Advice on oil light illuminating

[Saintsman27]

Hi guys ..I have 2001 vtr .. My red warning oil light comes on and engine stops occasionally when
starting / engine cold .. before I did an oil / filter change this did not happen and was perfect. It only happens
now since I did the oil filter change .. I drained the oil oil off which needed doing... took the
the old oil filter away.. a Hi flo filter which I found to be well tighted on the block. Fitted a Honda VTR
Recommended oil filter and added 3.9 ltrs of Q8 semi synthetic SBK 10/40 motorcycle oil
to nicely come twixt the lines .. . New filter and oil drain plug were torqued to Honda specs
although tbh the new oil filter was not tightened as much as the one I removed..now this red
light / engine stops happens ... any thoughts have I disturbed anything ? Done this job a few times
on other bikes .. kwakers etc never a problem .. when into journey does not happen and engine
runs fine..just an annoyance basically. so I am
Alb

[lloydie]

Have you checked the oil level since you changed it .
You should check it with the bike in the upright position on level ground when the engine is cold

[Saintsman27]

Thanx m8tey I willl recheck again although it seemed fine
Alb

[darkember]

If the levels are good I would then get your oil pressure checked. To do this you need to get an adapter that screws into the hole that houses the oil pressure switch. A suitable gauge can then be fitted to this adapter. Oil pressure should be 87psi (6bar) @ 5000rpm engine warm. If this checks out ok then you need to check the oil pressure switch. From your description id does sound like a grounding issue with the wire to the oil pressure switch. The light will come on if any bare part of that wire touches a metal surface from the instrument cluster to the switch.

[tony.mon]

Replace filter, try again.
It's possible that the filter is faulty, you can re-use the oil.
There's a pressure bypass valve in the filter.

If no difference keep both filters as spares.

[VTRDark]

Looking at the wiring diagram for this, interestingly it looks like the oil pressure switch may share a connecting block with the Neutral switch. I'm wondering if there maybe a short here as in a dirty connector. But do follow darkembers advice as it's more important to verify if there is a problem with oil pressure or the oil pump before chasing any electrical problems.

Just trying to think! You have changed the oil and filter. Mmm, there wasn't a clear plastic cover stuck over the end of the oil filter that needed removing before screwing it in place that you might have missed. If that was left on it would stop oil flow through the filter. I've seen filters before that have a clear sticky sheet that needs removing. They are on there to stop any crap getting inside the filter while in storage

(:-})

[Saintsman27]

Thanx for all your ernest advice here guys ... I topped up a bit
to slightly over top line on the window mark ... Ill see how it
goes... engine goes good + starts 1st time on the button
and not losing a drop of oil which has remained visibly clear after a
700 miles plus run last week to the West Country and back to Murkeyside.
Alb

[VTRDark]

Yes but what about the light. If the light is still coming on it's because of a lack of oil pressure. ie. the oil is not circulating around properly and lubricating components which will cause excess wear or worse. Either that or there is an electrical fault with the oil light circuit. I would stop as soon as that light comes on If there is an electrical fault then fair enough, one can live with that. But you REALLY don't want to ride around with an engine that has no oil pressure. That would be very bad for the engines health. Either let the bike warm up fully at idle and monitor it, or take it for a test ride around the block not too far from home.

(:-})

[flynavyj]

Did you say the oil was still clear after a 700 mile jaunt? If so, i'd seriously be wondering if the oil is circulating at all. The Rotella T that I use in my bikes is a bit dark when it comes out of the jug, but after a bit of running through the engine, it's visible dark and doesn't take near 700 miles to get there...if the oil is still spick and span, I'd wonder if it's moving around at all! Could have a faulty oil pump/pickup...can't imagine a filter, as the bypass should allow oil to flow through, long as it's working.

Quick test (don't get burned) but if the engine is started, and the filter warms up as the engine does (not from the exhaust) then you likely have circulating oil...if the filter remains cold...oil's not moving through the engine and warming, or making it's way to the hot parts.

[Saintsman27]

Thanx all ... well topped up a few more mls to really just over the top window linemark ... ran and checked
...felt oil fiter for temp... is hot oil there ..no warning light... so all tickety boo I guess ..been on a couple
of 50 milers in the Lancashire air .. . motor really is a beaut and has been well looked over ..its done over
K20 now and runs brilliant.. thanx to all
Alb

[benny hedges]

Hi guys ..I have 2001 vtr .. My red warning oil light comes on

this is caused by fitting a new oil filter dry.

when you fit a new filter, half fill it. or fill it full and whack it on quick with a rag underneath.

the light comes on cos theres air trapped in the filter. its a common thing on a lot of bikes - kwaks suffer from it a lot and it catches new owners out the first time they see it.

there's a procedure known as 'burping' (the baby)

all you do is start the engine from cold,
slightly crack the filter loose,
undo it until oil pisses out.
thats the air bled out.

then stop the engine, leave it 10 mins for the oil level to settle, check the level and top up if rqd.