If it ain't one thing....

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comnoz

comnoz

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Another trip to the INOA rally is in the books. 2824 miles round trip.

Had a smooth trip out. Had some excess exhaust smoke at the rally site but retorquing the headbolts took care of that. It took a while to get the oil buildup out of the muffler however.

I noticed the oil pressure seemed low during the games but just figured the bike was hot and didn't worry about it.

Then after packing up on Friday morning for the trip home, I started the bike and the oil pressure gauge never moved off zero.

Fearing the worst I checked the sump magnet but it was clean. Then I pulled the timing chest cover to inspect the crank and oil pump seals. Everything looked good there.

Then I did what I should have done first and loosened a fitting and started the bike.
A solid squirt of oil confirmed that there was oil pressure after all.
The gauge that had been on the bike for the last 40 years just up and died.

So a smooth ride home with the only problem being the miserably hot temps. It was 104 in Pueblo when we pulled in yesterday afternoon. The oil pressure gauge was still on zero....Jim
 
MexicoMike said:
Jim, f you didn't have an oil pressure gauge...as per Norton original intentions...you wouldn't have been needlessly worried! ;)
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True, but if I wouldn't have had an oil pressure gauge when the anti-wet-sump valve failed to open some years back after a fuel stop, I would have had holes in my engine cases.

I will be replacing the oil pressure gauge -even though the anti-wet-sump valve is long gone.
 
I've often thought of installing a gauge, though I believe it would only cause me one more worry. Glad you had a good safe run....I couldn't sit mine a 100 miles per day now if forced to.
 
This is one of the reasons I'm happy to have a pressure warning light in addition to a gauge.

Glad you sorted it Jim, one of our club members who was at INOA with you had the same issue a week before the rally, I gave him one of my spare AMR modded covers and told him to install the warning light until he gets a new gauge.
 
acadian said:
This is one of the reasons I'm happy to have a pressure warning light in addition to a gauge.

Glad you sorted it Jim, one of our club members who was at INOA with you had the same issue a week before the rally, I gave him one of my spare AMR modded covers and told him to install the warning light until he gets a new gauge.
Click to expand...

I agree the warning light is more likely to catch your attention -but the senders fail also.
Both would be nice.
I will probably stick with just a gauge. If it lasts another 40 years I will not have to worry about it.
 
I had a warning light on my XLCR. Cutting along about 90mph in August @ 95+F and it came on...engine coughed and failed before I could cut it. Had silver dust coming out of mufflers & air filter housing. Scored jugs & bent intakes. Found no pistons upon tear down only connecting rods & pins with entire crankcase filled with burnt piston granules. So if anything do a gauge or nothing at all because by the time the light comes on you've probably screwed the pooch.
Was lucky ...fiffy over & valves, plus complete scrubbing of all that's holy...Light & sending unit in trash with shiny new gauge in café faring.
Maybe I'll put one in now that you've disturbed me with these memories.
 
Im all for the gauge and light but what sort of light do you use to see it esp down in the sunny SW where you live?
 
jbruney said:
I had a warning light on my XLCR. Cutting along about 90mph in August @ 95+F and it came on...engine coughed and failed before I could cut it. Had silver dust coming out of mufflers & air filter housing. Scored jugs & bent intakes. Found no pistons upon tear down only connecting rods & pins with entire crankcase filled with burnt piston granules. So if anything do a gauge or nothing at all because by the time the light comes on you've probably screwed the pooch.
Was lucky ...fiffy over & valves, plus complete scrubbing of all that's holy...Light & sending unit in trash with shiny new gauge in café faring.
Maybe I'll put one in now that you've disturbed me with these memories.
Click to expand...

Considering most warning lights are set to illuminate before catastrophic pressure levels develop, perhaps yours was malfunctioning

the light on my TR7 saved me from a bad day when it illuminated after a highway run, kept the revs up til I got home to discover a blown crank seal...
 
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If you're addressing me it was a nice bright red one mounted center in the café faring which HD so graciously supplied. Crank motor, contact open at 5#, light out. Contact closed at <5# - light on, boom, das ende. They're referred as idiot lights for a reason I guess.
Comnoz is on it 100%, and now he's got me going. Last thing I want is to smoke this old scoot. You woke me up from my dreaming....couple of rides a day and not a care in the world.....
Acadian I recall testing the pressure switch after the fact and I'll never trust another. Tested several new also and it wasn't worth risking another motor, so a gauge.
 
I just couldn't live without my guage showing the tyre pressure of both tyres glaring at me, showing the level of nitrogen. I'm thinking about a chain slackness guage and warning buzzer. Won't be able to live without it. Oh, and the electronic tacho warning buzzer. How else will I know my tacho has failed?
 
With that return mileage, I would need to tape over that 0 reading gauge.
 
Maybe we also need an IQ light. So we can tell if someone is OK enough to ride a bike.

Seriously I wouldn't feel good without some indication of oil pressure on any internal combustion engine. I don't know of any auto or motorcycle without one -except for a few old British bikes.
I have more than once seen a Norton oil tank run low enough on oil to cause problems because of oil consumption or small leaks -and what is the only indication before the case gets ventilated? It would be an unusually low oil pressure reading on your gauge...if you have one.
 
That's where you got me to thinking because I don't drive but perhaps 15-25 mi. at a time and check oil at least bi-weekly. I look under when I park and before starting, but how am I going to look under when riding.....So my plan went out the door...As Bugs would say 'Wadda maroon!'. So much for humor because it really needs one before piston granules come out the exhaust.
After the cost of bringing it back to this point the cost of a gauge assembly is squat in comparison to a new motor.
 
When Hannah and I are on a road trip we ride ~175 miles before her fuel light comes on and we come in for a pit stop. Her FJ is a gas guzzler.

When I am riding alone some times it will be 300 miles before I stop for fuel and a look over.
 
We don't need another "warning lights are useless" and "gauges make you paranoid" debate...

The point was simply that in Jim's situation, having BOTH a warning light and a gauge would have clued him into the gauge being faulty from the get go.
 
Yeah - surely all of us riding 40-50 year old motorcycles by choice would automatically illuminate that warning light! ;)
 
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