Display says low on oil, dipstick shows normal level ??

Hi all!

I just got my 2012 RT SE5 running after winter storage (in my garage).
Battery was a bit low, so had to hook up a start help.
It came to life and sounded a lil rough at first, but that is normal for any engine I would think.
Then the "low oil" showed up in the display, so I put a lil bit in. Still there, so I added a lil more. Still there.
I thought it was strange, so I put dipstick back in and checked. It was way over the max mark. So I managed to take oil back out and have it back to normal level.
Warning is still there, so I am thinking something electric?
Anyone had this issue before??

That oil light is for low oil PRESSURE, not low oil LEVEL. Should go out with engine running. Normally on with engine stopped. If it remains on with engine running, it’s a problem. Troubleshoot if valid low pressure, such as filter, sender, harness, and could actually be a pump or gear failure.

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Originally Posted by Snowbelt Spyder

That oil light is for low oil PRESSURE, not low oil LEVEL. Should go out with engine running. Normally on with engine stopped. If it remains on with engine running, it’s a problem. Troubleshoot if valid low pressure, such as filter, sender, harness, and could actually be a pump or gear failure.

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Hi Doug and thank you for info!

Feeling a bit stupid here :roflblack:
Of course it is the pressure and not level. I got the same thing in my boat and car, shuts off when pressure is up!
I will have a look at things when doing oil and filter change soon!

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by NorwegianRT

Hi Doug and thank you for info!

Feeling a bit stupid here :roflblack:
Of course it is the pressure and not level. I got the same thing in my boat and car, shuts off when pressure is up!
I will have a look at things when doing oil and filter change soon!

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When did you change oil last?

Never check your oil unless it is hot (after a 20 minute ride is best).

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Originally Posted by BajaRon

When did you change oil last?

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It was changed by dealer a little over a year ago. This time I thought I would have a go at it myself.

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Originally Posted by Cruzr Joe

Never check your oil unless it is hot (after a 20 minute ride is best).

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Hi Joe!
I usually do, but since the low oil lit up, I did not want it to run that long. I will have a look and see if I can locate the pressure sensor tomorrow and check wiring to see if any mice has been at it during winter.

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Originally Posted by NorwegianRT

Hi Joe!
I usually do, but since the low oil lit up, I did not want it to run that long. I will have a look and see if I can locate the pressure sensor tomorrow and check wiring to see if any mice has been at it during winter.

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Hey Martin. Well, I can kind of help you out there. Refer to pics. Oil pressure switch is lower, right hand side of the engine.

If you want to change the oil yourself, it's all laid out in the manual. But a hint - you have two filters to change. The gotcha is that the bolts for the engine oil filter cover, and the bolts for the HCM oil filter cover, are two different lengths. Don't mix them up. Common practice is to change one filter at a time, in order to avoid that.

Second hint -if you still have the original OEM oil drain plugs in the bottom of the oil tank and engine, on my 2012, they were both 6mm hex bit size. Some folks have said that their's was a Torx head on the tank. So, take a real, careful look at yours. Using a Torx in a Hex head doesn't work very well. One or the other will strip out. And the drain plug on the tank will be very tight. So, you just can't use a metric "Allen" wrench. You won't have enough leverage. You'll need to use at least quarter inch ratchet with a 6mm bit. If you have after market drain plugs installed from someplace along the way, then things get simpler. Most of that doesn't apply.

Just read the manual, take your time, use your experience and you'll be fine. Enjoy.

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Originally Posted by Snowbelt Spyder

Hey Martin. Well, I can kind of help you out there. Refer to pics. Oil pressure switch is lower, right hand side of the engine.

If you want to change the oil yourself, it's all laid out in the manual. But a hint - you have two filters to change. The gotcha is that the bolts for the engine oil filter cover, and the bolts for the HCM oil filter cover, are two different lengths. Don't mix them up. Common practice is to change one filter at a time, in order to avoid that.

Second hint -if you still have the original OEM oil drain plugs in the bottom of the oil tank and engine, on my 2012, they were both 6mm hex bit size. Some folks have said that their's was a Torx head on the tank. So, take a real, careful look at yours. Using a Torx in a Hex head doesn't work very well. One or the other will strip out. And the drain plug on the tank will be very tight. So, you just can't use a metric "Allen" wrench. You won't have enough leverage. You'll need to use at least quarter inch ratchet with a 6mm bit. If you have after market drain plugs installed from someplace along the way, then things get simpler. Most of that doesn't apply.

Just read the manual, take your time, use your experience and you'll be fine. Enjoy.

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Awesome Doug!

I think the original drain plugs are still in use, but I could be wrong.
Any way, I will read manual and take my time. I also have a friend that is very good with mc motors. He will be there at first call, so that's good to know.

Update will follow! Have a wonderful rest of the day!

This is the proper procedure per the service manual:

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Originally Posted by Jetfixer

This is the proper procedure per the service manual:

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Hi and thank you Jetfixer, sitting and reading my manual and having my first cup of coffee !:thumbup:

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Originally Posted by NorwegianRT

It was changed by dealer a little over a year ago. This time I thought I would have a go at it myself.

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The reason I ask is that you can put the filter in backwards which will give you zero oil pressure. But if you've put some miles on it. That won't be the issue. Most likely it's the sending unit gone bad. Hard to believe that you actually have no oil pressure. But at this point, anything is possible.

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Originally Posted by BajaRon

The reason I ask is that you can put the filter in backwards which will give you zero oil pressure. But if you've put some miles on it. That won't be the issue. Most likely it's the sending unit gone bad. Hard to believe that you actually have no oil pressure. But at this point, anything is possible.

