Leaking Scottoiler.

[DarrenSV650S]

I stripped out my scottoiler today because it's been leaking oil all over my subframe and I'm getting sick of spinning up the rear in the rain.

Ended up having to take off all the plastics to clean everything up. Battery tray had some nice sludge in the bottom. The oil had greased up the tape on the loom too so had to remove all that, clean it up and re-tape it. There was oil in some of the connectors too and in the ECU plug.

If I ever get another scottoiler it will be mounted externally. For now I'm getting some chain lube.

One question: Can I link the two vacuum connections with a pipe or do they need to be separate?

[Bibio]

separate as far as i know.

why is the oiler leaking?

[admin]

I've had three Scotties and never had a failure like that.

sent via semaphore

[DarrenSV650S]

Dunno what went wrong with it. Seemed to be seeping from under the adjustment wheel. The breather didn't look very clean either

Oh and in other oil leaking news, the breather hose by my starter motor had a wet tip. What does that mean?

[DarrenSV650S]

:compcrash: thank you title fairy and section fairy ](*,)

[fizzwheel]

Have you spoken to Scotoiler, If its got a fault on it, they might well ask you send it back and repair / replace it.

They've been known to do this a few times. Their after sales care is pretty good, might be worth a try ?

I've never know them leak like that. The only time I have had a problem is when I have left it set to prime or had it turned up to high.

[Littlepeahead]

Mine stopped working and the oil went white. Rang Scottoiler and they asked me to send it back. Replacement arrived within a week. No quibbling and very helpful.

[DarrenSV650S]

Hmm might go get it out the bin then. Did you need a receipt or anything?

[fizzwheel]

I believe they have replaced ones before that have been old and well past the point where it would be reasonable to ask for a warranty repair.

I've never sent one back so its only 2nd hand information, but if what I've read is true I think it would be worth a try.

[yorkie_chris]

Mine stopped working and the oil went white. Rang Scottoiler and they asked me to send it back. Replacement arrived within a week. No quibbling and very helpful.

Water contamination? Where did you have the breather pipe?

[Phoenix22]

Put it back in the bin. Best place for it. Useless carbucle of a thing has no use at all with modern chains.

[Bibio]

mine weeps a bit but that's my fault for blowing the Top off it with compressed air.. lol

oohh and if i overfill my tube it likes to pizz everywhere. dont give two hoots about that though.

@ Phoenix22, define modern chains?

[Littlepeahead]

We ran through all that on the phone and they could find no explanation. Even asked if I have a tumble dryer in the garage (I don't). It was well over a year old and I had no receipt as I had the dealer fit it before the bike was delivered to me new. I guess they work on the idea that great customer service gets them excellent recommendations in the biking community. Cheaper and better than any adverts they could pay for.

[Sid Squid]

Put it back in the bin. Best place for it. Useless carbucle of a thing has no use at all with modern chains.
Really? All mine have been perfectly good, chain life has been significantly extended*, and they've paid for themselves many times over - particularly as they've always been filled with old engine oil.
Mine have been fitted and used properly though - all the problems I have resolved with other's Scotoilers have been due to either poor fitting or a lack of understanding of how to use and adjust them.

*The original chain and sprockets of my ZX6 lasted more than 50,000 miles - I don't think it's a coincidence that I fitted a Scotoiler very soon after I bought the bike.

[yorkie_chris]

Put it back in the bin. Best place for it. Useless carbucle of a thing has no use at all with modern chains.

I would think of a polite response but I might as well say exactly what I mean: You don't know what you're talking about.

[Littlepeahead]

The chain and sprockets on my SV are 5 1/2 years old and in perfect condition - the fact I have only done 8,000 miles on it is irrelevant :)

I do keep thinking I should fit one to the GS though as without a centre stand it's a right pain to oil the chain.

[tigersaw]

Put it back in the bin. Best place for it. Useless carbucle of a thing has no use at all with modern chains.

I actually agree with you.
I can produce my own anecdotal evidence that regularly cleaning an O ring chain rather than coating it in gloop and creating grinding paste will make it last 40k plus, but there is a whole industry out there to convince us otherwise.

[nikon70]

up to you what you put on your bike....

personally I would like one for peace of mind.... however all the tall stories like this and oil on the back wheel, plus the cost of if puts me off so I just check my chain and oil it :)

still like the concept, others have copied it too...

[Sid Squid]

I can produce my own anecdotal evidence that regularly cleaning an O ring chain rather than coating it in gloop and creating grinding paste will make it last 40k plus.
This is of course unarguably the case, and in the years before chain oilers were available it is precisely what we used to do. Not any more though, that crappy job has been consigned to the bin of history, along with setting points, regularly regrinding valves and shellac head gaskets.

[tigersaw]

Umm, with the advent of O ring and X ring its not necessary to gloop up your chain. All I do is give it a clean with light oil and a rag every week or two. Its usual appearance is dry and clean.
No oil on wheels, frame, sprockets etc.
If you really wanted to protect a chain from the elements you'd enclose it like on the old CD175 I had.

[yorkie_chris]

I continuously wash mine by dribbling a thin, non-sticky oil over it.

