Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

I recently purchased a 1976 MT250 Elsinore and when going thru the bike, I noticed the nipple the hose attaches to (on the oil tank joint, Honda OEM part number: 55107-358-000) has a crack in it, resulting in a slow leak. I would prefer to leave the auto oil injection system functional and avoid having to pre-mix if possible. Short of having a buddy make me one on his lathe, does anybody have parts or know where one might be available? At this point, I may consider the entire tank if I can find one. Appears to be a mighty rare commodity these days! I have searched Flea-bay numerous times with no luck. Any sources would be appreciated. See attached parts diagram...the part in question would be number 25. Sorry for the small pic.

http://www.myhostedpics.com/images/DougB1256/elsinoreoiltank.png

On another note.....Not having a service manual, another question came up. The tube that attaches to the oil tank joint is very old and quite stiff. I would like to swap it out. Does it pull straight out of the top of the oil pump housing or must it be removed from the enclosed pump? Is it held in place by just a hose clamp or is there an unseen banjo bolt? Hard to tell from the parts picture although it appears to be a hose clamp.

Any help you might be able to pass on to help this rookie would be GREATLY appreciated!

Doug

Doug,

I'd assume the worst - that even if NOS parts suddenly appeared on eBay for a reasonable price and you managed to get them, they would be nearly as old and brittle as the ones you have.

I think if it were my bike I'd heat and carefully remove both ends of the oil feed line (there should be a small ring clamp on each end, and you'll definitely have to remove the pump cover first to heat the pump end/nipple), drill out the cap nipple and JB Weld a metal one in, and replace the feed line with a new clear urethane one. Then I'd carefully inspect the oil output line and banjo fittings for cracks and looseness, repairing with JB Weld as needed. As long as the output line was in fairly decent shape to start and the tank / pump / banjo bolts / washers / manifold etc. are OK, you should be good to go. I repaired a snapped-off banjo fitting once, it came out fine and has never leaked.

Ray

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'74 CR125M (175cc), '75 MR175, '82 RM250Z, '08 YZ250F, '14 Zero FX electric, '14 Zero MX electric, '18 Alta MXR electric

I lucked out and actually found a single location that had four (4) of the part I needed. I decided to order it and keep it as a spare in the event the original didn't hold up with the JB Weld I used. I am thoroughly convinced the gorilla that owned the bike before I did "tweaked" the nipple that was on it due to the fact that it likely was the original supply tubing that came on the bike. It was so hard, I had to squeeze it gently with a needle nose pliers to make sure it wasn't metal! I went and picked up a gallon of Klotz Techniplate injector oil to offer it a "treat". Can't wait to get it back together and see how she performs, which won't happen until tomorrow at the earliest....gotta' wait for the JB to set. I like projects that come together once in a while!