Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet Electra & AVL => Topic started by: Buckeroo on August 04, 2013, 01:29:56 am
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The oil filter seems to be stuck in the cyliner. Is there any way to extract it short of disassembling the right side of the engine?
Does anybody know of a remote filter assembly for the AVL engine? Mine is parked behind the swooping exhaust pipe and is a serious pain to get at.
How does one know when both the tank and the crankcase are empty?
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I use dental picks on opposite sides to pull the inner cap out and needle nose pliers to grab the filter.
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hmmm... that's a thought. I was thinking about using a can opener. :-\
I use dental picks on opposite sides to pull the inner cap out and needle nose pliers to grab the filter.
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Did you get the cap off? Sometimes it needs some persuasion. Like gentle tapping on a flat blade screwdriver from the back towards the front or channel locks wiggling from the end (gently with both so you don't ding up the cover).
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Yeah I got the cap off. I just "love" >:( these paper gaskets that glue everything together. then there are the o-rings that seem to leak...profusely. I'm so used to Jap bikes. I had to just about take the whole right side of the bike off to get to the cap, but I got it off, just like you said.
Did you get the cap off? Sometimes it needs some persuasion. Like gentle tapping on a flat blade screwdriver from the back towards the front or channel locks wiggling from the end (gently with both so you don't ding up the cover).
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People have put a remote filter on by tapping into the feed line from the pump to the banjo bolts on the head. Usually they use rubber hose and mount the filter on the front of the frame near the top of the engine mounts. A few have placed them behind the distributor over the gear box.
Just do a search of the forum for remote filter and look at eBay for "Norton Filter Kit".
You don't have a quill bolt like the older Iron Barrel engine so you've pretty much drained it completely when you've replaced the filter and let the sump drain. You can rock it from side to side, but I've never gotten enough more out to make it worth my while. Just let it drain while you do something else for half and hour or so.
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I'm fairly new to this bike despite it being a 2008. I don't know where the feed line is or what a banjo bolt is. I have worked on and rebuilt jap bikes all my life, so this bike is a whole new learning curve in my senior years. This engine is a collection of older design and newer design all mixed together. I'm not a fan of keeping older parts just to maintain an old look. The right side of my engine is complete mystery to me with that bulbous gear train to a non existent distributor. There are two covers in this case, one facing forward and another just opposite facing rearward that have no explanation anywhere that I have found. I really need a shop manual because the owners manual is a joke. There is a whole chapter about how to wash this bike and very little on oil change or even where the oil filter is located. I'm wondering if I will be required to overhaul this bike every 3-4 thousand miles. I have so many questions about this bike, but they could really be answered quickly by an adequate manual. I'm not a young man anymore and the idea of having to dismantle this bike like I have done just to change the oil is a staggering thought. If I had the money, I'd probably move on a to a Guzzi or BMW, but this RE was free. All I had to do was to give it life. It is fun to ride and I get many compliments.
People have put a remote filter on by tapping into the feed line from the pump to the banjo bolts on the head. Usually they use rubber hose and mount the filter on the front of the frame near the top of the engine mounts. A few have placed them behind the distributor over the gear box.
Just do a search of the forum for remote filter and look at eBay for "Norton Filter Kit".
You don't have a quill bolt like the older Iron Barrel engine so you've pretty much drained it completely when you've replaced the filter and let the sump drain. You can rock it from side to side, but I've never gotten enough more out to make it worth my while. Just let it drain while you do something else for half and hour or so.
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I'm fairly new to this bike despite it being a 2008. I don't know where the feed line is or what a banjo bolt is. I have worked on and rebuilt jap bikes all my life, so this bike is a whole new learning curve in my senior years. This engine is a collection of older design and newer design all mixed together. I'm not a fan of keeping older parts just to maintain an old look. The right side of my engine is complete mystery to me with that bulbous gear train to a non existent distributor. There are two covers in this case, one facing forward and another just opposite facing rearward that have no explanation anywhere that I have found. I really need a shop manual because the owners manual is a joke. There is a whole chapter about how to wash this bike and very little on oil change or even where the oil filter is located. I'm wondering if I will be required to overhaul this bike every 3-4 thousand miles. I have so many questions about this bike, but they could really be answered quickly by an adequate manual. I'm not a young man anymore and the idea of having to dismantle this bike like I have done just to change the oil is a staggering thought. If I had the money, I'd probably move on a to a Guzzi or BMW, but this RE was free. All I had to do was to give it life. It is fun to ride and I get many compliments.
I'm sorry you're having so much difficulty.
I bought my '08 Classic brand new in December of 2010. It had sat in a back room of an out of business dealer for two years. It was drained of fuel, no battery & every single bulb including the flasher was blown. Cosmetically it was perfect. Although I have ridden all my life (I'm 75) I knew NOTHING about this Royal Enfield machine. I had to research & learn everything from scratch by getting manuals, finding everything possible online & starting to learn from the people on these forums. Plus many hours in the winter I just sat & stared at the damn thing.
