Triumphrat

spearce72

Alright, I've searched through the forums for any threads regarding a flushing procedure for an OIF Bonneville and can't find anything about fluhing the reservoir.

The shop manual says that it is "advisable to flush out the oil reservoir with a flushing oil or if this is unavailable use kerosene"

Do you guys flush the reservoir at every oil change? If so, what do you use and how do you go about it? Any info is greatly appreciated.

I wanted to ask before I just started pouring kerosene through the oil fill cap on the frame.

This a 1976 Bonneville T140V.

Thanks
Scott

pogue54

well, here I go again, talking thru my hat, but I just did this a couple days ago, and here's what I found. The aluminum bottom of the backbone, and the strainer should be removed and cleaned in kero, and the strainer should be maybe sprayed with carb cleaner too. Blow it dry with compressed air and see that the gunk is gone. The bottom inch or two of my reservoir was just rough as a cob with weld splatter, and I am amazed that they let that get thru QA, lol. I tried wiping with a paper towel, and left more crap in there than i removed, so carb spray and picking the lint out was what was called for. I think if you used carb spray on the bottom inch or two of the reservoir inside, you would be doing all you can. Use paper gaskets, purchased or cut out of resin paper, with grease or a light coat of permatex, both sides of the strainer flange, and in my case the strainer flange was rusty, so I wire-wheeled the crap out of it, then reassemble. Don't know what else you can do. Pouring kero down the pipe won't do much, it seems to me. Good luck and good riding. Oh, yeah, be sure to scrape the flange on the bottom of the backbone to get the old gasket crap off, and do a good job of it.

OzBloke

Good response, Pogue !

__________________
Per Ardua Ad Astra
(Through difficulties to the stars)

spearce72

Thanks for clearing that up Pogue.

htown16

You might consider fitting an external oil filter. Once I did that I never take the sump plate off.

__________________
Htown16, Houston, Texas
1978 T140E Bonneville, 2004 XL 1200R Sportster, 1972 Commando,
1974 Commando
Everything will be alright in the end.
If its not alright, its not the end.

spearce72

htown, I actually ordered an external filter from MAP yesterday and it should be here in a day or so. I was hoping the external filter would keep me from having to drop the plate in the future, but MAP said I would still need to still take of the plate for oil changes even with the external filter hooked up.

So, it sounds like you've had good results with just changing the external filter and leaving the plate alone.

I think once I get the reservoir cleaned, oil changed and the new MAP filter installed, I will skip the plate next oil change. Maybe just do it every other oil change in the future.

Again, thanks for the comments.