Art Reitsma's Honda V4 Oil Mod Page
| Art Reitsma's Honda V4 Oil Mod Page | |
These two photos show the parts of the oil mod off the motor. The larger piece is held on the motor by the smaller part. Holes in the center part allow clean oil to flow to the outside of the outer ring, and then through external lines to the heads to oil the cams and followers.The picture on the right shows the O-Ring which goes against the block.
I hope these pictures help you to understand the drawings. There are two versions of the drawings, with a thicker version that fits the Magna and Sabre engines, and a thinner version to fit the Interceptor engines, which have tighter clearances to the exhaust and fairing. The thicker version is simpler to install, since the stock oil filter mounting pipe doesn't have to be removed, but the thinner version fits all the engines. The thicker version can be found here, while the drawing as an AutoCadLT file can be found here (12k zipped file size). The thinner version is here, while the AutoCadLT file is here (12k zipped file size). Feel free to download and print the files and take them to your local machinist to have one made up for your V4.
This shows the oil mod installed on the engine. The oil filter will screw onto the adaptor, and the oil flow to the heads will be greatly increased. If your fittings interfere with the block at the top of the adaptor, it can be rotated clockwise about 45 degrees, and the 90 degree elbow installed in the other hole. The straight fitting then leads the oil line between the block and the chromed water pipe, while the 90 degree fitting's line leads around the outside the pipe.
V65 engines can use the stock filter, also available from some automotive parts stores from aftermarket manufacturers, while the V45s and Interceptors will require the new, smaller Honda only filter, part number 15410-MM9-405. This filter is stock on the new ST1100's and Gold Wings. According to Honda, this filter contains the same amount of media as the larger filter, more creatively folded. I guess there is a use for those origami lessons :-)
In an effort to equalize the flow in the two lines, I ran the 90 degree fitting's line to the nearest head (the rear head), while the longer line runs from the straight fitting to the front head. You can also orient the adaptor to run the lines around the other side of the engine past the starter, but that uses longer lines that are exposed to dirt flung up from the front tire.
This photo shows the oil lines run around the alternator cover and into the Vee of the engine. As you can see, black hoses show up very well against the background of the black engine, and I hope you can make them out. I used "loom clamps" (arrows 1 and 2) to guide the hoses around the alternator cover and the front hose through the Vee along the water pipe. The hoses are made from high temperature oil hose but will get hardened if the engine is overheated, and should be changed every couple of years, or sooner if you ride year around in hot regions. The lines can also be made up with stainless steel braided Teflon(tm) like Aeroquip, but the price of the line and fittings may cause a shudder in your wallet area.
The hoses are clamped (arrow 3) to the remains of the stock steel lines, which are cut off just below the carb boots with a tubing cutter. Before removing the oil line, mark the line just below the carb boots as you want the hose clamps to end up just low enough to tighten them past the boots. After cutting, the burr on the inside of the line needs to be removed with a 3/16 inch drill bit (the inside diameter of the line), and then one turn of the cutter about 1/4 inch up the line will leave a ridge on the outside of the pipe to give the rubber line and hose clamp something to grip. Make sure you blow/clean all the cuttings out of the pipes before you re-install them.
When my cams got rough before these oiling changes, I learned a lot about cam grinding. To see some of what I learned, check out my cam grinding FAQ
For more details, or just to BS motorcycles, email me at areitsma@uniserve.com
