Topic: Tried some things- oil light still on?!?! pics available Also probs with others.

[JAG]

74 cb750K

Thanks for takin a peek..

I know this has been talked about to death, but I haven't found any specific answers.

This has been bothering me to no end. Once engine has warmed up the oil light stays on under 2K. I have a 160psi oil pressure gauge, and it indicates the same, - there is no oil pressure until the engine is revved. Once passed 2k rpms, the gauge shows pressure and the oil light goes out.

I have actually changed the oil 4 times  since I have had the bike, ( only had it 4 months and have only rode it 50 miles- been fixing it back up ) but I never changed the filter. Each time I changed it, I would change it with 10w40 4 stroke motorcycle engine oil.

With all that I have been reading about Rotella 20w50, I decided to give it a go, since I never ride the bike under 45 degrees F, and I like to run hard. When I changed it with this weight, I also bought a filter. The old filter had white/tan creamy sludge caked on it in a few places. It had the same consistency as a freshly popped pimple ( for those who can remember those days  ) (See pic below)

Once I started it for the first time it was VERY sluggish, but as it warmed up, it calmed down, assumingly because as it warmed up it thinned itself out.

I also pulled the very clean screen off, after I pulled the oil pan off, and cleaned it with high pressure air, and an old tooth brush. Like I said it was ALREADY spotless. There was no metallic flakes within the oil filter to show extensive wear.

The PO stated that he changed the oil pan, due to the fact that the plug was stripped, and he, from what I remember, put in a new oil pump in. Tell me if I am incorrect, but isn't the oil pump right behind the oil pan when you pull it off? If so that thing was spotless ( looks new )..

------Separate but maybe linked problems--------
The carbs are freshly sync'ed- did it this past weekend. It seems like it may be running a little hot- contributed to possibly a lean condition, but the A-M screws are only turned out a half a turn because I am running pods, with drag pipes. So I have no idea how to richin the mixture.

Also when I first start up the motor there is blue smoke the flys out of the exhaust, but diminishes after warm up, and I believe it is due to extensive wear around the valve stem guides. And the oil seeps through down to the cylinder head, causing it to smoke when started cold and burns off after warmed up??

PLease, please help, I am so scared of ruining this engine.

Thanks for any and all advice

JAG

[JAG]

Also forgot to add, it is very sluggish at low speeds in 1st gear either from dead stop or like pulling around a tight area, and again once pulled out to over 2k rpms the damn thing is so quick it nearly pulls my grip away from the handle bars...  Everything is perfect with the bike except for the low rpms sluggishness and oil light being on.

[750goes]

Rule 1 - Change the oil - change the filter too... that picture is not nice...

Is the oil getting very dirty very quickly ?? - change the filter.....

Take your oil pressure switch out and give it a cleanup - its probably full of crud....same as your oil filter was..

[mattcb350f]

That filter looks pretty bad.

What numbers are you getting on the pressure gauge JAG? does it read accurately enough to see a few psi?  In another post I saw that 5 -10 psi was an acceptable minimum at idle; Honda pressure sensor/switches set to light the bulb at 5 psi. It could be that you have an automotive pressure switch set at a higher pressure.

At any rate, let us know what pressures you're getting at various RPM's

I suspect the sluggishness at slow speed is something else like timing or mixture.

Oh, and I believe the oil pump is a separate unit inside the left case cover but not sure on the 750   

 Matt.

[seaweb11]

You may also want to pull the bottom engine plate and have a look at your oil screen and pump

I can only imagine what that looks like based on that filter or "non filter device" in the photo.


Dito on "always change out filter with each oil change".

Not sure this will solve all your problems, but if that bottom screen is full I'm assuming it would cut down on oil circulation

[JAG]

-750goes. The oil still looked very good and fresh when I drained it this afternoon before replacing it with the 20w50.

That filter looks pretty bad.

What numbers are you getting on the pressure gauge JAG? does it read accurately enough to see a few psi?  In another post I saw that 5 -10 psi was an acceptable minimum at idle; Honda pressure sensor/switches set to light the bulb at 5 psi. It could be that you have an automotive pressure switch set at a higher pressure.

 Matt.

When at a cold start with 10w40 the pressure read 40psi.
When cold with 20w50 it was more like 60psi.

The pressure of course rises as the rpms rise. It's hard for me to tel what psi I am getting while riding. But it all seems to be accurate. I think the fact that I have a 160psi gauge that it's to high to read the lower psi readings, I think if I had something like a 80psi gauge that I would be able to see something out of it. Right now with my 160psi gauge, it Literally sits on the peg at 0psi until it's revved up to 2K rpms.

You may also want to pull the bottom engine plate and have a look at your oil screen and pump

Like stated before everything inside, after pulling the oil pan looked impecable. Even after looking at the screen, it was spotless, and had absolutely no crud build up at all.

Take your oil pressure switch out and give it a cleanup - its probably full of crud....same as your oil filter was..

Oh does one go about doing this?? I have heard people talking about it, but I have no idea what or where it is. Is it by the cam chain tensioner?

[750goes]

that's it - unscrew your electrical connection first - then unbolt the pressure switch...

