Oil Pressure Problem

[ALDog]

OK guys I have a question. I have an 08 Ridgeback (it is awesome) and I'm having only one problem with it. When I got it a few weeks ago I leave the dealer and get about 20 miles down the road and it started. When I let off the throttle the Oil PSI light started coming on. I pulled off to an exit and called the dealer and he said ride it back as long as it's only coming on when you decelerate. To make a long story short, I headed back and it got to where it stayed on. They met me and took the spring out of the oil pump and stretched it. That helped for a bit but before I could make it back to the dealer it was on again. They came and got it with a trailer and when we got back to the dealer, he put a gage on it and it was idling at 18 PSI or so. I head home 120 miles and it came on again before I got home. They had called BDM and they said if it is idling hot at 18 or so on the gage don't worry about it. I took the spring back out of the oil pump and stretched it 1/16 inch. That fixed it for about 400 miles. I went for my 500 mile service this weekend and it was good until I got almost all the way home. Interestingly the spring had gone back to its original length. I stretched it again by 1/8 inch and its OK again. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there a stiffer spring I can by or is there another solution?

 

[Vegas]

Probably needs a new oil pump. My buddies 111 had a problem with the oil light at idle. They tried the sprign deal and had to put a pump in it. Stretching the spring isn't going to fix low oil pressure at idle. It will affect maximum oil pressure. The pressure must be checked hot at idle. If it really is 18 then the switch could be your problem.

 

[Fibersnake]

Have to agree with Vegas on this. If it is 18 psi at idle, probably something in the switch or wiring going to the light. My idles at 10-12 when hot at idle and light never comes on due to oil pressure.

Would recommend that you put a simple qualtiy oil pressure gauge on the engine so that you have a secondary means to confirm if there is a oil pressure problem. Also work with the dealer (or if in doubt find another one) and get to the root problem. Stretching a spring is not the best way to fix a problem, especially on a brand new bike under warranty.

Do a search for the oil pressure gauges on here and you will get some good ideas. For me I just stop at the local HD shop and purchase one with the angle adapater for the Evo style and mounted it on the top of the spring and screen and set the orginal cap aside.

Over a 1000 miles on it so far and not problems with the plug, neddle, etc and total cost of about $32.00.

 

[ALDog]

Put a gauge on it

Well I put a Drag Specialties gauge on it tonight. I let it sit and idle at the house for a few minutes before taking it down the road, sat at a light and at speed it was running at about 28 or 30 psi and at idle (bike is idled pretty low probably right at 1K RPM) it was running about 5 psi. Light usually comes on after riding for a while while decelerating but still at 2K to 2.5K RPM and goes off after a bit of acceleration. It did it yesterday before I got the gauge. The real test will be next time the light comes on now that I have the gauge to see what it does. The thing that still puzzles me is why it would come on when I let off the throttle even though it is still turning good RPM. I could understand at idle. Oh well as I said we'll see what it reads when the light comes on again.

 

[07bigdog]

I have an oil pressure gauge on mine, and @ idle when cold it is 30 psi. When it is hot, it is between 5-10 psi., but the oil light does not come on. The dealer should find out what is tripping the oil light if the gauge is showing good pressure. Warranty.

 

[ALDog]

Well I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow the only problem with that is the service guy with all the experience left a few weeks ago. All new guys that don't know bikes very well. I'm going to call S & S as well and tell them what's happening. Here is what is happening. As I ride I notice that the oil pressure slowly drops until it is running in the 15 to 20 psi range at RPM and stopping at a light the pressure gets below 5 psi. The light didn't come on yet today but I'm sure if I would have ridden much more it would have. When I decelerate even down a hill where the RPMs stay at 2K to 2.5K the oil pressure will drop to the 8 psi range. Weird that it drops like that even at RPM while decelerating. Any guesses?????? I'll post what I find out.

 

[Eric]

Does any one know if a oil tank temp gauge is available for 07 pitbull

 

[Vegas]

Well I'm going to call my dealer tomorrow the only problem with that is the service guy with all the experience left a few weeks ago. All new guys that don't know bikes very well. I'm going to call S & S as well and tell them what's happening. Here is what is happening. As I ride I notice that the oil pressure slowly drops until it is running in the 15 to 20 psi range at RPM and stopping at a light the pressure gets below 5 psi. The light didn't come on yet today but I'm sure if I would have ridden much more it would have. When I decelerate even down a hill where the RPMs stay at 2K to 2.5K the oil pressure will drop to the 8 psi range. Weird that it drops like that even at RPM while decelerating. Any guesses?????? I'll post what I find out.

Quit riding it before you do some real damage or add to what already exists. Oil pump is still my guess. Is the oil fresh? Smell it and take a look at it.

 

[reloaderbmg]

make shure the screen ,under the oil gauge, is clean, on a new engine sometimes trash will find its way there!
if you change to syn. oil this will get worse

 

[07bigdog]

ALDOG: How did you make out with your oil pressure problem? I just did a 2500 mile service on my 07 K9 and now i have the same problem. After riding for about 45 minutes the oil light comes on at idle. I have an oil pressure gauge and it is reading between 0-5 psi. When i first start out riding it is okay. Once every thing is warmed up it starts to act up. If i rev the throtle a little bit it will go out, but once i back off the light will come back on. Let me know how you corrected your problem.

