What could this be.....?

[bendyminge]

Sorry fort the long winded message, but need some advice!

Finally got to run my engine on the bike, after numerous tests on an engine stand, but then noticed the clutch arm wasn't doing anything after been ran for about ten minutes in total. It turned out that the circlip had fallen off and the actuator was not been pressed against the clutch. So I took it apart to put back together and found oil and gunk like this!
The circlip was nowhere to be seen, so could this be a chewed up circlip or is something more sinister at foot here? Bearing in mind that this is new oil having only been ran on stand and bike for about 20 minutes in total, shouldn't the oil be pristine or is this normal for a rebuilt engine?!

Ben

[xenia1]

Was the engine fully rebuilt? If so was the casing and all internal parts washed thoroughly before reassembly?
From that oil run it does look like metal fragments but from your limited engine run doubt its the circlip, these are tempered steel and wouldnt be ground up like that..

[bendyminge]

It was washed/cleaned, but only by me with degreasant etc. it wasn't chemical cleaned or anything. If it isn't the circlip, then where has that gone?! Is that amount of gunk normal though, or do I need to take gearbox out again?

Ben

[bendyminge]

Sorry, and yes, it was fully rebuilt.

Ben

[Warkton Tornado No.1]

IMO that sludge is fairly normal for a Lambretta engine & possibly what most engines without oil filtration would show. In a car engine, for example, the oil is filtered, so you won’t be witnessing anything like what you see there.

There are ferrous particles which mostly cling to the magnet on the drain plug. They will occur naturally as the chain is steel acting on steel sprockets. The clutch inner & outer plates have steel ears acting on the steel clutch bell & sprocket. The front sprocket shock absorber parts are steel. The gears are....wait for it...steel.....

The non ferrous sludge will be from the clutch actuator in the case of the GP type.....

The non metallic sludge will be friction material from the clutch & chain-tensioner.....

Do persevere & try & find that missing circlip, though.

You could consider filtering that oil through a funnel paper type & refilling if you think it has done very little so far. It's doubtful that it has deteriorated. An ex-Lambretta race champion used to let his used oil stand in containers back @ his home to re-use just the top part without the crap in it.

[kennystag]

I bet the ex-Lambretta race champion was your good self tornado.
Cheers
Stag

[bendyminge]

Thanks Warkton, that's put my mind at ease. I will try to find the circlip though before it goes back together, because as Xenia had said, they're hardened and I don't want that floating around in there!

Cheers,

Ben

[Warkton Tornado No.1]

Post by kennystag » Mon Aug 22, 2016 4:10 pm

I bet the ex-Lambretta race champion was your good self tornado.
Cheers
Stag

Kenny. You know me well enough by now to know that I would admit it were it me!

But thanks for thinking I was ever a 'an ex-Lambretta race champion!'

[kennystag]

The clue is in the Tornado. lol
Stag