Low Oil light? How low before it comes on?

[Ramseybella]

Reason i use Shell Rotalla 5-40 when it's cold it pumps through quick and lubricates the friction components faster then thickens as it get hot.
I have seen so many folks say this oil is to thin at 5 weight, never mention the 40 weight at the top end when your riding at highway speeds.
The viscosity changes with the temperature but at start up it's made it's way through the channels quicker and slicker than Owl Shi*..

 

[offcamber]

Thanks all...on the ride home it came on after I went less then a mile and was off 1/4 mile later....when I got home while the engine was still warm I brought the level up between the marks.....took about a 1/4 of a quart to do that (aka a Pint), ran it again....added a little more....so it was down less than 1/2 quart.

I'll be more vigilant about checking....lesson learned. I should know better I check my KLR every fill up. They tend to burn a bit. I guess got lulled into complacency on the S10 because it burns very little.

 

[Andrew]

1/4 of a quart is a cup, and half a quart is a pint...glad all's well!

 

[Dirt_Dad]

I've never seen the light stay on for more than a few miles. Coincidentally it usually only comes on when the bike has only gone less than .5 miles, and most often after a left hand turn for some reason. Two miles later it's off. Once it goes off, it stays off the rest of the day. Stop of lunch, it doesn't come on. Next morning same routine. Happened this summer to us on a trip. I had no concern, and it took about two days before I remembered to get oil. Took less than .5 qt of oil to bring it back up to correct level.

Bottom line, after over 56K Tenere miles spread across 2 bikes, seeing the oil light is a good reminder that I've been a bit lazy about checking the level. Sometime in the next few days or few hundred miles I should get around to topping it off. Nothing to worry about. I'd probably feel differently if the light stayed on...but it never has.

 

[coastie]

Mine regularly lights up, if I don't let it warm up. I have also changed it with no oil in sight glass and the oil light on, and there was still A LOT of oil that came out. The tenere is very sensative to the slightest loss of oil.

 

[offcamber]

1/4 of a quart is a cup, and half a quart is a pint...glad all's well!

You are correct meant to say 1/2 pint....my bad...LOL

Doesn't matter anyway we'll be on the metric system by 1980....

 

[JohnnieJimDominic]

What everyone else said, but I'd like to chime in with my two cents... ;D

I recently did my second service on the old girl, and the oil light popped a day later...

I think the Yam is quite sensitive to oil levels, which is not a bad thing. I was interested to learn what barkinglizard said about it being an old tech lifted from the Virago...

2. the oil sensor in the Super Tenere is not state of the art AND is prone to, shall we say 'sticking'... thus causing a little red light to illuminate,
it is an old design from back in the Virago days, covering several models and years...
it is about $120 CDN for the part and 1/4 hour time for a technician to install/replace...
usually the part needs to be ordered, back ordered, from the dealership...

Anyway, I no longer panic when I see the light come on - rather I consider the following:

1. Did I start it from cold (I live in Ireland, so average temp might be in the range 13 - 16 degrees)?
2. How long was I riding for? Was it just a few minutes, and then the light came on?

In my experience "yes" is the answer to both of those.
So... I continue to ride the bike, but not for longer than approx 30-40 mins or approx 20 km, and I don't accelerate hard during that time, just in case....

Then I stop. Get a cup of tea and wait approx 10 mins and check the inspection window.
Because its a dry sump, when left over night, etc, the oil level will have completely dropped back into the pan (which is correct) and so it will look like there's no oil, which can cause alarm to a newbie (like me approx a year ago! ???)

Anyway, the oil level should be mid point between the markers in the inspection window. If it's not, I'll give it top up... a little bit at a time with the oil I used during the last service, so its the same grade, etc...

 

[greg the pole]

not sure if this relates, but on my bike, the oil light illuminates at around 4500km from the last oil change.
Once the temp is past 165 deg. F the light goes off, and doesn't come back on.
It will do it again, on a cold motor. Same as described above.

I fill the bike with the recommended amount, check it once, and forget it till the next oil change.
Bikes burn/leak very small amounts of oil over the course of 5000km..
For me it serves as a reminder to change the oil soon

 

[Sckill]

I've noticed this same behavior on my bike when cold and it being a long time since the last oil change. The last time it happened, I just topped off the oil.

All bikes do burn a bit of oil between oil changes. So my question is, how much oil burn is considered OK for this bike?

 

[JohnnieJimDominic]

I've noticed this same behavior on my bike when cold and it being a long time since the last oil change. The last time it happened, I just topped off the oil.

All bikes do burn a bit of oil between oil changes. So my question is, how much oil burn is considered OK for this bike?

