Missing oil screen
 

Something strange happened when I was performing a oil change with my 7000 mile service, thought I would share in case it happens to anyone else. I was draining the oil after the valve check and when I pulled the bolt covering the left (left as you are sitting on the bike) oil screen, the oil drained but there was no screen! I checked the drain pan and everywhere I could think of (thought maybe it got stuck on the bike when the oil started draining and I didn’t see it as the oil was pouring out), it was no where to be found. I took a flashlight and checked inside the cavity where the screen was suppose to be but could not see it any where. Called CSC service and asked if they had ever seen this, they said they had not, I searched this forum to see if anyone else had reported this and found one report that for the screen on the right side of the bike and said the screen was stuck up on the left side of the cavity they could see it with a flashlight and used a coat hanger to extract it. With my bike I did not see anything at all in the cavity where the oil screen should have been. I decided to look for a endoscope camera that I could use to look around inside the cavity, thanks to Amazon for $35.99 I had a camera to connect to my iPad in 2 days:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Using the camera I found the oil screen stuck out of view in the upper right area of the cavity.Attachment 13759
Didn’t expect that, used a mini hook tool to move it out of that area so I could position it to grab it with a set of needle nose pliers. It actually ended up side ways in the cavity before I was able to position it to grab it with the needle nose pliers.Attachment 13760
The endoscope was great! Spotted in about two minutes and it even took the attached photos. Hope this doesn’t happen to you, but just in case!

I honestly don't know how those oil screens really stay in place anyway. Seems it would be easy for them to fall off during a routine oil change and end up floating around inside the engine case. I removed the screen during my last oil change (after 50 miles on the Hawk) and drained the oil out of the bottom engine plug as well as the side bolt with the spring/screen behind it. The screen just rests on that spring so I could see it easily coming off during reinstall.

Good catch.
 

Max,
Thanks for sharing the info about the camera, things like that are very handy.

Placement of the screen in it's orifice is a bit fussy, as you've learned. Glad you didn't have any mechanical failure from it getting in to the moving bits.

RDT1959 in N. Carolina had shared his story about the same situation: http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....13&postcount=1

Jay.

edit: After reading the original post I went to the oil change tutorial on the CSC site to refresh my memory on what it does and doesn't cover when I noticed the text doesn't align with the pictures in some cases. I e-mailed CSC at 6:29 a.m. to report and got a robo-response immediately as expected.
What I did not expect was a reply from Steve Seidner himself. At 0630. In person. Ain't he something special?

The two screens slide in to holes, one in the engine case and the other inside the bolt-plug where an o-ring on each end keeps small debris from getting past the ends. The is no spring on either strainer, only the filter.

I wonder if your Hawk engine is manufactured differently than our RX3 engine?

If the oil screen is not properly inserted in the orifice at the bottom of its cavity, when you put the plug and screw it, it presses the screen, it flexes and then jumps out all over the place.
Always make sure to insert, by hand, the screen in the orifice. As it has an oring, you can feel it going snugly in.

It appears that the Hawk engine is similar/identical to the air cooled 230cc lump in the TT250. In other words, not much in common with our NC250 motive unit. As I understand it, the 230cc engine is a clone of a Honda engine that is one of the most widely produced single cylinder engines of all time.

Where the NC250 has a overhead cam, roller tappets, fuel injection, dual oil pumps, 6 speed transmission and water cooling the 230 is pushrod, carb, 5 speed, air cooled. Oh, and 24 hp vs 16 hp. I had a TT250 and can attest to the simplicity and light weight. The RX3 fits my needs much better.

Not sure of the answer to that one, but you can see what I'm referring to by watching Motocheez's oil change on his Hawk...jump to ~1:45 into the video...


https://youtu.be/k9o0ISG7eJg?t=1m43s

That was me that had that problem. Glad you were able to retrieve it.

I have oil filters screens in Utah with my mate (He is heading back to China this week plz be quick if you want/need)

Clear out special 8 Oil filters 2 screen filters 2 O ring pack $50 delivered to you in the USA. paypal is fine

I've found those 2 screens to need correct end inserted first. One end is thick wall and other end is thin wall.
Which end goes in first? Sorry i don't remember now. Maybe someone else does.
I always check 'em when i take 'em out. That may make a difference?
EDIT: Thin end installed first per CSC tutorial. Just Checked.