oil in the dynamo

[tman]

I was having some problems with my 1966 Honda CA160 and decided to reset the timing. I removed the dynamo cover and discovered some oil dripping out. After a short time all of the crankcase oil drained out ( a little over a quart ). I'm thinking that this is a bigger problem then my loss of power issues, and am afraid to go any further. Does anyone have any thought on how to proceed ?

[Spokes]

No fear. The pickups and the flywheel are wet. If you were to pull the flywheel and engine side cover, you would see into the crankcase.

[tman]

Wow thanks so much. I naturally thought the worse, like seal or bearing that would not be replaceable .
Now I will proceed with my timing setting and tappet adjustment to see if I can get the bike to go faster that 32 mph.

[Spokes]

It sounds like one spark plug is dead. Replace the plugs. I had this happen on one of my older Honda's...

[Larzfromarz]

Also sounds like the motor was overfilled with oil if you got a quart out from the alternator cover. Once these engines are apart you will notice that is a windage tray under each crank throw. These little shields keep oil from hitting the crank.That contact create a ton of friction. If overfilled its possible there the crank could have been running in oil. The windage tray is old racing trick that could gain you up to 10 hp in V-8. When I pull my cover I usually only get a few tablespoons of oil. Anybody else?

[tman]

Thanks, I will completely drain the oil and add the precise amount of new oil that the manual says.

[tman]

History of my problems

August 2011 Honda Runs Great

September 2011 The "Mice Event" bad news. Mice packed the air filter area with grass and chewed holes in the air filter. I then forced it to run and it did not want to. Then I discovered the mice nest. Runs poor, no power etc.

Spring 2012 Did a compression test on both cylinders. (good compression) Carburetor removed and cleaned, added air screw spring which was missing and the "O" ring. Runs better but still not great. Seems like the right muffler has a weaker exhaust than the left.

October 17, 2012 6059 miles removed dynamo cover and all of the oil came out. Happy to hear that it was supposed to. THANKS SPOKES. Adjusted cam chain, starts good, idles good, but no power. fastest it will go is 32mph.

November 27, 2012 Installed new plugs, the old left was white and the old right was like new. I checked points (good) checked valve clearance (good)
New oil ( precise amount ) THANKS LARSFROMARZ found out overfill could effect power.
Cleaned out the right muffler baffle and vacuumed out the muffler.
Started it up and readjusted the carburetor.

Voila --- runs great, plenty of power Success ! Finally running as good as August 2011.

THANKS GUYS
My next step is to install two new whitewall tires. Is there anything that I have to be careful with ?

[Spokes]

If you have the tires installed at your local cycle shop then there is not much to worry about. If you attempt to change the tires yourself, then you need to protect the chrome when using tire irons or spoons. It's a good thing to check the wheel bearings and clean the brake hubs while the wheels are off. Be careful of the brake dust as it most likely has asbestos dust. Coat the brake shoes and drum with wd-40 and wipe clean (use gloves & dust mask). Throw all rags/papertowels in a plastic trash bag and tie the bag. Coat the brake shoes and drums in dish soap and wash away the wd-40 and residual dust using a clean paint brush as a scrubber.

[tman]

Great help. I can't wait to get these white walls on the Honda. It' s probably a good idea to have the tires installed at a bike shop. I will post a photo when I finally get this done. Thanks

[Larzfromarz]

Tman its possible that you also cleaned up an obstruction in the tailpipe where those mice also like to nest.
All in all good news though, a good learning experience too.