EV004 VM ENGINE

What is an easy no-mess way of changing the engine oil? The tank drain plug is hard against the tool box and it seems impossible to get anything readily under it to catch the oil. Is there some logical reason for this?
I also took out the crankcase oil return "filter" plug (to clean it) and a lot of oil drained out of the crankcase - this oil at least can be caught directly in a pan.
Finally, how often should I replace the filter? Can it be cleaned?
I used Castrol GTX 20/50 as the replacement oil, it seemed closest to the instruction manual specification. The previous owner had been using Pennzoil HD50 that appears to be a straight SAE 50 oil with detergents in it - that seems unnecessary as back in 1960 there were "detergent" Multi-Grade oils in common use. My father's LE MkIII in the late 1950s used a Mobiloil version as I recall. - David Royston 24/10/2000

Yes - oil changing is a messy business....
I suppose the tank drain plug is tucked in to avoid it catching on your leg, particularly if you "mis-kick" when starting. If I'm doing a clean bike, with relatively clean oil in it (ie not sludge) then I do just put a catch tray under the general area in front of the centre-stand and remove the plug. The oil soon drains off all the areas it contacts, particularly if it's warm, leaving just a film which barely needs wiping off.
But otherwise I get a piece of cardboard about the size of a small envelope, fold it in two length-wise, and maybe trim a corner so that I can wedge it in the gap between oil-tank and toolbox, and tank and gearbox, to form a V - like an open funnel (maybe stuffing a rag in beneath to hold it). Then unscrew the plug its last few threads and pull it out to let the oil flow down the V into a receptacle. Anyone know a better way?
Velocette guidance in their original service manual is to remove and clean the filter plug every 2,000 miles "...or if at any time continuous and excessive smoking at the exhaust indicates that the crankcase is not being cleared satisfactorily of oil". I think they may have changed this advice later, and many Velo engineers say it doesn't need cleaning except during a major overhaul, and I personally agree. If a bit of swarf gets carried back on the top of the filter plug, it goes straight in the oil-pump return gears, which jams them, which jams the pump spindle, and therefore its drive gear, which then turns all the threads off the brass worm drive on the end of the crankshaft ..... I've done it. It needs to be oil and air-tight so the scavenge is fully effective.
The drain plug from the very bottom needs removing at each oil-change. This sump plug drains the sump oil, and there should be between a quarter to half a pint come out. Much more, and either the anti-drain valve or the return side of the pump isn't working properly.
The actual felt filter does need changing periodically because it eventually gets blocked and reduces the oil-flow through it, and therefore reduces the scavenge. The Velocette manual says 10,000 miles. Not many Velos do that...... Which is just as well, because although you can remove the upper cap and the filter with the tank still fixed, the bottom cap on the filter always detaches itself, and that is messy.... We've all tried dodges to wedge the lower cap on while we change the filter, but we seldom succeed! You must NOT try to clean and re-use the filter.
Either a straight 50 or 20/50 (or straight 40 when not too hot) is OK, but as discussed in another Q&A, use only low or no detergent unless you know that the inside of the engine is already clean - otherwise modern detergents can scour out all the sludge and deposits of decades, and circulate them round your engine. - TW 24/10/2000

With the problems that I had with the oil leaking past the filter tube I had to drain the oil tank on more than one occasion. I bought some plastic jugs from ASDA which were big enough to take all the oil and have a long spout that allows you to get it under the oil tank drain plug. They have the added advantage that they are also calibrated so you know how much has come out or even has been put back in. You have to sit there patiently until the flow stops but at least the garage floor looks alright afterwards. - Dougal Burns 6/2/2001

Please be careful with your choice of oil. Castrol GTX 20/50 in its current incarnation is not anything like the Castrol GTX of the handbook. It contains lots of additives and detergents. Castrol XL20/50 in the Castrol Classic range is an accurate replacement for the GTX of old.
PS The Club sell an excellent filter modification kit which is vastly superior to the old "chicken-wire and Army blanket" Tecalamit type filter - but sadly just as messy to change.- Will Noble 12/4/2001