motrhead Posted August 28, 2015 Posted August 28, 2015 Oil light came on after a gas stop. Verified oil. let it cool for 20 minutes...still on, started and ran up to 2k in 5th and coasted a few times to get the 2km home. No rattles. Undid the oil cooler lines at the pan one at a time at idle...both dribbled a small stream of oil. I'm sure oil pump displacement is low, but when I cracked the lines there was no spraying from either and I had to pull them right out of the female pan fitting to see oil coming out. Any thoughts on this? I am ordering a new sender right now, but I don't think I want to ride it until; I can make a more solid determination that everything is okay. I have the Stelvio, so it's not the end of the world, just a pain in the ass!
O2 V11 Posted August 28, 2015 Posted August 28, 2015 What happens when the oil filter becomes loose? A lot of people advocate fitting a hose clamp to the filter to prevent the possibility of this occurring. Could this be the issue here? Rob
motrhead Posted August 29, 2015 Author Posted August 29, 2015 Oil was changed by the dealer a couple thousand km ago...nothing has changed recently. You would think it would have showed up before now if it was loose...
Scud Posted August 29, 2015 Posted August 29, 2015 To verify - did the oil light stay on when you ran it up to 2000 RPMs - if so, then I would verify that the filter has not come undone. I just read an old thread recently on WildGuzzi.com where someone ignored the light, seized the engine, and found that the filter had come loose - this was also a few thousand miles after an oil change. Some use a hose clamp to prevent it coming loose - but then you must drop the sump pan to change the filter. Others say to tighten the filter 1 1/8 (If I recall correctly) turns after first contact with gasket. So - if your oil light is staying on at all RPMs you have done well to stop running it. Do the easy stuff first - make sure the filter is still connected.
Scud Posted August 29, 2015 Posted August 29, 2015 How many miles on the bike? Do you do some of your own work - or do you always take it to a dealer? If you're going to work on it, it's probably a good idea to drop the sump, inspect the filter, screen, and have good look around while you're in there. If it's not the filter, there could be something in the oil (or pan) that will give you a clue. If you're going to take it to the dealer, I would ask to observe when they remove the oil filter. Based on having read about this type of problem a few times, it seems likely that the culprit will be something to do with the oil filter - maybe loose, maybe multiple gaskets. A sudden mechanical failure (such as the oil pump) seems unlikely.
czakky Posted August 29, 2015 Posted August 29, 2015 Did you try disconnecting the oil pressure sender? If there is a short to chassis it will stay lit. I think MG cycle sells the sender for like $12 they are pretty cheaply made. If you remove the sender on your bike you can crudely test it by pressurizing it like your blowing up a balloon you should hear a click after a very little pressure.
motrhead Posted August 29, 2015 Author Posted August 29, 2015 The light went out when I unplugged it. I will order a new sender Monday.
gstallons Posted August 29, 2015 Posted August 29, 2015 You have just confirmed the integrity of the circuit. You have a problem . Remove the oil filter cover and see if the oil filter is loose and if the oil filter o-ring is or has blown out .
Craig Posted August 30, 2015 Posted August 30, 2015 You have just confirmed the integrity of the circuit. You have a problem . Remove the oil filter cover and see if the oil filter is loose and if the oil filter o-ring is or has blown out . Yes, you have an actual low oil pressure problem. The oil filter coming loose is very likely. Start checking for metal shavings in the pan.
danl Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 Aren't these switches normally closed? I believe the fact that the light went out only proves the wiring isn't shorted to ground somewhere along the chassis. The oil pressure switch can fail in a state where the electrical circuit doesn't get broken and the light remains on. This happened to me. I remembered reading that the switches were prone to failure and decided to risk a short ride home with the light on (being on the shoulder of an urban expressway with a state trooper telling me I had to ride away or get towed helped me make the decision). Replacing the switch solved the problem. This doesn't prove that you do have oil pressure however. I would guess that you have at least some pressure, since you rode a few kilometers and your engine isn't making horrific noises. If it were me I would wait until the new switch arrives, then install it and risk the 5 seconds or so of run time to test it out. If you truly have no oil pressure then some serious damage has already occurred on the ride home. I'm sure others will argue that the cost of draining the oil to check the filter is pretty cheap compared to an engine rebuild. That math is pretty hard to argue against. You could also pick up an oil pressure test gauge if you really want to verify your oil pressure: https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1ASUM_enUS490US490&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=oil+pressure+test+gauge&tbm=shop Most of them come with a number of threaded adaptors to fit different applications. Dan
GuzziMoto Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 Oil pressure switches like that on the V11 are normally closed. It requires oil pressure to open the switch. A bad oil pressure switch can result in an oil light that does not go out. However, if the oil pressure light comes on your first assumption should be that you don't have oil pressure, not that the sensor is bad. If testing shows the sensor is bad, replace it. It is not that uncommon to have a sensor go bad. But it is also not that uncommon on a V11 to have something else wrong like the oil filter coming loose or the old filter gasket was still stuck there when you installed the new filter. If you have a leak at the filter on a V11 you will have a lack of oil pressure but since the leak is inside the sump you won't have an oil leak externally like you would on most other modern motorcycles. In the end, you have to decide which odds to play.The ramifications of low oil pressure are pretty serious. I would eliminate that as a possibility before focusing on the sensor.
czakky Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 I think what danl and Guzzimoto are saying is open the sump. Take a look it's real easy and will come with peace of mind. 14 bolts or so...
motrhead Posted September 1, 2015 Author Posted September 1, 2015 yep, planning to...busy riding Stelvio atm...lol 1
danl Posted September 1, 2015 Posted September 1, 2015 It is true, I have committed a cardinal sin of motoring - disregarding the oil light! One piece of info I left out was that I had been riding in heavy rain for a while and suspected (hoped) that these two were related. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that anyone make the assumption that an oil light is is due to a bad switch. I took a huge risk, and was relieved that it worked out the way it did.
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