 

[Vegas]

Make sure you are running the correct oil filters and your idles are set high enough. Oil pressure problems always happen hot.

 

[ALDog]

Hey 07bigdog, I spoke with a guy on the tech line at S&S today. He was very helpful and we talked for about 20 minutes. He said based on what I was describing he didn't think there was a problem with the oil pump itself. He told me he didn't like what the dealer did stretching the spring on the relief valve. He suggested that I go to my local Harley dealership and buy a new one and replace it but keep the old one. He also said to check the tappet screen again as it is very fine and prone to getting trash in it on a new motor. I went and got a spring today and boy they really stretched it out so I put the new one in. I also took my gauge back off and cleaned the tappet screen, should've done that when I put the gauge back on in the first place but oh well. The screen actually did have quite a bit of junk on it so it is clean, new spring in and I will test it out tomorrow or Friday. I'll let you know how it works. Did you clean your tappet screen when you did the 2500 mile service.

One more comment, the guy from S&S said you have to really be careful trusting a gage on these Super Sidewinder engines because of the vacuum that is in the heads and crankcase. For example the condition I described earlier in the thread and the very low pressure at idle is not accurate because it's being affected by the drop in vacuum as you decelerate. He said the only way to take a true reading would be for it to be done inside the crankcase. Anyway, we'll see how this goes. If it happens again, it's going on the trailer and headed for a long trip back to the dealer.

 

[Vegas]

If the oil light is coming on then you have a problem vaccum or not. Hope cleaning the screen fixes it for you so you can ride that bitch instead of work on it! Believe me I know the feeling!

 

[scubaman15]

Hey 07bigdog, I spoke with a guy on the tech line at S&S today. He was very helpful and we talked for about 20 minutes. He said based on what I was describing he didn't think there was a problem with the oil pump itself. He told me he didn't like what the dealer did stretching the spring on the relief valve. He suggested that I go to my local Harley dealership and buy a new one and replace it but keep the old one. He also said to check the tappet screen again as it is very fine and prone to getting trash in it on a new motor. I went and got a spring today and boy they really stretched it out so I put the new one in. I also took my gauge back off and cleaned the tappet screen, should've done that when I put the gauge back on in the first place but oh well. The screen actually did have quite a bit of junk on it so it is clean, new spring in and I will test it out tomorrow or Friday. I'll let you know how it works. Did you clean your tappet screen when you did the 2500 mile service.

One more comment, the guy from S&S said you have to really be careful trusting a gage on these Super Sidewinder engines because of the vacuum that is in the heads and crankcase. For example the condition I described earlier in the thread and the very low pressure at idle is not accurate because it's being affected by the drop in vacuum as you decelerate. He said the only way to take a true reading would be for it to be done inside the crankcase. Anyway, we'll see how this goes. If it happens again, it's going on the trailer and headed for a long trip back to the dealer.

Also a good thread...EVO style motors as these are , Have unique oiling systems ...Cleaning the tappet screen is a must for new moters!! Keep us informed on your problem we ALL have the same type motors and oil pumps "GOOD Thread" :up:

 

[07bigdog]

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm anxious to see if the new relief valve spring does the trick for ALDOG. My tapet screen is clean. I even re-installed my old oil filter that i took off to see if that would make a difference. It worked good before, but didn't change anything. I turned up the idle. I'm going to pull the relief valve spring after work and check it out. I will replace it. I don't like having problems. It just seems odd that everything worked fine for 2500 miles, i do an oil change (Amsoil 20W50 SYN) and now it acts up.

 

[Loafington]

If you have an oil light as your indicator for oil pressure, you have an oil pressure sending unit (transducer). This is an electrical component and they do go bad, even when they are relatively new. If you are seeing problems with your light coming on, the oil pressure sending unit can and should be checked. Also, make sure your idle speed is at a minimum 1000 rpm. Stop stretching the pressure relief spring in your oil pump, doing that is just masking the real problem.

As far as your oil filter, if you are running the correct type, not a twin cam oil filter, you should be ok. Make sure you are running the correct oil viscosity, 20w/50 for most of us unless you are riding in a real hot place, or real cold place, probably neither, but make sure anyway. Viscosity plays a big part here, especially when you’re up to operating temperature.

 

[07bigdog]

One question that i have to ask is, why does the light start coming on after about 45 minutes of running? I'm sure the engine is at full running temperature after the first 10 minutes. It seems like 45 minutes is the magic number for the light to start acting up. If it was an electrical problem with the switch or sending unit, wouldn't it start flashing right away?

 

[Loafington]

Not necessarily. The switch can be affected by heat, vibration etc…

 

[Vegas]

If the light started coming on after an oil change then I would suspect your oil. It's very doubtful your relief spring went bad at that moment.

 

[Loafington]

The engine oil is at it most viscous when it is new, conventional or synthetic. That being the case, the oil pressure will be its highest at this point. Once warmed, the viscosity will lower slightly, oil pressure will drop a little.