Honda-SOHC

Well I was going great with the 350F rebuild.

Got the wiring together this afternoon (still needs tidying) and everything checked out and worked great first time.

Then spun the engine over on the starter with the plugs out to get oil pressure up. Got pressure fairly quick and it holds for about 8 seconds before the light comes on again, so all's good.

Then I noticed a pool of oil on the floor coming from the timing cover. On closer inspection its the timing side crankshaft oil seal that's pouring oil out. Its either a bad seal or I've put it in the wrong way around.

Anybody know if it can be changed in situ.

Got a horrible feeling the engines coming out again to split the cases.

Hope not, don't think I could face that at the moment as that's a long way in reverse.

Thanks all.


PS this was the oil seal kit I used:  http://shop.honda4.nl/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=35_93_105&products_id=734

There has been a few threads recently about Ethanol in Petrol ruining the fuel systems on classics like ours. It was suggested by MarkCR750 to try the Ethanil kit as advertised on eBay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ETHANIL-STANDARD-KIT-remove-ethanol-from-petrol-yourself-/151831596991?hash=item2359de4fbf so I decided to give it a go. This thread is about the results of that.

The kit arrived quickly all in one large box. The kit consists of a 20ltr separator tank, a measuring container, and a large funnel.
The first step is to fill the tank with 18ltrs of standard pump petrol.

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The measuring bottle is then filled with about 2ltrs of plain tap water to the clearly marked line.

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The water is then added to the petrol in the tank and the decanting valve is fastened down tightly.
Now comes the workout. The tank needs to be shaken for about 2 minutes to thoroughly mix the contents.
The tank is then placed on a bench with the nozzle facing down.

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The mix is then left to stand for 2 to 3 hours whilst the water absorbs most of the Ethanol and settles at the bottom of the tank.
When this is complete, a "phase" line can be seen at the bottom of the tank. This is the separation of the water and petrol. The tank needs to be tilted forwards slightly to ensure all the water can be removed from the tank. Using the decanting valve, the water mix is carefully drained back into the measuring container until the first tiny measure of petrol appears. Set the container on a level surface and read off the level, this will be higher than the water level at the start.

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The difference in level is due to the Ethanol content absorbed into the water. It can be read off the scale as a percentage. In this case its about 2.4%, that is the Ethanol content. The petrol in the tank is now virtually Ethanol free and can be put back into the bike.

The kit works very well at removing the Ethanol, however it is a real messy faff to do. Also I have breathed in so much Benzene doing this that I probably have cancer now. So I have been getting a few samples in a couple of petrol cans and testing them with interesting results.

BP Regular Unleaded is about 2.4%
BP Ultimate Super Unleaded is Ethanol free
Morrisons cheap Regular Unleaded is about 4.1%

So there you have it, until January 2017 just use BP Ultimate Super Unleaded. These results were in the West of Lancashire, the Ethanol content may vary by region.

David Silvers updated the web site last night and now its partly being blocked by Ad-block. The parts being blocked are the search for model and part numbers. I have emailed Easylist (the blocklist maintainers) but for now you will have to Whitelist the site. I have informed David Silvers who know about the problem. Steve can probably advise you more on this. Cheers Roy.

Must stop logging into eBay before I go bankrupt.

Does anybody know of a UK supplier for VIN plate rivets. Thanks.

It may be an old debate but Ethanol in petrol is well known to destroy classics like ours.

An observation.
I have just made a trip to the Isle of Man on my old 750F2. This is a bike that is prone to tickover issues, in that sometimes it will and sometimes it stalls. It's been doing that for a long time, with me (and others)blaming the horrible PD carbs. Ran onto reserve in the IOM and filled to the brim over there. Within a few miles I noticed the tickover was steady, strange. And for the duration of the visit it stayed that way. It has now come to my attention that all petrol on the IOM is Ethanol free. I think I see the connection here.

So I went looking for a source of Ethanol free fuel and came up with this.   http://www.groups.tr-register.co.uk/wessex/ethanol-update.html  This site is updated regularly. For my area (the north west) I can use BP Ultimate Super and Esso Super Unleaded and get Ethanol free petrol. There is of course Aspen, but it is difficult to source and expensive.

Any other sources of Ethanol Free petrol?

I need to replace the seal on the 350 fuel cap. Have already taken the old one off which may have been a mistake. As well as the sprung portion there appears to be a loose washer underneath, I assume the loose washer goes inside the seal as well.

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Is there a trick for getting these rubber seals on as it is extremely fiddly.

Also, whats the best way to open up the new rivet ends?

Thanks.