My oil warning light came on????!!

[futter]

I went to southend yesterday for a course. Bike ran fine, no probs at all. When I was nearly there I noticed the oil warning light flickering when at idle, not quite lighting fully. When I revved the engine it went out.

I stopped and checked the oil level - all fine. As the light was not on permanently I carried on.

When I started the bike after the course (cold engine) and left it to idle the light did not come on. It only came on when I had got home and the engine was nice and hot and I let it idle again.

I have had a look at Haynes but am not sure what it could be. Any thoughts? Are the switches known to fail now and again? Please don't tell me it is likely to be the pump!!

[btbloke]

check your tickover,could be something as simple as too low by a couple of hundred rpm. check manual,i think it's between 1200 and 1400 rpm at tickover.The oil gets thinner when hot so the pressure does drop a little but if its ok whilst under load when riding don't worry too much.
When was the last oil change,the filter might be due a change as it may have a restriction and this would be apparent at low revs where the oil pump is at it's lowest pressure.
But if it still does it after an oil and filter change and tickover adjustment you may have to look at the pressure relief valve and do an oil pressure check,the latter quite easy the former involving a crankcase split and engine strip,not common so just check the easy options first.

[futter]

Revs are about right but may be a little low as I though it should be set at 1000rpm.

Oil is quite clean but am not sure when filter last changed as no service history (owner maintained and he had done it not long before he sold) I have done about 4k since I have had it so it is due to be changed, with filter etc.

What about the pressure switch? Do they fail at all?

[btbloke]

it would be a rare thing,they can get clogged by bad oil maintainance but if you tickover is at 1000 rpm i suspect job done,adjust it up to about 1200 and i bet it disappears and you get no more problems.

[futter]

Cheers for that - also spoke to a mate in a honda dealer and he reckons same thing. Drop the oil, use OE filter and decent (castrol) 10/40 oil and adjust idle, also reckoned on balancing carbs and replacing air filter.

[futter]

Interestingly enough I looked for the part number for the pressure switch on the fiches page, just to see, in for a peny and all that, and googled it - you would not believe how many other bikes Honda used this switch on, from CM400's to XL600, Valkyrie, Goldwing, Silverwing, CX650 turbo, CBX750, CB650, VF1000, VT500/600/700, transalps etc, oh and the XRV750!

[Huib Holland]

Hey, I had the same problem. Turned out to be the sensor.

[futter]

Cheers. Gonna do the easy/obvious things first then most likely gonna source off ebay 2nd hand sensor (if needed) and take it from there.

[Huib Holland]

After a while it broke down completly and I had no light at all. The sensor is an off/on switch. When there's pressure it's off and in the other case it's on. If it doesn't come on at all anymore you can easily disconnect the wire from the switch and ground it on the frame. Light should come on, and then you know it is the sensor. Not an expensive part, commonly used and easy to fix. Did mine myself, if you're fast you won't lose much oil.

Greetz.

[futter]

Well, I've taken the cap off the pressure switch and cleaned it up and adjusted the idle up a couple of hundred rpm. So far so good - will order oil/filter later off fleabay and do that next week sometime. Then, next month when funds permit I will get the carbs balanced (unless a mate has a vacuum gauge)

Hopefully, job jobbed.