Decarbonising a Classic British Motorcycle

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  • Опубликовано: 29 дек 2024

Комментарии • 87

  • @benedittoservicosgraficosb5003
    @benedittoservicosgraficosb5003 Год назад +1

    Tenho uma Matchless G3L 1944 aqui no Brasil, e acompanho seu trabalho....parabéns pelos vídeos da matchless.

  • @PaulDavid-l4o
    @PaulDavid-l4o Год назад +2

    I have a 1940 Matchless G3 which I restored from a metal trunk full of engine bits and pieces and a rusty old frame with girder forks in 1996. I ride the bike in club events and rallies here in Adelaide, South Australia a few times a year. In all that time it has never needed a de-coke as we call it. The head has never been removed and I have not heard of any one in our club having to regularly do it. The UK petrol must be absolute rubbish. Sure in the 40s and 50s people here had to do it, but not these days. I also have a 1950 Villiers engined Ambassador restored in 1989 that also has never had the head removed. Thanks for the videos. Excellent.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +3

      OK so our petrol is rubbish but we’re definitely better off for beer than you guys. Fosters? VB? What’s that all about. Shocking

    • @PaulDavid-l4o
      @PaulDavid-l4o Год назад

      I have to agree with you about those 2 brands, that's why they send it overseas. We can't even get fosters here. Adelaide independent brewer Coopers is far better plus there are a lot of popular boutique award winning brewers in Adelaide. Further in regard to the Matchless I still run it with the compression plate under the barrel fitted by the factory during WW2. Whether the lower compression helps, I don't know. @@terryjones6229

    • @jjrider6758
      @jjrider6758 Год назад

      You really must try not to be 'bitter' in your 'stout' defence of the dog-p*ss that passes for petrol in the UK Terry !..@@terryjones6229

    • @brucecooper7905
      @brucecooper7905 10 месяцев назад

      Yeah, love the video, but have never had to do this using high octane gas with techron. I cannot even imagine doing this every 2k miles.

  • @edwardwest5035
    @edwardwest5035 Год назад +3

    I really enjoyed that ,especially the ingenious die wrench workaround to compress the valve springs. May I mention I was taught to drop the hot copper gasket edge on into the water. Regards Edward.

    • @frankiepitt9135
      @frankiepitt9135 Год назад

      Dropping it into water is so you can handle it quickly, it does not affect the annealing process.

    • @edwardwest5035
      @edwardwest5035 Год назад

      Hi Frank. it was why I was taught to plunge it edge on and not drop it in anyhow that puzzled me. Regards Edward@@frankiepitt9135

  • @sheilalucas9154
    @sheilalucas9154 7 месяцев назад

    Great video & very helpful. Paul Lucas.

  • @jonathanjones9790
    @jonathanjones9790 Год назад +2

    Nice work Terry. I like the ingenious use of sacrificial zip-ties in place of a spring compressor.

  • @IanLawrie-l9q
    @IanLawrie-l9q Год назад +2

    Wow! What a superbly filmed and narrated demonstration of the process and execution of the work. And to think you got a young Mel Gibson for a mechanic 😂👍👏👌

  • @stevenwatsham5973
    @stevenwatsham5973 Год назад

    Very informative for me as I have a 52 G80...
    Engine has an unknown history and I am slowly working through it...

  • @JeniwebMedia
    @JeniwebMedia Год назад

    Novel and ingenious valve removal.

  • @AcassioKloehn
    @AcassioKloehn Год назад

    Sou restaurador de motos classicas antigas no BRASIL, tenho uma MATCHLESS G3L 1944 ....acompanho seus vídeos...parabéns.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  11 месяцев назад

      So glad you like them. Happy riding!

  • @davidahugill99
    @davidahugill99 Год назад +2

    Exactly the same thing happened to me with my 1946 G3L a few years ago , I did the same repair, and fitted new pushrod seals while I was at it . The bike conked out only about 3 miles from home but at 74 I couldn’t push it that far ! Great video…. Cheers DaveH

    • @davidlyon1899
      @davidlyon1899 Год назад

      Are you still riding it? I hope so.

