How bad is it when...

[KLOWN]

how bad is it when you oil light comes on? I know it ain't much of a problem on 2 strokers you just need to fill up asap but in an inline 4, does it mean your running low or does it mean you've been running your engine with not enough oil and doing it major harm? when your oil light comes on is it best to stop, turn your bike off and get it in a trailor? or keep riding till the next petrol station and fill her up?

[MSTRS]

Stop. Now. Do not start until problem rectified.

[Crisis management]

Switch motor off, park bike, kneel on ground and peer into your wallet praying there is about $3500 in there.

Easy!!

[Jeaves]

a minutes silence for the bearings :thud:

[Jantar]

At the top right corner of your post there is a section that has:
Bike: 1998 suzuki RG150(broken) + zxr400 sp


You should now change that to read
Bike: 1998 suzuki RG150(broken) + zxr400 sp(broken)

And my the lord have mercy on your soul...:weep:

[kiwifruit]

on the kawasaki i believe its oil pressure low light
not a good sign generally

[marty]

why is the rg broken?

[KLOWN]

well this makes me feel better, NOT!

don't know how long the light was on for either, noticed it when passing under some shade (couldn't see it in the sun) I assumed that there was plenty of oil in because the bike just had the engine rebored with new rings, oil filter etc, etc late may, which was only 5 months ago and the bike isn't dropping any oil and I don't notice any blue smoke out the exhaust. The light went off after one litre of oil was put in. BUT it took a further 2 liters to fill the little window and it has printed on the side that it takes three litres. so I have either over filled it or there was no oil left :weep:

[KLOWN]

why is the rg broken?

clipped by a car and went down, tore off footpeg mirror etc but engine runs well.

[scumdog]

Hot tip: check your engine oil REGULARLY.

When did you last check the oil in the 400?? 5 months ago?

[Paul in NZ]

Well I'm thinking you may have learnt an expensive lesson.

The window is there for a reason - you need to check the oil regularly. Engines use a little oil, some engines use a lot of oil.

[KLOWN]

Hot tip: check your engine oil REGULARLY.

When did you last check the oil in the 400?? 5 months ago?


owned it for 2 weeks

[Crisis management]

Levity aside, lack of oil will wear out bearings, rings, cams, in fact most things inside the engine case.
Don't start the motor, take it to a mechanic (trailer) & get an opinion.

Sorry, but oil was invented for a reason, however engines are remarkably robust at times and you may be lucky!

[TLDV8]

As mentioned the light is oil pressure,most use a hobbs switch.. (They are handy with big Holley fuel pumps also,no oil pressure cuts the pump)
The pressure switch is in the main oil gallery and a pressure drop normally means air,it would depend how much the oil pump cavitated...Light on means,stop 5 minutes ago.
Most Japanese bikes are start engine,let it idle for a bit,shut it down and wait a few minutes before checking the site glass.If you have topped it up and it is not making any rumbling or abnormal noises you might be ok...Good luck with that.

It is not unusual for engines to burn a little oil and you will not see any smoke.

[KLOWN]

Well I'm thinking you may have learnt an expensive lesson.

The window is there for a reason - you need to check the oil regularly. Engines use a little oil, some engines use a lot of oil.

yeah, 1st time on a four stroke, I thought there was oil in there because the window looked all golden yellow like nice fresh oil but since I have now topped I can see what its ment to look like. Also all my fresh oil has gone black straight away... so i'm guessng thats not a good sign either

[Paul in NZ]

yeah, 1st time on a four stroke, I thought there was oil in there because the window looked all golden yellow like nice fresh oil but since I have now topped I can see what its ment to look like. Also all my fresh oil has gone black straight away... so i'm guessng thats not a good sign either

Well - probably but swap it out again - check for any debris etc but I doubt it's a good thing.

If you can find a manual - make sure it's a pressure switch NOT a level switch (though from memory thats only Yamaha)

Bit of a bastard but with any new vehicle it pays to check the vital fluids every ride until you know it. I wonder if thats why the last guy sold it??

Paul N

[Jeaves]

As others have said , take it to a workshop and get it checked out. You might get away with chucking another set of shells in .

[Korea]

Most Japanese bikes are start engine,let it idle for a bit,shut it down and wait a few minutes before checking the site glass.

* * * This is a really good point * * *

The manual instructs you to warm up the bike, then shut off and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes. Check the window and top up accordingly.

I was topping the engine oil up from cold (when everything has settled) and then after running for a little the oil level was waaay over the 'top' line.
Over-filling is not so good for gaskets and things, I'm told.
Additionally, some oil started seeping out from the edges of the oil filter.
So check your oil daily before you ride off - and do it properly!

...squids :bleh:

[slimjim]

firstly drain your oil from motor, change oil filter and refill with fresh oil, don't ride it til you've done this, why cause sound's like your very lucky,this time maybe, however by putting in new oil and filter will assit the bike's motor incase it's picked up a couple of shaving's, these are generally caught in oil filter anyway,you'll hear the bearing's if fucked, but if not then you got away this time,

[Lou Girardin]

Did no one tell you that re-ringed engines use oil?
If it runs without any strange noises you may have dodged the bullet.
CHECK YOUR OIL REGULARLY
That doesn't mean every 5 months without fail.

[FilthyLuka]

Well I'm thinking you may have learnt an expensive lesson.

