Oil tank empty after layup

[Mike Rocket]

Yes the pipe on the bottom is the supply to the pump it runs from the front port on the tank and picks oil up from the rear area.

The scavenger pump return pipe comes from the rear up and forward a little and dumps on the baffel plate running across the top of the tank.

Just so people know the oil non return valve turns into a one way flow valve upon start up.

Thanks warp9.9
Your drawing shows it much clearer than mine. It looks like the curved end of the pipe will always be submerged in oil as it is curved down. Any oil above the pipe will gravity feed to the pump/sump but only to the level of the cranked end of the pipe, so it looks like Triumph have designed in a safety feature so you can't completely loose all of the oil due to leak down.

 

[Bedifferent]

UPDATE TO MY QUESTION.
I rechecked the depth of oil in tank today with a rod and it was about 3/4" to 1" from bottom of tank, but below the metal pipe that runs across the bottom of the tank which I assume is the pick up pipe. I don't think it could gravity feed the sump anymore as the end of the pipe is curved down so it looks like a pick up pipe. (I may be wrong though)
I started the engine and the oil light immediately went out and the oil tank was replenished with oil. After a minute or two I switched off and checked oil level as normal and it's back to normal. I will now keep an eye on it over the next few weeks to see if it drops again. Maybe it wasn't as completely empty as I thought but it seemed to be below the cranked end of the pick up pipe. I can't really see the detail of the oil tank internal layout. Hard to see from the drawing in the manual.
Does anyone know?

Good for you with the starting it up. Nothing like living on the edge of potential disaster. I never doubted for a minute you would be good.

 

[Mike Rocket]

Good for you with the starting it up. Nothing like living on the edge of potential disaster. I never doubted for a minute you would be good.

I too thought it would be ok but I wasn't certain. Most comments were positive on this site. Also I couldn't imagine Triumph would produce an engine with a potential self destruct flaw like that. As I said in my last post it appears the tank cannot completely drain as the pickup pipe is cranked into the oil and the bottom of the oil tank is curved. (that's what it looks like to me)
This web site is fantastic, without it we would all be at the mercy of the dealers. The thing is we as a collective know more than they do about these bikes!

 

[Willyone]

Thanks warp9.9
Your drawing shows it much clearer than mine. It looks like the curved end of the pipe will always be submerged in oil as it is curved down. Any oil above the pipe will gravity feed to the pump/sump but only to the level of the cranked end of the pipe, so it looks like Triumph have designed in a safety feature so you can't completely loose all of the oil due to leak down.

I've been following the thread.... for future reference. The drawing from warp9.9 certainly clears the air on this subject

Older Harley's have a similar sumping issue. Friend of mine solved the problem by putting a shut off valve in a line between the oil tank and the engine on his '79 Low Rider. He hangs his keys on the valve handle so as to not forget to turn the valve to flow when he starts the bike.

 

[Mike Rocket]

I've been following the thread.... for future reference. The drawing from warp9.9 certainly clears the air on this subject

Older Harley's have a similar sumping issue. Friend of mine solved the problem by putting a shut off valve in a line between the oil tank and the engine on his '79 Low Rider. He hangs his keys on the valve handle so as to not forget to turn the valve to flow when he starts the bike.

If I could put a manual shut off valve on the rocket it would only be a matter of time before I forgot to turn it on! Then certain destruction for me.

 

[One Norse]

It seems to me that for peace of mind one could either:

1) Crank the engine a bit with the kill switch on. This would move some oil from the sump to the tank before you start it.
2) Add a cup (250ml) of oil to the tank to ensure that the pressure pump has enough oil to work with while the scavenge pump starts to move oil to the tank.

The important thing is that the pressure pump has oil to work with when the engine is cold, and once the scavenge system has started to move oil into the tank, there will be no shortage of supply.

Of course, all of this assumes that one didn't simply forget to add oil after an oil change...

 

[Joesmoe]

So if everything is normal, as is the vast majority of the time, adding any oil would be too much.

Again, this is how Triumph (and all other manufacturers of dry-sump fitted vehicles) designed this to work.

 

[Mike Rocket]

It seems to me that for peace of mind one could either:

1) Crank the engine a bit with the kill switch on. This would move some oil from the sump to the tank before you start it.
2) Add a cup (250ml) of oil to the tank to ensure that the pressure pump has enough oil to work with while the scavenge pump starts to move oil to the tank.

The important thing is that the pressure pump has oil to work with when the engine is cold, and once the scavenge system has started to move oil into the tank, there will be no shortage of supply.

Of course, all of this assumes that one didn't simply forget to add oil after an oil change...

 

[Mike Rocket]

Engine won't spin over with starter with kill switch off.

 

[Mike Rocket]

Engine won't spin over with starter with kill switch off.

With kill switch on I mean!