    • @davidahugill99
      @davidahugill99 Год назад

      @@davidlyon1899 Hi David , I traded it in with Andy Tiernan , for a B33 1955 after several years riding it , but have a 1952 G3L , a BSA B40 WD , 1964 Triumph TRW , and a 2007 350 Bullet ( bought new in 2008 ). 5 bikes is enough to look after ! Cheers DaveH

    • @davidlyon1899
      @davidlyon1899 Год назад

      @@davidahugill99 Used to have a 58 G3 LS, lovely bike.

  • @mikef.1000
    @mikef.1000 Год назад

    I object -- a cat looking for something to murder is not wandering aimlessly!
    Good work, clear explanation, and some excellent tips.

  • @robertd2363
    @robertd2363 Год назад

    Back in the day my dad used Redex every other tankful of 4star to keep the engine clean?

  • @Cobra427Veight
    @Cobra427Veight 7 месяцев назад

    Another tip for you is CRC gasket remover , it desolves carbon , also you can use a socket and tap it with hammer and the collets, will pop out .cheers.

  • @minimilo25
    @minimilo25 Год назад +1

    Thanks for the video. I need to replace the pushrod tubes seals on mine over winter so this was a great tutorial.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +1

      Glad it was of use. Good luck with the job

  • @bobss3704
    @bobss3704 Год назад +1

    Had an ex WD one of those back in the 70's paid 40 quid for it, used to be the go to bike when mine and my mates Triumphs and BSA's broke down (which was often) never missed a beat went all over Europe on it, dunno what happened to it but I hope an old mate still has it.

  • @roythearcher
    @roythearcher Год назад

    this clearly shown the advances made in motorcycle build and materials, When was the last time you ever saw decarborising as part of regular maintainance mentioned in your modern motorcycle manual's maintainance schedule? My own answer would be back in 1983 when I had my first motorcycle and only then because it was a two-stroke!...

  • @volkerdorr8537
    @volkerdorr8537 Год назад

    Hi Terry!
    A great video and a pleasure to watch.
    Although it didn't seem to bother you to do such maintenance, there might be a way to avoid the build up of carbon or even to remove that wirhout disassembling the cylinder head.
    Modern synthetic two- stroke oils do not only produce any carbon residues in the combustion chamber and exhaust, but also help burning existing carbon build ups.
    Even badly carbonized two stroke engines get clean again after using synthetic oil.
    This can also used to keep fourstroke engines clean by adding about 2% of synthetic two-stroke oil rod the fuel.
    Such amount of oil will not cause any more exhuust smoke.
    The top end lubrication will also be improved by doing this so there won't be any disadvantages other than emitting some additional hydrocarbons.
    I don't know if it will work on this particular engine, but I think it wold be worth to give it a try.
    Another way of reducing the carbon built up wold be to check the fuel mixture.
    A too rich mixture will increase the build up of carbon residues.
    But even if all this can avoid this kind of maintenance I'm sure that your nice little Matchless will always find some ways to keep you busy with some loving care.
    I'm happy to see some new clips from you and your GL in the future!

  • @williamnethercott4364
    @williamnethercott4364 Год назад +3

    That's a nifty tip about the zip ties. I could have used that years ago. 3000 miles doesn't seem very long between decokes but I suppose it is a 1940s/1930s design. I think my lightweight is supposed to go longer (I certainly hope so) but it is a newer design.

  • @mikejurcisek3541
    @mikejurcisek3541 Год назад

    what you have to establish first , is why was it running rich , or the exhaust valve not sealing

  • @RUBBERTANK_3
    @RUBBERTANK_3 Год назад

    these videos have been a huge help for me, re-building my clutch e.t.c it was all back to front it seems. you forgot to mention to heat up your gasket on the cooker when the wife is out! i do believe the valve lifter is a problem, probably getting carbon on valve quicker as it's open when engine running, I will fit a cutout switch to my bike i think.

