Can an oil pump go bad?

[beechfront]

i am still having this oil light problem and haven't had
time to tear the bike apart to get at and check the
oil pressure sender unit.

i am 99% sure the oil pressure is fine, but part
of me that's scared i'm gonna burn up the engine.

[strom]

Go to any bike/auto shop and let them measure the oil pressure.
To get to the oil pump, u have to take off the oil pan and unscrew the 3 screws that are in there.
When u have it off, take the wheel cover off, then the wheel.
There are 3 additional screws that hold the pump together. If it's a phillips or sth like that, use impact screwdriver... so u won't damage the heads too much.
Once u have it apart, clean it, check for scrapes and assemble...

LP

[oldnortonrider]

THIS thread has convinced me to stop procrastinating , about
installing an OIL GUAGE ; to get the guage, and get it installed, even if I have to duct tape it to the top of the gas tank, face up. I will also install an oil temperature guage.

More things to malfunction, when yer a thousand miles from
home.

[sixtysix]

What bike did you have? An XS has a pressure light but an XJ has a level sensor (I think), first thing I would try is going to a 20W-50 oil if you are not already using it, then make sure oil flter is installed properly. And as somebody already mentioned have the pressure checked to make sure it is OK.

[Jdwags]

When I had the problem on the Mongrel, i found it to be the fact the light also handles the tail/brake light..

It was a bad connection in that circut that was causing the light to stay lit..

I tried everythign with the sender unit.. shoriting it, and pulling it and cranking the bike.. ( Mawww we got oil)..

Check the bulb and the connecitons in the tail/brake circut..

PS the led bulb conversions also can cause a false "outtage" on that circut too..

[xssiveone]

Originally posted by oldnortonrider
THIS thread has convinced me to stop procrastinating , about
installing an OIL GUAGE ; to get the guage, and get it installed, even if I have to duct tape it to the top of the gas tank, face up. I will also install an oil temperature guage.

More things to malfunction, when yer a thousand miles from
home.

There have been a few XS specific oil pressure gauges auctioned on Ebay in the last 6-8 months. Seem to be a pretty simple setup. On the right side (think it's right, going from memory here) there is a bolt, about 12mm head on it IIRC. That leads into the oil gallery. The gauges I saw had a bolt such as this, with an adaptor threaded/welded/??? into it and then a standard oil pressure gauge threaded onto it.

[oldnortonrider]

xssiveone ;
Thanks for this info.
When you say "XS specific" ; are you referring , that it came "original equipment" ? Or, that which you saw on eBay,
was someone's personal modification, just for the XS ?
Also....., where is the "gallery" ? I'm not sure what that is......
I ain't familiar with that term; but I will be.
I also figure this to , now be a more simple job; now that I know
how to spell GAUGE correctly.

[sixtysix]

Both guage and gage are in the dictionary....now if I just had one on my XS

[xssiveone]

I am sure these gauges are aftermarket items and not from Yamaha. But, no idea if they were commercially made or just something someone put together but they were advertised as an oil pressure gauge for the XS. The gallery I refer to is the oil gallery, or the internal passages thru which the oil travels after it leaves the oil pump on it's way thru the engine. Thru the machineing process, since drills can't turn corners, sometimes a plug, or in this case, a bolt, is needed to close off a hole that was created when a passage way was drilled inside the engine. I forgot to check on it's exact location, but it is in the upper half of the engine case and is readily visible. IIRC, if you find the oil pressure sending unit (under #3 carb approx.) and follow the raised ridge in the case you will come to the bolt in question.

If you modify this bolt, make sure you do not block off the oil holes in it. The bolt is hollow and allows oil to lubricate one or more bearings in the transmission.

[oldnortonrider]

xssiveness ;
I do appreciate the information; and saved it in
a file. This may also be part of the answer I've been looking for;
having to do with adding an oil cooler to XS's that don't have
one. For the oil feed line, and oil exit line. I imagine, someone
out there has done this. Probably several different ways to go, on this.
I'll be looking for "the bolt in question", before the day's over.
Thank you again.

[sixtysix]

The oil cooler requires a special adapter plate to give you the hose nipples, no other way to add one that I know of. You will need to find one that came with or has the adapter plate. It mounts where the filter does and the filter mounts to it.

[oldnortonrider]

I need to locate where to get the adapter plate.
For sure, that would make the job, much more sanitary .
I had never heard of such a animal .

66; thanks for this info.