Oil pumping out of engine

[ChrisW]

Hi Everyone,
At the age of eighty my dad decided to go and buy a Golden Flash just like the one he had when he was a young man.
He bought one for a good price but it didn't run so they got a relative who is a retired bike mechanic to rebuild the engine for them.
I finally got it started for my dad and oil poured out every where.
I found the hole (can't tell if it's threaded or not, I assume it is)
I bought a manual for it but no signs of the hole or what goes in it.
From what I can work out it's coming from the left hand crank case where the cam shaft bush is fed with oil.
My guess is that it is an oil gallery that should have a blanking plug (am I close?)
I have attached some pictures to help identify the spot.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Regards
Chris

[muskrat]

G'day Chris 
That hole is the exhaust end of the crankcase breather system.
The motor must have had a gut full of oil. A common problem is wet sumping and when started it pumps oil out the breather.
Drop the sump plate off and drain the sump. Replace the sump plate, top up the tank and try again.
Cheers

[Swarfcut]

 Welcome Chris. I'll add a note of caution. These engines are unusual these days in that they have a so called dry sump. Under normal running conditions oil continually circulates to the engine sump and is pumped back to the oil tank so should be little oil in the sump. Follow Musky's advice, but once restarted, check that the oil is returning to the tank. If no return, you have a major problem despite a rebuild from an ex tradesman.*

 For starters, search the Forum for  "Wet Sumping."  It is a common characteristic, some cynics would say fault, curse or worse!!

 Swarfy.

 *RM" again Bergs?

[Greybeard]

After my bike was garaged for 6 months while we moved house I absent mindedly topped up the oil tank before riding home. As soon as I started the ride oil pumped out of the left side of the engine. The oil tank had emptied into the sump. If I'd thought about it I should have started the engine and let it idle while it pumped the oil back into the tank.
Does that register with your experience ChrisW?

[ChrisW]

Thanks for the info guys,
I'm a car guy myself so these two wheel things are a bit foreign to me 
The motor was rebuilt and run but not ridden, then loaded up a ramp to a tray top ute and transported about 300km.
then sat for 3 months while I got around to rewiring the bike.
My dad is not fit enough to ride the bike but just wants to own one and occasionally start it up.
How is the bike going to like that?

I'll read up on wet sumping, thanks for the tip. I tried searching posts on here about oil being pumped out of the engine.
Sure helps to have the correct vocabulary.

If this is a common question phrased in many different terms then maybe the "Wet Sumping and other common oiling problems" post could be pinned to the top of the engine forum.

Attached is a pic of what I am more comfortable working on 

Thank you once again, I'll update you with the results.
Cheers
Chris

[muskrat]

G'day Chris.
If she wet sumps like my A7 used to and she will only be started once in a while it would be a good investment on an alloy sump with a drain plug. Easy to pull the plug and drain the sump before start up. Usually after a run the sump will have about a cup full of oil. To test for wet sumping drop the sump plate and put a container under her. Come back in a week to see how much comes out.
The other thing with occasional starts is condensation. If she doesn't get hot enough to get rid of moisture. Get her up to full operating temp before shut down. Good excuse for you to go for a short ride.
Cheers

ps: love the rod.

[Jules]

thats going to be a great looking "coupe" Chris, are you doing the bodywork and/or the mechanical  etc stuff yourself? what is the basis of it? good luck getting it finished too ...

[bikerboy]

Hi Chris

Rather than go to the expense of an alloy sump all I do is take the sump off drill a hole in it (out of the way of the scavenge pipe) weld a 3/8 nut inside the sump then a short 3/8 bolt and a copper washer screwed in from underneath once the sump is back on. If it wet sumps then one bolt and about 2 minutes to empty the sump and you are ready to roll

[RichardL]

It sounds like Dad wanted to share with and, ultimately, bequeath to his son the experience and pleasure of riding an A10. That's love.

Regarding the sump, before buying a billet sump plate, I did similar to Bikeboy, but just theaded the thick original plate for a fine-thread brass plug. Worked fine.

Looking at the coupe project, you might be interested in the American TV show, "Full Custom Garage," if it's available for international streaming.

Richard L.

[Greybeard]

The billet sumps are not highly expensive but adapting the original sump has the advantage of continuing to use the original studs. If you buy an alii sump you need to use longer studs, (not bolts/screws*)  for it.

*The studs have Whitworth thread on the end that goes into the crankcase and originally, Cycle thread on the other end. Frequent removal of those studs from the case will not end well. I notice that some of the alli sumps come with 4 Whitworth threaded bolts/screws. I strongly recommend that you do not use these but get longer versions of the original studs. The studs that hold the rocker covers on are just right for the job. 👍

The set in the picture shows new correct studs.

[Greybeard]

I'd prefer to braze or silver solder the nut on the inside of the sump plate rather than trust my amateur welding.

[RichardL]

GB,

In my case (literally) the PO had already done the damage based on the original plate. Ipso facto (and before I knew much about the idiosyncrasies), I helicoiled three of the four holes with metric thread. Quirky, I suppose, that I have not done the fourth. I gives me the opportunity to gauge my memory loss based on recalling which one is Whitworth (front left).

Richard L.

[ChrisW]

thats going to be a great looking "coupe" Chris, are you doing the bodywork and/or the mechanical  etc stuff yourself? what is the basis of it? good luck getting it finished too ...

The Hotrod is a 1934 Nash Coupe, and yes I am doing all the work myself, everything. That's why it's taken 11 years so far and still not on the road.
Too many other projects getting in the way 

I'll have a think about what way I want to go for a sump plug.
Thanks for all the ideas.

Thanks Everyone.
Chris

[BSA_54A10]

And what usually happens is the 2 pints of oil drins into the sump.
You check the tank & see no oil so you add another 2 pints that also drin into the sump
Then Dad comes along in the morning you are coming over, sees no oil in the tank & adds another 2 pints
Then when the engine fires, 6 pints of oil try to fit into a 3 pint tank .
I have done something similar myself
So the golden rule is never to add oil to a cold engine

[Greybeard]

So the golden rule is never to add oil to a cold engine

As described previously 👍