Anyone recognise these parts!

Maestro, SEI-V
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Sicxtyone
Posts: 121
Joined: 29 Sep 2018 07:34
Location: Worthing
Location: Worthing West Sussex

Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Sicxtyone »

I thought it a good time to do a first oil change after re commissioning, so good and hot after following Floyd back from Petersfield
The first draining yealded the bit on the plate and lots of shards in the oil strainer and oil. So did another fill and drain and after gentle warming up the other bits of alloy and sludge was the result.
The large bits were all recovered around the inside of the sump plug with a piece of wire, quite a good haul! The strainer obviously is doing a great job. Can anyone who knows their way around the innards of an air cooled v twin have a clue as to what these bits are/were?
The engine is running well with no alarming noises and all six gears work perfectly.
When I had the heads off recently I noted the Pistons were different the rear had 69 stamped on the crown whereas the front had I think a flat diamond shape on the crown. I am hoping this is a historic disaster and the previous owner/s hadn't bothered clean the engine out properly.
If not a disintegrated piston what else could it be, all bits are alloy?
Regards to all
Graham.
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mbmm350s
Posts: 666
Joined: 22 Jun 2018 10:18
Location: Reading UK
Location: Berkshire UK

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by mbmm350s »

Hi Graham,
Hopefully its just old stuff churned up by a good thrashing home from The pub with No name!
Could it be parts of a white metal main bearing, or big end shells? You could check the crank for main bearing play easily.
Mark (3 1/2 sport , we gate crashed the Corsaro section)
Steve Brown
Posts: 1390
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 23:44
Location: Leicestershire

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Steve Brown »

A bit difficult to say what they are from the pics. The chunk in the second pic looks like alloy so may well be a bit of a dead piston as you thought. If its steel it mught be bearing cages. If it is running well and the screen is doing its job you probably could carry on for a long while yet, especially if you can flush as much as you can out. Some people have had good results using sprays through the filter aperture. I once bought a Kanguro that sounded as sweet as a nut. Then I changed the oil and found things like you did. When I opened the crankcases it was obvious a cam follower had broken at sometime and a chunk of piston and barrel had been neatly removed. Still got them on a shelf somewhere...the previous owner had just removed the blockages and I don't think they even changed the oil. So I replaced the damaged parts and it was a sweet as a nut that had no cracks. Then it got nicked!

Obviously if you carry on running it those bits will always be in the back of your mind-'What if---' so it depends on your view of the bike. A keeper or a passing fad. I'll keep an eye on the for sale ads! :wink:
All donations to the rest home for old Camels, Leicestershire.
Sicxtyone
Posts: 121
Joined: 29 Sep 2018 07:34
Location: Worthing
Location: Worthing West Sussex

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Sicxtyone »

All the bits are alloy, at least they don't respond to a magnet. Apart from pistons are there any other alloys parts that can disintegrate?
I've also just done the clutch oil seals and apart from a bit of gloop all was fine in there.
This ones a keeper for the foreseeable any way
Steve Brown
Posts: 1390
Joined: 12 Nov 2007 23:44
Location: Leicestershire

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Steve Brown »

Sicxtyone wrote:All the bits are alloy, at least they don't respond to a magnet. Apart from pistons are there any other alloys parts that can disintegrate?
I've also just done the clutch oil seals and apart from a bit of gloop all was fine in there.
This ones a keeper for the foreseeable any way
The pistons, barrels and the cases are all that I can think of. So pistons seems the main suspect. Clean it, run it and monitor it.

Also fitting an external canister filter might be a good idea here, needs a bit of drilling and plumbing though.
All donations to the rest home for old Camels, Leicestershire.
Sicxtyone
Posts: 121
Joined: 29 Sep 2018 07:34
Location: Worthing
Location: Worthing West Sussex

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Sicxtyone »

Thanks for your inputs, wouldn't know where to start with the external filter mod but probably on a thread somewhere.
Also can't see how that could be made to look aesthetically pleasing ( function over form I guess! ).
I think I don't want to have a major strip down at the moment, so regular oil changes and keep a close watch/listen will be the order of the day.
Graham
Sicxtyone
Posts: 121
Joined: 29 Sep 2018 07:34
Location: Worthing
Location: Worthing West Sussex

Re: Anyone recognise these parts!

Post by Sicxtyone »

I'm now 99.9% sure the mass of alloy bits in my engine was a disintegrated piston. I found today after straining the last load of oil I found what I hope is the last of it, a piece large enough to identify. Measuring 8mm X 9mm with a curved section that when put against a 69 mm circle, fits. Also it has wear lines on the convex face.
But I guess an engine rebuild will be in order at some point.
Graham
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