New build teething issues

[mplayle]

Looking for suggestions on some issues on my new Type-3.

I have solved a couple issues already:
a) A poor connection from the alternator to voltage regulator preventing proper charging.
b) Added the brake balance bar mod to prevent the bias changing while driving.
c) Added an external trickle charger cable

The issues I need some help with:
1) Lots of oil being pushed out the vent filter for the breather system.
2) Electric oil pressure gauge stays pegged at max (above the 90 psi marker) at all times while the engine is running.
3) Electric oil temperature gauge never comes off the minimum.

I am not so concerned about the oil temperature gauge as I am replacing it with a Voltmeter to monitor the charging system instead.

I am replacing the electric oil pressure gauge with a mechanical one to more reliably track the actual pressure.

I am adding a second oil catch tank with venting to atmosphere and rerouting the line from the main breather tank to the secondary tank so there are no low spots.

My concern is the volume of oil that was pushed out on a 50 - 60 mile drive at mostly highway speeds. The oil is currently sitting at the lower notch on the dipstick, which I presume means I am about 1 liter low. Based on the mess that was made in the passenger (LHD) footwell, I tend to think that I did lose that much out the final breather filter. I am hoping adding the second tank helps with this, but the pressure issue may be involved.

Online searching indicates the motor running at cold start and highway speed should be making about 60 psi oil pressure. If the electrical gauge was to be believed, then things are running at too high of pressure. If the mechanical oil pressure gauge confirms the too high pressure, what and how do I approach solving the issue?

Thank you in advance for any assistance and your patience reading the long post.

[iant-s]

The engine breather is both a catch tank and oil vapour condenser chamber and it must be above the engine to allow the liquid oil to return to the engine sump. There is also a one-way valve like a ball bearing in a 15mm diameter pot hidden inside one of the hoses.
The Guzzi engine, like a BMW engine breathes hard and with just a breather will blow its oil out pretty rapidly.
Look at what the bike has, look at what Alan supplies. They are not just a chamber. There are baffles and all sorts going on in there.

[mplayle]

The build is using one of the breather tanks Alan supplies - the one with the angled nose to the front.

From the feel of things, the one way valve is in the larger line off the bottom of the breather tank and appears to go back to the top front of the crank case (timing cover).

The tank has a small port at the back where the builder (Johann) connected a hose that loops down, across the back of the engine, and up to a breather filter mounted to the top of the glove box. The oil was dumping out that filter and down into the passenger footwell.

From the the information iant-s has provided, I may try to verify that "return" hose is installed correctly for the valve to allow captured oil to flow back into the engine versus holding it in the existing breather tank.

[mplayle]

A question to go with checking the "recycling" pipe iant-s mention: Is there a known method of verifying the direction this hose/pipe is supposed to be oriented and how do you check to be sure it is facing the right way?

If I have time tomorrow (Thursday), I plan to investigate that as the cause of the oil dumping issue. It would help me if I had a specific idea how to ensure that it is working and installed correctly. Does it need pressure to close the valve? Can I test it by dribbling some oil in one end and see if it drains out the other?

Thanks again.

[iant-s]

The one way valve works by gravity with the weight of the ball dropping down on a seat. It needs to be vertical and ( I think) it sits inside the short steel pipe that stands vertically out of the engine. The rubber hose then fits over the whole thing so the jubilee clip is against the engine and so holds the whole lot in place.

[Throwley]

caveat: I've never had a big-block later than 1989, so your oil vent/return system may differ from my understanding, but...

This used to be a relatively common issue on round barrel era Guzzis, so my carry forward to yours. It happens when crankcase pressure increases, possibly due to bad ring blow-by or stuck vent valve, or having no vent valve fitted. The return line from the breather box (or condenser chamber as iant-s more accurately describes it) extends below the level of the oil in the sump. Crankcase overpressure can cause oil to be forced back up the return line, into the condenser chamber which quickly becomes overwhelmed and spills oil overboard. Definitely worth checking that vent valve, like I say I'm not familiar with later engines, but the earlier ball-in-tube one has been known to rattle its way right through its seat and drop into the crankcase.

(entirely off-topic, but 2025 seems to be the year of the breather for me, I've had timed breather failure on three non-Guzzi bikes so far, I have another which is under suspicion, and there's four months left... The garage is permanently smelling like a '70s scrapyard.)

[mplayle]

I can tell one aspect of the issue already from your helpful descriptions. On mine, there feels like a metal tube in the middle of the ose from the top of the timing cover to the bottom of the breather tank. That tube seems to be held in place by a hose clamp (jubilee clip).

However, that portion of the hose is running basically horizontally between the cylinder heads.

I will try to get a picture or two if I get time in the garage today.

I doubt there is bad ring blow-by as the 2004 donor bike had under 3100 miles on it and Johann was supposed to have fully checked/serviced the enigine prior to installation.

[mplayle]

Not going to get time to do any troubleshooting today. Work had been slow most of this month until today when they dropped some "need it asap" changes on me to get done.

I did sneak out to the garage and got a few pictures of the current arrangement.

The first picture shows the whole arrangement with the return hose clearly visible with the clamp midway along the horizontal section.

The second picture is a frontal view. The hose actually tilts slightly down as it runs to the back before the bend up to the breather/condenser tank.

The third picture shows the hose off the back of the tank looping down to cross the back of the engine.

The fourth picture then shows the hose leading to where the final breather filter to atmosphere is mounted. I currently have the actual filter set aside.

The breather/condenser tank does sit completely under the bonnet and there are a couple of inches of clearance to raise the tank if that seems necessary to at least tilt the hose the other way (front lower than back).

[mplayle]

I did some online searching and would like some feedback.

What are your thought about:
1) Raising the tank up by 1 to 1.5 inch to have the hose higher in the back
2) cutting the hose to remove the existing valve that my be facing the wrong way
3) Splicing in another valve like one from this search

https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... 2w-wk8-YCg