Topic: Help. First start up after build. Oil pressure?

[cakey]

Went to do the first start up today. I was just tweeting the start button to get the oil light off and the bike wanted too fire. So I put the kill switch on and kept just geeking the starter button but the light wouldn't go off.

Battery went flat in short order so I have it on the charge now.

Is there a way to check if I have oil flowing through or if it's a faulty light or pressure gauge. I did prime the oil pump in a bucket of oil first and had a tapped cover
loose ready too double check oil was going through the head but never got that far.

I put three litres of oil in the oil tank but stupid me didn't check it on the dip stick first so I don't know if it has gone down or not.

I put a new wiring loom through the bike and still have a brown wire and a blck wire left over that I have no idea what to do with. It was the same with the old loom.

Any assistance very much appreciated. I don't want to press the start button again in case I've done something wrong.

[cakey]

I have done a check to see if the wire is shorted. The light went off when I disconnected the wire. So I guess it's either dodgy pressure switch or no oil?

[pamcopete]

Using the oil pressure light for an initial startup is not satisfactory because the switch works at a very low pressure, like 7 PSI. The oil pressure is in the 60 to 70 PSI range so you have to check it anyway after a rebuild. Remove the oil pressure switch and connect a 100 PSI oil pressure gauge there temporarily.

[cakey]

If I did that do you have any idea of the thread size?

Is there any way I can check if there is any oil getting into the engine?

[PeWe]

I heard from one guy that he opened the plug where oil pressure gauge can be mounted, up left from points.
To see if oil pump is working

[lrutt]

I think I'd pull the switch and just see if you get oil flow first. Yea, the mechanical gauge would be great but you don't need that just to see if the oil is flowing.

Did you lube up the cam journals and rockers etc. when you re-assembled? Also, if you are going to rely on the starter to get oil moving, at least pull the plugs.

I don't see where you indicate you pulled the motor apart. So if you didn't, pour a BUNCH of oil into the valve cover caps on the intake side to flood the cam area good and turn it over.

Did you pull the oil pan to make sure it was clean and clear?

What bike, what year, how many miles?

Did you put a new oil filter in? if so, you first have to fill that and it will take a bit before oil circulates through the motor.

Just throwin out thoughts here.

[70CB750]

I run the starter everytime I change oil till the light goes out, it takes about 45 seconds and that's with oil in the oil pump.

The oil pressure gauge typically has 1/8" NPT, the plug - if we are talking cb750 here - is M20x1.5.  Typical solution is to drill the original plug and screw the gauge into it.   I made my own beefy plug just for the gauge since the gauge is installed permanently.  It is very helpful to know the oil pressure.

[cakey]

1971 CB750K1
Don't ask how much spent
Nut and bolt resto
Engine split
.50 oversize
New everything
Heads done

Thanks for throwing it out there Irutt I really appreciate it.

So I had plug in. Should take out? Be better?
Open the valve covers and squirt a heap of oil in there? The engine has only been slowly hand turned since the rebuild was finished 9 months a go. I live in the tropics so lots of humidity and don't want the cylinders to stick.
Yes new filter. Everything's new. Didn't know it would help to fill with oil. I can do that.

Suit a heap of oil on the heads, Plugs out. Oil filter with oil. Kill switch on? Sound about right?

[cakey]

Thanks 70cb750,

Do you mean continuous 45 seconds or blipping on and off?

[Stoli]

I've had to turn one of these engines over for 2 minutes before oil got to the top end. Supposedly if you remove the cap (where you would mount a permanent pressure gauge) when you are turning it over, it helps get the pump started. Just be ready for oil to shoot out of the hole. Then replace the cap, turn it over for another 10 secs or so and remove a tappet cover to make sure oil is making it up to your top end. Once you confirm that, fire it up. If you keep a tappet cover off while turning it over, I would suggest one of the intake covers. Once oil gets up there, it doesn't take long for it to start pouring out of an open exhaust tappet cover. Big mess. Don't ask me how I know that.

[cakey]

I'm worried about removing that cap because it looks like one of those caps (aka final drive oil cap GL1000) that wants too round off as soon as you hit it with a spanner. The edges are not straight but slanted. Am I wrong?

It sounds like I might be panicking early. Open up the valve caps and get a heap of oil in there to stop any damage to the top end and try more constant starts to get the oil up. Maybe fill the filter with oil to help as well!

In my GL1000 the oil light went out after three presses of the start button and then it was game on.

If I can take that cap off without damaging it then let me know  and I will.

[70CB750]

Thanks 70cb750,

Do you mean continuous 45 seconds or blipping on and off?

Continuous starting with kill switch in No run position.

[cakey]

I'm starting to feel better. Hoping it's my process that's wrong and not the ingredients!

