Re: Oil leak
Posted: 16 Jun 2023 11:37
Thanks Mike/Mark for your comments. It is certainly a fact that Morini’s run best when they are used and certainly with my previous bikes I have tended to use them 12 months of the year. Obviously during the winter months this has only been when weather allowed but nonetheless this did work particularly with the 9 1/2 which was 100% reliable during 13 years of ownership.
Acknowledging that the bike had been off road for 3 years I did take the trouble of having the bike serviced/checked over by a Morini specialist, tank was drained, float bowls drained and new fuel purchased. All fluids replaced, engine & fork oil, brakes bled with new seals/fluid. Cam belt replaced, tappets adjusted, timing checked and carbs balanced, as you can imagine the invoice was not small although I did buy the bike with this cost in mind. That said like any old machine there is always more to replace, clutch cable, this was found to be hanging by a thread after riding the bike from the garage. The ride home also confirmed that the bike was running rough, inspection of the plugs confirmed the front pot running rich, the specialists suggested i look to see if the choke was stuck on. The 500’s have a cable operated choke which I found badly routed and decidedly second hand, this was replaced by a couple of flick up chokes, my previous ownership of several 3 1/2’s mean I am proficient at operating these whilst on the move. Unfortunately the rough running continued so I stripped and clean the carbs, replacing all gaskets, float pins and needles which were in poor condition. At the same time air filters were also replaced, these were in bad condition and should have been checked during the service. There were other small details which needed correcting, the new plugs were BP8ES so I changed these to 7’s which are considered to be the correct. The gasket on the filter cap had perished so I replaced this. The tips on the mixture screws were also pitted so these were replaced with new springs, washers and o rings, carb inlets were also checked for air leaks and throttle cables checked to ensure smooth operation of the throttle bodies.
As you can tell it has been a journey. I will as you suggest replace the float needle/valve. I have inspected the floats, these seem fine, they are the correct type, GR 11.3. If the problem continues I will replace them obviously but for now I will wait and see. The 20/50 option seems a good idea, I assume this will help seal the rings. Do I revert back to the 10/40 after say 500 miles? I will of course keep a close eye on the oil level to see if any contaminants (fuel) is getting into the sump. Thanks again for your help.
Regards
Paul
Acknowledging that the bike had been off road for 3 years I did take the trouble of having the bike serviced/checked over by a Morini specialist, tank was drained, float bowls drained and new fuel purchased. All fluids replaced, engine & fork oil, brakes bled with new seals/fluid. Cam belt replaced, tappets adjusted, timing checked and carbs balanced, as you can imagine the invoice was not small although I did buy the bike with this cost in mind. That said like any old machine there is always more to replace, clutch cable, this was found to be hanging by a thread after riding the bike from the garage. The ride home also confirmed that the bike was running rough, inspection of the plugs confirmed the front pot running rich, the specialists suggested i look to see if the choke was stuck on. The 500’s have a cable operated choke which I found badly routed and decidedly second hand, this was replaced by a couple of flick up chokes, my previous ownership of several 3 1/2’s mean I am proficient at operating these whilst on the move. Unfortunately the rough running continued so I stripped and clean the carbs, replacing all gaskets, float pins and needles which were in poor condition. At the same time air filters were also replaced, these were in bad condition and should have been checked during the service. There were other small details which needed correcting, the new plugs were BP8ES so I changed these to 7’s which are considered to be the correct. The gasket on the filter cap had perished so I replaced this. The tips on the mixture screws were also pitted so these were replaced with new springs, washers and o rings, carb inlets were also checked for air leaks and throttle cables checked to ensure smooth operation of the throttle bodies.
As you can tell it has been a journey. I will as you suggest replace the float needle/valve. I have inspected the floats, these seem fine, they are the correct type, GR 11.3. If the problem continues I will replace them obviously but for now I will wait and see. The 20/50 option seems a good idea, I assume this will help seal the rings. Do I revert back to the 10/40 after say 500 miles? I will of course keep a close eye on the oil level to see if any contaminants (fuel) is getting into the sump. Thanks again for your help.
Regards
Paul