[andy750]

that's it - unscrew your electrical connection first - then unbolt the pressure switch...

Any tips for the best way to unbolt it as I seem to recall it as hard getting a socket in there due to cooling fins?

JAG - as for your oil filter - the white stuff looks like you got some water in the oil causing it to emulsify. And that filter is pretty black! When was it last changed!? Low rpm sluggishness may be due to low idle setting? pilot gets could be too small given your open exhaust and pods? Or timing? How is the idle? May need carbs synched? Just a few thoughts to think about.

cheers
Andy

[JAG]

Yeah I have no idea how to the oil switch, or even how to tell if it's bad...

How can water get into the oil??

I have no earthy idea when the filter was changed.. I have only had the bike for a few months, and I have never changed it.

The idle is set at around 1200rpms. I don't know about the pilot jets, but the main jets are 115s.

Just had the carbs synched this past saturday..

I'll look again at the shop manual and try and figure out the pressure switch issue.

[JAG]

Well I went and tried to pull back the black rubber housing, and the wire snapped from from whatever it is that it is connected to... 

What the heck do I do now???

[mystic_1]

The end if the wire should just be a small spade terminal that connects to a screw terminal on top of the switch.  Eventually you'll want to replace the terminal but you should be able to just strip the end of the wire and hook it back up under the locknut.

mystic_1

[JAG]

That's what I did, I had another fitting, stripped the wire and put another one on there. Whew. easy fix.

I don't think it was the pressure switch anyways, the oil pressure gauge tells me that.

Meaning if there is no oil pressure under 5psi the switch and the gauge won't read anything- which it isn't.

If the bike runs like a champ over 5 psi and at 2K rpms ( oil light off, and gauge showing pressure ) , is there really a need to worry??

[JAG]

Also when I pulled the "boot" from the wire, dirt, literal dirt came falling off in my lap..  When I first got the bike, the was all sorts of dirt caked within the vent spaces through the fins, but how in the world dirt got in there is beyond me!!

[JAG]

okay here is my psi/rpm rating.

When I first start it up at a cold start ( It's freakin hard to get it goin with the 20w50 in it BTW. )

Grey smoke out of the pipes for a few minutes.

Idles at 40psi on cold start and reduces as it warms up.

Once it got down to 20 psi., took it for a ride

at 2k it's at 20psi
at 3k it's at 40psi
at 5k it's at 60spi

once fully warm it barely breaks 20psi at 3k rpms, when going at 5k in barely makes it to 50psi.

When I come back home after the 10 minute trip, gauge shows no pressure under 1800 rpms. Once at 1800rpms, the pressure gauge shows 5psi, and therefore light goes out.

I hate this..  Still sluggish at low rpms.. until I hit 2-2300rpms, the it's so fast I can barely hold on.

  ???JAG

[JAG]

Went out and started it up after dinner...

Showed 5psi, at 1200rpms..

I guess it only goes bad when it's real hot and the oil has thinned out.. So does this mean the oil pump isn't doing it's job??

[mattcb350f]

Well....... I don't know what to tell ya  

I'd say the bearing tolerances are a little on the loose side, or maybe your oil pump needs rebuilt. Since the bearings are much harder to change, check out the oil pump.

If there is little pressure such on your bike, this means that there is lots of volume of oil going through your engine. The problem is that the last places to get oil such as the cylinder head/camshaft may be getting starved.

 Matt.

[mystic_1]

Going back to the first post in this thread,

The PO stated that he changed the oil pan, due to the fact that the plug was stripped, and he, from what I remember, put in a new oil pump in. Tell me if I am incorrect, but isn't the oil pump right behind the oil pan when you pull it off? If so that thing was spotless ( looks new )..

Better check that pump.  Also check to see that he installed the o-rings and locator dowels when he installed the pump.  The pump's appearance means nothing - they always look great, they're stored in an oil bath!  Pull it apart and check the rotors.

ALSO,

You mentioned in another post that you're using a 160lb gauge.  You're trying to see a 5lb increment on a 160lb gauge, that's only 3% of the gauges range, which is probably a) more than the gauges tolernace and b) may be too low to read out at all on that gauge.  I'd say get a different gauge and check again.  Mine is 100lbs.

mystic_1

[JAG]

so how would you go about telling if it is bad? And how can you get one rebuilt?

[750goes]

the pumps are not hard to take off or pull apart...and to measure the tolerances is quite simple..
and you get to take your screen off as well.....

[JAG]

is there some kind of "how to" in a manual or online somewhere, to try and undertake this??

[750goes]

yes there is - have a search through the links in this forum for the manuals and download your appropriate manual..

[mystic_1]

Manuals are HERE.

cheers
mystic_1

[750goes]

thanks mystic - my idea was for Jag to look for himself........

[andy750]

Well to check the head is getting oil you could run the bike and remove one of the tappet covers on the valve cover...if you see oil flicking around then you are getting oil to to the head and you know the pump is working. Easy no?

good luck
Andy

[mystic_1]

thanks mystic - my idea was for Jag to look for himself........

Sorry, my bad

Cross-referencing is a hobby of mine. 

mystic_1