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Triumph Sludge Trap Maintenance

Sludge Trap: Avoiding Disaster

If your vintage Triumph motor has never been rebuilt, chances are the sludge trap in your crankshaft is in urgent need of cleaning.

Above: Arrow shows hard sludge build up blocking almost 3/4 of the oil passage... This is a disaster just waiting to happen.





Cleaning the trap is crucial for any motor that's been in service for an extended period of time. In fact, it might actually save your engine.

Above: Screwdriver driven by a hammer dislodges years of built-up sludge.

The Dynamics

  • Acting on the centrifugal force of the rotating flywheel, foreign particles mixed with broken down oil are thrown to the outside of the sludge trap. The early Triumph's lack of a micronic filter combined with poor maintenance lead to the buildup of sludge that can eventually block the oil passage. If the bike sits a few years, the sludge becomes rock hard and impossible to remove using solvents. It must be disassembled and cleaned manually. The seriousness of condition this cannot be overstated.

  • Please remember this one most important point when buying an older bike that's been in storage for years. When the bike is first started, it may appear to be running fine and the oil pressure may be normal. The problem is… there is no way of telling if oil is flowing into the crankshaft. This means disaster and it's just a matter of time. Always perform a thorough cleaning on any motor that's been in service for extended period of time to ensure your engines longevity.

  • Cleaning the crankshaft's sludge trap requires you to disassemble the cases. If you are not comfortable performing this procedure, please give us a call. You'll be glad you took the extra time to "Do the Right Thing"...

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Classic Cycles Ltd.
1021 Route 519
PO Box 163
Baptistown, NJ 08803
Phone :: (908)-996-5337
Fax :: (908)-996-5338
Email :: classiccycles@embarqmail.com