Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
My 1971 Norton 750 Commando leaked oil out of everywhere except the headlight. Of course the light and switchgear was Lucas so, although it didn't leak oil, it also didn't work most of the time. I find the my 8V71Tis have much in common with that Norton.
I noticed a bit of engine oil seeping from the fuel pump. Imagine my surprise to find in the service manual that it is normal(!) for the fuel pump to seep engine oil. There are also seeps dripping off the undersides of the exhaust manifolds. I haven't looked into where it's actually coming from yet. Then there are the minor drips from the myriad assorted fittings that attach to hoses, sensors, and pipes, some of which seem to head out into some alternate universe.
One of my low level "to-do's" is to see if I can actually stop all the little drips and seeps. But it's not encouraging to read that the factory didn't even bother to try; they just wrote it off as "normal." I'm going to check the engine closely to see if there is any codes that would show it was made in Wolverhampton!
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
i came to the same conclusion about DDs and Jaguar V12s... don't know which one leaks more oil... and they are both basically bulletproof engines.
http://www.pam-trading.com/pg/galler.../851566111.jpg
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
Neither of my Triumphs nor my Norton leak oil. I better check to see if the sumps are dry :(
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
I have a time tested solution for your "normal" oil leaks. It's probably a reality that the little buggers need a paint job anyway. Bring home some IMRON (DuPont) - color of your choice, I prefer white, wipe em down with enamel thinner to get the petroleum residue off. Scrape where you need to, and sand the smooth surfaces. Get a good brush and a good charcoal breather mask (or better), mix up a batch and spend a rainy weekend in the engine room. Two to three coats will stop all of the weaping and they will look like a million bucks to boot. This is the forth set I've done - it works.
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
Jim,
Check that sump! If your Norton isn't leaking oil, it's because there isn't any in it! You shouldn't run it without oil like that! :) I can't speak personally for Triumphs but they are British...
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
No, I'm only kidding. They do have oil in them. I haven't got to ride a lot lately, but with the weather getting better I'm hopeful. If you are down here and want to briefly recapture your lost youth, you can take the Commando around the block. Although after you kickstart it, you'll be too tired to ride it. :D
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
So how many of us also restore old vehicles?? I have a '49 Mercedes that I had to buy three of them to get enough original parts to put one good running one together.
It's gott'a be something about loving working on these machines and bringing them up to our standards.
My wife claims that I really bought 2 big, hairy diesel engines and a boat to carry them around.
Doug
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
My restoration was a 1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass S convertible. I guess living near Lansing, MI puts the love of Oldsmobiles in ya. It took many trips to bone yards all across the country to get that one right.
Now I just hold on to my 1987 Olds 442 (the last year that they made 'em). Bought her new and can't bear to let her go.
Re: Detroit Diesel/Norton Motorcycles - Kindred spirits...
'66 Mustang sedan. 289, std trans, fully restored sits in my garage. It's fun to time warp back to my high school days, cruisin in my mother's '66 'Stang with my HS girlfriend Jeanne.
Hmmm... that was over 30 years ago, I bet that car has aged better than she has...