Hi all,
I have been rebuilding a C25/B25 Barracuda for about 18 months and I am within a few weeks of potentially trying to start it again (first time in about 45 years). Obviously I will provide the right grade of oil and (hopefully) put it in the right place but does anyone know of a procedure that should be followed to ensure that oil is where it should be before I attempt to start the bike? I lubricated as I rebuilt but there is bound to be places where there are potential air-locks and empty oil galleries. What can I do to make sure that oil if flowing where it is needed before I fire up? Will turning the engine over many times with the spark plug out and the oil tank full be enough?
If you can help, thanks,
Rev Kev
Ideally pour 200mls of oil down the top cover over the pushrod tunnel and turn the engine over a couple of dozen times with plug out/ignition off.
Do the usual trick of looking for oil returning at the top of the oil tank and put a finger over the hole for a few seconds to purge the return line.
Roller bearings are forgiving but bushes, cams etc less so.
Many people will use a running in oil rich in Zinc to protect rubbing' components for a few hundred miles.
Hi,
That what Neil said is totally right!
I just have started my B33 after rebuild.
My approach before taking it for a ride to make few hours of idling.
Now am at 15 munutes of idling interval.
I have two external fans for air flow and cooling
Let it cool down and next interval is increased .
In total I plan to make around 10h then change oil for fresh....and only then start riding...
Build it, start it, ride it in a spirited manner for 20-30 mins so the engine isnt labouring . Go through all of the gears and let it work a bit shutting off periodically to load the rings up with back pressure.
Job done.
Indeed. No long periods of idling, no daft "take it for a walk" scenarios, just use it and change the oil after 500 miles at most.
I agree, sitting idling for a long time is not good.
Make sure you have oil flow and return, all nuts and bolts are tight and a few gentle spins around local environ no lugging or screaming, just gently up and down the gearbox with no heavy load.
2-300 miles is fine before oil change.
You need to load it up a bit, just gently riding is as bad as letting it idle. Load it by making it work not slog in high gears.
My old dad used to say a rebuilt engine should be revved under a light loading using all the gears but never allowed to slog in a high gear and never allowed to tick over for more than a traffic light sequence.
An engine that is run in on tick over is only run in for tick over revs. I would reckon piston rings and valve guides would be the most effected and could cause high oil consumption.
Hey, that's awesome you're so close to firing it up! When I rebuilt my bike, I did a similar prep. I cranked it over with the plugs out and the oil tank full, which really helped get the oil circulating. I also primed the oil pump manually—check your manual for how to do that on your bike. Keep an eye out for leaks and watch the oil pressure gauge when you start it up.
It's an exciting time! I think all you can do is crank the engine over as you say. It didn't take long for mine show oil returning to the tank. If you're feeling energetic I suppose you could push the bike round bump start fashion to get the oil circulating.
Sooner or later you'll have to fire it up though. It's always a bit nerve racking for the first few minutes though.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes!