Oil light issues

[tripletom]

Firstly I have done a search and found a nice amount of info that adds to my own conclusions on what happened this morning. This is a summary that may be of use to someone in the same position as me (guzzi virgin).

Saturday, went out for a good ride with a friend on his Gixxer 1000, we did about 200 miles in mainly wet conditions. It was a good day and we didn't hang about and I did what I always do after a ride; give the bike a good wash and then douse liberally with FS365 and grease/WD40 anything that needs doing. I put it away and yesterday used the DR600 for work. Decided to use the Scura today as I wanted to do the valve clearances on the DR tonight. Start Scura this morning and the oil light flickers a little then glows a bit brighter, then goes out, then comes back on bright. So I switch off and let sit for a while then check oil level. Looks fine, maybe a little low, so I add a pint more oil (going by recommendations to overfill slightly). Get geared back up, re-start and there's the light, burning bright. I had a little think, maybe it's just not up to pressure yet? No, it doesn't go out, yet I know there's plenty of oil in there. Now I like to test things thoroughly so I nip up and down the road as I'm convinced there's not an oil issue. It's fine, no noises (yes I have had a bike seize in the past, I know the noises and the feeling), anyway my guts tell me not to ride to work on it so I park it up and put the bodywork back on the DR to take that instead. So once the DR is all back together I think, 'sod it I'll start the guzzi once more', so I did and no oil light once started. Hmm.

After a bit of reading I have drawn two conclusions-

My pressure sensor is either on the way out or was damp from the wash/ride on the weekend despite being doused with WD.

I want to fit a pressure gauge so I can see what's going on.

Any further insights would be welcome.

[pasotibbs]

Firstly I have done a search and found a nice amount of info that adds to my own conclusions on what happened this morning. This is a summary that may be of use to someone in the same position as me (guzzi virgin).

Saturday, went out for a good ride with a friend on his Gixxer 1000, we did about 200 miles in mainly wet conditions. It was a good day and we didn't hang about and I did what I always do after a ride; give the bike a good wash and then douse liberally with FS365 and grease/WD40 anything that needs doing. I put it away and yesterday used the DR600 for work. Decided to use the Scura today as I wanted to do the valve clearances on the DR tonight. Start Scura this morning and the oil light flickers a little then glows a bit brighter, then goes out, then comes back on bright. So I switch off and let sit for a while then check oil level. Looks fine, maybe a little low, so I add a pint more oil (going by recommendations to overfill slightly). Get geared back up, re-start and there's the light, burning bright. I had a little think, maybe it's just not up to pressure yet? No, it doesn't go out, yet I know there's plenty of oil in there. Now I like to test things thoroughly so I nip up and down the road as I'm convinced there's not an oil issue. It's fine, no noises (yes I have had a bike seize in the past, I know the noises and the feeling), anyway my guts tell me not to ride to work on it so I park it up and put the bodywork back on the DR to take that instead. So once the DR is all back together I think, 'sod it I'll start the guzzi once more', so I did and no oil light once started. Hmm.

After a bit of reading I have drawn two conclusions-

My pressure sensor is either on the way out or was damp from the wash/ride on the weekend despite being doused with WD.

I want to fit a pressure gauge so I can see what's going on.

Any further insights would be welcome.

 

You've got water in the sensor, mine did exactly the same after a ride in heavy rain.

There is a BMW car sensor with the same thread and switching pressure but it has a Blade rather than Bullet connector ( I carefully shaped the blade into a bullet shape instead of changing the connector or making an adapter)

[tripletom]

thanks paso, any idea of part no for the bmw item?

[FuelCooler]

Firstly I have done a search and found a nice amount of info that adds to my own conclusions on what happened this morning. This is a summary that may be of use to someone in the same position as me (guzzi virgin).

Saturday, went out for a good ride with a friend on his Gixxer 1000, we did about 200 miles in mainly wet conditions. It was a good day and we didn't hang about and I did what I always do after a ride; give the bike a good wash and then douse liberally with FS365 and grease/WD40 anything that needs doing. I put it away and yesterday used the DR600 for work. Decided to use the Scura today as I wanted to do the valve clearances on the DR tonight. Start Scura this morning and the oil light flickers a little then glows a bit brighter, then goes out, then comes back on bright. So I switch off and let sit for a while then check oil level. Looks fine, maybe a little low, so I add a pint more oil (going by recommendations to overfill slightly). Get geared back up, re-start and there's the light, burning bright. I had a little think, maybe it's just not up to pressure yet? No, it doesn't go out, yet I know there's plenty of oil in there. Now I like to test things thoroughly so I nip up and down the road as I'm convinced there's not an oil issue. It's fine, no noises (yes I have had a bike seize in the past, I know the noises and the feeling), anyway my guts tell me not to ride to work on it so I park it up and put the bodywork back on the DR to take that instead. So once the DR is all back together I think, 'sod it I'll start the guzzi once more', so I did and no oil light once started. Hmm.

After a bit of reading I have drawn two conclusions-

My pressure sensor is either on the way out or was damp from the wash/ride on the weekend despite being doused with WD.

I want to fit a pressure gauge so I can see what's going on.

Any further insights would be welcome.

 

Hi tripletom,

I had an oil pressure sensor fail 400 miles from home (at the beginning of a 2400 mile trip) in a long, dirty rain. And the sensor was new, I had installed it just before the trip.

For some peace of mind, I would make sure the oil filter isn't starting to loosen. It is possible to do through the dipstick hole with a long screwdriver and a flashlight, but dropping the oil pan or oil filter access 'cap' would be much better.

Cheers,

Steve

[Ryland3210]

My pressure sensor is either on the way out or was damp from the wash/ride on the weekend despite being doused with WD.