  • @georgemalkin6546
    @georgemalkin6546 Год назад

    Worth watching for me as i had not seen the lapping tip using the fuel pipe.👍

  • @keithgarland3404
    @keithgarland3404 Год назад

    Nice bike, good idea to always err on following the maintenance on the lower mileage recommended. There are so many variables on old tech engines and machinery, ie all the limits and fits of pistons, rings, valves, valves guides, oil used, frequency of use, that are not an issue with modern engines and lubricants. Good video quality.

  • @spamhead
    @spamhead Год назад

    Clicked on here thinking you were going electric rather than a decoke!🤣 But good tips for when I strip my G80fied AJ 16.

  • @JeffYaxley-mk2bg
    @JeffYaxley-mk2bg Год назад

    Great video matey. Enjoyable watching. Keep up the good work 👍

  • @jjrider6758
    @jjrider6758 Год назад +1

    There is also a flaw in the design of the WD G3L's cast iron head that causes the exhaust valve to seize. The oil supply to the exhaust valve stem is via a long narrow drilled gallery and as the head becomes very hot during use (which is one of the reasons why British bike manufacturers changed to alloy heads !..) especially around the area of the exhaust valve, the oil almost boils in this gallery and gradually deposits carbon at the valve end. If not cleared - which can be quite difficult to achieve because of poor access - this will eventually block the oil supply altogether (or sufficiently starve the valve stem of lubrication) resulting in the valve stem seizing in its guide.. (doesn't happen with the inlet valve because it runs much cooler..)
    I've actually seen this phenomenon personally (although luckily I've never fallen victim to it ).. About 20 years ago I bought 2 used government surplus WD G3L heads for my own '44 Matchless from a now defunct classic bike parts dealer nearby (in the 1970s he'd bought literally lorry-loads of surplus new and used WD bike parts of all makes and models, but mainly G3L and BSA M20..) Once I'd heard of this issue I checked them both and sure enough both had the oil hole into the exhaust valve guide blocked with hard carbon deposits.. I did manage with some difficulty to clear them both using a length of 2mm or 3mm diameter soft steel wire (and a lot of patience !..) so it can be done, but there is a bike repairer/engineer who advertises in the AJS&MOC's 'Jampot' magazine who does a permanent, proper engineering fix for the problem..
    I think this carbon blockage was probably why my two heads had been removed (and presumably replaced) in the first place, as otherwise both heads are in very good condition with excellent valve seats, no fin damage and almost all of their original factory finish.. Of course we'll never know for sure but it's a reasonable assumption to believe that as the G3L reached the end of it's service life and the Army Workshops realised they had a big pile of brand new heads to use up, they probably just banged a brand new head on instead of clearing the exhaust valve lubrication supply ?..

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      Great advice thank you. Next time I take the head off I’ll be sure to locate and clean that channel

    • @jjrider6758
      @jjrider6758 Год назад

      @@terryjones6229Glad to be of help ! - By the way, I put the diameter of the wire I used as '2 or 3mm' but having looked today at the actual length of wire I used (kept safely in my drawer labelled 'G3L Stuff' !.) it's less than that, more like 1.5 to 2mm. I reckon a piece of hard copper earth wire (the same as is buried in your house walls) would probably do just as well as soft steel..

  • @motown1703
    @motown1703 Год назад

    Excellent tutorial. I have a 46 Norton model 18 and this as very similar. Thanks much.

  • @me109g4
    @me109g4 Год назад +2

    Is there a fuel additive you could put in to slow down the carbon build up? just a thought.

    • @keithgarland3404
      @keithgarland3404 Год назад

      I Believe redex additive was used for that.

    • @me109g4
      @me109g4 Год назад

      @@keithgarland3404 Not familiar with it, but if it works it would sure save a bunch of work/time.

  • @Cobra427Veight
    @Cobra427Veight Год назад

    Hi Terry , maybe to save you a lot of time and effort, but a long time ago I made a turbo car and had water injection on it , I took the head off and the pistons were like they had just came out of the box , shinny aluminum, I thing it steam cleans the chamber , could be just a jetted feed to intake block or back of carb . Cheers .

