80/84 Liquifire Crankcase Oil Injection

[JDGuy]

Over the years on this form there have been various opinions posted on what the center crankcase oil injection lubricates or does not lubricate…..center bearings or just center seal or?? I found the diagram below in the Kawasaki Invader manual and it shows what the crankcase port lubricates. It shows the oil flowing to center crank area, then to the center crankshaft bearings and then to the big end connecting rod bearings. I assume the Liquifire would be the same. Hope this helps.

[dap574]

Great diagram of the center bearing! Can you then just block off the fuel mix ports or do you have to feed them back to the oil tank? Does the center get oil at idle or only with throttle? I'm still trying to see about pre-mix for weight saving on my son's sled. Thanks Dave

[nick80lf]

The pump does pump a small amount of oil at idle and even more when the throttle lever is pressed. If it was my sled I'd "T" the 2 cylinder lines back to the pump inlet line verses going all the way back to the reservoir. Just my 2 cents worth.

And that image is great. When I had the crank out of mine I noticed the 2 small holes going towards the center bearings but never thought it then went to the big end of the rods. Thanks for posting that JDGuy.

[ICCSF 108]

JDGUY thanks for finding this & posting it, It looks to me that a person ( when having the crank out ) should ck & make sure that the oil holes going to the lower rod bearing are open & clean for proper oiling..
That picture sure make a believer out of me that the oil injection SHOULD STAY ON & OPERATIONAL..

Kenny

[JDGuy]

Thanks Nick & Kenny for the "thanks". For those of us running/rebuilding 80/84 LF engines, I recommend both the JD manual & the Invader Manual. I think the JD manual is a great abbreviation and the Kawasaki manual includes more detail, technical info and service tips...my opinion.

[Invader440]

I'm still trying to see about pre-mix for weight saving on my son's sled. Thanks Dave

Best way to do this would be to use the Intruder crank if you were to get rid of the oil injection. Not that I recommend getting rid of the oil injection.

[JoeRainville]

Hi JDGuy,

Thanks a ton for finding and posting that picture! I've always been a firm believer in leaving the oil injection funtional on Invaders and Liquifire's. Kawi engineers had the center port for several reasons, and that finally put's it to bed as to all of them.

This is in addition to the fact that the water pump is driven off the oil pump, and partly mounts too it.

Thanks again,
-Joe Rainville

[nick80lf]

I defiantly agree with Joe. I’m not a big fan of eliminating any of the three oil injection points. I like to clean the banjo fittings once and awhile and do a leak down test on the internal check valve using a vacuum pump.

[smitfire]

The pump does pump a small amount of oil at idle and even more when the throttle lever is pressed. If it was my sled I'd "T" the 2 cylinder lines back to the pump inlet line verses going all the way back to the reservoir. Just my 2 cents worth.

And that image is great. When I had the crank out of mine I noticed the 2 small holes going towards the center bearings but never thought it then went to the big end of the rods. Thanks for posting that JDGuy.

What would happen if you took two ports and connected them together with an oil line?

[nick80lf]

The pump does pump a small amount of oil at idle and even more when the throttle lever is pressed. If it was my sled I'd "T" the 2 cylinder lines back to the pump inlet line verses going all the way back to the reservoir. Just my 2 cents worth.

And that image is great. When I had the crank out of mine I noticed the 2 small holes going towards the center bearings but never thought it then went to the big end of the rods. Thanks for posting that JDGuy.

What would happen if you took two ports and connected them together with an oil line?

In my opinion that would not be a good idea. That would be the equivalent of plugging the ports. The oil injection pump is a positive displacement pump, which means the all of the flow has to go somewhere. I don't believe the pump has a built in pressure relief valve. So, if the outlet ports were plugged or connected together the pressure could conceivably rise to a point where a line could blow off, burst or cause damage to the pump.

[1982LiquFire440]

I just bought a 1982 and the previous owner pinched off the oil injection inlet line and was mixing the oil in the gas. I dont know if he did this becouse the injection pump quit or for some other reason. I want to use the oil injection and hook it back up, however I need to know how I can text the system. Is there anyway to take the pump off the engine and spin it with a drill or something to that extent to test. I know that I can test the ports and make sure they are not plugged just need to know how I can test the pump. If not I may be looking for a pump that is known to work from someone out there.

[lwb140]

1982' a [ with pre-mix }discussed method to prime the pump is to let the engine idle but hold the pump lever at full throttle until oil is pumping , they pump such a small amout of oil it is hard to tell if they are working or not but this will let you know if its working at all wade

[nick80lf]

Wade has it pretty much summed up. The service manual has detailed instructions. Refer to this site for the manual http://www.vintagesnow.com/.

All I can add is make sure the vent hole is clear in the cap on the oil tank and your oil filter is not clogged (if you have one) before checking the pump flow.

[SIIaCanuck]

Just got eyes on my 'new' '80 Liquifire (I'm a military pilot living in the UK until next year) and discovered that the oil injection tank is missing.

It runs well and has only 2000ish km on it from new, previous owner didn't do a lot of miles.

I'm going to reconnect the oil injection system before running it but is there anything else I should look out for? Signs of possible damage?

Been dreaming of a Liquifire since I was 8 so I don't want to damage it.

[AirborneX4Special]

Change the crank seals before you do anything. Are the oil discharge and intake ports capped? I'd run an entire tank of mixed fuel through it after the system is back in operation because plugs are cheaper than pistons and cylinders. Make sure there is oil in the pump gearcase before you attempt to use the system. There is a link to the service manual on this site and it will be helpful along with some tutorials on changing seals and engine work.