanical and uses a small spring to engage it and centripetal force of the spinning camshaft to retract it.
Not much to go wrong there in my opinion.

As for the oil level dropping when I start my G5, it really doesn't fall enough to talk about.
I have it just below the top of the sight window when the bike is on the center stand.  When I start it the oil level drops maybe 1/32 of an inch (0.8mm).

If you are still hearing a sound like hydraulic lifters that won't pump up it might be due to the mechanic that frinkled with your auto-decompression device inadvertently plugging or partially plugging the oil transfer hole in the right side cover that feeds thru the gasket into the right side crankcase.

This small oil hole supplies both the hydraulic valve lifters and the valve rocker arms with oil.

As for noise, I've come to the conclusion that clicks, ticks and tacks are a normal part of a Bullets engine running.

[Ducati Scotty]

The auto decomp has been a nuisance for some people but they either learn to live with it or remove it.  I heard one UCE that was eerily quiet the other day.  It was in the shop and my mechanic started it just so I could hear it.  Every other one I've heard makes ticky noises.  One or two people have had trouble with the shifter, needed adjustment or one or two parts. 

This is the first I've ever heard of an oil pump failing in a UCE. 

Scott

[singhg5]

it seems the oil pump gave out , will find out later this week about oil pump, the reasoning that the oil pump might be bad is ,

I agree with Arizoni that it is not the oil pump failure.  Most likely when the auto-decompressor was removed and the bike was put together, the dealer has either blocked one of the oil channel holes in the crankcase or he missed the o-ring that connects oil pump with the oil filter so oil is not circulating as it should.

[Kevin Mahoney]

I have seen 3-4 shift shafts crack but not on a 2011. We have yet to lose an oil pump or have a catastrophic failure of an UCE engine. Oil pressure is easy to diagnose by loosening the oil temperature sending unit at the head. I would really be surprised if you had lost an oil pump. If you look at the design it is pretty foolproof. As Mr. Singh suggests however not installing the oil filter O-ring or installing it incorrectly is a bad deal. Mr. Singh is also correct that being too liberal with the gasket sealer on the outer cover could definatley cause an oil blockage or restriction

I am also confused about the auto decompressor. The lever on the handlebar has nothing to do with the decompressor (unlike the lever on the carburetor iron barrel or AVL engine. It changes the air/fuel mixture slightly when the bike is first started and before the O2 sensor kicks in. I would not remove it or fool with it for any reason whatsoever.

A new engine is generally noisier than an engine with 1,000 miles on it. Some engines are quieter than others. I hesitate to even say this but you can adjust the cam backlash on this engine. The auto decompressor can be noisy. The unit works by balancing a fly weight which is integral to the exhaust cam against a spring. The noise happens at low RPM when the flyweight click clacks against the exhaust cam. In theory it should not do this, but the reality is that the balance between the spring and weight is very difficult to control.
The noise is harmless but can be very disconcerting. I would not remove one from my engine but one of the other good  importers would disagree with me. The factory says that they relieve the load on the sprag by 50% at start-up. The sprag clutch on the UCE is a different design that the AVL and iron barrels. Their failure rate is very very low and when they do fail it does not take other parts with it like the older engines do.

[GlennF]

1800 miles on my B5 and no mechanical problems, though it does occasionally foul up plugs if ridden around town too much.

[busmec]

The mech said it was tech support that  recomened removal of decompreessor, this was not my idea , but made a world of difference in noise level.
The shop were i bought the bike has been great as far as taking care of the problems  i've had . I was just wondering if anybody else experienced these types of problems.

[Kevin Mahoney]

We may be talking about two different things here. Removing the decompressor is one thing, removing what looks like a decompressor lever is another.

[Arizoni]

busmec2001

I predict that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your oil pump.

As I mentioned, the oil level in the sight window doesn't drop a lot when the engine is started.
There isn't really any place except for the partially filled oil filter cavity and a couple of small drilled oil passages for the oil to hide in.
Once these passages and the filter cavity are filled the oil level will not drop any further.

When I was talking to the dealer after I had done my first oil change I mentioned that I was concerned because of the amount of fibrous material that was blocking the pump inlet screen and the low oil pressure it might have caused.

He said, "You did not have low oil pressure.
If you did have low oil pressure you would have shut the engine off immediately.  The hydraulic lifters would not have pumped up and the clatter would have been so loud you would have thought the engine was about to fly apart.
When I (the dealer) replaced some parts in a UCE engine I accidentally plugged up the oil supply to the upper end.  When the engine was started I've never heard such a clatter!.  I repaired the problem by unblocking the oil transfer hole and with that done everything was fine."

I mention this because it might give you a feeling for what would actually happen if your oil pump was failing.

Don't worry about it.  Your bike is fine so go have some fun on it.  

[barenekd]

My auto decompressor clanks a lot when it's cold. If I don't want to hear it I rev it a bit to keep the RPM about the release speed. Otherwise I let it clank. If that's the only problem I have with the engine (8300 miles), I will be a happy camper.
Bare