Sometimes my oil like will blink on when the bike is at idle.  I can rev the engine a bit and it shuts off.  I check the oil level like it was my only job and there is the proper amount of oil in the case always, always, always.  

Oh, yeah.  My engine smokes pretty good too.  

My questions is, why would the oil light come on if there is the proper amount of oil in the case?  Is there something sinister at work here?

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Cause for concern?

It is an oil pressure light. At low rpms, the oil pump may not be spinning fast enough. The oil pump pick-up filter may be partially clogged or the channel to the oil pressure sensor is clogged as well.

What is your idle rpm set at?

Since you said that your bike smokes, you have worn rings.

Well, I don't have any suggestions either.  

I think my engine needs a young priest and an old priest, some holy water, garlic, a bottle of Ex-Lax, some Miller High Life, a cherry flavored Tums and some club soda.   Then I need to lay the bike on its side, cover it in dirt, and walk away.

It idles at about 1500 RPM.    


A mechanic told me that my rings "couldn't be the reason" why the bike was smoking.  I think he is wrong.  What do you guys think it will cost to have new rings put in?  

Thanks for the advice.  I will check out the my Clymers and see if I can clean that oil pick up myself.

I would stay far away from a mechanic that told me that ring couldn't be the reason for a bike to be smoking....better tell him to put down the crack pipe.

If it only smoked on start up then I would say it was the valves seals. They could be in need of replacing as well.

To access the oil pump screen, just remove the oil pan.

Funny you should mention that.  

The same mechanic also told me it couldn't be the valve seals either.  
He actually has a pretty good reputation as a mechanic.  Anyway, I think you are right.  Either that or the mechanic was just grumpy that day and didn't want to help me.  As result, I didn't get a quote from him on the cost of such a repair.

LOL....the only thing left that retains oil out of the cylinder are the washers (there are 4 of them) on the outside studs where the oil goes to the head.

A good idea is to check the compression of each cylinder. You can buy a tester for $50 from Sears, theirs has the 12mm adapter.

Rings are easy to replace. The are about $25 a set per piston. A hone job should be around $30.

Sounds good.  I guess the hard part will be to get the mechanic to allow me to pay him to do work that is totally unnecessary.  

I am sure that the smoking is caused by the valve seals.  There is a brief moment when I start the bike that everything is right with the world.  Gentle rumble of the engine as it springs to life.  Helmet, gloves strapped on.  Thumb on the choke lever, watching the tach as I turn the throttle for the first time.  The air around me seems clear.  And everyone is happy.

After about 2 seconds of this blissful moment, the oil gets pumped to the top of the engine.  I look with anticipation over my right shoulder.  There it is. . . that familar white cloud.  Are the neighbors in the yard?  Are their windows open?  Will they call the Haz Mat team to my house?

So, I wonder if I could replace those washer you speak of myself?  Hmmmm. . . .    Four of 'em, you say. . . I've got some kick ass tools!   Is this something that a man of an average IQ, a roommate with some time to kill, and some box wrenches could accomplish in his own driveway?

The valve seals are different than the 4 washers (actually o-rings). Both have to have the head removed. To replace the valve seals the valve springs must be removed. The 4 washers that go between the head and cylinder and really don't go bad on their, unlike valve seals that are under constant wear.

a White cloud coming from the exhaust is just water vapor. Within a minute after you start the engine, the exhaust becomes hot enough to boil off the water that condensed inside it. You see a vapour cloud. When the engine has warmed up, the cloud should dissappear. If the cloud is still there after 20 mins. of riding at a constant speed (preferrably someting above 35 ) something funny is going on.

The oil light coming on is not a good thing. Let your mechanic check the oil pressure. If the pressure is too low, it could be the filter screen that is clogged, or the oil pump doesn't function well enough anymore.

Byt the way, your mechanic is a bit silly if he says the bike can't be using oil through the rings or valve seals. Apart from a headgasket failure those are the only places oil can leak from and burn.  Maybe a good idea to find a new mechanic?  :dunno:

I'll check it.  It has been super cold here (but now it is 60, go figure) and I've only been riding a couple miles a day.  It is a project bike I'm fixing up (probably hasn't run in years).  I'll ride it a couple miles.  Something will break.  I'll fix it.  Ride it.  Break something else.  So on. I am learning why it is called motor"cycle".  

Is cleaning the oil-pick up screen a difficult task?  

I just called "my" mechanic.  I asked him for a quote on rings/valve seals.  His response "I don't work on anything in the 80's."  My bike is an '89.  My bad.   :dunno:

Quote from: Jake DI'll check it.  It has been super cold here (but now it is 60, go figure) and I've only been riding a couple miles a day.  It is a project bike I'm fixing up (probably hasn't run in years).  I'll ride it a couple miles.  Something will break.  I'll fix it.  Ride it.  Break something else.  So on. I am learning why it is called motor"cycle".  

Is cleaning the oil-pick up screen a difficult task?  

I just called "my" mechanic.  I asked him for a quote on rings/valve seals.  His response "I don't work on anything in the 80's."  My bike is an '89.  My bad.   :dunno:

Ok, but failures due to bad lubrication can end up being so expensive to repair that it's not worth the cost anymore. Shredded bearings are affordable to fix, but damaged crankshaft, connecting rods and camshafts are way too expensive.

To see what happens with a lubrication failure, see the pics in this thread (german Gs500 Forum)

http://www.gs-500.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2064&highlight=pleuel
(worthwile to scroll down for this one, shows overheated connecting rod)

http://www.gs-500.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2980&highlight=pleuel
Again, overheated connecting rod, damaged crankshaft. You can see that some parts have turned another color because of the heat.


That's why I think that you should check the oil pressure. Lubrication failure can totally destroy your engine.


Cleaning the oil screen is pretty easy. You can remove it from the pump and wash it out. To get to the screen, just remove the oil pan.

Id go down and tell your so called mechanic to shove it up his a$$.  He must think he is too good for your money.  He obviously doesnt know crap anyhow if the valves or rings are not the cause of the oil leak into the cylinders, 99.9 percent of the time it is either of those, what does he think you have a hole in your piston.  

Yep.  That mechanic is an a$$.

They guy works on my cousin's race bike sometimes (it is a 1500 cc Katana, 8 inch over swing arm, turbo bike with NOS, 8.23 at 174).  So he may know what he is doing.  

Updated 1/3/05: last night I was reading the new issue of Cycle World.  A guy wrote that owned a Kawasaki ZRX 1100.  He described the exact same problems I've had lately.  The writter at the magazine suggested that the smoke was likely caused by a dirty carb.  He suggested having the carbs cleaned and synchronized.  The likely cause, he wrote, was a clogged pilot jet.  

This was interesting, I thought, because the smoke from my bike doesn't really smell like burning oil.   I'll have the carbs cleaned and serviced, first, before I tear into the head/rings/valve seals.  

My first dumb question of the day:

What is synchronizing the carbs?  How is it done?  What is the effect, etc.?