Turning off oil feed taps

[willsleddon]

Gents again. I have the glass drippers mounted on the diagonal downtube with oil in the frame. Once the bike is started it is frankly embarrassing as to how much global warming takes place in such a short time. The oil drippers are set to their normal operating position when it warms up and there is a slight trace of something oily burning when this happens.

My question therefore is to save the Greenland ice sheet, do folks turn their drippers in tight to prevent oil just entering the engine when it is stood down. I reckon I have around 30 inches of copper feed pipe downstream of the drippers and if this gets full during operation the oil will then gradually run out into the engine so that next time it starts it becomes very smoky. It could be that regular doses of high density two stroke smoke have prevented me catching Covid though. Just an offhand observation. I did contact Mr Trump about this.

What advise can folks offer please to quell my concerns. Is it just a matter of having the oil feed on when you need it so knowing where you are going to end up and relying on oil in the wells at then end of your journey?

Thanks, Will

[dave bushell]

Always turn the droppers off when the bike is not in use. The wells in the bottom of the crankcase tend to fill with oil that has drained down when the bike has not been in use and so when started the big ends dip into these oil reservoirs, displacing the oil which produces the smoke at start up. It also beneficially lubricates the big ends straight away.

[NIngram]

So can we now conclude that smoking is indeed good for us but more importantly our Scott ?

[dave bushell]

Try running without any!

[Deleted User]

Do not forget that the barrel type “drippers” on a Scott are not supposed to drip,the oil is sucked in b y the engine & normally do not drip if not turned off the “drippers” are there to meter the oil.Scotts should not smoke in these days of “Ester” synthetic oil such as Fuchs Silkolene “Comp 2” Potty

[Ian Parsons]

I find that if I leave my Scott unused for more than a couple of weeks then the oil that drains down into the crankcase will cause quite a smoke screen on first starting. Once that has cleared then the bike does run fairly smoke free assuming that I have adjusted the Pilgrim pump correctly. It does highlight the importance of only adjust the oil flow after riding a mile or so. However I do seem to over oil as the alternative could be expensive!

[willsleddon]

Yes Glyn and Ian. Both of those comments are true in my case. Since I have got the barrel type you speak of Glyn, I can see that these are just regulate rates of suction and that turning them when the engine is not sucking will not actually do anything.

I am glad you have pointed that out Ian because that is probably what I am experiencing with starting the bike every two weeks as part of radiator research.

Thanks, Will

[Deleted User]

Over-oiling seems to have been a common safeguard from the earliest days. Attached is a copy of a photograph from The Motor Cycle in 1912. It shows R A (Angus) MacMillan riding the Scott with which he won the Scottish Six Days Reliability Trial. I guess he can be excused for the smoke as he was photographed climbing an observed hill  – I am not sure which, but Wednesday’s route ran from Aberdeen to Dingwall via Elgin and Inverness. I often think of this when I am accused of emitting too much smoke !

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[Deleted User]

My bike was smoking a lot after being left for a while; I stripped and cleaned the drippers which cured it, obviously not seating properly. I don’t think they need to smoke all the time with modern 2T oil though. I set them for 5-6 drips per minute, after a couple of miles. In Summer you have to back them off when it gets hot.

[Deleted User]

I’m new to the whole scott ownership how do you turn the droppers down, is it the two silver discs and is turning it to 1 turning it off

thanks tom

[cjespalding@gmail.com]

Hello Tom. This post mostly refers to “gravity drippers” which are glass tubes, usually mounted on a small oil tank located on the frame, well above the engine. With these drippers, the engine is started and then screw taps are manually turned until oil can be seen dripping slowly into the glass tubes and then to the engine.

I think that your question may be about a Pilgrim oil pump which is mounted on the side of the crankcase or on the magneto platform. The Pilgrim is driven whenever the engine is running and delivers oil automatically according to engine revs. The rate of delivery is regulated to each side of the engine by the silver discs you mention. The starting point for adjustment is that when you start the engine, you will see that oil spits from each “beak” seen through the top of the pump. For every four spits a drop of oil should fall from the beak into the chamber. This rate of delivery is adjusted by turning the silver discs clockwise to reduce delivery, anti-clockwise to increase.

When the engine is hot, the ratio of spits to drops will almost certainly change so should be adjusted back to four to one and then left at this setting and needs no further attention but should be checked regularly when riding and the engine is fully up to temperature.

If you have a reduction gear in your oil pump drive or any other modification, then ignore the above and ask again!

Regards

Colin

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