riding along A12 last night, for about 10 secs, my oil light came on?
had put oil in not long ago, about a month or two, but the oil level window is smoked up so i cant actually see the level. i put to much in last time and it was dripping out of overflow pipe, but what would make the light come on?
only happened once before, and i think the oil was low then
If it was my bike, I would drain the oil and take that cover off to give the window a good clean. Then put new oil in. That way you are sure you have enough oil, and you can check it from now on.
A smoked up oil window generally means that theres condensation in there and its not being run for long enough ie short runs only. Is this the case?
spose it is usually short runs, but had a few good long runs lately?
oil light is normally oil pressure, not oil level (unless you have naff all in the bike but you’re in a bad place if thats the case)
wouldn’t do any harm to do the oil change. I do short runs most of the time (6-10miles). never had a problem with it fogging up myself
Its bad for any engine when the weather turns cold and damp to run them for a short period of time. The oil never gets to reach full operating temperature which actually takes quite some time especially when the weathers cold. The process of it not quite reaching temperature then cooling again creates the moistue. I used to get it in winter all the time on my bike and I did a 5 mile run everyday. As good 20-30 mile blast at the weekends so the oil can get really really hot sorts it out. More regular oil changes are required when you do lots of short runs in cold weather.
I would start with oil change, but and if funds allowed i would be tempted with an oil pump change as well!
I’m not trying to be a twat here or condescending in any way, but Steve you need to learn a little bit of “the basics of motorcycle maintenance” … when an oil light is coming on, it usually means that the pressure has dropped to a very low level and damage has been and is still being done to your bike’s engine. If that sucka siezes on you half way round a bend, it ain’t gonna be pretty!!
Most likely, you have put some extra wear on your bearings and piston rings. For safety’s sake, please clean that spy-glass window and check your oil level regularly. Brakes, running gear and tyres are also of the utmost importance!!
Some basic knowledge of how your bike works and what is needed to keep the rubber side down is essential IMHO. It’s your life!
well actually, i find the fact that you make me out to be completely ignorant to how the bike works, extremely offensive
obviously, if the oil light comes on damage is being done, and indeed i should pull over imediately, but as i mentioned it came on briefly on A12, and when i was looking for place to pull over it went out again
i keep an eye on the oil level, like i said a mth ago it was dripping from the overflow a little.
checked the spark plugs, which usually give tell tale sings/deposits as to the condition of engine, and they were fine, it could even be a faulty light, hence why i came here for suggestions, not because i dont have a clue!!
Fair play … as I said I wasn’t trying to be condescending, nor was I trying to offend you! You didn’t mention that you thought it could be a wiring fault / faulty light.
I hope you get it sorted! If you need someone to have a look at it or possibly check the wiring, drop me a PM … I’m pretty good at that sort of stuff.
Peace Bro. 
What bike is this, and which “overflow” pipe does the oil come from?
Duncan
its a 98 fazer
only ever happened once, about 6mths ago, and both times was doing about 60mph, came on for about 5secs, then off again
went on the ace to brighton run , and as the engine warmed up and got hotter from doing a proper run, the oil started dripping out of the rubber overflow pipe underneath the bike (also some to vent the fuel tank) was dripping for quite a bit, but at time thought it was cause id put too much oil in, and obviously as it got hotter and thinner, it was just expelling wot it didnt need.
The light came on wed night been riding, and hasnt came on again since
expelling oil out of the breather aint good buddy, its more an emergency release (suit you sir)
have a look at this for some pointers
http://www.practicingoilanalysis.com/article_detail.asp?articleid=541&relatedbookgroup=OilAnalysis
drei - nope, nothing to do with it being on its stand. engine running and oil circulating will work to extreme lean angles. ‘angle’ only an issue when doing wheelies etc.
oil light is pressure only and should turn off a few seconds after arming the electrics as it gets up to pressure. heat wouldn’t cause it to come on. overheating engine would most likely trip the engine management, not the oil pressure light. if water is shorting contacts (or suspected) douse it in wd40. with normal washing of the bike, that shouldn’t happen tho (you have to be careful with jet washes)
Here’s my 2 pennies worth…
The oil light comes on when there’s not enough pressure in the system - there are several reasons for this.
1 - Not enough oil in the system
2 - The ‘pressure saftey’ overflow has activated in your filter and oil is bypassing the filter
3 - The oil is so old it can’t keep the pressure up
4 - The pump is knackered
The easy way to knock two of these factors out is to do an oil change - run the engine for 5 mins, drain off the oil - at this stage you may want to flush the system with an engine flush to clean it out - make sure there’s not crap in there causing you a problem - then drain the flush out - take the old filter out.
Replace with a brand new filter and refil the system. Run again for about 20 mins and see if the oil light goes out - it could take up to 30 seconds to go out - if it doesn’t go out that quickly that indicates to me that the problem is with your oil pump. But you’ll probably find that a bit of crap has gunked up your filter and the bypass is tripping on and off causing a drop in pressure.
Hope that helps matey - happy to come give you a hand if you want.
m
