Ariel Owners Motorcycle Club

Hi All, Would the club possibly have some valve lifter's made for the club, I have run singles for years tried all ways to cure the leak from the lifter but no joy, I am not in a position to to make one only modify existing with packers sprung washers rings etc., and not had a lot of luck with mods even got to try extra air vent in rockers but not a lot of use, there must be a lot of single users in the same boat in the club to make it worth while getting some made, the only good thing is the left side of the petrol tank will never go rusty on the outside, and to stop the dynamo getting oil into it a innertube cut in two strips about an 1" wide fitted over the metal dynamo cover seals it a treat also a thin innertube band wrapped round throttle stops it slipping as I am getting old I'm loosing my grip, Regards Clive

Hello Clive, I seem to remember that some parts were available from the club spares scheme last year when I was looking to replace my broken/worn out parts. Additionally, these are available from Draganfly, as parts or complete assemblies and also Acme Stainless offer the parts as well. I understand it may not be club policy to make items that are available from other commercial sources, but would stand corrected on this point. Regards, Paul

Hi Paul, I will have a look in club spares and the other two sources thanks Clive.

Hi Charvey. This is a risky question....did you ever try grinding in the tapered seal on the inside?.. I really can't see how the lifter can leak if it has been done really well and you have the correct spring washer on the outside to apply sealing pressure and finally, a fibre washer between the main part of it and the head...Please don't get angry if you have, I'm not trying to insult your abilities

The valve lifter spring washer was only used on earlier models. A series of shims to control end float and provide a tension against the seal washer (originally what appeared to be leather) was used after that. It is fiddly to get that washer to seal and the washer compacts and then leaks and needs another shim. The easy fix is to machine a groove in the valve lifter nut where the shaft passes through to accept an O ring and then machine a thick washer to replace the seal and shims. I did that years ago on all my singles and have not had a problem since.
David

Hi David. I thought the gas/oil seal was effected by a valve seal identical to that of a poppet valve as used in cylinder heads? Fully ground-in it seals perfectly without O rings and washers. It just needs slight contact pressure created by the single turn external spring on the shaft. Maybe there are other types of valve lifter arms, I am not an Ariel expert.

hi, i got a new complete valve lifter from Drags about 5 years ago for my NH and it has done a lot miles with no leaks

Les
I had never thought about grinding in the shaft head to the nut. Given the original leather sealing washer on the outside I thought that was the intended seal. The O ring system is oil leak free, as is your system.
David

Hi David. Perhaps we are not talking about the exact same thing. The exhaust valve lifters have a built in "poppet valve" type seal that needs to be ground in with grinding paste. I show the 2x parts and the faces that mate together to form a perfect gas tight seal. Just dismantle the valve after removing the lever. It's all dead easy to do. The shaft can be rotated with fingers to lap in the surfaces. Check both with a magnifying glass. Use fine grade unless damaged. No further external leather seals or O Rings are necessary to prevent leakage, but make sure the small flat spring is exerting enough "pull" on the internal "poppet" seal. This can be done with extra washers but don't over do it as it needs to be able to rotate obviously.