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Oil hose route

Submitted by julian_wells on Mon, 27/09/2021
Forums
Commando

The other day I had a Malcolm moment when attempting to change the oil filter (long story short: I was turning the filter anti-clockwise, *but* looking from the filter mount towards the filter … hence tightening it, not slackening).

Having destroyed the filter with overuse of the "hammer a screwdriver through the filter" technique, I had to remove the mount in order to tackle the remains on the bench.

This turned out to require removing it complete with the filter-to-tank hose — which revealed the whole episode to be a lucky accident: the coiled-strip armour had fretted on the gearbox cradle such that it had fractured and allowed the hose itself to fret in turn.

I should mention that all the parts concerned were reinstalled during an overhaul in 2019/20 — and the armour was definitely undamaged at that time. The issue is that I have clearly made a mistake in refitting the hose.

So now I have some issues to consider in repairing this:

  1. devise a better way of routing/aligning the hose. As things stand it has to make an S-bend that avoids any risk of fretting against other components. A possible alternative seems to be to fit a right-angled union to the end of the pipe on the oil-tank, which would eliminate one half of the S-bend.

  2. I will have to replace the armour on the hose. RGM offer a spring-type device (as a pair, which together are half the price of two of the standard coiled-strip item. Does anyone have any experience or, or comments about, these?

https://www.rgmnorton.co.uk/.../oil-pipe-spring-protector...

 

 

Submitted by steve_constable on Mon, 27/09/2021

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I have found, having retro fitted the oil filter to two Commandos, that if you take care to get the hose length right it won’t rub or touch any part of the frame. Interestingly, RGM sell the kit with no hose protectors.

Submitted by alan_elstob on Tue, 28/09/2021

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Hi Julian,

I have a Mk3 Commando and probably like a lot of owners still have the original oil pipes fitted.

I’ve been looking at replacing the pipes but the filter to tank pipe looks particularly difficult to access and replace.

Am I correct in assuming that from your experience providing the filter mounting assy is dropped the pipe can be refitted ?

, 

Submitted by ian_soady on Tue, 28/09/2021

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... make sure that the hose clips onto the filter adaptor are nice and tight. A previous owner of my first Commando hadn't. Losing all the oil at 70 snapped the LH conrod and took a chunk out of the barrel...

Submitted by richard_mills on Tue, 28/09/2021

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AN now sell the filter base with barbed inlet and outlet; original had smooth pipes from which the rubber pipes could easily escape. Worth changing in my opinion.

Submitted by julian_wells on Sat, 02/03/2024

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For unrelated reasons (I've had the gearbox out for overhaul) I find myself re-visiting this issue.

  1. I see that I never replied to Alan. Yes, it does appear necessary to fit the pipes to the filter base before installing the latter.
  2. Because for further unrelated reasons the gearbox overhaul has extended over the last 12 months, I find that I have forgotten exactly how the engine-to-filter pipe was routed (I know … one should take pictures).
    However, it appears that it must have been been between the back of the gearbox and the aperture in the gearbox cradle. Is this right?

 



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