  • @jonathanwhittle2047
    @jonathanwhittle2047 11 месяцев назад

    Wonderful how to Terry. De coking every 2k miles seems a lot of work. Is there not a simpler way of preventing the build up of carbon?

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  11 месяцев назад +1

      It does seem excessive. I’ve leaned off the mixture as much as possible, cleaned out the oil sludge and change the oil every 2000 miles. The valves and guides are all within spec. If the carbon build up occurs again then I think it’ll indicate a problem with the rings or a scratch in the barrel allowing oil to flow up from the crankcase. Only time will tell but she’s running well at the moment

  • @bananabrooks3836
    @bananabrooks3836 Год назад +1

    In addition to the head oil feed reply, what does the spark plug normally look like digestive biscuit brown? Do you think its over fuelling or not getting thrashed enough to burn off the carbon? My point is 3k miles on an engine thats in good nick having that much carbon build up seems too few even allowing for an older design.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +1

      The spark plug looks just right - brownish and clean. The engine had done 3000 miles since rebuild and the first 1000 at fairly low revs and with a carb that was running way too rich. Very happy now to do 2000 miles without worrying and to monitor from there with an endoscope from time to time

    • @bananabrooks3836
      @bananabrooks3836 Год назад

      @@terryjones6229 3k yes, my mistake. Endosc. is a good tool👍

  • @cbuzz2371
    @cbuzz2371 Год назад

    Was the exhaust valve clearance correct as the seat wasn't clean metal at any point on its circumference?
    Also does super unleaded help reduce the carbon build up?
    Good video by the way.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      Not sure whether the tapper clearance was correct before but I can say that the bike was running very well right up until the moment she wasn’t! The clearance is bang on now though and the engine has noticeably more power than before. I may even be approaching the heady 13BHP claimed for the new bike. I think the carbon build up may be due to oil seeping down the valve guides. There’s a hint of white smoke in the exhaust and she is definitely not running rich. Not sure whether super unleaded helps but I normally buy it for the better fuel economy no matter what the bike

  • @charlesedenfield8947
    @charlesedenfield8947 4 месяца назад

    Why does the bike carbon up so frequently.? I have 1959 AJS Csr 650 that after 8400+ miles is only showing slight carbonization. I do use additives in the petrol And use a high zinc motor oil. Would that possibly help? Remember fondly my 1952 AJS M18 single, thanks so much for the detailed video.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  4 месяца назад

      @@charlesedenfield8947 it’s a good question and I wish I knew! I can say that it’s not the valve guides (they are in spec) and the bike is definitely not running rich. It is possible that the shut off procedure (exhaust valve lifter) ensures that there is always a small deposit after each ride and this builds up. I’ve done 2500 miles since decoking and I can see build up on the piston but no loss of performance yet. I also use a fuel additive. Any suggestions welcome!

    • @charlesedenfield8947
      @charlesedenfield8947 4 месяца назад

      @@terryjones6229 Dunno, but the shutting down the engine using the valve lifter rather than a magneto kill button could have some effect as you’ve got relatively cool air flowing into the engine as the crank enters the intake cycle and such could create soot easily. And build up over time. As you know, twins have no such temptation to lister to that marvelous chug down song of a good single……ha.

  • @paulmullins102
    @paulmullins102 Год назад

    good video dude

  • @thewatchman6074
    @thewatchman6074 Год назад

    Would an iridium spark plug reduce the need for a decoke? Just a thought.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      I tried one a while ago and it just didn’t work with the bike. What has worked really well is cleaning the oil filter more regularly. When it gets a bit of sludge in there the oil backs up in the crankcase and gets sucked over the piston rings. More than anything else I’ve done so far, this has reduced smoke in the exhaust and carbon build up

  • @mikewilson631
    @mikewilson631 Год назад

    I'm curious why you broke the fuel tube connections instead of unbolting the tap connector?

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      I’ve had issues in the past with the thread stripping in the fuel tap boss and I had to do a time consuming repair. Removing the hoses is quick and risk free. The clips cost pennies

  • @westaussiejeff1547
    @westaussiejeff1547 Год назад

    Thanks for the video! Did you use a tension wrench at all or rely on feel when tightening the head??

