Oil light comes on

Sometimes on very hot/humid days when that beastly GRiSO has been running for a while, I come to a stop with the engine idling and the oil light comes on.  I'll have to be idling for one or two minutes before it happens, and it only happens when the engine and air temperature are both hot.  Once I start moving again, the light goes off right away.  I've just interpreted it as a warning that the engine is getting too hot and that I either need to shut it off or get the air flowing again.  Oil level has always been fine.  Does this happen to anyone else, and, should I be concerned?  In the three years / 9000 km I've owned it, this has only happened twice.

It gets hot in Canada?
That light is supposed to be an indicator of a pressure problem. Check the o-ring on your oil cap/dipstick. It may not be getting a good seal. If that's not the problem, get thee to a qualified Guzzi surgeon for diagnosis ASAP.

Its a pressure indicator, the seal on the dip stick has nothing to do with oil pressure. Nor does oil quantity in any real way as long as it has some in.

What oil has it got in it? There is a good reason why the factory suggests a 10/60. There again it may just be a dodgy switch.

Pete

I always bring my bike in to a Guzzi dealer to get servicing done; I know for sure the most recent oil change used 10W60, and I would hope they were using 10W60 the previous times. Well this is concerning...

As always, thanks for the input!

The thing is that oil viscosity ratings do have a meaning. It isn't just their 'Thickness' but it is also the protection that can be offered by their ability to perform their tasks BUT in a very hot environment the fact that an oil will behave like a lubricant with a 60 base weight at high temperature will mean that it won't escape as quickly from bearings and, more importantly it will remove more heat while doing so.

As I've said before though the REALLY important thing is the ability of the oil to resist very high temperatures. This is the paradox with the Guzzi 8V. Although the engine and oil are generally over-cooled there are places in the engine where the oil is flash-heated to extreme temperatures, albeit briefly. An inferior oil won't cope with this but its one of the ongoing problems.

Guzzis used to be so massively over-engineered and under stressed you could run any oil, and fuel and abuse the bejesus out of them and they'd just carry on. Because the *New* motor looks essentially like the old motor people, even people who should know better, think that the same 'Rules' apply to the 8V as they did to an Eldo. They don't! An 8v produces more than twice the maximum power of an Eldo! Oddly enough its slightly more demanding in terms of what it requires in terms of care and maintenance.

Do the right thing and an 8V will be every bit as reliable as an Eldo. Don't do the right thing? It will punish you! No, they are not without fault but simply put if you just DO THE RIGHT THING by them the machine WILL do the right thing by you.

YOMV.....

Pete

echo80 wrote:

I always bring my bike in to a Guzzi dealer to get servicing done; I know for sure the most recent oil change used 10W60, and I would hope they were using 10W60 the previous times.  Well this is concerning...

As always, thanks for the input!

Pete's comments make good sense as usual.  My local shop did not normally use the 10W 60 (and I knew this
for a fact) so on my first service on my '13 black/silver GRiSO, I walked the proper oil in that I wanted them to use.

I have not seen the situation with the flickering oil light as you describe, but I will keep an eye out for it.
I still find it unusual that the oil light does not "stay on" if you shut the bike down with the kill switch.
Every other bike I've owned, at least 20+ over the years many different marques has kept the red oil
light on; GRiSO is the first I've seen that does away with the 'stay on' oil light, if you shut down with the kill sw.

I know that shop put 20W 50 in my Cal Vin, but in the GRiSO -- no way will I let that happen.

I used to get the oil light issue on my 1100, but I've never had it happen on the 1200. On the 1100 it was a dodgy switch/pressure sender. Often times all it took was simply turning off the ignition and then restarting the bike and the warning light would disappear. I would first look to replacing the sender and hoping that you get a good one this time in the quality lottery.

Just as Steak has stated on my 1100 I have the questionable sending unit and I want to thank Steak for pointing me toward the "turn off - let set for a couple of seconds and turn on" temporary fix.

