Hot running: oil light flicker ?

[ebincia]

Hello all,

Why does the oil warning light flicker at low revs when the motor is very hot? Mine done it today while in stop and go ,up hill, action that lasted over an hour. Anybody else experience this?

[boxermania]

Not a common ocurrence, unless the engine gets extremely hot and the oil begins to loose viscosity.

I would check two things first

1) Is the oil level correct? - If the answer is yes proceed to #2, if not top off.
2) What grade oil are you using? - It should be 20W50 in hot climates.

Last but not least, if the exhaust pipes start glowing and the engine becomes slugish, by all means find a side street and get moving to cool down the engine or shutoff the bike and let it cool down. Getting air to the engine will be the most desired option.

Keep us informed.

[ebincia]

The oil level is correct. Using 20W50 Castrol Dino.

[BigJohn]

It's more than likely the oil pressure switch located under the cylinder on the left side of the motor. Buy a new switch, screw it in, ride the bike and I think you'll find the light working normally. Bad pressure switches are common.

[boxermania]

+1 BigJohn

Gosh, I forgot about the switch, great call. IMay I suggest piping a mechanical oil pressure switch (for a test only) to find out what is the pressure at idle. That should remove any fears and provide you with a baseline pressure.

[iowabeakster]

agreed with all all of the above...but before you replace the switch...

... another possible answer is the electrical wiring.

Check the wiring for the whole circuit, especially down by the pressure sensor to see if they might be grounding themselves against the engine.