Hi all, I am new to the group having recently bought a 1950 ES2. I expect I will have loads of questions as I bought it as a non runner! It was restored over a period of 23 years by the previous owner, who had owned the bike for some 35 years.
I checked for a spark when i viewed the bike and it had compression, plus i had heard it running a few years back at a show, so kind of knew it would be OK. I got the bike home and started fettling, checking the bike over etc. I could see no real reason why it should not start, so after a few cursory checks and a good carb clean out I gave it a go. It wouldn't have it, not even a sign of life or sputter, so i decided to get serious and add some fuel to the bore directly. This time it fired, but didn't run at all well. On playing with the adv/ret lever i noticed something odd, full advance is on a tight cable, not as with most of the brit bikes of that era I've known on a slack cable? Odd I thought, but now knowing that I set the lever to just off full adv and she started and ran straight away! Sounded good, although i am no Norton expert it sounded like a typical long stroke thumper.
So i checked the oil return almost straight away and noticed there was none? left the bike running for around a minute, and still nothing?
So, any thoughts on the oil return/Adv/Retard wrong way round would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Steve.
As I know they were tight…
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Hi Jon, Thanks for your…
Hi Jon,
Thanks for your reply.
My cable is sat on the rear side of the mag closest to the rear wheel, so I have tight line advance, not an issue for me, but is this correct?
In answer to your questions. One of the first things I did was drain the crank cases. I'll be honest very little came out considering the bike has been stood for a few years since rebuild. This led me to believe there was some sort of anti sumping device fitted. Closer inspection revealed there was. Its a ball type and after i had removed it to check i was happy it was working OK.
The oil tank is full. I have drained it and checked for blockages, all OK. Earlier I checked the feed by rigging up a pipe and small funnel and kicking the bike over with the plug out. It is definitely pulling oil down. I then removed the return and added oil to this line. After a few minutes I kicked the bike over and it is definitely 'pushing' oil up the pipe, so from this I can assume the pump is OK?
I think you're diagnosis is correct, Its been dry for so long that it cant get oil up?
I am going to remove the top rocker boxes and check but looking through the tappet oval cover it looks fairly dry.
I was going to remove the timing cover and check inside as I read somewhere on the site of a screw gear pump drive nut coming off, have you ever heard of that?
I am near Bath, In Wiltshire.
Thanks again Jon.
Steve.
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As I know they were tight line advance. Check which side of the mag the cable sits on, closest to the cylinder would give you slack line adv.
Oil flow, some questions:
if the pump is worn and it had drained dry it may have difficulty lifting from a dry sump, especially at low revs. Make sure you have oil to the pump, wet the top end with an oil can and inject some oil into the return line either from the head feed or the tank connector.
Then go again, but don't run at tickover for a minute, pick the revs up for a short time and feel for any blow from the open return pipe you just injected the oil into. if it's there, shut down, connect up and go again.
Where are you located? Someone may be able to guide/help.