One of the things that I noticed with my 1100 is that when the sending unit decides not to work and I turn on the GRiSO the light will come up and stay red --before I start the GRiSO-- right along with my neutral light (if in neutral) and sidestand light (if sidestand is down).

Who would have thought?  no oil pressure when engine is not running!

I've purchased another switch, now I just have to suck-it-up and remove the gas tank.

It's not testing for oil pressure before you start - it's testing to see if the oil pressure switch is working correctly. If not, it throws up the red light/warning.

if it's an early 1100 it can be the pump too. Can be costly if ignored

I haven't heard of any GRiSO's with the duff trochoidal pump. Early models still used the spur gear pump, it was the later ones that used the trochoidal one. It's usually Norges that have pumps that shit the bed and when it happens you get the oil can warning on the dash, not just an oil light and the warning triangle illuminates.

Pete

Pete Roper wrote:

I haven't heard of any GRiSO's with the duff trochoidal pump. Early models still used the spur gear pump, it was the later ones that used the trochoidal one. It's usually Norges that have pumps that shit the bed and when it happens you get the oil can warning on the dash, not just an oil light and the warning triangle illuminates.

Pete

Along with all sorts of interesting sounds and smells. BTDT. Sigh.

Bill

pauldaytona wrote:

if it's an early 1100 it can be the pump too.  Can be costly if ignored

I have one coming. I have to get my gas tank up so I can verify which type of sensor goes with it.
Fiddly business that gas tank.

DM

DugeonMaster,

Those wiser than me have suggested putting in a BMW quick-disconnect at a reachable location so as not to have the aggravation of the plastic one on the tank.

I picked up my sensor from AF1 Racing at about $25 or so.

I just dread that plastic fuel quick-connect.

That's just great.
Another reason to buy more shit from AF1.
I'm making my cardboard sign now "Forget booze, buying AF1 parts"

Thanks for the tip

Guest wrote:

Sometimes on very hot/humid days when that beastly GRiSO has been running for a while, I come to a stop with the engine idling and the oil light comes on.  I'll have to be idling for one or two minutes before it happens, and it only happens when the engine and air temperature are both hot.  Once I start moving again, the light goes off right away.  I've just interpreted it as a warning that the engine is getting too hot and that I either need to shut it off or get the air flowing again.  Oil level has always been fine.  Does this happen to anyone else, and, should I be concerned?  In the three years / 9000 km I've owned it, this has only happened twice.

I have a 2015 Stelvio, my second, and have had Guzzis since 2002, and I now have a problem with the oil light.  It goes on at low idle, in traffic and such, and goes off when I throttle.  Dealer checked and there is no leak, changed the senor and checked for bad wiring, but it still happens.  They now want to look at the oil pump.
Anyone else have this issue?
It would help a great deal.  Thank you

Before they tear into the timing chest get them to drop the sump and check/replace the gaskets. Even though the 2015's use a different sump arrangement to the earlier models there is still the possibility of gaskets around the delivery ports being pushed out which is an occasional problem with the earlier models.

Do a search for similar problems here and you'll find it refferenced.

Pete

Thank you
I'll mention this to the mechanic

Wot Pete says. It's around $20 for a gasket set and takes around 40 minutes to change them both. How do I know? Been there done that. Now all is golden.

Bit different on the later bikes Tony as they use the 1400 sump, no spacer and the oil filter and OPRV etc. all hang off a separate internal casting bolted to the case. The major oil galleries are still the same though. There are at least two gaskets with the new sump though. Only one that's going to blow out internally but both would need to be replaced if the sump is dropped.

Pete

I sit corrected Pete, sorry for talking before thinking. Still not an expensive exercise for peace of mind...

S'not a problem Tony but when you're trying to illuminate something for someone on the other side of the whirld or more importantly their mechanic who may be skeptical it's important to dot the i's and cross the t's.

Pete