strange oil cooler plate

Getting my 1982 XJ650R ready for spring today. I never had reason to focus on the oil cooler plate, but when removing the filter today, I realized that the plate is not bolted into place (see pics). As a result, the plate can slide forward once I remove the filter housing. Searching, I didn't see any other XJ oil cooler plates like this (that don't bolt into place). This seems to rely on the filer housing to snug it up to the crankcase. The radiator itself is Lockhart, so it may be their plate, as well.

I'm trying to figure out if this is a weak point that should be addressed and thought I'd bring it to the group.

Thanks for the input.

 

I got a bolt from a Yamaha 900S Diversion. It fits the crankcase with the original adapter plate and oil cooler take off unit for my 900f but it needs cut so that the take off unit is tight on the crankcase. I am getting more threads cut on it. I have not seen any Yamaha plate like that so it's probably a Lockhart as you say.

 

@kosel - spring? What’s that?

 

I assume that the threaded stud is long enough to get into the oil filter itself (the pictures seem to show the threaded stud recessed below the top of the adapter plate), but.......assuming that is because the adapter plate is lifted off the engine, and when the plate if "flat" against the crankcase, there is thread available........then that method of securing the adapter plate to the crankcase will be sufficient, although it's a big leak (or worse) just waiting to happen (IMO).

 

heres the set up i made to convert to spin-on filter and to insert a take off adaptor for oil pressure and temp gauge also oil cooler take offs, its a little long ,but it doesnt stick out much beyond the exhausts, the adapter plate and bolt are from a xj600 diversion 4br model

 

That is quite a creative setup!

 

I don't remember you posting any numbers and was curious just how hot the oil gets. Did you have a thread on that?

@kosel I have a Lockhart cooler with the original instructions and it looks a lot like yours. The same O-ring that is used on the filter is used on that plate between the engine case and plate. There is normally a thick washer that goes between the plate and oil filter that I don't see on yours

Edit - the Lockhart I have that looks the same actually says XJ550 Maxim / Seca and XJ750 Seca, so maybe that washer is not there for XJ650 Seca

 

Thanks for that. If you ever get a chance at a pic, it'd be appreciated!

 

Here is a picture from the instructions that shows the washer in Fig 7. I don't know why they included that washer since it would seem the protruding gasket on the oil filter coupled with the spring on the opposing end of the filter would provide enough of a seal.

Fig. 8 is the XJ550 and shows the spacer that it uses because of the more robust filter housing.

This setup also came with cheap hose fittings and used a high pressure hose rather than the crimped / braided line on yours. I suppose that could have been an update that someone did along the way

 

All XJ550 models use a taller/deeper oil filter COVER (a/k/a housing a/k/a the "finned thing") but they still use the same "shorty" filter element as do all the other XJ650 - XJ900 models, as well as the same size (length) cover retaining bolt / bypass valve assembly.......thus there had to be a method to "extend" the threaded hole in the crankcase where the cover retaining bolt landed. What is shown in that image is the factory "union bolts or "extension" that brought the landing point for the cover retaining bolt further outwards from the engine.....it is threaded both externally, on the lower end.....and thus screws into the crankcase oil gallery....and at the other end (with the hex) it is threaded internally to accept the cover retaining bolt (the hex head of this union bolt is also where the engine side of the oil filter element landed).

This union bolt also had a very thin flat washer that basically acted as a crush washer/seal (or as a shimming washer, who knows; that washer came in a variety of thicknesses, depending on which engine the union bolt was used on) where the union bolt landed into the crankcase. The instructions are partially incorrect, as it is correct (and needed) for the XJ550 Maxim and Seca models, but it is not needed (and can't be used) on XJ750 models.[/i]

 

yeh, i remember last year ,after running this set up for a while, asking on here ,what temperature the engine would normally run at, and it seemed to me that i had installed a ( worry meter )
my temperatures were up in the 100 to 110 degC. which i thought was way high, but apparently not, temps of 130 degC are acceptable, and bike runs brilliant.
oil pressure on the other hand , as the temp hots up and thins out it drops from 50psi to 10 psi, and hovers around there depending on how much work its dooing.
so yeh its nice to know whats going on with the oil, but meters, they do worry you

 

10psi is next to nothing..........!