Oil pressure switch

Has anyone changed their switch? Is it under the cone shaped rubber cover behind the cylinders. How much is it. How difficult, I haven't found it in the manual yet!

25 views and not one reply. Do I have the rarest issues or what?

Changed every switch, except that one...

BPHORSEGUY said:

Has anyone changed their switch? Is it under the cone shaped rubber cover behind the cylinders. How much is it. How difficult, I haven't found it in the manual yet!

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Yes , that's it. Under the cone shaped rubber cover behind the cylinders. I remember you having a little flicker of the light at idle ? Have you tried the different oil ?

I hadn't tried different oil yet, Factory said it is a sticky switch. Problem is a different one, on first start of day it sometimes takes 10-15 seconds for lite to go out. Subsequent starts are instant or 1-2 seconds.

I agree , Replace it.

Mine is exactly the same . If not started for a few days the oil pressure warning light takes as you say a few seconds to go out and the engine is noisy , hydraulic tap pets, etc., until oil circulates.
The longer time , days , weeks, months , between start the longer , slightly, it takes for the oil light to go out .
Similarly at oil changes it takes even longer for the light to go out as the pump must fill oil lines that were drained and oil filter, etc. Before pressure can be built up.
This is normal on any engine unless as in some vehicles the complete oil system is primed by external means.
The oil drains from the top components down and the longer a vehicle is left unstated the longer on some systems without non return valves, etc., the longer it takes to build up oil pressure.
It also depends on where in the oil system the pressure switch is. Immediately after the pump pressure outlet the quicker it will go out.
As long as it does not take longer than say 30 seconds personally I see no problem BUT one must wait till the light goes out before using the throttle.
On older vehicles the trick was to turn over the engine until the oil light went out which out using the choke or not auctioning the ignition system before allowing the engine to fire up thus preventing component wear from no oil pressure.
After the first start the oil system will be primed and subsequent starts will result in quick oil light going out.
If it is agreed you have a problem so do I but as yet I do not think I have but still do not like the noises until the light goes out.

Hello , I have only had the noisy tappets first start after an oil change when the oil filter compartment is empty . Never noisy again until next oil change. You are saying then that after a few days of sitting you are getting the noisy tappets when you start ? Does Bphorseguy do the same ? Are your Tappets noisy after a few days/1 week of sitting ? I just went out and started my bike and it has not been driven in 24 hours . I paid close attention to the oil pressure light . First start took about 5 seconds (1 Mississippi , 2 Mississippi ... ) to clear oil pressure light and then goes out right away if I turn it off and start it again . This seems normal and OK to me. I do not hear the noisy tappets like I would get with an empty oil filter though. Maybe you guys should check the adjustment of your lifter/rockers ? Can't hurt to make sure you have the 2.25 turns in from just touching and not the 1 turn previously written in the manual. This may be a solution for the noisy tappets at startup. Also you can check your oil pressure just before you replace that oil pressure switch.

I have only normal noises when my bike starts regardless of if the lite goes out quickly or 10 seconds later. I fully understand it is a dry sump system and must "pump up" But mine seems to take longer then most. My bike does sit for long periods because I have a garage full of bikes. I am glad to hear at least one other 961 does this. anybody else?

Also I have disconnected the oil line from the pump and the pump pumps oil from the very first crank of the starter!

Hello Again , Then it is just a question of how long it takes to clear the oil pressure light after say a week of no starting. Well then lets just time it and put this to rest. I probably wont ride my bike again after tomorrow until next weekend. Then when I start it again I will time this and so should you but accurately . Then lets report back with our data. You may not have anything wrong at all.

Tony, I have done this accurately and can report it takes 10-12 seconds on a stopwatch. Much of my timing was done in colder weather. I am using the recommended Silkolene oil. I do not know if my bike has done this since new or not. :shock: I developed the bad habit of concentrating on the tachometer since before the bike was remapped it would usually stall on the first start and I would stare at the tach ready to prevent a stall. Just this past February I noticed the lite issue since I finally quit looking at the tach on first start. The Norton is not my daily rider ( it is reserved for special occasions ) so most of my first starts are after a layup period. I do not want to start changing things if unnecessary because the bike so far has been trouble free except for remapping. I am going to order the switch anyway just to have, it is not expensive, about 10 bucks

Back when it was cold, Iwilson generously tried to help me with this though it was summer where he is located. He also informed that there are 2 different oil pumps. He tried the lower volume oil pump to help cure the oil in the airbox problem. From what I understood too much oil flow caused excessive vaporization and the oil box problem. With the lower volume pump he had no need of the factory kit for this issue. He is a very astute guy in my opinion. Since I never had an issue with the airbox, I have wondered for months if my bike has the lower volume pump. His bike does not take as long as mine to extinguish the lite though. You may remember the video he posted here to show the strong idle he had on startup after his remap and ECU work. That video was a result of his efforts to help me!