[Bibio]

i dont get why people are so paranoid of a little oil on their back tyre. it's not like its soaking wet and with the movement of the bike going round corners it gets scrubbed off each time, you also get fling from other types of lubes which ermm well ends up on the back tyre. i suppose motorways and straight roads would cause a problem if you were on them continually for mega miles but all you do is turn the feed down to a minimum. auto oilers are not a fit and forget thing you need to adjust accordingly to conditions. with this lovely weather i have turned down the feed as it flows a bit more. there is a lot of paranoia floating around about scottoilers and i would bet my arzz it's spawned by chain lube companies.

ooohhh and Daz, is the bike spinning up on straights or when cranked over. if you are still using storms the shape of them reduces the fling and i never had a problem with fling on the tread area. the PR2's that i have on are different and have a nice shiny band on the rear where i cant get the bike over enough to scrub it. i also get oil pizzing out the drain holes in the rear plastics but not once has it caused it to get on the tyre. i think it's just the new storms as mine would spin up in the wet giving it beans.

one more thing about so called 'modern' chains. yes they are sealed for life INSIDE the rollers but you still need to lube the outside as that's the part that comes in contact with the sprockets and we all know what happens when two metal surfaces come in contact with each other and there is no lubrication film.

[yorkie_chris]

And if you let them get rusty then rust will soon shred the O rings.

[Specialone]

Must admit, my Scott oiler on my drz got binned, it was a pita, I wouldn't have another, but that's my choice.

I could never get it just right, the chain wore through the pipe twice because of the long travel suspension.
Being an off road bike and the conditions I used it in, I have to clean the chain regular anyway, but tbh, it would be a bad thing replacing c&s every 10k or so, considering it would take me about 2-3 years to do that mileage, I could live with that.

I religiously oiled my chain on my sprint every 300 miles, that looked like new at 13k when I sold it.

[DarrenSV650S]

It was spinning up on the straights in the rain. I remember when I was commuting to St Andrews, coming off the bridge and up the hill on the dually, I could barely go on the power at all.

I don't think scottoilers protect the chain as much as regular cleaning and oiling. I just cleaned off a lot or surface rust and gunk from my chain. Looks like new now.

I've bought some the new WD40 chain lube to give it a go. It fits under the seat nicely

http://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/product_images/wd-40_100ml-twin-pack.jpg

[ethariel]

Had one scottoiler that even when set on prime failed to deliver more than a drop every 10 mins or so, called customer service and as above, sent it away and got a new shiney box back in a couple of days.

Sure I could get an abba stand and religously clean and oil my chain on a 3 or 4 times a week schedule, freezing my nads off in the winter and turning lobster red in the summer, or i can fit a scottoiler, tip it up once a month and otherwise ignore the chain (ok i have a look at sag every now and again), 8k since new C&S and not needed an adjustment......(ok i spent 2.99 on a wee bottle when i went on holiday to top it up).

Pays for it's self in wear and tear and much cheaper to keep topped up than buying chain lube imho.

(And before anyone asks, yes, really its there because im a lazy git)

[yorkie_chris]

(And before anyone asks, yes, really its there because im a lazy git)

Fook all wrong with that

[Littlepeahead]

(ok i spent 2.99 on a wee bottle when i went on holiday to top it up).

Colin, I am sure whichever bike you ride the manufacturer would not recommend that you wee into a bottle on holiday and then use this to lube your chain. I think you have got confused with putting urine on your feet to cure chilblains.

[Bibio]

It was spinning up on the straights in the rain. I remember when I was commuting to St Andrews, coming off the bridge and up the hill on the dually, I could barely go on the power at all.



the new storms are indeed shizz in the middle and spin very easy also that stretch of the A92 is notorious for diesel spills as a lot of truckers fill up in Dundee.

[Murley.]

My scottoiler started leaking a month or so back. Upon inspection, the oil reservoir had several cracks. Might be worth while checking yours too.

[Phoenix22]

i dont get why people are so paranoid of a little oil on their back tyre

And wheel, shocks, swingarm & anything else in range of the inevitable fling off from this relic from a past era!!!

This may be ok if you like your bike to look like it has just been dredged up from the bottom of the canal, but I like mine to look nice so will stick to my dry lube & regular clean thanks.

[Sid Squid]

And wheel, shocks, swingarm & anything else in range of the inevitable fling off from this relic from a past era!!!
It's NOT inevitable - If it's set right that doesn't happen.

This is the thing that I don't find hard to understand, but so many people don't get:

If it's peeing oil everywhere it isn't adjusted right.

[yorkie_chris]

I never gave a fook what the SV looked like, just so long as I didn't have to touch the chain except for replacing it every 30k+ miles.

Anti-corrosion, innit.

Really couldn't be *rsed with actually "maintaining" a chain, spending hours scrubbing away with a toothbrush... must be no decent pubs near you people.
Then again some weeks I could rack up 1000 miles... that would be 10 lubings and 2 cleans if you want decent chain life!

[Bibio]

i'm sorta in the Y_C camp as i just want to turn my key and go but unlike Y_C i do actually clean my bike.

the lube tube i fitted is working out great as it only gets filled once between and at service intervals so even less mucking around.

my bike is a toy/stress relief and i don't care about resale value as i'll never sell it. i don't look at the bike when i'm riding and as long as it's working then i'm happy. it takes me places that i want to go and is fun while doing it. oohhh and my bike is also a test bike for the items i sell. if they don't work or last on my bike then they don't get put up for sale. yes i have a box full of 'ideas' that never lived up to expectations :-)

each to their own and all that jaz but i just think there is more to life than scrubbing a chain and fussing over every little blemish.