Need Help, No Oil Pressure

[Dragonslave]

I was out riding 30 miles the other day and when I pulled into the driveway and when the bike went to idle, I lost oil pressure. The gauge fell to 0 and oil light came on. While I was riding the pressure was fine according to my gauge, running about 25-30 psi @ 2500 rpms. I don't have any leaks, Oil level in the tank is per the manual.

Let me go back in time and explain the events leading up....
Over the winter I had the 90 deg return fitting (bottom fitting) break off into the oil pump cover housing. I removed the oil pump cover, removed the broken fitting, and replaced with new. Doing this of course drained all the oil out of the pump so during re-assembly of the oil pump cover, I had to fill the ball check valve side with oil and let it drain down to prevent air cavitation. Once I did this, I had oil pressure and all was well. Until after the 30 mile ride in the first paragraph.

Last night I pulled the spark plugs and began troubleshooting. I attached a known working oil pressure gauge to the fitting the oil pressure sensor is screwed in the engine. I tried turning the engine over several times to see if I could get any reading on the gauge and nothing. I pulled the oil pump cover back off and checked the outer gears of the oil pump. They seem to be working normally. They do not spin freely so I know the key stock is not broken on the shaft. I also placed the bike in 6th gear and rotated the tire to see if the gears rotated, and they do. So this leads me to believe the oil pump is working normally but I did not disassemble the pump beyond this point.

I removed my oil filter and turned the bike over and oil was coming out there so I know the return line is not stopped up.

I removed the oil feed line going from the oil tank to the oil pump and took my air gun to it a few times so there is no blockage there. While I had this line removed, I tried to turn the bike over while I had my finger over / near the pump intake and couldn't feel any suction / vacuum. Since my tank is below my oil pump (not gravity fed), should I feel a vacuum pull on the oil feed fitting when trying to turn over the bike? I would think I should feel some sort of draw or suction.

Any other ideas of what I could check? Possibly something in the engine itself? Lifters, Pushrods? I am not that knowledgeable of how the oil system works in the engine. I do have a manual with a map so I know how the oil is circulated.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Pull your cam cover and check your cam breather gear, if you have the mechanical one and the screen on the breather gear is clogged (maybe from metal from the fitting breaking), or even broken and look at your cam. A wallowed out Cam bushing would cause no oil pressure as well.

The breather gear is to the left of the cam and looks like this:

 

[Marky-Marc]

Also, pull your rocker lids and then spin the tire in gear and see if oil circulates to the top of the rockers via the lifters/pushrods which will narrow it down a bit.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Sorry @Dragonslave for all these posts, just got my ass out of bed, my brain is slowly waking up....

Any noises?

Also have you checked your oil tappet screen? If it's clogged no pressure either...

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Pull your cam cover and check your cam breather gear, if you have the mechanical one and the screen on the breather gear is clogged (maybe from metal from the fitting breaking), or even broken and look at your cam. A wallowed out Cam bushing would cause no oil pressure as well.

Also, pull your rocker lids and then spin the tire in gear and see if oil circulates to the top of the rockers via the lifters/pushrods which will narrow it down a bit.

Hang on....

Let's go back before we take anything else apart.

Please correct me if I misunderstood but I think you said you spun your filter off the engine and turned the bike over and oil was pumping out?

If the answer is yes, then you have pressure. Have to. That's not the return, oil coming out came from the engine on EVO's oil goes from:
1) tank
2)oil pump
3)engine
4)filter
5)rinse and repeat.



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[Marky-Marc]

Hang on....

Let's go back before we take anything else apart.

Please correct me if I misunderstood but I think you said you spun your filter off the engine and turned the bike over and oil was pumping out?

If the answer is yes, then you have pressure. Have to. That's not the return, oil coming out came from the engine on EVO's oil goes from:
1) tank
2)oil pump
3)engine
4)filter
5)rinse and repeat


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Thanks for keeping it simple....I'm overthinking.....hahahaha

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Thanks for keeping it simple....I'm overthinking.....hahahaha

Haha you might be good! Maybe I'm misunderstanding. He says he knows how the oil routes so maybe I misunderstood.

The filter part was the key for me that's why us EVO guys don't need the scavenger unit we can run our bikes without a filter on as long as you keep pouring oil in your tank!


But if I was him I would Take the return line off the oil tank, start the bike and see if oil comes out. Sounds like he has oil moving through the engine. If it does your back to just a bad oil pressure sending unit giving you a faulty reading.

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[Dragonslave]

Sorry @Dragonslave for all these posts, just got my ass out of bed, my brain is slowly waking up....

Any noises?

Also have you checked your oil tappet screen? If it's clogged no pressure either...

Tappet screen is clean. No problem on the number of posts. Any ideas appreciated.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Haha you might be good! Maybe I'm misunderstanding. He says he knows how the oil routes so maybe I misunderstood.