Give me until next week and I will give you the time it takes to turn off the oil light at first start after a week of not riding. Have you tested after 24 hours or even 8 hours ?

Yes I have tested after 8hrs about 5-6 seconds, after 24 about 8-9 seconds and it slowly seems to build from . Of course there are variables such as temp and type of oil used. I once added a small amount ( 1 or 2oz. ) of oil after a layup and the lite went out almost instantly after start like a hot start even though the engine was actually 40 degrees F.

That last statement makes me think you are wet sumping a lot of oil from the tank. Look into your oil tank and see if there is any oil on your stick (Before you start) . If not , this may be the reason that it is taking so long for you to get the oil light out. The oil has to be pumped back to the tank from the sump , then down to the pump from the tank . In fact this is beginning to make sense. You never did get the breather oil check valve update did you ? This will stop the wet sump issue. And after a week of just sitting there will still be oil on the stick and problem solved.

Tony, I do not understand, please set me straight. I thought per the manual, the factory, and many many users that the oil level should fall to the bottom of the stick or even below after an hour or so because of the dry sump system. This is the reason for the run it or you can't check the oil level routine! I have not heard of wet sumping since the 70's!! While I will admit I never studied the oil in the airbox fix, I thought it was mostly external hardware. I thought it was to fix the oily airbox issue not to prevent "wet sumping". The fix wasn't availabe for several years, why did no one notice wet sumping issues during all those years?? The time I added oil and the lite came on quicky I chalked up to the pump having to pump up less oil! To this day I believe very few bikes had the update.

Everyones bike takes several seconds to "pump up" the oil on a cold start, due to the dry sump design, Mine takes several seconds longer especially after sitting for days or more. Once again please educate me on what you think is happening and why the oil box fix ( if that is what you are referring to ) would help!

Hello again , The Oil in air box fix , Breather Update Kit or whatever its called is what I am referring to Yes. The kit includes check valves 1 for the feed side and 1 for the return side. These check valves stop the oil returning to the crank case when the bike is not driven. If you wait long enough the entire oil tank will be in your crank case ! This is why it is taking you several more seconds to get the oil pressure up. Anyone who has lost the oil in their tank into the crankcase will have this problem. Do a search for oil in air box or breather . I have covered this many times (ad nauseum) , most of the time falling on deaf ears. I think Brit Twit just bought the kit . I think you know him . He can tell you how much it cost. Once this is installed , the check valves will keep the oil in the tank and not loose it all to the crank case. Trust me , you will be happier once this is installed and your problem will go away .

Ok, but why isn't everybodies bike doing this? Or are they and nobody noticed or mentioned it Why didn't the factory mention this and blame the switch?

All Bikes 2016 and newer already have this installed. And yes , the others may not be noticing it. Sometimes it takes a different way of saying the same thing before others realize what you mean. Just like with me . I didn't catch on to the wet sumping issue until one of your very last posts. Ask Brit Twit if the kit came with instructions . If not , PM me and I can send you some.

TonyA said:

All Bikes 2016 and newer already have this installed. And yes , the others may not be noticing it. Sometimes it takes a different way of saying the same thing before others realize what you mean. Just like with me . I didn't catch on to the wet sumping issue until one of your very last posts. Ask Brit Twit if the kit came with instructions . If not , PM me and I can send you some.

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Tony,
I have been trying to get the new breather kit from Norton for nearly 2 months.
First, GC couldn’t find the part number to order, then they couldn’t log into the Norton UK website to order the part, etc, etc, etc.
Long story – short, GC finally ordered the part (#5210058-R4) on 7/10, and is waiting for an order update from Kevin French hopefully this week.
The price for the entire kit was $340. According to one of the mechanics at GC the kit comes with a sheet of instructions.

Bob,
If you only need the new oil line check valves, you might want to contact Kevin French directly to see if you can buy just the valves.
I’m buying the kit because I’m still getting oil passed to the airbox from the rocker cover breather, especially when ridden hard.
Not much oil, but enough that I have to add oil after every 3 or 4 outings to bring the level up between the high and low marks on the dipstick.

Hello Britwit , Thanks for the feedback . Bphorseguy , let me know if you want the instructions.