When does the oil pressure indicator lights up?

[ThePlayer]

Hallo ppl
Iam new to this forum and i would like to ask your opinion on this, i own an R1200GS and recently i had a serious problem with the right cylinder. there was damage done to the valves and valve springs on my right cylinder, due to low level engine oil as the BMW dealership here in my country of CYPRUS claims. i told them the oil in my engine was approx. 2.5 liters (according to their mechanic but the service advisor insists that it was low). even if the oil as they claim is low, i asked them why the oil pressure light didnt appear on my display, at least to get a warning. the told me that if the oil pump is working then the oil light will not appear.
did it happen to any of you? did the oil pressure light appear? how much oil will be in the engine untill the light shows on the display?
thanx a lot

 

[VAL. H.]

Hallo ppl
Iam new to this forum and i would like to ask your opinion on this, i own an R1200GS and recently i had a serious problem with the right cylinder. there was damage done to the valves and valve springs on my right cylinder, due to low level engine oil as the BMW dealership here in my country of CYPRUS claims. i told them the oil in my engine was approx. 2.5 liters (according to their mechanic but the service advisor insists that it was low). even if the oil as they claim is low, i asked them why the oil pressure light didnt appear on my display, at least to get a warning. the told me that if the oil pump is working then the oil light will not appear.
did it happen to any of you? did the oil pressure light appear? how much oil will be in the engine untill the light shows on the display?
thanx a lot

Hi, Welcome to the site.

I'm not sure of the minimum oil quantity but I'm tole the 1200 takes somthing like 3.6ltr's full (though I'm sure if I'm not correct someone will be along shortly to amend the figure) but it's close.

Try posting this question in the tecnical forum. Steptoe workes mostly with 1100 & 1150's but I'm sure the oil quantities are very simular to that of the 1200.

Good luck. Val.

 

[Fanum]

Welcome

I think they're right...the oil light is about pressure, not volume.........it's possible to run very low on oil (dangerously so) without the ligt coming on.......that's why they give you a oil level checking window as well

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

I think yamaha have - or did have - an oil level warning light. ( like the old 2 stroke tank )

Far more useful for most riders.

If the oil light comes on while you're riding other bikes - its too late !

 

[Fanum]

If the oil light comes on while you're riding other bikes - its too late !

Naaa......mine's come on lots of times in town on really hot days with all the stop start riding..........first bit of clear road, open it up and ten seconds later it goes out....it's just the oil thinning up too much.

I run thicker stuff in Morocco now

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

mine's come on lots of times in town on really hot days with all the stop start riding.

really ? you need to change your oil for thicker stuff....try reading some of the threads about it


seriously though - 10 seconds without oil pressure would worry me

 

[Fanum]

seriously though - 10 seconds without oil pressure would worry me

Common worry........there have been loads of threads asking about it over the years......


It's not a lack of oil, it's just the pressure like i said.....the oil is still being pumped around but the lack of viscosity triggers whatever sensor it is.

I've had mine on for half an hour or more......

By 'on' BTW, it starts flickering gently at idle, then maybe gets a little stronger at idle until it could be said to be 'on'....with a few revs, it goes out.......boy does it rattle like a rattly thing though!!!

I use good old 20/50 for topping up now in the peak of summer here or in Morocco

 

[(RIP) Bin Ridin]

Bit of a difference between oil pressure low light showing at idle and while riding along....
Idle - harmless
Riding along - unless you stop immediately, Game Over !

 

[SUPERGS]

Oil level checking window is for Checking the oil .. not for sunlight in the engine compartment. It seems that someone didnt got that right.

 

[cookie]

have you ever changed the sender?

Common worry........there have been loads of threads asking about it over the years......


It's not a lack of oil, it's just the pressure like i said.....the oil is still being pumped around but the lack of viscosity triggers whatever sensor it is.

I've had mine on for half an hour or more......

By 'on' BTW, it starts flickering gently at idle, then maybe gets a little stronger at idle until it could be said to be 'on'....with a few revs, it goes out.......boy does it rattle like a rattly thing though!!!

I use good old 20/50 for topping up now in the peak of summer here or in Morocco

 

[WindyChuffer]

Look - you really don't have much of a chance of compensation here.

VAL.H pointed out that the oil capacity is 3.6 litres, and to top the bike up from min to max takes 0.5 litre. You say that the mechanic drained 2.5 litres from the engine, so on the basis that VAL.H's figure is correct, you were 0.6 litres BELOW the minimum. That is quite some difference !

The oil sight window is there for good reason and checking your oil regulalry is a prerequisite for all combustion engines. If you don't check it, you have to take the consequences....

Doesn't sound cheap to fix. Ouch.

 

[ThePlayer]

ok let me explain a bit more on what really happen
the bike is being used every day. on 30 of april was the last day i used it at 10 at night, with no problems or whatsoever. the bike on 6 may 2007 became 2 years old. next morning on the 1 may (while the bike was sitting for more than 12 hours overnight and the engine was obviously cold)) I tried to start the bike but it didn’t start. When I pressed the start button I heard a very loud and strange noise coming all over the bike and especially from the muffler. It honestly sounded like a small explosion. I was very terrified because I’ve never experienced anything like this before in my life. I tried to start it again but with no success. Once I pressed the start button there was a strange noise coming from the right cylinder. It sounded like the engine was malfunctioning. Immediately I called the mechanic and told him what happened. He told me to check several things all over the bike and everything seemed normal. We couldn’t find a solution through the phone and because that day was a public day in Cyprus (Labour Day) the next morning I called road assistance and took the bike to the BMW dealership in Nicosia.
A couple of days later the people from the dealership told me something very amazing to me: “the right cylinder has been overheated”…!! Wowwwwww

I asked why this happened and they told another SUPER AMAZING answer: “you might have left the engine running for a long time at the side stand and that’s why it happened”…
I asked how much oil was present in the engine and the mechanic told me that he measured approximately 2.5 LITRES…
It seems that one of the valves was stuck open in the cylinder head and hit the piston, and the piston hit back the valve. this is the damage of the bike, which seems very big since everything in the right cylinder has to be changed, except the piston and the rod.
several days later the service advisor came up with his final verdict, the damage was done due to low oil level...
Thats why i asked in this forum if the oil pressure warning indicator lights up if the oil level is low.
Does anyone think this damage was done due to low oil level (although the mechanik said it was approx 2.5 litres) or do we have any other suspicions on what really caused the damage???

 

[birdseye]

they're talking b**cks. If there is insufficient oil, then the pump will suffer from starvation and the oil pressure light will light up. if the light doesnt come on, then the pum which circulates oil to all areas of the engine is working OK and what need oil is getting it. even the bits that are splash lubricated will be OK because the feed to these areas is primarily by pressure from the sump.