Check Oil Warning Light On & Off?

[Detrich]

Something odd happened when I was leaving the bike meet tonight.... When shifting into 3rd or 4th gear at around 7000rpms, the check engine oil warning light came on intermittently a few times. And, then it went away. This only happened for the first 10 minutes or so, and after that the light never came back on... I even rode around for another 45 min too...

Ambient temperature was 52* F, and I had already rode the bike to the meet. It was parked outside and it was kinda chilly, but the engine wasn't totally cold, I don't think... Another weird observation is that I only rode for about 50 miles on my trip meter, and I burned up 1/2 a tank of gas? I've been riding a combo of streets & freeways, and I shift at around 6000 or 7000 rpm usually...

Am wondering if I simply need to add oil to the bike or if something else weirdo is going on... This is the first time this has happened...

Anyone else experience this before or know what the cause is?

 

[Detrich]

PS. I found this info in the manual... But, even if the manual says it's normal, why am I getting such crappy gas mileage?

Page 4-2: [Check Engine Oil Warning Light Behavior]
"TIP_
* Even if the oil level is sufficient, the warning light may flicker when riding on a slope or during sudden acceleration or deceleration, but this is not a malfunction."

Page 7-13: [How to check engine oil]

Page 9-1: [Engine oil type : regular, non-synthetic]
* Yamalube 4 10W-40 or 20W-50 -OR-
* SAE 10W-40 or 20W-50

 

[MikeN02]

Check your tires, with the temperature drop tires tend to drop in psi hence your crappy gas mileage.

 

[JSP]

I've never had the oil light flicker on and off no matter how steep or sudden stop/accel...

Check your oil level? Remember to check it while the bike is upright, and not on its side stand. Also do not thread the dip stick in, just take it out and put it in without threading it to check level. You prob already know this just makin sure...

 

[Uno979]

Also the notches on the fuel display on average = 25-35miles per notch. 50-70 miles = two notches depending on riding and rpms and like Mike said tire pressure can mean a little more. On that note.. TP.. If it's low to the point of lessening your gas mileage by a few miles, you'll see a major difference on handling.

 

[raven6]

Something odd happened when I was leaving the bike meet tonight.... When shifting into 3rd or 4th gear at around 7000rpms, the check engine oil warning light came on intermittently a few times. And, then it went away. This only happened for the first 10 minutes or so, and after that the light never came back on... I even rode around for another 45 min too...

Ambient temperature was 52* F, and I had already rode the bike to the meet. It was parked outside and it was kinda chilly, but the engine wasn't totally cold, I don't think... Another weird observation is that I only rode for about 50 miles on my trip meter, and I burned up 1/2 a tank of gas? I've been riding a combo of streets & freeways, and I shift at around 6000 or 7000 rpm usually...

Am wondering if I simply need to add oil to the bike or if something else weirdo is going on... This is the first time this has happened...

Anyone else experience this before or know what the cause is?

it's a sign for you to trade it in on an R6....

 

[dart1963]

*oil light

I had that happen to me once coming out of a turn... I immediately pulled over and checked the bike out.... no issues that I could see, but I then got it home and let it sit and checked the oil level... it wasn't on the "Max" line, but just below so I didn't worry, but still added a splash of oil to get it closer to the max line (just remember, too much oil is bad), never saw it again after that.

You def. want to make sure you haven't lost oil, but I guess with only about 3 quarts, the hard accel, lean angles, etc. can trigger the warning light.

 

[Detrich]

i did accelerate a bit hard when the warning light came on. (trying to keep up with my crazy friends... lol one of these days i'll be able to...) and, after i rode around for 45 minutes, i went to get gas, checked the LED with the key on "on" position, started it back up, and still- the warning light never came back on... so, i felt somewhat better about it.

i totally forgot about the tire pressure- i think it's been a month or so since i checked it. so, that's a good reminder. i'll go pick up some Yamalube after work today... (sounds like some sort of japanese sex lubricant- hahahaha. wonder why they dont' just call it Yamaha oil- ie like how mazda calls their oil, Mazda rotary oil.)

thanks for all the feedback everyone. helps a lot.

 

[Roaddawg]

i did accelerate a bit hard when the warning light came on. (trying to keep up with my crazy friends... lol one of these days i'll be able to...) and, after i rode around for 45 minutes, i went to get gas, checked the LED with the key on "on" position, started it back up, and still- the warning light never came back on... so, i felt somewhat better about it.

i totally forgot about the tire pressure- i think it's been a month or so since i checked it. so, that's a good reminder. i'll go pick up some Yamalube after work today... (sounds like some sort of japanese sex lubricant- hahahaha. wonder why they dont' just call it Yamaha oil- ie like how mazda calls their oil, Mazda rotary oil.)

thanks for all the feedback everyone. helps a lot.