I'm going to do all the above over the weekend and get back to you with the results.

Lots money, lots time, lots elbow grease maybe over thinking it because it didn't happen quick enough. Lots of good advice that i didn't do anyway such as continuous, filled filter, no plugs, oiling top end to protect it.

[70CB750]

If you don't have one, here is the oil schema. 

If you remove the galley plug, you can pour some oil in, it will fill the oil filter and the passage filter - pump.  That's what I did on my build, did not start it yet, hard to say if it makes a difference 

[ekpent]

Its always kind of scary doing a first start up. Not a lot of oil will really move until its actually started for real. When you get up the courage to light it up for real have the dip stick out of the oil tank with a flashlight and look for a quick drop in the level and some bubbles and other commotion going on in there to see that oil is moving.

[70CB750]

I have seen car engines started without oil during troubleshooting, only 10-15 seconds.  It would scare the crap out of me on my vehicle, but mechanics said it will not hurt it.

OK, the engine was broken in with residual oil, not new and dry, but it was on the other hand 454 V8.

[Stoli]

... maybe over thinking it because it didn't happen quick enough.

99% chance that is the case. Always freaks me out how long it takes. Charge your battery and keep turning.

[Old Scrambler]

Since your motor has been sitting for several months, when you pull the plugs you may want to spray a little lubricant onto the pistons/walls. Marvels or WD40 or motor-oil. When we start my salt-flats motor, we use a remote battery to power the starter and run it with the kill-button in the off position...........it takes 15-seconds for the needle to move in the pressure gauge mounted on the end of the galley. The its 'switch-on' and an instant start to the sound of 'joyfully thunderous music.'

[flybox1]

I was worried, too, after my rebuild.
Even with priming my pump before rebuild, the light wouldnt go off with cranking or kicking.
I poured 1/2 a quart up top thru the tapped covers, and then started it. 
Light went out right away....

[cakey]

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!

You guys are awesome.

Woke up this morning and put a half a quart of oil in the inlet tappet covers, took the spark plugs out and then went to put oil in the oil filter and oil start pouring out. I thought ok it's got oil. Went to start it with the kill switch on and the oil light went out instantly. Put everything back on and it fired for the first time in 20 years

I'd been advised to check the tappet cover with the bike running to double check that there was oil in the head but I see oil on the bottom of the head but its not splashing around or anything or splashing out the tappet cover holes. I checked the two outside ones.

The oil pressure light is staying off and I am only running for 20 - 30 seconds because as soon as I am 100% its all good then I want to take it out on the street and bed the rings in by putting it under load. I don't suppose there is an easier way to double check oil is running through the head or should there be heaps more oil splashing everywhere.

I also think the starter motor is stuffed. If I hold the button for too long then it stops and sounds like a free spinning chain. Let it sit for a couple of seconds and then it works again.

Carb bowls 3 and 4 are a little bit leaky but I am thinking maybe I didn't get the float hights spot on when I did the carbies. Can I adjust float heights by leaving the carbies on the bike or do they have to come off to turn over and do the float heights.

Sorry for all the questions but once again can't thank everyone enough for getting me to this point. My only real concern is how to confirm the oil is flowing through the head?

[mick7504]

Here's a photo of the cam tower Rob showing the oil ports.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Congrats. If your starter is disengaging then the starter clutch needs to be rebuilt eventually. It's at that big gear behind the alternator rotor. Has 3 rollers, springs and caps that push against/jam the end of the crank. Sometimes that contact area on the gear becomes irregular shaped too which does not help. It may be turned down slightly which I've never heard anyone actually do or replaced with a better used unit.

[Old Scrambler]

Your starter may be lacking proper oil............until you actually run the motor under load.

With the motor running............pull the dip-stick and look (flashlight) for bubbly-foaming oil to return.

[cakey]

So old scrambler are you saying that bubbles in the oil would eom strata a complete circuit of the oil through the head an back to the tank? That's my understanding of what your describing.

Going to check it out soon. Just got back from a outlet 50th out of town. Hopefully the bike is in better condition than me.

[mick7504]

Sounds like the oil was circulating ok at Wagait Beach mate. 

[cakey]

Yes Mick I had partaken of much internal degrunging fluid since yesterday but I think it was something wrong with the mud crab

So I fired it up. I couldn't see the oil ports properly once the bike was running but when checking the front tapped cover it went from a little bit of oil to filling up and out the hole pretty quick.

In the oil tank I could see a town of tiny bubbles coming up through the oil. Think I'm good to put this thing under load? It might be too loud for me today though.

[Don R]

Yes ride it, yes you can adjust the floats with the carbs on. It's just harder to see when the little pin moves. I use the clear tube method to double check.