Oil Light on crack?

[SOS]

OK i finally got my 02 600 Kat Home I rode it maybe 5 times around the corner to the store and it seems like my oil light is on something. When I start it it's on but the higher the RPM the less likely it seems to come on.
Oil in the glass is moving down as it has been ridden so I assume it's no the sending unit? What am I missing?

[hardlydangerous]

if your oil light is coming on at all while its running you have an issue

what oil filter are you using?
check the oil pressure

[kevin2502000]

Those sending units are notorius for wrong readings. If I remember right, if it has an open circuit it triggers the light. That means if u have a bad wire or connection it will cause it to come on. Better safe than sorry on the oil pressure though, check it.

[The CyberPoet]

What you need to know:

Oil pressure sender is on the right front side of the engine, under the timing signal cover, and sits just below the signal rotor.

It's an on/off switch. When the pressure is too low for the engine's safety, it lights up the dummy light on the dash. The only time you should see the dummy light is when the engine is off and while on the starter.

The pressure switch (and the wiring to it) tend to fail more often than Kats' oil pumps failing to provide sufficient oil pressure, but it's a simple part to test/replace/troubleshoot.

If you test the pressure sender (or replace it) and the symptom doesn't go away, the next thing to do is to remove the headers, and the oil pan, then drop the oil pan screen and clean it out. Report back what you found (virtually guaranteed that there will be some metal in there).

Whatever you do, do NOT ride the bike with the dummy light on -- good way to ruin a perfectly healthy engine, if the light isn't lying.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[Trackerrrr]

Oil filter might be plugged?

[arsenic]

I have an oil pressure sender

[The CyberPoet]

Oil filter might be plugged?

I've only seen this happen with FRAM oil filters.

All oil filters normally have a by-pass valve at the base that opens when the oil pressure gets too high (to keep a block from starving the engine for oil).

The FRAM oil filters use glue to attach a cardboard/fiberboard baseplate that holds the valve, and there have been reports of the glue liquifying under certain high-temp conditions that a Kat could easily see (in one reported case [Rider Magazine], the glue went through the entire oiling system of a goldwing, resulting in the entire tranny/engine locking itself down solid once it cooled and requiring a new engine/tranny).
Other manufacturers typically use a metal base plate and some form of seal (rubber in many cases, NPR or silicone in better designs).

These kinds of pitfalls are one of the major reasons that I prefer & recommend the OEM oil filters for the Kats -- you know the filter is designed to stand up to the kind of temps the Kat can see, and there's no glue melting issue that can plague the motor.

On the other hand, there is an oil pressure reduction valve in the oil pan base (nylon-like plastic surrounded by metal, screw in part), that if blocked by metal or gouged out, could starve the cooling system for oil. See item 18 in this Oil Pan fiche file as an example of the item.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[SOS]

Ok I took the filter out and it looks pretty good. I had my brother bump the starter while I had it out and it shot the oil out so the pump is good right? Oh the filter is a Suzuki LFS706 TOKYO ROKI. So I guess I'm at the pan next. And the oil looked ok as well.

[The CyberPoet]

Toyo Roki is the OEM manufacturer for the Suzuki oil filters, so that's a good sign. As for the oil shooting out of the pump -- I'll reserve judgement until later... Have you checked the pressure switch & wiring for it yet?

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[SOS]

Toyo Roki is the OEM manufacturer for the Suzuki oil filters, so that's a good sign. As for the oil shooting out of the pump -- I'll reserve judgement until later... Have you checked the pressure switch & wiring for it yet?

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

That's next CP. But lemme get this straight. I remove the cover (Right side) and I should see it right? The oil pumped out of the filter hole as he bumped it, With the filter removed.

[The CyberPoet]

That's next CP. But lemme get this straight. I remove the cover (Right side) and I should see it right? The oil pumped out of the filter hole as he bumped it, With the filter removed.

The oiling coming out of the filter hole is a very good sign, but that doesn't guarantee that the pump is 100%. I'm still inclined to end you in the order of likeliness:
1. Wiring to the sensor switch
2. Sensor switch itself
3. Plugged up oil pressure reduction valve in the bottom of the oil pan.
4. Oil pump.

Yes, the sensor switch & it's wiring is under the right hand front cover.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[SOS]

I removed the filter then removed the side cover. All is well with both, but a simple oil change put my light out. I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought.

[The CyberPoet]

If a simple oil change put your pressure light out, it makes me wonder how bad the old oil was... still got it? Rub it between your fingers and tell me whether you feel any slipperiness at all, and whether it smells heavily of fuel.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

__________________________________________________ ________
CyberPoet's Katana Maintence and Upgrade Parts Offerings
The Best Metal Steel Aluminum Motorcycle Tire Valves in the World, plus lots of motorcycle & Katana (GSX600F / GSX750F) specific help files.

[SOS]

I do smell fuel in it. On a one to ten it would be a four light five.

[hardlydangerous]

I have seen issues with low or no oil pressure when using aftermarket filters.
In one case I had a bike in where the Emgo Filter exploded....
use OEM or quality filter such as hi-flo-filtro (oem specs) or Perf-Form
There are others but stay away from automotive filters and cheaper brands like Fram and Emgo

you can never go wrong with OEM