A month or so!?!?:spank: You gotta check that more often. That's your lifeline to the road. I check it once a week...minimum.

 

[raven6]

A month or so!?!?:spank: You gotta check that more often. That's your lifeline to the road. I check it once a week...minimum.

+1.... once a week at least

 

[Detrich]

well, when i first got the bike i used to check the tire pressure every week... but, it never seem to change- at all... LOL so, that's why i only hard check it once a month and visual it each time b4 riding... but, i'll check it more now that i've noticed mpg changes

 

[MikeN02]

I check it once every 6 months, same with my oil.

 

[Detrich]

ok, did a few things...

checked my tire pressure, and it was still normal. cold around 32 front, 36 rear. i filled it up slightly so it was 34 front, 38 rear. not much difference.

checked my engine oil after starting it up & warming engine idling for 5-10 min, then waited 5-10 min for it to settle. put the bike upright, checked the dipstick, and the oil WAS indeed very low. it was still within the acceptable range, but just on the low level line. so, i added about 1/2 a quart of Yamalube 10W-40 and re-checked it again. and, then it was at the top line of the dipstick.

it's raining so i'll have to wait til next week to report on the difference. but, i think maybe the low engine oil might have contributed to the lousy mileage? :headscratch:?

 

[dart1963]

I find when I ride around town in 2nd, zooming in and out of traffic, my mileage goes way down.... just have to remember the bike has 6 gears sometimes... :rof:

just remember, one tank doesn't make a good gas mileage number, you should do the math over at least three...

if you want to get down and dirty on gas mileage, you need to keep track of maintenance (oil/tire pressures/chain), how you are riding (highway/city/joy ride), where you got gas, temps, etc. If you get a bad run of bad gas mileage, and all your maintenance is up-to-date, change gas stations!

 

[Detrich]

Thanks Dart!

 

[MikeN02]

Wait so you'r oil is high?

You don't want that, you want it between the lower and top mark, right in the middle.

 

[Detrich]

no no no... it was really low- ie barely making the low mark. so, i put in about 1/2 a quart and now it's around the high mark.

the manual says anywhere between the low & high mark is ok... i didn't know that yamaha engines burned oil until now, as i'm accustomed to adding about 1/2 quart to my mazda every 7 or 800 miles...

i don't think that i overfilled it. but, would i be able to know or tell that i did- ie what are the symptoms?

i don't think i could've overfilled very much if i did... i could just use a liquid drop dispenser to siphon some out i suppose... but, on the rx-8 if i accidentally over fill it, then i just 9000rpm the shit out of it a couple times to burn up some oil... which it DOES... lol ok, i'm itching for a canyon run again... between driving and riding my gasoline bill this month is way up...

 

[MikeN02]

i don't think that i overfilled it. but, would i be able to know or tell that i did- ie what are the symptoms?

Overfilling can cause blown seals and oil consumption..

The proper quantity IS in every manual..

The Best isn't cheap
Cheap isn't The Best

Bob

I can't say I agree with some, and do with others. In my professional opinion, too much oil is just as bad as too little. It'll hit the crank counterweights causing air bubbles to form in the oil and subsequent air back into the oil system and components - THIS IS BAD. Too low and it can cavitate the pump and even worse air. I think the best oil level is in the middle. Now to check it properly, you must run the bike until pressure builds after it's changed, to fill the filter and nooks and crannies. Then the dipstick is to be unscrewed, wiped and reinserted but NOT SCREWED IN with the bike perfectly level and upright. It's best to check it cold, atleast 10min after running it. This way the oil can drip from the head and crank back into the cases. You'll find that if you check it right away then again after 10min, it can rise as much as 1/2 litre in some vehicles (this info applies to cars as well).

Bikes are different than cars. My idiot friend who doesn't know a thing about motorcycles bought a used Harley since he's into cruisers. Put car oil into his bike and that thing went up in flames as he was riding it.

 

[JSP]

If it is in the thatch it is fine... dont worry about it being too much oil... I put it right to the full line (top of thatch)in any and all of my vehicles. You would have to be WAY over the thatch top to have any issues... I wont ever let it get below the middle of the thatch mark. So I am always between 1/2 and max. You are fine.

 

[Detrich]

Bikes are different than cars. My idiot friend who doesn't know a thing about motorcycles bought a used Harley since he's into cruisers. Put car oil into his bike and that thing went up in flames as he was riding it.

Dang that sux.