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Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet Electra & AVL => Topic started by: heloego on August 05, 2018, 03:30:08 pm

Title: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: heloego on August 05, 2018, 03:30:08 pm
A friends Bullet 500 AVL suddenly started puking oil out the crankcase vent during a ride. He made it home with with just enough oil to cover the bottom of the dip stick. So I ride up to SF with a filter kit, we drain everything, check his screen and mag plug. No discrepancies noted. Installed the plugs, drained the oil, changed the filter, and serviced the oil to the middle of the hash marks. Ran the beast for a few minutes noting the excessive spray out the vent hose.
All the hoses and catch-can had been removed when I modded his bike a couple years ago. At that time the vent hose was made shorter and a duckbill added, then positioned over the primary to lube his chain.
For two years no problems (other than the time he did his own oil change and filled it to the top of the hask marks :D ). We got 3 feet of hose from AutoZone, attached it to the vent and routed it back over the rear mudgourd stay, then ran the engine. At idle all the way through full throttle not a drop came out, even after 10 minutes at 3/4 throttle.Had him take it for a 4 mile ride to put a decent load on the engine, and by the time he returned it was still pissing oil.With the exception of my carb upgrade our AVLs are virtually identical, so I'm at a loss to figure this out. Other than the time he over-filled his oil he's had zero problems, and the engine runs beautifully except for the puking.
Any suggestions? I'd like to save him the $$$ he'll need to spend if he takes to Mark at OCD to fix it.
What would cause that kind over-pressurization in the crank case when the oil level is correct?
Title: Re: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: Adrian II on August 05, 2018, 05:53:13 pm
Failing piston rings?

A.
Title: Re: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: tooseevee on August 05, 2018, 06:37:16 pm
            I'm probably wrong, but I just have this itchy feeling that it got overfilled again and just hasn't straightened out yet. These AVLs get very aggravated with just even a little bit too much oil.
Title: Re: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: heloego on August 05, 2018, 07:51:11 pm
Adrian: Compression feels pretty good when I sed the kicker. Haven't put a gauge on it yet.

tsv: Once over-filled, does it take awhile for the AVL to settle down? His is two years newer than mine, but otherwise no real engine differences I'm aware of. I've put over 4k miles on mine since I finished it, and no problems at all.
I won't be able to head that way again for a couple weeks and he's scheduled to take it in to OCD so Mark can check into it on the 9th. He'll maybe just need to shell out the $$$. I just hope Mark is familiar enough with RE to figure it out.
Title: Re: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: tooseevee on August 05, 2018, 10:01:07 pm
tsv: Once over-filled, does it take awhile for the AVL to settle down? His is two years newer than mine, but otherwise no real engine differences I'm aware of. I've put over 4k miles on mine since I finished it, and no problems at all.


             I don't know. I only have that feeling because of what I've learned from experience. You can't just check the oil in these AVLs like they were a milk jug with oil in it and you stick the dipstick in and you get a reading. They're not like checking the oil in a car engine; oil drains away somewhere from being stickable over night.

              If you go down (and I'm sure you know this) in the morning and pull the dipstick you may see Zero oil.

               Start it up, run it 5 minutes, shut it down, let it sit X number of minutes (or Zero minutes), dipstick it again and you might get a 1/2" on the stick, you might get 1/2way up the hashmarks or you may get 2/3rds up the hashmarks.

                Harley oil tanks made so much more sense to me. As long as you were an inch below the filler you were good. No dipstick was necessary.

                 I usually check the Enfield 5 or 10 minutes after a run down the road. I never want it more than 1/2 way on the hashmarks.   
Title: Re: Santa Fe AVL 500
Post by: heloego on August 07, 2018, 03:06:18 am
Me, too. The C5 is cantankerous as hell.  ;)