One of the manuals that helped me tremendously was Pete Snidal's manual plus we personally communicated & he helped me through the electrical madness. You need to go to NField Gear (on the homepage) & get his manual. It will help you tremendously. If you're like me you will want it in book form (spiral-bound) which is Part #Z90495.
Banjo bolts are what are attached to the upper part of the engine & feed the oil to your rocker arm covers. The silver colored tubing that come out of the front of the engine & runs up the right side goes into a Y & terminates at the banjo bolts.
The whole attraction of this bike (for me) is that the old is blended with the new giving me a bike that is modern, but looks exactly like a 1955 Royal Enfield. That's why I started looking for one in 2004.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is get Pete's manual.
PS: I, too, am pretty crippled up. I have not treated myself well plus I have genetic joint problems that are now eating me alive. My bikes (& my frigging lawn) are the only things that keep me moving & fighting the pain. I find ways to minimize working on the floor as much as possible. I will keep my two bikes until I can't kick them over any longer.
And I love this damn old fashioned RE to death.
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Are you still kicking over the Shovelhead. ERC
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Are you still kicking over the Shovelhead. ERC
Yes. It's kick only, open primary. I've had three kick only harleys since the '70s & I know shovels. The tuneup is the most important thing. If your compression, carb, valve timing & ignition timing are correct, kick starting is no problem. I built this one (took two years) in '02 & 03 totally from parts & swap meets with new stuff as necessary. I bought 3 basket case shovelheads in a divorce deal. The engine is perfect & I have the cold start technique down pat. Warm it's a one kick starter. It's actually no harder than the Enfield to kick over because I rebuilt it to new stock condition, 8.5 compression. It's in '77 cases with an S&S lower end, S&S Super E & everything else new or rebuilt to new, bored 0.030" over.
It does wear me down to ride it now, but not much more than the Enfield. My main problem the past 20 years is loss of upper body strength due to loss of muscle mass because of this damn Ehlers-Danlos & scoliosis. I have total body joint, ligament, tendon & muscle pain pretty much all the time & the knee & shoulder dislocations are getting harder & harder to control. I'm a hurtin' unit ;)(http://)
I just don't have the sense to quit.
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Wow! That's one fat front tire. 8)
I like it though the bars would probably kill my shoulders. Luckily at 56, I'm one of the younger, less arthritic members and don't have to fight what some of you guys do.
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I'm fairly new to this bike despite it being a 2008. I don't know where the feed line is or what a banjo bolt is. I have worked on and rebuilt jap bikes all my life, so this bike is a whole new learning curve in my senior years. This engine is a collection of older design and newer design all mixed together. I'm not a fan of keeping older parts just to maintain an old look. The right side of my engine is complete mystery to me with that bulbous gear train to a non existent distributor. There are two covers in this case, one facing forward and another just opposite facing rearward that have no explanation anywhere that I have found. I really need a shop manual because the owners manual is a joke. There is a whole chapter about how to wash this bike and very little on oil change or even where the oil filter is located. I'm wondering if I will be required to overhaul this bike every 3-4 thousand miles. I have so many questions about this bike, but they could really be answered quickly by an adequate manual. I'm not a young man anymore and the idea of having to dismantle this bike like I have done just to change the oil is a staggering thought. If I had the money, I'd probably move on a to a Guzzi or BMW, but this RE was free. All I had to do was to give it life. It is fun to ride and I get many compliments.
Are you done ranting?
The oil change is not that hard. AVL engines are well made.
I changed the oil using the owners manual "hand book" along with many other maintenance items.
I use a "prick tool" set to gently pull the filter out. Probably get that at harbor freight tools for a few bucks.
I don't remove the exhaust or rebuild half of the engine to preform this task.
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Your in R.I. tooseevee that's not that far from me. Glad you can still kick it. ERC
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I don't know where the feed line is or what a banjo bolt is.
I think this was explained in another post. It's called a banjo fitting because when the bolt is removed the part attached to the tube looks kinda like a banjo.
... this bike is a whole new learning curve in my senior years. This engine is a collection of older design and newer design all mixed together. I'm not a fan of keeping older parts just to maintain an old look. The right side of my engine is complete mystery to me with that bulbous gear train to a non existent distributor.
That it is. Although the AVL engine was redesigned many of the older parts from the 1950's design were kept to keep costs down.
The old magneto drive area of the side cover is still there.
There are two covers in this case, one facing forward and another just opposite facing rearward that have no explanation anywhere that I have found.
Those are the covers for the two oil pumps and the oil filter.
The one with the center nut is the oil filter cover.
... I'm wondering if I will be required to overhaul this bike every 3-4 thousand miles.
If you change the oil regularly and you accept it as an older design that can't be ridden at 70+ mph it should last for many thousand miles.
Unlike the older Iron Barrel that proceeded your engine, your bike has a steel sleeved aluminum cylinder that improves cooling and a all roller/ball crank and connecting rod.
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Okay, this is my secret oil filter trick.
Yes, that is a Craftsman screwdriver. You can also use a rag so you don't leave any scratches.
