oil pressure light

[oldyam80sg]

Today i decided to try once again and find out why my headlights still are not working.I could not find the problem and also looked into why my oil pressure light stopped working as of last week.I took off the black rubber protection boot and the screw was loose and the connector came off.I put the connector back on and tightened the screw.The light flickered on and after i started the bike and shut it down it didn't come on again.I cut the old connector off and crimped on a new one.I tightened it again and still the same thing.I slightly bent the connector so that it touches the metal base of the unit and now it works like it is supposed to.I hope that was correct.

[egsols]

If you bent the connector to touch the base you are most likely grounding it out. Check the wiring to your tail light it is part of the oil light circuit.

[oldyam80sg]

It does not work unless it touches the unit itself.Is this right?I looked at the taillight and the tail light works as does the license plate lights.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Yam,

Take the sender unit OFF of the engine, and squirt some carb cleaner up in there. Most likely has gotten gummed up with old crud/oil etc.!! The switch mechanism just completes the continuity from the wire attached to it, THRU the sender to the outer case which finally grounds the wire turning ON the oil light! The switch is closed/contacted internally when the engine is not running, and so the connection is complete and the light lights up. With the engine running, oil pressure pushes against the mechanism in side the sender, separating the contact surfaces OPENING/disconnecting the circuit and the oil light goes out. The part inside the unit that is supposed to move may have gotten stuck, etc., hence the suggestion to clean it to see if you can get it moving, you can push a small screwdriver into it to feel the part move, the spring action, etc. whilst you're cleaning it!

ALso, you can check it's continuity with an OHMETER from the wire connector to the outer casing, you should read zero ohms if it's contacting properly, and when you push in on that inner part, then it should read OPEN, no contact/continuity!
T.C.

[oldyam80sg]

TopCatGr58-Does the sender unit just unscrew from the engine?The bike is inside my storage unit 6 miles from my apartment and I'm trying to get a mental picture in my head how to remove it.Thanks- my brain suffers from lack of sleep.

[Dragon Tamer]

Yam,
Yup, it just screws out, easy to say, little harder to do! You could do what I did, take the wire off of the sender and tape up the end. If the light stays on or comes on and goes off with the wire removed then your problem is in the wiring somewhere and not in the sender. If the problem goes away as mine did then remove the sender and put it in your vise and slowly crush it. Ignore any pleas for mercy coming from the vise, the treacherous lying piece of junk will tell you anything to get back out of there. Then screw in the adaptor that comes with a new oil pressure gauge and hook the line to it and run it up under the gas tank to the location where you have decided to install the gauge.
Now when the light comes on I don't have to guess what the problem might be, if the tail light is still working then I have developed a problem in the wiring somewhere.
I also had to patch up a couple of knuckles when I was done as there is precious little room under the carbs to get the sender out and the new adaptor in. Really not that new for me, I have spent most of my life looking like an advertisement for bandaids and iodine.