But if I was him I would Take the return line off the oil tank, start the bike and see if oil comes out. Sounds like he has oil moving through the engine. If it does your back to just a bad oil pressure sending unit giving you a faulty reading.

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Yup, maybe he's overthinking too....and it's just the sending unit....he never mentioned NOISES, that's why I asked about them....if oil is not circulating, lifters/pushrods would tick like a mofo....I need some more coffee.....

 

[Marky-Marc]

Tappet screen is clean. No problem on the number of posts. Any ideas appreciated.

Just like @Th3InfamousI said, keep it simple....re-assemble it. Start it up, if your lifters are not ticking, and oil is coming out of your oil filter like you said, it's just a bad sending unit.....and you can check that with a multimeter and ohm it out....

 

[Dragonslave]

Hang on....

Let's go back before we take anything else apart.

Please correct me if I misunderstood but I think you said you spun your filter off the engine and turned the bike over and oil was pumping out?

If the answer is yes, then you have pressure. Have to. That's not the return, oil coming out came from the engine on EVO's oil goes from:
1) tank
2)oil pump
3)engine
4)filter
5)rinse and repeat.



Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk

Yes oil is coming out of the filter housing when I remove it. I wasn't sure if oil pressure was needed for oil to come out of this since gravity does some work here.

 

[Bdm4ever]

Yup, maybe he's overthinking too....and it's just the sending unit....he never mentioned NOISES, that's why I asked about them....if oil is not circulating, lifters/pushrods would tick like a mofo....I need some more coffee.....

If oil wasn't circulating wouldn't the engine seize? I'm thinking tappet screen.. Just asking don't know much about this stuff..

 

[Dragonslave]

Just like @Th3InfamousI said, keep it simple....re-assemble it. Start it up, if your lifters are not ticking, and oil is coming out of your oil filter like you said, it's just a bad sending unit.....and you can check that with a multimeter and ohm it out....

On my 30 mi ride I didn't notice any abnormal noises but when I got home and oil pressure dropped at idle, I could tell the difference. I definitely think I am not getting oil pressure though because of this and not a faulty sensor. I have both a gauge and the sensor on my bike and both going bad at once seems pretty unlikely. Just for shits though, how do I check the unit with a meter? What should it read normally?

 

[Dragonslave]

If oil wasn't circulating wouldn't the engine seize? I'm thinking tappet screen.. Just asking don't know much about this stuff..

I think so if you run it long enough but I immediately cut if off once I realized what was going on. I am troubleshooting without the plugs in at this point.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Yes oil is coming out of the filter housing when I remove it. I wasn't sure if oil pressure was needed for oil to come out of this since gravity does some work here.

If you have oil moving you should have SOME pressure somewhere. It's not uncommon for a hot EVO to only show 5PSI at idle perfectly fine.

Yes you are right the gears push the oil through the engine, but unless you are literally leaking oil at of all the gaskets and holes you have to have pressure somewhere where else is it going to go?

When you pulled into your driveway were you happen to be on a hill? I don't know where your supply line comes from but on my ridgeback supply is on the rear of the tank so if oil is a tad low and I come to a hard stop the oil sloshes to the front and oil light will come on for a few seconds. Or if it's low and I put it on the kickstand I get the oil light. Poor design by BD



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[Marky-Marc]

On my 30 mi ride I didn't notice any abnormal noises but when I got home and oil pressure dropped at idle, I could tell the difference. I definitely think I am not getting oil pressure though because of this and not a faulty sensor. I have both a gauge and the sensor on my bike and both going bad at once seems pretty unlikely. Just for shits though, how do I check the unit with a meter? What should it read normally?

when my bike is warmed up, my gauge says 0 at idle since day 1.....what do you mean you noticed a difference?

 

[Dragonslave]

If you have oil moving you should have SOME pressure somewhere. It's not uncommon for a hot EVO to only show 5PSI at idle perfectly fine.

Yes you are right the gears push the oil through the engine, but unless you are literally leaking oil at of all the gaskets and holes you have to have pressure somewhere where else is it going to go?

When you pulled into your driveway were you happen to be on a hill? I don't know where your supply line comes from but on my ridgeback supply is on the rear of the tank so if oil is a tad low and I come to a hard stop the oil sloshes to the front and oil light will come on for a few seconds. Poor design by BD



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Yes mine is the same. My driveway is sloped slightly but not enough for the fill level to go below the supply line.

 

[Th3InfamousI]

Yes mine is the same. My driveway is sloped slightly but not enough for the fill level to go below the supply line.

Mine also comes on if it's on the kickstand and oil is a bit low. Just letting you know.

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[Dragonslave]

when my bike is warmed up, my gauge says 0 at idle since day 1.....what do you mean you noticed a difference?

My oil light on the console has never come on and I always show oil pressure on the gauge so this is new. Plus when the pressure dropped, it started running like shit.

 

[Marky-Marc]

The sending unit should read about 1 ohm....

At this point, I would put it back together and start it up and go from there.....listen for noises etc....