Gently pry the exhaust away as you loosen the oil filter cap. Do the same as you install the new filter( soak in new engine oil). Use a diagram to insure you have the O rings back correctly if you can't remember how you removed them. Don't overthorque or cross thread the oil filter cap. Fill engine with oil(approx 1.75 quarts) Kick over the engine ( ignition off) to prime the system. Start engine , let it tick over at low RPM, check for leaks. Don't make this hard. Have a Coke and a smile,...ride!
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Do you use a Whitworth or Metric Screwdriver? I have Metric and SAE tools, but would have to order a Whitworth one.
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Do you use a Whitworth or Metric Screwdriver? I have Metric and SAE tools, but would have to order a Whitworth one.
Oh, definitely a Metric screwdriver is preferable otherwise you could bung up the edges of the header pipe calibrator :) ;)(http://)
Also, I've got an exploded view of all the 87 parts & O-Rings of the ingeniously over-designed AVL oil filter mechanism somewhere. Does anyone need it badly enough for me to go look for it & post it?
Pozer, that's exactly how I did mine the first time. You only have to gain about an 1/8" & that cover slips right off.
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The oil filter seems to be stuck in the cyliner.
Buckeroo... It's the oil "filter" itself that is stuck and not the cap, correct? My filter was stuck in to when I did my first change.
I just punched a screwdriver into mine and pulled it out if I remember correctly. I think I had to just warp the metal of the cylinder enough before it budged. I didn't hit any parts of the engine case - Just the oil filter itself. Graceful? No, but it came out and I installed a fresh one that was extracted normally when it was time for that change. Maybe I used some curved-tip needle nose pliers.
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Wow! That's one fat front tire. 8)
I like it though the bars would probably kill my shoulders. Luckily at 56, I'm one of the younger, less arthritic members and don't have to fight what some of you guys do.
I promise this is my last on this non-harley forum :)(http://)
The front & rear are the same size: Goodyear MT90-16. The only difference is the rear is a Dual-Stripe.
The bars are deceiving. They were actually only a few inches above my shoulders & quite comfortable. I've only had high bars until the Enfield. Only this year have I put a pair of '60s FLH bars on the harley just to play with the look. They totally changed my leverage, hurt More to begin with (I have to lean forward a little more) & were very scary the first few rides.
The front fender was only for a sticker the first year then it was gone. It was from an FX WideGlide. The pipes are also totally different now; 6" shorter & black-wrapped. I also went to a hand clutch foot shift. The traffic here is murderous & unless you can hit neutral instantly at all the right times you are dead! EVERYbody in a car seems to be out to kill ME. Or you. All of us.
Thanks to all for your patience with an old dinosaur harley guy still alive at seventy five.
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EVERYbody in a car seems to be out to kill ME. Or you. All of us.
All the guys I work with from RI say RI drivers are worse than Boston drivers, which I find hard to believe. In either state, everyday on 2 wheels is an adventure. I see people on the phone, putting on make up, and even READING every morning. Nucking futs.
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I'm looking for answers, not smart ass remarks. I was not crazy about prying on an aluminum case with a screw driver to pry out a pipe. I'm going to end up driving a course screw into the filter and pulling it out. This whole website is dedicated to fixing this bike, even after you get it home from the dealer. I read somewhere here that if you get home from the dealer, replace the electrical system. This is not a joke. At 25 miles on the clock, all the electrical connections were loose in some way. I had to pull the whole mess apart and rework all the plugs. This is not something one expects from a new bike. I think I have the right to rant a little. I understand that this bike has a loyal following, but for that, I am really surprised that just a few people have taken steps to improve the machine with aftermarket parts. Hell, the gas tank tang snapped off from a bad weld. This bike is a learning experience from the word go. One doesn't expect things to go wrong in the first 5000 miles.
Are you done ranting?
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I'm glad I was able to help you with the oil filter.
Remember to start changing your oil every 1000-1500 miles instead of at 5000.
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O.K a month ago I had some time to change my oil and filter. Got it all apart, then a combination of family & work kept me from getting back to finish the job. Now I can't remember the order in which these parts go in. Any one have a diagram? (here's a pic attached of what I've got to put back in.)(http://)
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O.K a month ago I had some time to change my oil and filter. Got it all apart, then a combination of family & work kept me from getting back to finish the job. Now I can't remember the order in which these parts go in. Any one have a diagram? (here's a pic attached of what I've got to put back in.)(http://)
Looks like you're missing two large O-Rings. There are three in there.
Yes. I have an exploded view. Just give me time to find it, get it scanned & then posted.
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O.K a month ago I had some time to change my oil and filter. Got it all apart, then a combination of family & work kept me from getting back to finish the job. Now I can't remember the order in which these parts go in. Any one have a diagram? (here's a pic attached of what I've got to put back in.)(http://)
Here ya' go. Good luck.
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thanks so much for the diagram. that should do it. And I'll save the jpeg diagram for next time.
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When I finally was able to dig the secondary metal plate out of the oil filter hole, there was one large O ring behind the plate and a small O ring in front of it. RE says they ship extra parts to fit all applications.