Don't know, I say a lot of variables come into play (like usage, weather, riding style, etc) so long as you you check the bike over regularly, and in the case of oil keep it between the upper and lower marks on the inspection window. Also, I would say its time for this guy
::021::

I try to use the "P.O.W.D.E.R" tip - part of which you can do when walking up to the bike and visually tick off...
P = Petrol: have I enough for the trip planned, have I noticed any decrease in mileage from fill to fill?? I seem to get around 300+ km a tank fill from mostly city driving.
O = oil levels: Brakes (front & rear), engine oil - check after running the bike for a short time (20 mins)
W = water (or coolant), check the levels
D = Damage, anything broke, bent, look out of place that could be a issue when riding...
E = electrics working: lights, indicators, horn, etc...
R = Rubber, spin the tyre over, checking thread depth, correct PSI, and damage (glass, road debris) stuck in the tyre

 

[toompine]

not sure if this relates, but on my bike, the oil light illuminates at around 4500km from the last oil change.
Once the temp is past 165 deg. F the light goes off, and doesn't come back on.
It will do it again, on a cold motor. Same as described above.

I fill the bike with the recommended amount, check it once, and forget it till the next oil change.
Bikes burn/leak very small amounts of oil over the course of 5000km..
For me it serves as a reminder to change the oil soon

Same with mine. Near the end of an oil change cycle, light comes on when cold and goes off when warmed up. I have have added oil before only to find it overfilled. Now I just leave it

 

[JohnnieJimDominic]

I really must not have nothing better to do today then read this forum, and in particular, this thread.... September blues I guess, don't feel like working to hard today 8)

Anyhoo, my final post on this topic ;D I found this post under a different thread, but I think its another helpful tip with regards to checking the oil level...

The question posed before this response, was: "...what is this clear plastic thing at the bottom left side of the air filter box..."?

~

As for oil level... In my experience it is always better to run the engine somewhere between the two level marks. I try to keep mine dead-in-the-middle, and no more than 3/4's between the marks, when checked as per manufacturer's guidelines. Filling the oil to the very, very top level only results in increased crankcase pressures, even on a in-the-cases dry-sump engine like this one. There is only so much free volume inside those cases, and only so much venting capability as those two big pistons go up and down. Many times over the years I have found odd drivability issues could be solved by just lowering an engine's oil level slightly... Low-speed surging, floating idle, reluctance to pull hard to redline, airboxes filled with oiled resulting in oiled paper air filters, etc., etc. are often caused by someone thinking "if this much oil at the full mark is good then just a little more has to be better." Trust me, too much is just that - too much - and it will result in nothing good. These street production engines are designed to be very tough and resilient so they can stand these excess crankcase pressures, and oddly enough, by design, they can withstand even running very, very low on oil and happily survive. If you are having any idle issues, low-speed surging, etc. try lowering your oil level a little bit and see if it helps. The by-product is you won't get as much oil in the airbox, too.

Just my two centavos... YMMV.

Hope it helps!

Dallara



~

 

[HeliMark]

On the oil burn, she seems to burn little if any at "normal" speeds. Run her at sustained speeds north of 80 and you will have a noticeable burn, requiring adding after several thousand miles.

Mark

 

[EricV]

On the oil burn, she seems to burn little if any at "normal" speeds. Run her at sustained speeds north of 80 and you will have a noticeable burn, requiring adding after several thousand miles. At high rpms the S10 does seem to 'over scavenge', resulting in some oil loss.

Mark

Or only a thousand miles or so...

Dry Sump, Dry Sump, Dry Sump! The engine only has about a quart in it, at any given time. You could probably be as low as 1.5 quarts total and it would still be fine, though it would cycle that lower amount of oil more often. As correctly said before, the oil level light is pretty low tech and sticks sometimes. Especially when the oil is getting dirty near oil change time, or cold, or the moon is full or.... Remember, your oil change interval is critical... : That's why Yamaha says 4k in the US and 6200 (10,000 kilometers), in the rest of the world.

And for you sight glass guys, remember there is a specific procedure for how/when to check the sight glass, and not following that will give you off readings, high and low.

Unlike that other guy, I do not believe more oil in the oil reservoir is a big deal. More oil in the engine would be, but the engine's oil amount is regulated by the oil pump, not by how much you pour in the oil reservoir. I don't knowingly over fill it, but saying too much is dangerous is BS. Any HD owner will tell you that too much oil in the oil bag pretty much means nothing, (another dry sump motor). The engine is only going to pump so much thru itself and back to the reservoir, (i.e. the sump).

 

[offcamber]

Or only a thousand miles or so...

Dry Sump, Dry Sump, Dry Sump! The engine only has about a quart in it, and any given time. You could probably be as low as 1.5 quarts total and it would still be fine, though it would cycle that lower amount of oil more often. As correctly said before, the oil level light is pretty low tech and sticks sometimes. Especially when the oil is getting dirty near oil change time, or cold, or the moon is full or.... Remember, your oil change interval is critical... : That's why Yamaha says 4k in the US and 6200 (10,000 kilometers), in the rest of the world.