The window is there for a reason - you need to check the oil regularly. Engines use a little oil, some engines use a lot of oil.

and some engines are just strange when it comes to oil... my ginny will get filled up with castrol gtx (oil just below f on the viewing glass) ill go for two rides and it will be just above l, it stays there... it doesnt budge... AT ALL (this is over several more rides)... so, hmm... okay, i top it up to just below f again. and guess what... i go for ONE ride, it brings the oil down to just above l and it stays there... what the hell? i think theres demons in my engine... but, it runs like a dream so i aint complaining.

[marty]

firstly drain your oil from motor, change oil filter and refill with fresh oil, don't ride it til you've done this, why cause sound's like your very lucky,this time maybe, however by putting in new oil and filter will assit the bike's motor incase it's picked up a couple of shaving's, these are generally caught in oil filter anyway,you'll hear the bearing's if fucked, but if not then you got away this time,

you MUST do the filter at the same time as you replace the oil.

use a quality oil, not cheap repco 30w-40w.

get the RG fixed - you'll need it soon. high revving high stressed bike engines don't take well to being neglected

[marty]

engines will always find their own level. we run big (1300hp) engines that have a simple dipstick, but it is a waste of time adding anything above 'add 3' on the dipstick, as they will just throw it overboard

[Meanie]

Hey klown you may have to drag the rg out of early retirement :2thumbsup

[Kyle]

seems like enough has been said, but ive had a couple of beers so im going to put my bit in anyway! So yeah red light on means low oil pressure, if your lucky it will be set to come on at a medium pressure rather than zero. As the oil pump starts to suck air the pressure will drop, but some oil will still be getting pushed around.

If it was me id take the change oil and filter advice, heck ive only had my bike for 3 months and ive already changed the oil and filter 3 times, exessive i know. Oil is designed to carry away crud, so that blackness is actully a good thing, that means the oil you put in has picked up alot of crap inside the engine and cirulated it to the filter. If you take it to a bike shop they will problery charge you a fortune to even give an estimate, because you cant tell what has been worn unless you open the motor up, and that takes mechanic time.

Id say if it doesnt sound rooted when its running (with oil in it) then its proberly ok. (problery sounds better then it ever did, now that it has oil in it) However running it low on oil may mean you`ll burn alittle more oil then it did, so keep an eye on it. If it does sound rattley and depending how much the bike is worth, it might be better to just ride it into the ground rather than paying thousands to rebuild it. However in saying that, im betting it`ll be ok, those japper motors really can take a beating.

I seen a couple of bikes at the last cold kiwi get reved to the limit basically nonstop for two days, with hardly any movement at all. No air flow, brutal treatment, dozens of poped tires, and it was still going strong at the end, and thats not even counting the 15 years of prior treatment it wouldve had. Bike motors seriously put car motors to shame in that respect.

[SARGE]

they call those ' idiot lights' for a reason... when you see it .. it's already too late

[KLOWN]

Did no one tell you that re-ringed engines use oil?
If it runs without any strange noises you may have dodged the bullet.
CHECK YOUR OIL REGULARLY
That doesn't mean every 5 months without fail.


as previously posted, I have only owned for two weeks and when i bought it I checked the oil. Could have mistaken the golden brown colour of the window for oil or it could've been full and i have used all that oil in 2 weeks. I usually check my oil about once a month. I had a mate who flatted with me and had a zxr250a and he never changed his oil and the bike never seemed to get low... so I thought that was the norm ( the not using any oil part) I always try and regulary maintain my machines.

Also, the bike sounds fine, slightly quieter while running now. Will do oil and filter change tomorrow.

[sunhuntin]

and some engines are just strange when it comes to oil... my ginny will get filled up with castrol gtx (oil just below f on the viewing glass) ill go for two rides and it will be just above l, it stays there... it doesnt budge... AT ALL (this is over several more rides)... so, hmm... okay, i top it up to just below f again. and guess what... i go for ONE ride, it brings the oil down to just above l and it stays there... what the hell? i think theres demons in my engine... but, it runs like a dream so i aint complaining.

yep...my 05 ginny hasnt taken any oil since her second service....some 5000k ago! LOL. checked weekly too. got her serviced today, and they took care of all that. not too sure on the levels though...i cant get her onto center stand, so i just crouch down and pull her upright.

my old ginny, an 86, i once accidentally ran from wangas to levin and back with no oil, lol. [didnt think to check oil] all that did was make the engine a bit noisier...oil quietened that, but not much, lol. still...it never slowed her down!

[imdying]

I seen a couple of bikes at the last cold kiwi get reved to the limit basically nonstop for two days, with hardly any movement at all. No air flow, brutal treatment, dozens of poped tires, and it was still going strong at the end, and thats not even counting the 15 years of prior treatment it wouldve had. Bike motors seriously put car motors to shame in that respect.
Naw, I've seen (had) car motors that did that... sometimes you even have to take the oil out to kill em :whistle:

[Lou Girardin]

seems like enough has been said, but ive had a couple of beers so im going to put my bit in anyway! So yeah red light on means low oil pressure, if your lucky it will be set to come on at a medium pressure rather than zero. As the oil pump starts to suck air the pressure will drop, but some oil will still be getting pushed around.
.

No. The light comes on at less than 5 psi.
Once the oil pump sucks air, it cavitates and there is no pressure. Which is why the oil light comes on.
Kinda logical, when you think about it.

[Motu]

Most ohc motors sieze the camshafts before the bottom end,you can hear them squeaking.They'll only do the bottom end if they were being worked hard at the time.

[avgas]

Oh yeh - and to check the oil on the Z you need to have the bike vertical (i.e. 90 degrees to the ground) not on the sidestand. On the sidestand give inaccurate assesment as to how much oil is in that sump. Any other questions feel free to pm me.