zx6r oil light came on while riding

[whitedevil]

Hi guys, I was just out riding my 06 zx6r and the oil warning light came on while i was riding along at about 30 mph.
I pulled over and stopped straight away, shut it off, checked the oil filter was on tight and my oil level was still fine.
I started it back up again and it was still on so i shut it off again, swore a bit and then rang my breakdown.
After the 20 minute convo i thought i would try again and it was still coming on so i gave the bike a good rocking back and forth and side to side, tried again and the light went straight out.
So i decided to ride it the 15 miles back home and it was riding fine.

Any ideas what caused the light to come on? Was it just a trapped air pocket? Some kind of blockage at the filter or something?

I did an oil change but that was a few months ago and about 1500 miles.
Only other thing ive done is change to the 2007 clocks with EXTR400's adapter but that was last month and about 600 miles ago.

Thanks
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GPZ500 sold ~ CBR600FS-2 sold ~ ZX6R sold ~ Street Triple R

[Pete.]

If the oil level is fine and you changed it that long ago I would suspect a wiring fault. Check where it connects to the switch.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[MattEMulsion]

Is it a low level light or low pressure light?
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Yamaha YZF-R6

[MCN]

If the level is OK then it's not low oil level.

Which can only be one of the following:

Low Oil Pressure due to the following:
This could likely be the order of probability
1) Oil Pressure relief valve stuck open.
2) Oil pump failure (gear teeth/ Shaft failure).
3) Oil Pump Suction Port/Pipe/Screen blocked.
4) Main/Big End Bearing completely cufked so the there would be no resistance to pump flow therefore no pressure.

Important Law of Pumping:
Pumps do not Create Pressure. Pumps only Create Flow There is no reasonable argument about this fact.

Most probably stuck relief valve.

If there is an oil level switch then that could be fubar.

There is also a change of an electrical gremlin at work.
So check electrical continuity etc. before you bladder the engine.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[WD Forte]

Not sure if it's common nowadays but some bikes had
a rear bulb failure warning unit that lit the oil lamp if it detected a fault
This ruined many a chaps underpants and many got swiftly removed for causing such fright.
It probably isn the case here but may be worth checking the wiring diagram just in case.
I'd check/compare the diagrams for both clocks anyway just in case

Many/most oil warning lights supply power to the bulb then on to the switch where it gets grounded at low pressure and the light comes on
If the cable gets chafed en route and grounded, this will make the lamp come on.

If the cause is mechanical, you'll need to get a pressure gauge on it for further testing
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bikers smell of wee

[Pete.]

[CaNsA]

[MCN]

[MCN]

[Pete.]

[MCN]

[Pete.]

No I recommend stop trying to be clever by regurgitating useless trivia or stop posting a shopping-list of possible faults and pay attention to what the OP has posted.

Not just done an oil change - so not a priming issue that the zx is prone to.
No mention of horrible noises - so not likely to be a pressure fault. If he started the bike without oil pressure he would know it immediately.

That leaves faulty switch or wiring as the probable fault. Possibly the swapped-out clocks. Last thing I would suspect is an actual oil pressure fault based on the lack of audible symptoms.
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[misscrabstick]

I would want to be seeing the running oil pressure on a gauge that I screwed in place of the pressure switch, of course this is assuming there is one and the whole thing isn't a misbehaving oil level sensor/lamp, actually probably that's the first thing to do, accurately clarify the oil lamp function.

[MCN]

[Pete.]

[Pete.]

[MCN]

Half true.

As long as there is some oil there may be minimal damage.
Pressurised lube systems were introduced to allow engine to handle increased loads fast, harder.
A lightly loaded engine with some oil circulation may not be harmed. If worked at higher load then the low pressure would mean low flow and low flow won't do the important job of cooling the engine. Things get big gaps get small and stuff stops slipping and sliding.

'Bad oil pressure' can go away. If something is in the oil to hold the relief valve open 'intermittently'.

Call it old fashioned, but an oil pressure lamp is nothing trivial and should be a real worry until oil pressure can be confirmed.

I was smart about the pump and flow in an effort to answer the pressure flow jiz I hear every time someone mentions pump. That's all.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Pete.]

[Polarbear]

^^^Engineering myth time^^^ To MCN not Pete



I was always of the opinion if an oil pressure light came on in seriousness it's repair time.

Nothing with shell bearings will survive no oil pressure, the oil wedge will collapse with catastrophic results.
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Pete.]

The switches on bikes are prone to failing, my 'busa is on it's third and my last bandit has it's switch replaced too.
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Polarbear]

[stevo as b4]

My only thinking is how often do oil pumps strip gears, snap drive shafts or do oil pick up/strainers fall off into the sump, on a well maintained running bike?

A suddenly broken oil pump is about as likely as a crankshaft snapping half way on the ride home from work.

Also wiring is about the most exposed and fault prone system on any motorcycle and it's about a million times more likely that a previous owner could have bodged or damaged the wiring/loom or connectors than they are to have bodged or had their meddling hands on an oil pump etc.

lastly I've never ever seen any engine that has had badly enough worn plain bearings/journals to not be able to produce any oil pressure at all?

[Polarbear]

[MCN]

Hypothesis. Google it.

Based on very limited information (As I have already posted) there are several things that can cause the oil lamp to come on.

Since there is only circumstantial info then an armchair mechanic can't say with 1% accuracy that none of the reasons are impossible.

A sort of vague post (with no disrespect to the OP) got an all-it-can-be response.
I was less nitty-gritty than it is easily possible to be but polarbear and pete, as a tag-team, have taken up the mantle on that one.

I wouldn't normally spend as much time arguing with some cunt/s over a simple oil pressure lamp fault had the machine been in front of me. I would have confirmed the reasons long before now.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[Pete.]