1953 tiger 100

[tribsa 100]

I have a tiger 500 1953
I have taken the oil out of the sump for an oil change.
The oil tank is from a Bsa Gold Star.
Please can you tell me the correct amount of oil to refil engine,I believe its 3.5 pints?

Any help on this appreciated

[mini-me]

you refill the tank not the engine, in fact the engine contains little more than an egg cup full.

Just fill the tank to about inch and half from the top.

[tribsa 100]

Thank you,when I emptied the sump I only got about 1 litre from it....I will refil it as you have suggested,i can see the return inside the oil tank ,so do i fill it to just below that point?many thanks

[Rex]

I don't think English is your first language, but if you got a litre out of the "sump" then something's very wrong.
Hopefully you really meant the oil tank, but the level isn't that critical;  30/40mm from the top will be fine.

[tribsa 100]

What was your issue with the English quip?

[mini-me]

just below the tank return is fine, about an inch or more is  more than enough.

If you got a litre out the sump, or crankcase as it should be called, strictly speaking no sump on a motorcycle engine, then something is not right, oil leaking past the pump, or its not returning as much as it should.
Has it been standing for a long time?

[tribsa 100]

Hi thanks,yes its been standing for a year now but I'm sure last time I changed it I had 2.5 litres from the drain plug?is it possible that the oil has not drained fully out? If so how and where is it stuck?any help is greatly received.i used to have this bike serviced /looked after but the gentleman has now retired so I'm really just starting out even though I have owned it for 12 years

[L.A.B.]

Hi thanks,yes its been standing for a year now but I'm sure last time I changed it I had 2.5 litres from the drain plug?is it possible that the oil has not drained fully out? If so how and where is it stuck?

The oil shouldn't be "stuck" anywhere. The total quantity of engine oil should be about 6 Imperial pints or 3.4 litres (see capacities, in manual). With a "BSA Gold Star" oil tank, the total quantity may be slightly less than 6 pints.   

As mini-me already pointed out, the oil (or at least the vast majority of it) should be in the oil tank, not in the sump as it's a 'dry-sump' engine (see manual), however, over an extended  period of time  the contents of the oil tank can drain to the sump due to gravity especially if the Triumph oil pump has some wear, so the remainder, if any, should still be in the oil tank.


I recommend you read the section in the manual (link, below) concerning engine lubrication so you get a better understanding of how the Triumph lubrication system works.

http://www.classicbike.biz/Triumph/Repair/45-55/45-55TriumphRepair.pdf
Engine Lubrication System (manual p.25, pdf p.28)


   

[mini-me]

Don't take this the wrong way, but it helps to get the terminology right,especialy where us oldies are concerned;

Crankcase not sump
exhausts not headers
footrests not footpegs
Rigid frame not hardtail
sprung frame not softtail
mudguards not fenders
spanner not wrench

all bloody irritating misnomers.

all the above are made worse by the kind of writing one gets from the tendy bike magazines

Anything describes as bobber or chopper meets with silence fom me.

[tribsa 100]

I'm all ok with that but the question I have is this,once the drain plug is undone , does the oil  naturally find its way out by gravity or do I need to somehow help it through from the tank to the drain plug?
Surely I can release the pipe from said oil tank and drain oil tank directly aswell as open drain plug?

Is that what you are suggesting?
Many thanks,terminology seems ok to me so far

[L.A.B.]

I'm all ok with that but the question I have is this,once the drain plug is undone , does the oil  naturally find its way out by gravity or do I need to somehow help it through from the tank to the drain plug?

The obvious thing would be to look in the oil tank to see if it's empty. If you were to wait a few more months then any remainder would eventually find its way out by gravity otherwise, you will have to empty the oil tank.   

Surely I can release the pipe from said oil tank and drain oil tank directly as well as open drain plug?

If the oil tank doesn't have its own drain plug then yes, you will have to disconnect the feed pipe fitting from the tank, note there will probably be a gauze strainer in there that will need cleaning. Edit: As it's supposed to be a Gold Star oil tank then I think it should have a drain plug that also contains the gauze strainer. 

[tribsa 100]

Thanks that's the weekend job for me then...many thanks for all of the helpful comments and suggestions

[Rex]

Crankcase not sump
exhausts not headers
footrests not footpegs
Rigid frame not hardtail
sprung frame not softtail
mudguards not fenders
spanner not wrench

all bloody irritating misnomers.

+

Petrol/fuel tap not petcock
Mileometer not odo or trip
oil TANK not oil BAG
gear box not gear BAG
"another old bike for sale" not barn find
just another non-running old Jap that no-one wants, not "Jap classic mate and worth a fortune"
"piece of recently fecked up shite" not "bobber"
"piece of long time fecked up shite" not "chopper"
"I'm lonely, I've got a fat gut and a red hanky around me balding head" not Hardass Biker seeks bitch.
"I'm not really much of a rider but I'd like to be some sort of weekend rebel" not "dude bro bro dude" repeated ad infinitum

[mini-me]

Hot oil will find its way outof any bung hole, leave the bike in the sun for a bit.



Rex

don't get me started on modern "biker" speak


Carbie?

[iansoady]

Mileometer not odo or trip

Agree with all except this (of course it's odometer from the Greek).