Oil pressure light flickering

[Robbo lone rider]

I have had this problem on my 1150 gs since June and it is getting anoying. When the bike is hot about when it reaches 6 or 7 bars on the temp gauge at tickover the light is flickering on.

The pressure switch was replaced in June and pressure checked no problem. When I got to Stuttgart in July it was flickering again, the BMW shop there checked the pressure for me and the mechanic told me the lowest pressure he got was 1.1 bar and the switch should not opperate till between 0.2 to 0.5bar.

The bike has just been serviced and another switch fitted the oil has now been changed to 20/50. Got back home yesterday and let the bike run for a while and the light started to flicker on again at tickover. The pressure was checked again.

I would like to get this problem solved just in case the pressure does drop in the future.

Robbo

 

[iletts]

are you sure it's the switch? could it be the wire insulation chafed/breaking down and intermittently earthing? no obstruction of the oil supply port to the switch?

 

[cookie]

just an observation, but 6 or 7 bars seems quite hot to me


does it get that sort of reading often?

 

[Colban]

just an observation, but 6 or 7 bars seems quite hot to me


does it get that sort of reading often?

+1

Check that the oil cooler isn't blocked with debris.

 

[Robbo lone rider]

I am thinking it could be a brake in the wire which is shorting when hot.

The oil temp has got to 6 or 7 bars when stuck in traffic or slow ridding due to road works or accident.

I am phoning B V M Stroud tommorrow as John said he would contact B M W to see if they have any ideas. Posted this thread to see if anyone had any ideas will post what the problem is if solved.

Robbo

 

[cookie]

my 1150 used to hit 7 bars when i first had it, the thermostat was faulty never allowing oil to the rad. once fixed, it never got that high again, even abroad.

wondering if you have something similar. does the rad get hot when bike is fully up to temp?

bit of a long shot, i've never heard of it happening to anyone else, but you never know.

 

[Robbo lone rider]

When I stopped at the dealer in Stuttgart I am sure he checked the radiator

 

[Taff]

Check that the oil cooler isn't blocked with debris.

I used to clean my oil cooler with an old toothbrush, but as you can imagine more often than not I was pushing dead flies and general shite further into the grill. Next time you're at a garage, use their air hose to blow from the back of the grill to the front. You wouldn't believe the crap that came out of mine.

 

[The pater]

The oil temp has got to 6 or 7 bars when stuck in traffic or slow ridding due to road works or accident.

In Paris, stucked in trafic jam, with my one week old 1200 GS, while onboard temp indicator showed 32°C ambiant.

There was just one bar left before maxi.

I stoped engine. Oil cooler was hot, so no problem on that side.

It's an air cooled engine anyway.

 

[lozinge]

my 1150 used to hit 7 bars when i first had it, the thermostat was faulty never allowing oil to the rad. once fixed, it never got that high again, even abroad.

wondering if you have something similar. does the rad get hot when bike is fully up to temp?

bit of a long shot, i've never heard of it happening to anyone else, but you never know.

I have a 2001 1150gs and it does the same thing at about 6 bars. only recentally started doing it in the last fortnight. It went to 6 bars and after a while the light started to flicker and eventually stayed on permentally to about 1500 rpm. The rad was red hot. Once it cooled it was ok. I changed the oil and filter and put a additive in the oil, but went to the may day run at hastings and it did the same thing. If anyone has any ideas please help.

 

[Steptoe]

The rad was red hot.

Thats why it's called an "oil cooler".

If it's hot that means it's doing it's job.

 

[davegs]

OIl

I only went on the Mayday Hastings run once as most of the trip was spent in a solid traffic jam and as the waeather was hot sitting around with the engine running it will overheat. Check that both of the pipes going to the oil cooler are hot if the stat has stuck closed oil will not be flowing through it.
Might be a wiring problem but this usually happens all the time not when hot. It happend to me (wiring fault) check where it runs along the crankcase
it has a couple of clips holding the wire in place mine had shorted to earth
(crankcase) and caused prob. Take the wire off the switch see if it still
happens, If it does it's a wiring fault.
dave gs.

 

[lozinge]

I only went on the Mayday Hastings run once as most of the trip was spent in a solid traffic jam and as the waeather was hot sitting around with the engine running it will overheat. Check that both of the pipes going to the oil cooler are hot if the stat has stuck closed oil will not be flowing through it.
Might be a wiring problem but this usually happens all the time not when hot. It happend to me (wiring fault) check where it runs along the crankcase
it has a couple of clips holding the wire in place mine had shorted to earth
(crankcase) and caused prob. Take the wire off the switch see if it still
happens, If it does it's a wiring fault.
dave gs.

will give it a go cheers.

 

[techno]

Mine has done this flickering oil light too and way up on the bars, twice. Once when stuck in traffic in Paris - fairly hot and once in Wales last week - not hot. At the same time the rear brake sounds like it has a load of stones in - grinding..

When I get moving (at speed) it seems to cool fairly quickly, but that is maybe air over the cylinders as well as the oil cooler. Is the rear brake thing a common this with hot engine?

I am thinking that when the engine is that hot the oil is not 'in grade' and engine damage will/may occur as the oil is then shagged?

Read on here (or adv site) some mod with fans on the cooler, or fitting an 1150RT/P fan. Never seen one of these or the mod so has anyone done it or know where I can get one?

Cheers