Oil filter addition - Escher kit

Installation instructions for in the rear mounted oil filter (for V7 models) without engine modifications

Thanks to Hans Rosenstein for assisting with the translation from German to English.

I. Preparation

Remove the oil pan and the main oil line with the integrated pressure relief valve which runs lengthwise.

II. Move the old wire mesh oil filter downward

Materials: an aluminum spacer ring which is the same diameter as the old wire mesh oil filter; two aluminum tube spacers; two screws (8 mm × 65 mm in length); aluminum syphon extension with one-sided cone.

Warning: Do not use a hammer to install these components - especially avoid hitting the oil intake. If you do not heed this warning, you will cry!!!

1. Disassemble and clean all of the components of the old wire mesh oil filter
2. At the oil intake: Clean the inside of the vacuum hole making sure that it is free from oil; Insert the cone end of the syphon extension into the vacuum hole of the oil intake; use high-strength screw locking adhesive.
   
   Note:
   The syphon extension must sit firmly in the intake.
   The lower end must form an even surface with the spacer tubes.
   Fitting the cone requires precise work!
3. Fit the spacer ring (with the groove downward) on the oil intake, where the wire mesh sat before (if necessary, some or all of the four ribs of the oil intake may be filed down; alternatively, slots may be filed in the spacer ring that match the four ribs).
4. Push the cleaned wire mesh onto the groove of the spacer ring; next, secure the wire mesh oil filter and the spacer ring using the old oil filter seal plate and the two provided screws (6 mm × 45 mm in length) and spacer tubes.

III. Final assembly

Install the intermediate ring with the new integrated main oil line using one of 2 oil pan gaskets. Use the original two 8 mm bolts to secure the free end of the oil line at the front of the engine and the provided 8 mm bolts to secure the new pressure relief valve at the rear of the engine; reuse the two old lock plates (torque: 26 Nm).

Note:

Use high strength thread locking compound on the bolts that secure the oil line, only during final assembly so that when installed, the connections are tight and exact. All sealing surfaces must be parallel to each other. Do not forget the additional gasket for the pressure relief valve. It is easiest to separate this gasket from the oil pan gasket so that it can be installed independently. Install the oil pan using the included bolts (6 mm bolts, torque: 10 Nm). If the steel rails are installed under the oil pan, the two rails that interfere with the new oil filter will have to be shortened.

1. Install the oil filter and fill the crankcase with oil (approx. 3.5 liters / 3.7 quarts). Exchange the dipstick for a longer version. Check the oil level after a short test ride.
2. Start the engine and check for leaks; watch your oil pressure!

Have fun riding!!

Review of the Escher oil filter kit

2005 December 26: I finally carved out a Monday morning to install the Escher oil filter kit. I found the installation straight forward, but it is certainly NOT a bolt-on kit. Modifications are required. Some I expected from the instructions, others were disappointing:

• The extension ring for the oil pick up definitely has to be modified to fit on the existing oil pick up. I chose to file groves in the ring rather than modify the original oil pickup. It didn't take long to do, but I felt like it should have already been done by the machinist.
• Rather than use thread locking compound and split washers for securing the oil line with the 8 mm bolts, I chose to use Schnorr washers without thread locking compound. They work fine and you don't have to worry about the thread locking compound stripping out threads in the aluminum block.
• The supplied longer bolts for securing the oil pan to the block were too long. The kit contained 75 mm bolts whereas 70 mm bolts are needed. The 75 mm bolts bottom out in some holes. I temporarily added a few flat washers under each bolt head until I acquired the 70 mm bolts.
• The biggest disappointment was the sump extension itself. It is too wide to fit within the frame. You'll notice in the photos there are three ribs that run the length of the sump spacer. I had to grind down the topmost rib completely to allow adequate clearance for the frame. This was not a big job with my $10 Harbor Freight handheld grinder, but the sump spacer should have been right in the first place.

Other than these shortcomings, I am very pleased with the kit. It does not leak (indicating that the sump spacer portion is flat and parallel) and the oil filter only protrudes a little bit below the bottom of the oil pan.

I realize that the kit only filters oil going to the rear main bearing, but I'm fine with that. It is a whole lot better than no filter and required much less downtime than an internal filter addition would have required. That being said, if I had any loop frame engine disassembled, I would definitely take the time and spend the money to install an internal filter (as Dave Richardson describes in Guzziology).