Two photos attached.......nor sure what this extra hole is for in the base of the barrel...the exit hole in the barrel was rough/raised around the edge...had to ease back with wet and dry.
also there appears to be a matching hole in the crankcase mouth....not sure that this actually goes anywhere though.
normal or odd or bodge ??? Please advise....
thanks John
If you turn the engine over…
If you turn the engine over with the barrel off, you will see a small slug of oil appearing sporadically. It's common to all the dry sump Norton Singles, intended to reduce chance of seized pistons. There's a screw to adjust it but it's fixed by the factory except on Inters where it's adjustable.
Ian has pointed out it was deleted on later bikes by the end of the 1950's. I just looked and it isn't mentioned in the F Neill manual, but is described in the WD 16H manual which is free to download from several sites.
Norton possibly added it in the late 20's when cast iron pistons were being swapped for alloy, and pistons nipping up became a problem. Also, riders who were used to controlling the total loss oiling didn't trust the new automatic lubrication, which is probably why the oil pressure tell tale was added to set their minds at rest (and provide yet another source of oil leaks). That was eventually dropped also.
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I covered it over
John,
I covered it over with a gasket on my1956 ES2 a couple of years ago. Doesn't seem to effect any thing.
I was having sparkplug fouling problems that is now cured. I'm not sure if that fixed it as I did a few other things at the same time.
Don Anson
Melbourne
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Thanks
thank you all for your input....Dave if your 50’s date is correct then I have mismatched crankcases. I The drive side serial number lists it as a Sep 1960 engine........but it works so what the hell!!!
Don, Not sure if the plug was oiling as opposed to rich mixture...but I am tempted to block the hole as the base gasket did appear to dribble oil.
The cyl head is away for repairs but meantime I’ll clean up the barrel fins and treat it to a new paint job.
regards John
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But I believe deleted on later models.