I want to fit a pressure gauge so I can see what's going on.

Any further insights would be welcome.

 

I made a pressure gauge kit for my Cafe Sport, and have been making these kits up for forum members.

 

It's great to know exactly what's going on.

 

For details, see www.motratech.com

 

I have a couple in stock. Send me a personal message if you are interested.

Shipping to the U.K. is no problem.

 

Here's a link to the thread on the subject: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...e+gauge+adapted

 

Cheers,

John

[pasotibbs]

thanks paso, any idea of part no for the bmw item?

 

Intermotor 50720

[guzzi323]

Well I had an oil light flickering problem a few days ago. I've already replaced the rod bearings from the filter spinning off and have a windage plate installed. I pulled the pan last night and found nothing wrong. The filter was still tight and the oil level was good. I believe it's just my sender going out but seeing as I've been bitten once before I ordered up a pressure gauge because I'm tried of crappy oil pressure senders I can't trust.

At least now I'll have redundant systems. Peace of mind is a good thing.

johnk

[Guest geno929]

Hi Guys. About July of last year I started to develop the same oil light issue that you described. I would start the bike and the oil light would flicker on and off, until the revs got over 1500-2000. Then it would be off. And after riding it a bit it would come on at stop lights and go off as the revs increased. Donnelsons in St.Ann MO thought it was the oil sensor, so I too changed it out.

On the morning that I changed out the sensor, me and a few buddies went for a ride. The oil light was not an issue on this day, so......Of course I was riding in my typical manner (fast and smooth) , when I had a catastrophic failure! After my buddy got the truck to the bike and I took it back to Donnelsons. I figured it was gonna be pretty bad! Duh!

So after many months of waiting patiently, I got my V11 back from Donnelsons. Here is the verdict. Totally blown lower end, new crank, rods, bearings, oil pump, oil sensor, clutch, all electrical generating units and multiple and various bits! WTF? Total oil failure that massively heated all internal surfaces. I was expecting a huge bill for all this, in the neighborhood of $3000 to $5000.

Hmmmmm, should I have dumped the bike off the back of a truck? Claimed it was stolen? Pushed it in the Mississippi River? Sold it as is on E-Bay? Really thought about that last one! Nah, not my style! Hahahahaha. Nope, I just thought I would suck it up and bite the bullet!

This is why I go to a dealership like Donnelsons. Carl is a good man and sent the whole repair job in as warranty! Total bill for me......$300 to replace the clutch, a wearable item! Wow! I'm so frickin happy! Today I will baby my brand new V11 Sport up The Great River Road and stop at Fast Eddies for lunch! Karma is on my side today! Thank You and Good Night!

[Greg Field]

What was the mechanical cause of the oiling failure? Sounds like it had to be a complete failure, which could be caused by only very few things, such as a sheared pump drive, unscrewed filter, or ?. Did this same dealership perform the service prior to the failure?

[Guest geno929]

Yeah, Donnelsons did the service on the bike. The filter was right and tight when the pan was dropped. Cause of the failure was difficult to determine. Moto Guzzi has all the parts and will maybe, give me an idea. I'm sort of thinking it was oil pump failure to cause so much damage.

Anyway, todays ride was fantastic. The River Road and the ferries in Jersy Co. IL are always a nice spring time adventure. The bike was just like it always was. Strong and smooth. I babied it quite a bit as you might imagine, but it did see redline once or twice.

[Ryland3210]

Yeah, Donnelsons did the service on the bike. The filter was right and tight when the pan was dropped. Cause of the failure was difficult to determine. Moto Guzzi has all the parts and will maybe, give me an idea. I'm sort of thinking it was oil pump failure to cause so much damage.

 

Since the filter is downstream of the pump, particles from a damaged pump may have been trapped there. If it's the pump shaft, it should be easy to spot. If somehow a large enough particle was trapped in the pressure relief valve to keep it open, that would reduce oil pressure. So would max acceleration in first gear as the pump can get starved, or wheelies. A roper plate AND filling with the manual's specified 3.5 liters (0.69 inches above the dipstick full mark when screwed in) eliminates the first gear max accel starvation. I haven't done the wheelie test yet.

 

Greg and I have oil pressure gauges on our bikes so we can monitor oil pressure continuously.

[Greg Field]

To get to the relief valve, the particle would have to go through the filter first. I'm guessing you weren't told everything about what they found in there . . .

[dlaing]

My pressure sensor is either on the way out or was damp from the wash/ride on the weekend despite being doused with WD.

At electrical contacts you probably want to avoid WD40.

You might instead try DeOxit, followed up with DeOxit Shield.

Ratchet and others have steered me away from silicone dielectric lubes on electrical contacts.

WD40 might due in a pinch to get you home in a rain fall, but consider what Ratchet says about WD40.

No professional electronics Tech worth his salt would ever get WD40 anywhere near any kind of electrical/electronic component. The long-term effects of WD40 on electrical contacts are well known, generally very detrimental to electrical/electronic gear, and it's never recommended by Pro's. Electricians and electronic Techs use stuff specifically designed for the task, such as Caig DeoxIT: http://www.caig.com/.

 

NOTE: Caig Laboratories is located within miles of where I live, but I have NO interests in, or associations with the company. It's just one example of many providers of contact cleaner. I've used many kinds of contact cleaners for years, primarily CRC: http://www.crcindustries.com/catalog/image...asers/02130.jpg

[tripletom]

Just to add a little postscript to this- I removed and greased the connector and have had no further problems in ca.600miles of hard riding since. I will sort out a pressure gauge when I get a chance as I like to keep an eye on things.