Oil Contaminant Separator (OCS) Orientation: The Official Word

keithmaine · 05-09-2016, 10:32 AM

detours

I would just like to

for all the testing and reporting back with great information. It is guys like you, Spud and several others that make this forum such an asset.

AdventureDad · 05-09-2016, 10:54 AM

There is an interesting post on ADV rider on the RX3 thread about this, and something for everyone to watch out for... seems his hoses to the seperator gave up the ghost due to becoming hard and brittle. He also modified it with initial major improvement.

http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...#post-29372699

detours · 05-09-2016, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdventureDad

There is an interesting post on ADV rider on the RX3 thread about this, and something for everyone to watch out for... seems his hoses to the seperator gave up the ghost due to becoming hard and brittle. He also modified it with initial major improvement.

http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...#post-29372699

Very interesting. I'll have to check my OCS hoses for damage too.

I've considered a straighter shot to the airbox. On the one hand, fuel and water condensation could drip back into the crankcase. On the other hand, on long runs where the crankcase stays hot, fuel and water vapor will be continuously drawn into the airbox. Pros and cons either way.

SpudRider · 05-09-2016, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithmaine

detours

I would just like to

for all the testing and reporting back with great information. It is guys like you, Spud and several others that make this forum such an asset.

Thank you, Keith.

We appreciate having helpful, polite members such as yourself, who contribute knowledge to this forum.

Unfortunately, we occasionally encounter people who eagerly gather information from others without acknowledging the source, yet they contribute little or nothing themselves. Instead, they insist on starting arguments, and insulting others. Needless to say, we are fortunate when these people leave, either voluntarily, or involuntarily.

Lee R · 05-09-2016, 02:28 PM

I just flipped my OCS back to the "official" position which was the way it came from the factory, the hose was still in good shape after 1000 miles but I'll continue checking for cracks as it may be fuel vapor/fuel sensitive.

It'll be interesting to see if the tube still fills after the bikes had a bit more mileage. I have another oil change at 2000 miles and I'm getting the oil analyzed again to see if it's still got an abnormal amount of fuel in it.

detours · 05-09-2016, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee R

I just flipped my OCS back to the "official" position which was the way it came from the factory, the hose was still in good shape after 1000 miles but I'll continue checking for cracks as it may be fuel vapor/fuel sensitive.

It'll be interesting to see if the tube still fills after the bikes had a bit more mileage. I have another oil change at 2000 miles and I'm getting the oil analyzed again to see if it's still got an abnormal amount of fuel in it.

Hey Lee, I found your oil analysis in the other thread, and it shows 4.5% fuel content. Was that your bike's first oil change? And was your OCS in the official position for that oil change interval?

Lee R · 05-09-2016, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by detours

Hey Lee, I found your oil analysis in the other thread, and it shows 4.5% fuel content. Was that your bike's first oil change? And was your OCS in the official position for that oil change interval?

That was the second oil change, oil had 500 miles on the sample between mileage 500-1000. OCS was in "official" position at that time, I flipped it @ 1000 miles. Both the initial and second oil change smelled strongly of fuel.

I spoke to Gerry about it while I was in California in person and he said it's normal and should be OK after break in. I'll be sending another sample to be sure at the 2000 mile mark this week.

pyoungbl · 05-09-2016, 04:35 PM

Just a thought...as the piston rises and falls the crankcase goes through a pressure/partial vacuum cycle twice for every time the plug fires. Now, that's only 249cc moving around but it's still pumping/sucking really quickly. I'm wondering if the OCS has a secondary purpose, to dampen these waves as any blowby heads to the airbox. This should not be a steady push of gas unless the rings are shot, more like the vibration you get from the head of a drum. If I'm correct the water/fuel/oil particles get stripped on each push/suck, falling into the clear tube. I still do not understand why we get so much water in the tube but then, I did not do good in college chemistry either.

Peter Y.

RX3James · 05-10-2016, 10:50 PM

I've been reading a lot about the orientation of the OCS lately. So today I decided to take a look at mine. As you can see it's not in the correct position. Only one time did I ever notice any fluid build up in the tube and it was when I was doing the break in oil change. It is pretty obvious with the discoloration of the tube that there has been fluid going through the tube for some time. I suspect its not building up in the tube because the plug isn't exactly water tight. So here's the real question..... I have not noticed any real issue with the bike. It runs and rides just fine. I think now that I've finally broken 2000 miles on it that I've worked out most of the bugs. So should I even worry about he orientation? Should I even spend the 5 minutes to flip it? What is it going to hurt if I just let it roll like it is? If there is no real benefit then I think I'm going to just leave it be. What do you guys and gals think?

Ride safe friends!

