felt washer

[Zagg]

This felt pad is nothing more than an oil store for the section of shaft that goes through the bush adjacent to it. It's not a seal, just a lube aid. Felt oil pads were (and still are) commonly used in industry in various applications. Kind of amusing that a tech that's many centuries old (think watermills) is still being used.

Thanks for clarifying this. Yeah, it was pretty obvious it wasn't "sealing" anything, but I wanted to bring it up to be sure it didn't have a function I hadn't thought of.

[Zagg]

This washer doesn't show up on the parts fiche's either so I was curious about it. I went ahead and made new ones out of felt and replaced them. I do want to make a note that the material is more like a gasket... more firm than a craft type felt which is what I used because it was cheap. If I would do this again I would probably buy a couple automotive gaskets cheap that I could cut up. Anyway, this thread wasn't meant to be instructional on my end but I want to show anyone who hasn't been in here what it looks like....

I bought 2 pieces of felt at a nearby craft store that most closely resembled the thickness and feel of the original. Cost me $3.00 but I could make 100 of the damn things... Oh well, project felt for the kids. Money well spent either way.

Recreating a circle can be done with a bunch of different jigs... a socket would be great because you can get the exact size for the inner and outer. I didn't have my tools with me so I made a jig with a compass and one of my business cards...






Use the exacto knife or razor knife or whatever you got on a piece of cardboard or wood to cut it out. Somebody here suggested a punch which would have been awesome. The only trick here is to cut out the inside before the outside or it is a monumental pain in the ass.


I used a scissors to cut around the outside and trim the inside to fit.

[Zagg]

Here is a really good shot of the original washer in there... Anyone that has missed these in the past should understand why now...


Without the felt or the "cup washer" all you have is the brass bushing...



Homemade washer in place...



Cup washer (feel free to insert the correct term)





I used a wrench on top and then tapped it with mallet to get it in. Once you have one side in you can use a flat screwdriver or the open end of the wrench to tap in the rest of the way, then I used a flat screwdriver on the existing punch mark and tapped each one again to keep it in there. The metal is very, very soft and required little more than a light tap to flare it into the opening.



Done and done. I had 3 of the originals that I put back in and doubled up my new ones to create the proper thickness.

Removal of the cup wash can be done bay running a screwdriver, pick, etc. through from the other side and tapping it out. Or, just get a screwdriver under the lip of it. You have the thickness of the felt washer to work with so you don't have to worry about gouging the brass.

If I was going to be more thorough on this I would dremel the original punches smooth so they didnt distort the metal washer going back in... FYI

[Grimly]

Just thinking about my assertion the felt washer isn't a seal, but a lube aid.
In this application it's really a dirt seal, against road dust and dirt. The bronze or brass bushing in there will be oil impregnated and when dust gets in, it will act as a grinding paste, hence the felt washer.
The felt may, or may not, have been oiled. Perhaps it would work better dry.
I'd re-oil the bushes before re-assembly, fit the felts and forget about them for another 30 years.

[jdvorchak]

Early goldwings, GL1000, I think used felt washers on the butterfly shaft. Maybe look up a parts fiche for them. Western Honda website has pretty good parts fiche for Honda and good pricing.

http://www.westernhonda.com/?gclid=CjwKEAiA5Ji0BRC5huTCyOTR3wISJACH4Bx44M06tRY97oKCgrPZU9uf53JVXz2mVfVYaRhzLPG78xoC4hrw_wcB

[jdvorchak]

Found what I think you need. It is #20 on this carb diagram.. Bottom of the picture about in the middle:

http://www.bikebandit.com/1981-honda-750-custom-cb750c/o/m151804?a=5#sch19275

It was on an old CB 750 not a GL... sorry

[jdvorchak]

The reference was from this post:

http://honda-cb750-s.456789.n3.nabble.com/Need-Help-please-Felt-gasket-in-brass-fittings-on-the-side-of-the-carbs-td4035781.html

[loud et]

Congrats Zagg. You may have actually come up with an original topic not yet covered multiple times in this forum. Felt washers; whod'a thunk. Good work in being thorough. Cheers!

But what KIND of OIL should he use on them?
Synthetic, Standard, Rotella????

[Zagg]

Just thinking about my assertion the felt washer isn't a seal, but a lube aid.
In this application it's really a dirt seal, against road dust and dirt. The bronze or brass bushing in there will be oil impregnated and when dust gets in, it will act as a grinding paste, hence the felt washer.
The felt may, or may not, have been oiled. Perhaps it would work better dry.
I'd re-oil the bushes before re-assembly, fit the felts and forget about them for another 30 years.

Yeah, makes sense. Also, the site referenced by jdvorchak has a similar discussion. I greased the throttle rod but did not add oil to the bushings. I'll do that quick before moving on. Hey, I read your thread and watched your videos on the flooding. Sorry to hear about it. I hope things are getting back to normal for you.

[Grimly]

Hey, I read your thread and watched your videos on the flooding. Sorry to hear about it. I hope things are getting back to normal for you.

Thanks. I think I've lost two 850 crankshafts. One of them was a little bit dubious, as had been stored in a slightly damp environment, but doused in oil ever so often. The crankpin bearings on that one felt a little bit notchy yesterday. The other one is in a complete engine that the starter was out of, so the floodwater filled up the entire crankcase. Lovely stuff, altogether. I filled both engines with diesel to hopefully catch them in time before any rusting starts.
I won't know until I get around to stripping the complete one, whether I've got away with it.
Oh, and my Tecumseh Snow King engine went aquatic. Bugger.