Hi all…not ridden for a while, my Lodola 235 has been dripping oil from the end of the gear change shaft and on checking the dipstick I find that the oil has gone down dramatically so obviously there is a wet sumping problem…I’ll drain the engine and refill the tank but has anyone else experienced this and is there a solution to this problem? (My Norton ES2 had an anti wet sumping problem that was cured by fitting a tap in the feed to the engine…just have to remember to turn it on before I start the engine!)
Cheers, Ben Tomlin
Well known problem , cured by fitting an oil tap . I have one on my 235 GT just have to remember to check it ! 
Thanks mikeybizzle, think I will fit an oil tap but just been scrabbling around and under my bike and am puzzled as to where I can fit an accessible one. As I understand it, the oil feed goes via copper and rubber pipes to the centre bottom of the engine (with oil return from the front of the engine a little higher up) and I am puzzled as to where the tap could go on the feed side…can you help please? Where is your tap fitted?
It’s a doddle on the Norton because all the oil pipes are exposed in the open air!
Cheers, Ben
Me again mikeybizzle, now puzzled if the oil feed is from the top of the oil tank or the bottom? Need to fit a tap on the right oil line! The manual says ‘oil is drawn up from the tank by the pump and then to the engine’…I assumed it was like my Norton, drawn from the bottom of the tank and returned to the top! Anyway, I removed both of the unions on the bottom of the engine to drain out the wet sumped oil and virtually nothing came apart from the remaining oil from the tank via the pipe that goes into the bottom of the tank (which suggests oil is fed from the bottom of the tank)…now I’m wondering where my oil has gone and if its still in the engine? Maybe I need to take out the filter on the bottom of the right hand side to see if that will let more oil out?
Cheers, Ben
My tap is on the left side of the bike below the oil tank . Bryan Peck has a very good knowledge of most things Lodola related .
Thanks mikeybizzle, any idea how I can get in touch with Bryan Peck please? Was he the club membership secretary once?
Cheers, Ben
With regard to forgetting to turn the oil tap on, a friend in the VMCC has fitted a length of bright yellow garden hose onto the lever of his tap. Positioned such that it sticks out and fouls the kickstart in the OFF position.
Hello Ben
Like you I’ve experienced ‘wet sumping’ since re-comissioning my 235GT, last summer, after a long lay-up.The following ‘Petlok’ valve’ was recommended to me by another MGOC member and found on Ebay quite easily - it does work. It simply replaces the original Banjo bolt in the lower/output (not return) external oil pipe from the tank to the sump. The one I purchased (see link) came complete with x2 copper washers (had to anneal them as they had hardened noticebly but that’s straighforward to do): OIL PETCOCK VALVE FOR MOTO GUZZI LODOLA GALLETTO | eBay - Italian trader , cost about £60 posted and came within a week. PirTek, Worcs. had something similiar@ £35 but wrong thread pitch unfortunately.In passing, in case you ever have to replace your fuel taps my tank has threaded bosses with 1/4" BSP (not metric) threads but that’s Ok, as I found more recently, as so do BSA 500/650 Twins fuel tanks( C & D Autos nr. Redditch, Worcs.).
I was given Bryan Peck’s contact details couple of years ago and have visited him couple of times since and can vouch for the fact that he is a VERY helpful and knowledgeable Guzzi + Lodola , in particular, owner / restorer. If you would like me to ask him if I can pass over his contact details to you, happy to do so.
Andrew (Lodola owner + TL125).