SpudRider · 05-10-2016, 11:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RX3James

I've been reading a lot about the orientation of the OCS lately. So today I decided to take a look at mine. As you can see it's not in the correct position. Only one time did I ever notice any fluid build up in the tube and it was when I was doing the break in oil change. It is pretty obvious with the discoloration of the tube that there has been fluid going through the tube for some time. I suspect its not building up in the tube because the plug isn't exactly water tight....

You are correct. My RX3 was delivered with the OCS in the same position as yours. I did not collect any fluid in the tube last year, because the seal was not tight. Over the winter the tube shrunk a bit, which tightened the seal with the plug. Therefore, I am now starting to collect fluid in the tube.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RX3James

...So here's the real question..... I have not noticed any real issue with the bike. It runs and rides just fine. I think now that I've finally broken 2000 miles on it that I've worked out most of the bugs. So should I even worry about he orientation? Should I even spend the 5 minutes to flip it? What is it going to hurt if I just let it roll like it is? If there is no real benefit then I think I'm going to just leave it be. What do you guys and gals think?

Ride safe friends!

I have ridden my bike over 14,000 miles with the OCS in the 'unofficial' position. My bike also runs well, without any problems whatsoever. Indeed, at least some, if not all the bikes on the Western States ride also had the OCS oriented in the 'unofficial' position. Those bikes didn't have any problems, either.

Obviously, you don't have anything to worry about by keeping the OCS in the current, 'unofficial' orientation.

Indeed, I would't waste five minutes to flip it, unless you want to experiment. If you do decide to flip the OCS, you will probably bend the tubing more acutely, which will probably cause the tubing to crack and fail more quickly. I can't see any benefit resulting from flipping the OCS to the 'official' position.

SpudRider · 05-11-2016, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RX3James

...So should I even worry about he orientation? Should I even spend the 5 minutes to flip it? What is it going to hurt if I just let it roll like it is? If there is no real benefit then I think I'm going to just leave it be. What do you guys and gals think?

Ride safe friends!

If you do decide to flip the OCS to the 'official' position for an experiment, you will collect more fluid in the OCS than now. Detours has proven this by valid experimentation. His results have also been confirmed by others who leave the OCS in the 'official' position for more than several days.

I have ridden my RX3 over 14,000 miles with my OCS in the 'unoffical' position. Every time I have changed my engine oil, the used oil was in excellent condition. Therefore, I'm sure I am collecting all the fuel and water contaminants from the engine oil. If you flip the OCS to the 'official' position, you will get more contaminants collected in the tube, which means less fuel vapor is being routed to the air box, and burned in the engine. Detours explains this matter in his usual intelligent, concise manner, in post #32 of this thread.

3banger · 05-15-2016, 11:39 PM

So here is the solution I will be testing out. Every other motorcycle I've ever owned or that I'm aware of vent from the crankcase directly to the air box with out all this OCS stuff. With a simple mod this can be accomplished on the RX3. I'm sure this will have warranty voiding implications if something I don't for see cause an engine related failure; Joe I realize that up front since I'm sharing this here.

As of right now this is an experiment and I don't encourage anyone else to following suit. But the engineer in me can't leave well enough alone; I'll keep everyone posted.

05-09-2016, 10:32 AM	#1
keithmaine Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: White Mtns. NH Posts: 488	detours I would just like to for all the testing and reporting back with great information. It is guys like you, Spud and several others that make this forum such an asset. __________________ 2016 Versys 650 LT, 2015 RX3 Red, 2011 Ural GearUp,
	1

05-09-2016, 10:54 AM	#2
AdventureDad Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 253	There is an interesting post on ADV rider on the RX3 thread about this, and something for everyone to watch out for... seems his hoses to the seperator gave up the ghost due to becoming hard and brittle. He also modified it with initial major improvement. http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...#post-29372699
	0

05-09-2016, 02:28 PM	#5
Lee R Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 343	I just flipped my OCS back to the "official" position which was the way it came from the factory, the hose was still in good shape after 1000 miles but I'll continue checking for cracks as it may be fuel vapor/fuel sensitive. It'll be interesting to see if the tube still fills after the bikes had a bit more mileage. I have another oil change at 2000 miles and I'm getting the oil analyzed again to see if it's still got an abnormal amount of fuel in it.
	1

05-09-2016, 04:35 PM	#8
pyoungbl Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Portsmouth, Virginia, USA Posts: 632	Just a thought...as the piston rises and falls the crankcase goes through a pressure/partial vacuum cycle twice for every time the plug fires. Now, that's only 249cc moving around but it's still pumping/sucking really quickly. I'm wondering if the OCS has a secondary purpose, to dampen these waves as any blowby heads to the airbox. This should not be a steady push of gas unless the rings are shot, more like the vibration you get from the head of a drum. If I'm correct the water/fuel/oil particles get stripped on each push/suck, falling into the clear tube. I still do not understand why we get so much water in the tube but then, I did not do good in college chemistry either. Peter Y.
	0