Oil light issue

[kilo3]

4 minutes ago, knyte said:

geeze, sensitive tolerance there.  Doesn't seem all that low to me.

Right? Light came on 60 seconds out of the driveway. Oh shit, by the time I was on the shoulder the light turned off. Flicked on again as I pulled in the garage. Finicky little bugger.

[micah2074]

49 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

Huh, just ran into this today.

Guess that's a thing.

Here's my oil level after I pulled into the garage, I'll add a few drops more I guess.

My light has come on before. It hasn’t since I started checking it  cold on level ground on the center stand and filling it to the bottom of the top hole in the glass. 

[nhchris]

53 minutes ago, kilo3 said:

Huh, just ran into this today.

Guess that's a thing.

Here's my oil level after I pulled into the garage, I'll add a few drops more I guess.

And the strange thing is it will take only an 1 or 2 oz  of addl oil to reach the top of the glass.

When I do an oil and filter  change I pour 2.5 quarts into the sump quickly and then watch the sight glass as I pour the remaining third quart to the top of the glass.  Once I run the  engine I recheck and add pretty much the rest of the 3rd quart to at or just above the top line.

Have not seen an oil light so far.   I don't think adding three full quarts will overfill the sump or cause blow by .

[johnmark101]

10 hours ago, nhchris said:

And the strange thing is it will take only an 1 or 2 oz  of addl oil to reach the top of the glass.

When I do an oil and filter  change I pour 2.5 quarts into the sump quickly and then watch the sight glass as I pour the remaining third quart to the top of the glass.  Once I run the  engine I recheck and add pretty much the rest of the 3rd quart to at or just above the top line.

Have not seen an oil light so far.   I don't think adding three full quarts will overfill the sump or cause blow by .

Like you I fill it to the point the sight glass is at or just above the top line.

The owners manual calls for 2.8 quarts when the oil and filter are changed.  I have always let it drain thoroughly and pour in three quarts and call it good.  Never an oil light and never a problem.  

[roy826]

Mine came on right after 2 miles down the road in low 60s temps. Bike was a month old maybe and maybe 1500 miles on it at the time. First oil change had been done by me and topped off right at/under top line. I did not let the bike warm up as usual. Went to pull to side of road and light went out. Rode it back to house and oil level was in between the two lines. Added 8 ozs of oil no more light. Next time I checked it after sitting a week way over full. So it is an oil level light not an oil pressure light. Which is similar to the first gen FZ1s which had this issue from time to time. I know had a friend with one and it was a constant complaint of his about the bike. Weird how my CP2 engine in my Tenere 700 does not exhibit this behavior.

[nhchris]

2 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

Like you I fill it to the point the sight glass is at or just above the top line.

The owners manual calls for 2.8 quarts when the oil and filter are changed.  I have always let it drain thoroughly and pour in three quarts and call it good.  Never an oil light and never a problem.  

Yup, if you let it drain overnight an extra ounce or two will weep out of the sump.  Don't ask me how I know!

[nhchris]

Now here is what I don't get:  

When my bike is on the side stand the oil window is completely dry / empty.  Nada.

If the oil level sensor is as finicky as we think, then...

Why isn't the oil light flashing when when the bike is leaned way over in a corner?

 

[Wintersdark]

Yeah, fill it to the top line, so you've just got a tiiiiiiny bit of air showing.  It gets pissy otherwise.

Also, I find you can get the light to turn on if you kill the bike suddenly then restart it without flicking the ignition off and on again.  Such as by forgetting the kickstand is down when you out the bike into gear then quickly restart hoping nobody noticed your shame whilst you furtively glance around.   Or so I'm told.  I'd never do that.

[Wintersdark]

11 hours ago, nhchris said:

Now here is what I don't get:  

When my bike is on the side stand the oil window is completely dry / empty.  Nada.

If the oil level sensor is as finicky as we think, then...

Why isn't the oil light flashing when when the bike is leaned way over in a corner?

 

I assume because there is oil pressure, as the bike is running.  As I said above, even when full of oil if you kill the bike and restart it quickly you'll sometimes trigger the low oil light.

Edited March 5, 2021 by Wintersdark

[Buggy Nate]

If you look at where the high and low marks are cast in to the case around the sight glass they are a lot higher biased than other bikes. Hence the need to fill Yamaha’s to the top of the sight glass.

[nhchris]

17 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

I assume because there is oil pressure, as the bike is running.  As I said above, even when full of oil if you kill the bike and restart it quickly you'll sometimes trigger the low oil light.

But I think the original posters in this thread were seeing the oil light activate with the engine running.

[Ride365]

I am always to the top line on my bikes, and so far no blinky light on my GT.

 

[Wintersdark]

2 hours ago, nhchris said:

But I think the original posters in this thread were seeing the oil light activate with the engine running.

Presumably because the intake for the sump isn't on the very bottom of the sump, so when the oil level is a bit lower sometimes it sucks some air resulting in a momentary drop in pressure?

[CJ3cyl]

I've had the oil light come on twice.  Both times just after an oil change (2nd time was just this morning on the way to work) and both times on a chilly morning. It was 46 degrees this morning. Each time I filled it up until there's only a small bubble in the sight glass. Both times I've used Shell Rotella T6 15W40. The 15W is good down to 30 degrees (per owner's manual), so I don't see how viscosity has anything to do with it. 

The first time it totally freaked me out. Pulled off to the side of the road, shut the bike off, checked the oil level, listened for bad sounds with a lump in my throat, and so on. Nothing, of course, so I started it back up and went on my merry way.  It never came on again until this morning. Again I pulled over, shut the bike off, checked the sight glass.  All was good. Restarted and the light was off. A little further down the road it came on again, flicked on and off a few times then stayed off. Okay, uck fit. I'm chalking it up to a finicky light and I'm not going to worry about it anymore.  However, I do worry about the boy who cried wolf. Yamaha should address this issue.

Edited April 7, 2021 by CJ3cyl

[CJ3cyl]

Oil light came on again this chilly morning on the commute to work.  Again, just after an oil and filter change yesterday evening. This time I just ignored it and it went away within a few miles. .