I just picked up my 2nd dale but it has some minor issues. Oil pushed into the air box the last time the previous owner rode it 2 weeks ago. I think he overfilled it. But somewhere I heard that there is a check ball that cloggs or sticks in the engine that could cause this. Has anyone heard of this?
Since my 1st dale never pushed oil I have not gotten into this before. So is there any special way or method of draining the oil out (differant than normal) and does oil get in somewhere that needs to be take out of that is not in the normal draining proceedures?
FYI: The frame vent update had not been installed prior to it pushing oil, I have one on order and it should be installed next week.
Tank differances: The new dale has a different fuel outlet position on the tank than my other. This one has the return at the underside top and the supply at the underside bottom of the tank. Why was this changed in the newer year models? Should I be looking for a new tank?
I see discussion and referances to engines of dales refered to as unicorns. What is this, are they better and how do you know if you have one?
Thanks
Tom
Oil in Airbox
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thedeatons
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- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:41 pm
Hey Tom...
The unicorn case refers to an early model case made out of a different material than the late model. If you have Cannondale stamped above your transmission drain plug, then you do NOT have a unicorn case.
The oil could also be caused from your scavenge pump gears becoming stripped, causing your pump not to evacuate oil from the engine's sump, overpressurizing the case and blowing the oil out the vent line in the airbox. Drain your engine oil, yank your clutch cover and spin the engine over using the rear tires (while in gear). Make sure the little gears under the clutch basket are turning. If the second from the rear gear is not spinning, that means the scavenge pump is not spinning.
The 02 model had the fuel pickup at the bottom rear of hte tank. The 03 style had both up front with a pickup going down into the tank on the inside. The 03 is preferred, but I cannot tell you why. Good luck!
The unicorn case refers to an early model case made out of a different material than the late model. If you have Cannondale stamped above your transmission drain plug, then you do NOT have a unicorn case.
The oil could also be caused from your scavenge pump gears becoming stripped, causing your pump not to evacuate oil from the engine's sump, overpressurizing the case and blowing the oil out the vent line in the airbox. Drain your engine oil, yank your clutch cover and spin the engine over using the rear tires (while in gear). Make sure the little gears under the clutch basket are turning. If the second from the rear gear is not spinning, that means the scavenge pump is not spinning.
The 02 model had the fuel pickup at the bottom rear of hte tank. The 03 style had both up front with a pickup going down into the tank on the inside. The 03 is preferred, but I cannot tell you why. Good luck!
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harleypitbull1
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- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:41 pm
If the check ball in your frame sticks, it causes oil to fill into the piston cylinder and then it pushes out your exhaust when the quad is turned over. I dont think there is a fix for this, mine did it once after an oil change but most of the time it fixes itself. I think you can blow air into the frame to get rid of the debris that causes the ball to stick and not close.
The gears driven off the cluch basket are turning and the quad was not turned upside down so I am thinking that it purged oil due to overfilling.
As for the unicorn engine. One bike has the cannondale stamp and one does not. If I were to invest money into upgrading the engine (this upcommoing winter) I am guessing that the unicorn is the one to work from. Can you tell me what makes the unicorn better than the other?
Tom
As for the unicorn engine. One bike has the cannondale stamp and one does not. If I were to invest money into upgrading the engine (this upcommoing winter) I am guessing that the unicorn is the one to work from. Can you tell me what makes the unicorn better than the other?
Tom
QUOTE (TG2891 @ Mar 3 2007, 03:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The gears driven off the cluch basket are turning and the quad was not turned upside down so I am thinking that it purged oil due to overfilling.
As for the unicorn engine. One bike has the cannondale stamp and one does not. If I were to invest money into upgrading the engine (this upcommoing winter) I am guessing that the unicorn is the one to work from. Can you tell me what makes the unicorn better than the other?
Tom
As for the unicorn engine. One bike has the cannondale stamp and one does not. If I were to invest money into upgrading the engine (this upcommoing winter) I am guessing that the unicorn is the one to work from. Can you tell me what makes the unicorn better than the other?
Tom
THe unicorn was a non-sand cast case (sand cast has Cannondale above the transmission plug, as mentioned before. What makes it a unicorn is that it was machined to accept a hydraulic clutch. Most early cases have cable, all sand cast have haydraulic, a unicorn is a superior material WITH the hydraulic clutch.
Marc
A unicorn case is a case that was made from the older style cases that were originally made to be cable clutch style cases but was machined and converted by the factory to use a hydro clutch instead. It has nothing to do with what the cases are made from or how they are made. There was several versions of early style cases, all of which had a wide casting line directly above the trans drain plug. All late model cases have the word Cannondale above the trans drain plug and are hydro clutch style motors. As far as the method of making the cases I think the early model cases were sand casted and the later model cases were made thru a process called powdered metal. It is generally thought that the powdered metal cases are the weakest cases, but I disagree. There are a few cable clutch style cases that seem to crack easier than any case. The key is to inspect your case when you disassemble the motor for any cracks before rebuilding it.
The oil overflow problem may correct itself after you drain all the engine oil (from all three areas) and refill it with 1 1/2 quarts of synthetic oil & install the vent line update kit. As so much for the check ball, it is not in the frame it's in the motor oil pump. I do not believe the check ball is an issue here, as with 1 1/2 quarts of oil there is not enough oil in the motor to fill it above the piston while at rest. I believe the oil is coming from the valve seals leaking due to pooling oil in the head. It doesn't hurt anything except for having to pull the spark plug to let the engine blow it all out.
The gas tank fittings were moved up front due to the motocross community was constantly damaging the rear fitting on hard landings, and the fuel line was ran over or around the engine to get to the fuel pump. This causing fuel boiling which can lead to problems. Don't waste your money on another tank as Caniboomer has an updated fuel fitting package that can plug the rear inlet and runs both from the front. It will include new disconnects and petcoks to shut off the fuel flow. The factory fuel line disconnects suck big time and anything is an improvement.
The oil overflow problem may correct itself after you drain all the engine oil (from all three areas) and refill it with 1 1/2 quarts of synthetic oil & install the vent line update kit. As so much for the check ball, it is not in the frame it's in the motor oil pump. I do not believe the check ball is an issue here, as with 1 1/2 quarts of oil there is not enough oil in the motor to fill it above the piston while at rest. I believe the oil is coming from the valve seals leaking due to pooling oil in the head. It doesn't hurt anything except for having to pull the spark plug to let the engine blow it all out.
The gas tank fittings were moved up front due to the motocross community was constantly damaging the rear fitting on hard landings, and the fuel line was ran over or around the engine to get to the fuel pump. This causing fuel boiling which can lead to problems. Don't waste your money on another tank as Caniboomer has an updated fuel fitting package that can plug the rear inlet and runs both from the front. It will include new disconnects and petcoks to shut off the fuel flow. The factory fuel line disconnects suck big time and anything is an improvement.