engine oil pressure light coming on, and then off

[mike.sg]

the little 'un is still young (3+) and I don't quite completely trust him with a fork and spoon, let alone a screwdriver, lol

But yes, that sounds like a plan. Gotta start scheming this early to convince her that it's 'educational' and all that!

[Dave48]

When my 2 sons were little we lived in a flat & I didnt get a separate garage for a few years-you can guess what was stored in the (large) bedroom cupboard! Taught both to ride bicycles ASAP & both learnt to ride an automatic moped as soon as they could reach ground from seat.
Eldest son never showed interest in mechanics but rides bicycles to this day in city traffic(hes 33). Younger was interested & had a natural aptitude for mechanics & was a great help when we had a cycle business in the 90s. Strangely though neither showed any interest in getting a bike licence although both have ridden pillion with me in the past(perhaps my riding put them off!?) :eek [size=78%].Younger son drives fire engines/etc & has a couple decent cycles. Tried to instil confidence by teaching them defensive riding on cycles. Remember the emphasis on "Green Cross Code" when they were @ school-Doesnt always work in inner city! I used to say never mind the red/green man-what are the vehicles doing especially after our "Lollipop Lady" was knocked down on her zebra crossing![/size] :eek

[mike.sg]

So, as much as I'd like to keep my mind off the bike, I've been looking at the oil level, and it seems to be dropping fairly quickly. It was topped up almost all the way to max, and the level is now clearly lower, after about 50 mi or so. It's still above the midline, so the red light is not coming on.

I'll keep monitoring, making sure I check the level the right way — side stand for 5 minutes, before main stand for few more minutes.

But is there anything else I should look out for? The exhaust does not look smoky, there's no puddle on the floor, but I can't tell if the oil around the side stand and dripping on the EXUP valve cover is engine oil or chain lube (I use a wet chain lube). Also, the bike had been going 1500 mi or so before giving problems.

[Falcon 269]

The correct way to check the oil is with engine warm and bike on centre stand, taking the reading after a few minutes.  I added the sidestand period just to ensure that no oil was hiding up in the top of the cylinder head ... it sometimes does that.  You don't need to do the sidestand thing every time, though.

As for the amount of oil you seem to think you're losing, that much would have to be either a leak or would show up clearly as smoke from the exhaust.

I suggest you clean up around the 'wet area' to satisfy yourself you don't have a leak from the gear selector cover gasket.  These sometimes weep a little but frankly not enough to show up as a 50-mile level drop in the oil window.

Please understand that these motors can hide oil in various galleries and oilways and this could be the simplest explanation for your fluctuating level.  Rather than obsess over it every day, ride several hundred miles between checks and see what happens.

In short, ride more, worry less.

[mike.sg]

gotcha. will ride more.

I'll update as the situation develops.

[mike.sg]

so after some riding about, I've noticed the red light coming on again, this time within 100mi or so.

I'm beginning to suspect I have a leaky seal somewhere, cos this kind of oil consumption should result in my bike smoking like a 2 stroker, I think. But the exhaust looks clean.

So, Im going to start cleaning the bits, and start looking for leaks. Wish me luck!

[Falcon 269]

Hmmm, what you describe clearly isn't normal or right, Mike.

I would take the bike back to the dealer you bought it from ASAP and explain all that has transpired to him.  If it really is losing that much oil in just a hundred or so miles, there's a problem which the dealer should be finding and fixing, not you.

Good luck!

Mike

[mike.sg]

unfortunately, I got the bike from a private seller, and had been assured that all was in order.

Well, I guess it's true what they say aout getting what one pays for...

[Dave48]

From all youve said I would now check the following:- Firstly thoroughly degrease/clean outside of engine and dry off. Put paper/cardboard under bike on centrestand. Start engine & allow to warm up thoroughly Sometimes leaks only become apparent once engine hot.. Check for oil leaks. Secondly just have a look at your coolant in reservoir RHS under seat. Is it clean/correct colour? Remove cap & smell-Does it smellof oil/fuel-Is it "Milky" ? It may be the cylinder head gasket starting to go but i think your exhaust would show this as poss white smoke with a sweet sort of smell. Dip a rag using long screwdriver into oil filler cap & look/smell oil in engine.. If no result from previous- Thirdly, Do compression test on engine to ascertain health/otherwise of top end of motor. Good luck :lol

[mike.sg]

Just did a wash. Started the bike, and on a hunch, decided to rev it up a little. Smoky exhaust at high revs was seen. Doesn't look good fellas. Does not look like water. It's beyond my tech capability or garage facilities now. I'm going to book an appointment with my mech.

Thanks for the help, everyone! Would have hoped that it was something I could DIY, but I think the diagnosis is bad.

[mike.sg]

speaking to a friend of mine, he suggests that there could be a possibility that the wrong grade or type of oil was introduced into the crankcase; in his case, his car engine kept consuming oil because his mechanic screwed up.

Is this a possibility? Is it possible, say, for 2 stroke oil to be used in the crankcase instead of 4 stroke? I mean, is it possible for the engine to run apparently fine if the mechs really fudged up and used 2T oil? Would there be disastrous consequences? Or, would there likely be less than disastrous consequences like oil consumption and smoky exhaust?

I don't suppose there's such a problem as a 'wrong' oil grade? I've read the manual that it's not supposed to be fed a certain detergent additive and/or CD grade (??) oil or some such?

I'd definitely change the oil to one that is properly spec'ed, but I'd like to know if I'm like to be wasting more time and money if a top end investigation is needed anyway.

[mike.sg]

also, now it seems to be that if I ride leisurely, the oil level remains high, and only drops if I push the engine...

[tomlinscote]

Just serviced my gen1, I got about 150ml short of 3 litres out when it was 'fully' drained and put in 3 litres and that gave a level half way between the two dots as Mr Yamaha wants. I will top it up a little so the level is nearer the top dot.
So in the last year and over 4000 miles it has used about 150ml which I reckon is not bad.

P

[mike.sg]

For my engine, which, to recap, has seen over 90k miles, it does not appreciably consume oil when I keep the revs below 6000. If I push it past that, it's been able to consume 300ml within 50 miles(!).

I made an appointment for next Monday, we'll see what the mechanics think is wrong. I'll update when I have the info.

[Andy-Fazer-thou]

Ive Got the Exact same problem
I replaced the sensor ( not a hard job did a oil change at same time. )
But after 3 weeks same problem, Asked my local yam mech and all said above is correct. its a niggle rather than a problem
so with knowing its not a pressure sensor i disconnected the wire from the sensor (un plugged 1 wire from loom Easy job too)
Red light out just keep regular eye on oil level.

Job Done

[nick crisp]

The 4 gen 1s I've had all used a bit of oil when pushed hard regularly. I just top it up when the light comes on and have never had any other issues with them. But the oil consumption of the OPs bike did seem a little excessive, but then I've never been able to keep one long enough to rack up 90, 000 miles before  :\

I wouldn't want to disconnect the level light myself, just in case I forget to keep an eye on the level for a bit.