It's fine, just check your levels in the primary and in the gearbox and go enjoy. Keep an eye on the oil level in the tank as you would with any old machinery. Go ride and make some noise. Here's the gearbox showing oil level And here's the primary cover showing oil level All pretty simple just use the correct plugs to ensure filling and levels and you are good to go. Enjoy.
Go ride and enjoy...make some noise. Best advice ever! Cleaned underside of engine etc, went for a spin, parked on center stand and left it overnight. Went back today and not a drop on the floor. Just the weep on primary inspection cover and one other small accumulation. No one ever answered whether there's supposed to be a gasket behind the circular 3 bolt inspection cover. That's where ATF seeps. I noticed one other spot where there's a visible crack in primary cover gasket. Swap that out and we should be good! Just time to go enjoy the bike! I think what was under the engine was really just 6 years of grime accumulation cuz after the thorough clean up it's still pretty clean. Bike starts 1 kick every time now and runs like a dream! Back in love with this old girl. Appreciate all the help you guys are great.
Yes there is a gasket with the rotor/timing inspection cover don't over tighten the two nuts on the primary cover as its easy to crack/deform the main primary cover if that's not the problem already.
btw on the cover gaskets like the primary, i use gasket cement to permanently stick the gasket to th ecover, let it set up, and then grease the motor side. generally this means that you won't tear the gasket up taking the cover off, and you can reuse it several times before it wears out. if you do that you may trim the front a bit to make sure the gasket doesn't hang up on the stator. other gaskets i also just grease em up clutch plates too
My ol' buddy Speedrattle!! Yes she still works lol. Been makin noise and just enjoying her. I love my mutt. I actually just got back for the Mecum auction in Las Vegas NV! So, many, awesome British bikes!! Haven't had any further issues with the bike, got the oil/primary leaks to a minimum. Still haven't swapped the primary gasket but added the inspection cover gasket. Helped. I promised my now wife I wouldn't do any more work on the bike until after our reception on Saturday. Only thing I've noticed as of late is sometimes, mostly when hot it doesn't settle back into idle or idles kind of high when shifting. Minor but I'll look into that after Saturday. Still need to brush up on Amals. Good to hear from you!!
not returning quickly to base idle could be dry throttle cables or twistgrip at the simplest. or your idle settings could be a bit lean, and you should turn the mixture screws in a bit. or the slides could be worn out and leaking air. if thats the case there are all sorts of fixes that people developed in the bad years when we couldnt get new parts. but now that new amal premier carbs are sold by burlen theres no excuse to mess with worn-out amals. if thats the problem, start saving and just buy new ones. i dont usually mess with worn out amals and just fit VM mikunis, if theres room. the mikunis are better carbs and are easier to get exactly right. the issue with them is usually squeezing air filters into the limited space
Got it!! You rock man. I'll share some pics of the British stuff from my trip soon! Also will start a new thread hoping to identify all my parts and tools once I can clean the shop a bit.
I have thoroughly enjoyed following this thread. I don't do any mechanic-ing, leave that to my handsome husband on his '76 T140 and '71 Commando; but I enjoy reading about it (and doing a little bit on my '71 walk-behind tractor but that's limited to just keeping it running so far). Super impressed with @speedrattle, @Iron and @darkman's *extreme* generosity with time and expertise. Reading this has led to numerous good conversations with HH as I share parts or ask for further explanations. Have enjoyed this all from the beginning last year. And happy to know there's another old Triumph on the road, even if all the way out in MT. Ride safe.
Got a new throttle cable, thick primary gasket and a couple odds n ends for the ol' mutt. Was thinking of adding an oil pressure gauge...any recommendations of something good and budget friendly? I refuse to handlebar mount it because I'll obsess over reading it constantly lol
Got a new throttle cable, thick primary gasket and a couple odds n ends for the ol' mutt. Was thinking of adding an oil pressure gauge...any recommendations of something good and budget friendly? I refuse to handlebar mount it because I'll obsess over reading it constantly lol
I have a pressure testing kit for workshop use and i also have a Morgo gauge fitted to my TT that i can use/swap on to any bike should i wish to check oil pressure whitest riding on the road.
Yep, agree with Darkman. Some way to check oil pressure is a must in my book. I prefer a light, which is a simple fit. The switch would bolt straight in - take the bolt out at the bottom of the picture in the timing side cover (post #171) and install a pressure switch. Wire in, choose where to stick the light, probably in the headlight shell, sorted. Go make more noise.
Look up t120 oil pressure switch for your model. There's a few types with different threads. Earlier ones have a tapered thread called a Smith's type, then there's later parallel threads of 24 or 26 threads per inch. Take your bolt out, it'll drip a few drops of oil, measure the threads and look up for a switch with thread to match. They are about a tenner each. I put it in with some plumber's PTFE tape as well. Then a couple of wires and a bulb. Here's the wiring diagram. The light will come on with the ignition and go off when you have pressure.
whether you do a gauge or a light, get the threads right and go easy. if you crank a tapered fitting hard into a straight hole you can crack the cover. ditto straight fitting into a tapered hole i think all the covers interchange between years so you may have a tapered or a straight hole by this time.
Good info, thanks all. As promised here's some beautiful bikes from the Mecum auction in Las Vegas NV! The last upload is my wife and I with the Bonnie at our recent wedding reception. Yes she rode up on the back in her wedding dress.
Some info on threads as i remember, up to 69 all timing cover oil pressure outlets and bungs are 3/8th CEI 26 TPI and the later covers are 1/8th NPS (straight) 27 TPI and a few had the less common 1/8th NPT (taper) 27 TPI