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Hi Ron!
I also found that the battery had gone flat during storage and would not take any charge, so I bought a new one today.
I understand from other posts that low voltage can give various "faults" that are not really a real fault.
So I am now charging the new one to 100% and will see if I can have it in by today or at least tomorrow.
Then start it up again and see if the issue is still there.

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Originally Posted by NorwegianRT

Hi Ron!
I also found that the battery had gone flat during storage and would not take any charge, so I bought a new one today.
I understand from other posts that low voltage can give various "faults" that are not really a real fault.
So I am now charging the new one to 100% and will see if I can have it in by today or at least tomorrow.
Then start it up again and see if the issue is still there.

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True. Not sure this will fix your issue. But it is well worth a try. Sounds like you need a battery anyway. And low voltage can give your Spyder fits. I hope this does it for you. Actual zero oil pressure is extremely rare.

I just changed my oil and both filters using BajaRon’s kit. The hex head of my engine drain rounded out. Fortunately, with the 3/32nds” thickness of the head of the OEM plug, I was able to get a pair of vice grips on it and get it loose. Do yourself a favor and order a set of Goldplugs. They have a 15mm hex head to make future oil changes MUCH easier! As for the pressure, did you run the motor? For how long? Since all the oil drained down during storage, it can take 5-10 seconds for the pump to rebuild pressure. If it doesn’t happen, and the light stays on after 10 seconds, shut it down! There’s a problem.

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Originally Posted by DaniBoy

I just changed my oil and both filters using BajaRon’s kit. The hex head of my engine drain rounded out. Fortunately, with the 3/32nds” thickness of the head of the OEM plug, I was able to get a pair of vice grips on it and get it loose. Do yourself a favor and order a set of Goldplugs. They have a 15mm hex head to make future oil changes MUCH easier! As for the pressure, did you run the motor? For how long? Since all the oil drained down during storage, it can take 5-10 seconds for the pump to rebuild pressure. If it doesn’t happen, and the light stays on after 10 seconds, shut it down! There’s a problem.

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Hi DaniBoy !
The drain plug tip is noted and I will get some good ones for sure.
I ran the engine on idle for maybe a cpl minutes all together before I shut it down. I gave it a short rev, but shut it down when I saw the fault was still in the display !

There must be a way to ohm out that oil pressure sensor to see if it's good!!!

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Originally Posted by Mikey

There must be a way to ohm out that oil pressure sensor to see if it's good!!!

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Well...Mike...There is. It's just a switch. It's closed with no pressure, and open with pressure. It grounds or un-grounds a pin on the ECM to light or un-light the warning light. If he reads that the switch operates between engine not running and engine running, then he can be confident that he has oil pressure and that there is a wiring issue. If the switch does NOT operate between engine not running and engine running, then he'll still need to determine whether or not it is a switch problem or a pressure problem.

There are documented failures on this site regarding the oil pressure switch. That's a possibility.

There are also documented failures on this site regarding that stupid plastic gear that drives the oil pump. That's also a possibility.

So, at this point, Martin is doing all of the right things. He's replacing the battery and eliminating any electrical glitch concerns. He's inspecting the wiring harness to eliminate any critter damage concerns after a long winter. And he's doing an oil change, which gives him the opportunity to inspect the engine oil filter for blockage or collapse, and replace it with a new one.

And he has a more technically oriented buddy. They can remove the oil pressure switch and do a bench test if they want - it should operate by 10 psi - or just replace it. They can install a test gauge in the hole where the switch came out of, and actually measure pressure - which should be nominally 20 psi at idle.

We'll see how it works out.

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Originally Posted by Mikey

There must be a way to ohm out that oil pressure sensor to see if it's good!!!

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The oil pressure switch should be zero ohms to the engine block with the engine not running, and infinite resistance with the engine running.

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Originally Posted by Jetfixer

The oil pressure switch should be zero ohms to the engine block with the engine not running, and infinite resistance with the engine running.

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Provided that there actually is oil pressure.

Hi all !

First of all, thank you to all you wonderfull people out there on this forum !:2thumbs:
Today I put the new battery in. Then I did an oil and filter change. My buddy came over to give a hand and his knowledge about motors are highly appreciated.
Put the RT back on the ground and cranked it up, no more low oil pressure warnings :ohyea:
I let it idle for a few minutes while tidying up my garage and the checked oil level in the tank, filled just a little bit more and it was on the mark.
Then did a test drive and the RT shifted gears like it was when new, so today I am a happy guy looking forward to this season on the RT.
Going to Austria in start of June for the gathering "Grosglockner Challenge" so now I feel really relaxed about how my ride will cope.

Again, thank you to all that have helped me on this thread! :bowdown:

(Btw, is there a way to put a "Problem solved" to the thread? Or does one just edit the title?)

Great to hear, Norwegian. Thanks for the update. A good many forum members don’t post that their issue was resolved and what caused it, so your update is very refreshing. Your post is all the update needed to show that you have fixed your issue. Anyone who is interested in this thread will read it.:2thumbs:

Pete

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Originally Posted by Peteoz

Great to hear, Norwegian. Thanks for the update. A good many forum members don’t post that their issue was resolved and what caused it, so your update is very refreshing. Your post is all the update needed to show that you have fixed your issue. Anyone who is interested in this thread will read it.:2thumbs:

Pete

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My pleasure Pete!
I will leave it as is then.
If temp gets above zero Celsius tomorrow, I will have my first ride, I think. :cheers:

Just home from a 2 hr ride.
Everything was in perfect order and weather was great aswell.

Have a wonderfull and safe weekend all !