And for you sight glass guys, remember there is a specific procedure for how/when to check the sight glass, and not following that will give you off readings, high and low.

Unlike that other guy, I do not believe more oil in the oil reservoir is a big deal. More oil in the engine would be, but the engine's oil amount is regulated by the oil pump, not by how much you pour in the oil reservoir. I don't knowingly over fill it, but saying too much is dangerous is BS. Any HD owner will tell you that too much oil in the oil bag pretty much means nothing, (another dry sump motor). The engine is only going to pump so much thru itself and back to the reservoir, (i.e. the sump).

This has always been my understanding of dry sump engines... When my light came on the other day I was concerned at first because my brain said oil pressure like in a car..thats bad if you lose oil pressure....but this is a LOW oil light. Like a low fuel light. Doesn't make any sense for yammy to put a low oil light on the bike if it comes on at the point damage is being done. Its warning to say dumbass check your oil level. I will also add Yammy clearly says in the manual that it may come on and off for several reasons.

 

[toompine]

The question posed before this response, was: "...what is this clear plastic thing at the bottom left side of the air filter box..."?
[/quote]

Airbox drain. Overfill your oil and it pumps a mist into the airbox and collects in the drain. That and any water than might find its way in there. No need to explain how I know, long story

 

[Koinz]

The question posed before this response, was: "...what is this clear plastic thing at the bottom left side of the air filter box..."?


Airbox drain. Overfill your oil and it pumps a mist into the airbox and collects in the drain. That and any water than might find its way in there. No need to explain how I know, long story

If you're hard on the throttle or lug the engine you'll get the same thing. The blow-by gases will find their way from the crank case into the air box. The beemers have a little screw plug that you drain from the air box - you only get like a teaspoon at the most.

 

[greg the pole]

Same with mine. Near the end of an oil change cycle, light comes on when cold and goes off when warmed up. I have have added oil before only to find it overfilled. Now I just leave it

yep. I know yamaha says 10km oil changes...but I ride like an old lady on the way to the hat museum, and only on sunny sundays, so I change it more often. ::015::

 

[Mtbjay]

Thanks all...on the ride home it came on after I went less then a mile and was off 1/4 mile later....when I got home while the engine was still warm I brought the level up between the marks.....took about a 1/4 of a quart to do that (aka a Pint), ran it again....added a little more....so it was down less than 1/2 quart.

I'll be more vigilant about checking....lesson learned. I should know better I check my KLR every fill up. They tend to burn a bit. I guess got lulled into complacency on the S10 because it burns very little.

Same here - on a recent trip between appx. 4,000 oil change intervals - I had the exact same occurrence. I changed the oil when I returned and found it about 1/2 to 3/4 qt low.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Re: oil light came on...

Guys, don't compare wet sump bikes to dry sump bikes. Do remember that Yamaha likes an oil level light, not an oil pressure light.

Now, say it with me: Dry sump, dry sump, dry sump!

Got oil in the bike, ya got oil in the motor. The oil is thick when cold and flows a little slower. In some cases this can cause the low level light for the sump to come on. This does not mean the bike is in danger of running dry, only that the oil is returning to the sump slightly slower than when warmed up.

If it's a little low or hi, it matters not on a dry sump engine. The forward plug drains the engine, which only holds a small amount of the total oil capacity. The rear plug drains the sump, which holds most of the oil. The low level light is on the sump. Even if it comes on, there is still oil in the sump and it will be pumped to the engine. The engine will not starve of oil if you have oil in the bike.

Yeah sure, the light shouldn't stay on. Probably too little oil there, but not so little that you're going to starve the engine. Probably means you're an anal retentive smurf that let it drain overnight. Stop that!!! You don't need to try and drain every drop of oil out of the engine. You're not supposed to try. Drain it until it is just dripping slowly and put the drain plug back in. Draining it all night means you need to add a touch more oil than the manual says, because you drained out more oil than they expected you to. No shop on the planet is going to drain the oil over night. Think about it.

The sight glass? Yep, it's to see if the goldfish are still alive. It's not the be all, end all of oil level gauges. It's just a hole in the engine with a little glass port there. Depending on the temp of the engine and how long you let it run, and set after you shut it down, it will be high, low or just right. If this was a wet sump engine, it would be more useful. IT'S NOT.

I had an oil light flicker the other day and I'm not concerned about there being a problem, however, after reading this post I do have a question.

From your explanation of a dry sump system, I've drawn the conclusion that a dry sump is less susceptible to problems with overfilling the oil. I came to this conclusion because of my understanding that the principle problem of an overfilled crankcase is oil frothing from the crank stirring-up the too high oil. With a dry sump the excess oil is going to be in the sump and not where it can become frothed, I believe. Of course, the amount of overfill has its limits. Is my reasoning correct?

Also, it seems that bikes with a wet sump and a crankcase breather can cause oil to go into the airbox if the oil is overfilled. Will this happen with the dry sump on a S10?