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +1

      Just feel - very easy to overtighten it

    • @westaussiejeff1547
      @westaussiejeff1547 Год назад

      Not so easy to get each bolt tension even :) Well done!
      @@terryjones6229

  • @markhowlett8070
    @markhowlett8070 Год назад +1

    Another outstanding video. Thank you. Is it today’s fuel that burns and builds up so much and is there anything you could add to the fuel to help ?

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      I think the relatively inefficient combustion process and low revs have always produced carbon build up, even with leaded fuel. Additives won’t help with this but may prevent residue build up elsewhere eg in carbs

    • @mikewilson631
      @mikewilson631 Год назад

      Use premium fuel (VPower, etc) rather than the soup sold at supermarkets. Fit an air cleaner to reduce bore wear and therefore oil burning. Both are real preventative maintenance.

    • @cbuzz2371
      @cbuzz2371 Год назад

      Higher combustion temperatures would burn off the carbon, maybe an occasional 'Italian tune up' would help?

  • @nickmiller76
    @nickmiller76 Год назад +2

    When the title said "decarbonising", I wondered if it was going to be about modifying the engine to reduce its CO2 emission levels!

  • @Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968
    @Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968 Год назад

    So it fouls up with carbon after only 3000 miles. !
    If their a problem with the carburettor, is it running too rich ?

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      That seems logical but the bike was running sweetly and the plug was a nice biscuity brown colour. I’m going to try leaning her off a little bit

  • @johnmorning7036
    @johnmorning7036 Год назад

    Is the G3 been converted to unleaded? I have never heard of a bike being de-coked every 3000 miles.

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад

      Runs just fine on unleaded without any conversion although I stick to super unleaded (95). The G3L manual recommends decarbonising every 2000 miles and cylinder bore/piston ring inspection every 4000.

    • @johnmorning7036
      @johnmorning7036 Год назад

      That's a lot of stripping and assembling at some point you are going to strip a thread.

  • @eusred83
    @eusred83 Год назад

    Hi Terry,
    Very informative and well edited video. Only just come across your channel. Have you got a Artist/track title for the music used for the speeded up sections?
    Thanks again,
    Derek

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +1

      Hi and thanks for the kind words. The music is from the Filmora 12 editing software stock music collection and is copyright and royalty free. The track is called 'Riding On' and is by Martin Rose

    • @eusred83
      @eusred83 Год назад

      @@terryjones6229 Thanks, Terry

  • @roberthocking9138
    @roberthocking9138 Год назад

    Great video, Why is there so much carbon build up.? Poor compression, poor spark, bad fuel, I would be interested to know ?

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +1

      The manual says: ‘Need for decarbonisation depends on fuel, oil and driving conditions. It will be
      indicated by a tendency to knock on hills or accelerating after rounding a corner. Every two thousand miles is a fair average.’ Given the engine had done 3000 miles since rebuild, I think she was doing OK.

  • @chrislewis4830
    @chrislewis4830 Год назад

    Im curious how would you compare the Matchless G3L WD to the BSA WM20???? apart from the BSA being a 500cc if you dont mind me asking

    • @terryjones6229
      @terryjones6229  Год назад +2

      I’ve never ridden the BSA but I know one owner and he loves his. Objectively, it was more successful (126K produced for the army vice 80K G3Ls) so that tells you something. However, the Matchless was reportedly the more popular bike due to its power to weight ratio, helped by having OHV.

    • @chrislewis4830
      @chrislewis4830 Год назад

      @@terryjones6229 THANKS mate

  • @jameslynch5716
    @jameslynch5716 Год назад

    I thought that with the modern fuels that we would not need to do this???

  • @frankiechristians7813
    @frankiechristians7813 Год назад

    Shell V-power will decarbonize

  • @royalblue2043
    @royalblue2043 Год назад

    What would cause so much carbon build up over three thousand miles. Even running the engine rich .Would that cause so much build up.Maybe a ring problem? Oil getting into combustion chamber???