Scottoiler Settings

I was a bit confused about the Scottoiler settings (ok im a bloke I don’t read instructions) So I emailed Scottoiler for their advice.

In the booklet it says that 1-2 drops per minute should be sufficient in good weather which is apparently 6/8 on the settings guide. And it also says to turn clockwise in poorer weather to increase the flow - presumably this means towards the Prime position therefore 9/10 on the settings guide. I asked them what the purpose of the 1-5 on the settings guide was, which is a reduced flow as it seemed there was no reason to use these settings when it apparently the minimum setting you should really use is 6.

The reply was - Some RMVs might flow faster than others and the temperature can also have a noticeable effect. If you set the flow rate in winter, towards summer you would probably have to turn it down as the oil thins with the heat and flows faster Towards winter again, the opposite happens as the oil thickens as the temperature drops. This is why we sell a red "High Temp" oil for use in countries where the average temperature is between 20 and 40 degrees C and the "Traditional" blue oil would flow too fast for the available range of adjustment. As you've discovered, the numbers don't relate to drops per minute, they simply help you gauge "more or less", and with the ideal flow rate on your RMV working out at around No 6, if you went abroad, the blue oil might be okay. I hope I've been of some help.

Er I dunno has he?

So I emailed back that presumably in the UK in 'summer' (whenever that is) you should set it to 6/7/8 and in winter 9/10 based on using the blue oil. Or if your lazy just leave it around 8 all year round.

The reply was - You should always monitor the condition of your chain and adjust the flow rate accordingly rather than settling on a number. Sometimes, its not unusual to have to turn the adjuster up to "Max" in the dead of winter to get the ideal flow rate and down to almost "1" on really hot days, although if the RMV is mounted behind the fairing or near a heat source, this tends to make the flow rate more consistent but you must remember to set the flow rate when the bike is warm rather than setting it in a cool garage and going for a ride in searing heat.

Er ok ?

So does anyone bother adjusting flow rates apart from summer / winter – with the unpredictable uk weather presumably you should adjust the setting everyday!

I think you're getting a bit too concerned over it all.
You should inspect your chain on a regular basis, if it looks dry or too wet you turn it up or down a little, simple as.
Ignore the numbers, they don't translate from bike to bike. Different pipe lengths, slightly different positioning, differences in manufacture and slight differences in vacumn all add up. For example, in the summer I have mine set under 4 and there is easily enough oil on the chain.

How about, if your chain is dry turn it up a notch, and if it's flinging, turn it down a notch - repeat.

I must say though I did think the numbers meant drops per minute too.

4 seems to work for me in the hotter weather and in winter 6-7 seems to work.

Have a play with it

I set mine to drip about once every 40-50 seconds and use ATF, in winter I keep flow rate the same, but thin the ATF with Kero instead of turning up the meter

Originally Posted by Carsick

I think you're getting a bit too concerned over it all.
You should inspect your chain on a regular basis, if it looks dry or too wet you turn it up or down a little, simple as.
Ignore the numbers, they don't translate from bike to bike. Different pipe lengths, slightly different positioning, differences in manufacture and slight differences in vacumn all add up. For example, in the summer I have mine set under 4 and there is easily enough oil on the chain.

Carsick is right.

There are dozens of factors that will effect the flow of oil:
Length of vaccum pipe,strength of vaccum in the engine, length of delivery tube, form of attachment and type of delivery head, Location of the resevoir, if a lube tube/touring resevoir also fitted, location of delivery tubing, how the delivery tubing is attached to the bike, as well as obviously slight imperfection in the tubing/scottoiler itself, type and volume of oil used, temperature, etc.

Naturally, considering all these factors, the settings can't possibly be the same for all bikes, even of the same type, hence the numbers are just for personal reference: IE so you can remember that on your bike 3/4 is about right, so you can put it back there after priming it, for example. Every time you check your chain you should see how many drips are coming out per minute. I aim for 2 drips in the dry, 3 in the wet, but the main thing is that the chain should be well-oiled without being so drenched in it that there is excessive fling on your rear tyre.

Mine, albeit on a Hornet, is set at about 3.5 in this weather and around 5 in the winter not much difference in the numbers but a huge difference in flow rate.

[Sid Squid]

The numbers on the body are just there as a guide, there is no 'right' setting. I put two marks on my Scottoilers, one is a never above mark and one a never below, I'd use the highest of those on a cold wet motorway trip, and the lowest for a hot day in town for instance, these settings are reached by experimantation as there are many factors which affect the setting, as mentioned above.

I find that the two drops a minute advice is a good place from which to start, but generally speaking mine are set lower than this.

BTW Intake vacuum isn't one of those factors, there is no part way for the valve on the Scottoiler it's either open or shut, the oil flow is effected solely by gravity hence the difficulty in offering a setting, as the height of your fitting may vary.

Mine is set to 8 Oil still lasts ages - even in this weather. Think there might be something wrong with it

[embee]

Originally Posted by Daz

Mine is set to 8 Oil still lasts ages - even in this weather. Think there might be something wrong with it

try turning the dial fully round to the "prime" position. IIRC the oil should drip out fairly steadily without the engine running. This will check the pipework is clear.
Check the breather pipe/filter attached to the black filler plug are clean and free.