Oil light on under acceleration

[SpareHimps]

I may be deficient in my searching but, the only related comment I could find was in a covid vaccine thread(?). When getting into the v boost rpm range, does anyone else get the low oil light coming on?

 

[desert_max]

Uh, yes. This has been discussed here countless times. Pretty much means everything is working just fine and you are riding it right. Oil level indicator is in the front of the pan, under hard acceleration the oil moves toward the back. It is not a low pressure light.

 

[Fire-medic]

Ruby Redeye winking at you means you're riding her right.

 

[marsmax85]

shift light .....

 

[Parminio]

I may be deficient in my searching but, the only related comment I could find was in a covid vaccine thread(?). When getting into the v boost rpm range, does anyone else get the low oil light coming on?

The stated oil capacity on a gen 1 Vmax is 3.6 quarts when you change oil and filter. I just put 4 quarts in it. I never seen the oil light come on. If you're a stickler for the rules, stick with the 3.6 quarts and see the light come on under hard acceleration. If you don't like your engine starving a bit for oil, put the rest of that 4th quart in it and you'll never see it again.

 

[Fire-medic]

The stated oil capacity on a gen 1 Vmax is 3.6 quarts when you change oil and filter. I just put 4 quarts in it. I never seen the oil light come on. If you're a stickler for the rules, stick with the 3.6 quarts and see the light come on under hard acceleration. If you don't like your engine starving a bit for oil, put the rest of that 4th quart in it and you'll never see it again.

I disagree with that: "if some is good more is better!" That's definitely not the case. Overfilling the crankcase costs you horsepower, through crankshaft drag through the excess oil. Overfilling the crankcase unnecessarily aerates the oil, costing you lubrication properties. Every VMax I've ever-ridden, I've seen the oil light. The engine is not "starving for oil!"

As the wife of POTUS #40 famously-said, "Just Say No!" The required amount of the proper grade of oil is a good-thing, but overfilling is definitely a case of "too-much of a good thing."

11 Symptoms of Too Much Oil in Your Car (and What Can Go Wrong) (oards.com)

 

[Parminio]

Fun fact: it doesn't over fill the crank case. The level still doesn't make it to half way up the sight glass.

 

[02GF74]

The sight glass is there for a reason. Oil is poured in 2 stages regardless of the volume measured.

First until it is between the two lines when bike is held vertically and same again after engine had been run.

Obviously knowing the capacity is a useful secondary check as if the oil added is much less, then the old oil was not fully drained, if much more, either the drain plug or oil filter were not refitted or both are loose.

 

[apsolus]

yeah as a mechainc i cant help but get uneasy seing that light come one but ok whatever!

 

[TheFleshRocket]

I too would put about 4 quarts in both of my 1st gens--that kept the oil light from coming on. Never had any issues related to overfilling.

 

[desert_max]

In the interest of full disclosure, that probably explains why I don't see the oil light either. I'm a four quart kind of guy.

And here I thought maybe I was a wuss on the throttle...

 

[desert_max]

I disagree with that: "if some is good more is better!" That's definitely not the case. Overfilling the crankcase costs you horsepower, through crankshaft drag through the excess oil. Overfilling the crankcase unnecessarily aerates the oil, costing you lubrication properties. Every VMax I've ever-ridden, I've seen the oil light. The engine is not "starving for oil!"

As the wife of POTUS #40 famously-said, "Just Say No!" The required amount of the proper grade of oil is a good-thing, but overfilling is definitely a case of "too-much of a good thing."

11 Symptoms of Too Much Oil in Your Car (and What Can Go Wrong) (oards.com)

Generally speaking, it is rare to find potential issue with something the gentleman from South Florida brings up. But since I'm the aforementioned four quart kind of guy, I've been pondering this for a bit. A couple of main points trigger me to respond here:

1) I don't know what the surface area of the oil in the sump is, or how much 4/10 of a quart would raise the level there. Certainly a half an inch or less - 12 mm for the Europeans among us. I don't imagine that's going to be a detectable problem either with regard to lost horsepower from the crank whipping through it or aeration of the oil as a result of that action.

2) With the engine running, a significant amount of that oil is no longer in the sump but distributed throughout the lubrication system. The sump level varies, and under normal operation, 100% of the oil would never be down there.

3) I don't spend my days at high rpms, but if I did, I would definitely want to have extra oil supply available. The last thing I would want would be for the pickup to start sucking air. Sustained high RPM cruising is worst case for your lubrication circulation and that extra half a quart could be the difference between a problem or no problem.

... Sorry, just thinking out loud

 

[Fire-medic]

An easy way the racers used-to do it, was to run their muscle cars a half-quart low, to avoid the crankshaft running in the oil.

The crankshaft running in a oil bath costs horsepower. This isn't a Briggs and Stratton engine, or an air compressor, running on 'splash lubrication.' Crankshafts on high-performance applications not dry-sump lubricated often use an 'oil-scraper' feature to strip oil off the crankshaft reciprocating mass, to stop oil foaming, and to get 'free horsepower' from removing oil from the crank weights.

 

[TK3333]

As pointed out, the sensor is located higher and well forward of the sump. So it makes sense the light will come on while oil still being in the pan. Now I have to go put my oil pan back on.

 

[apsolus]

As pointed out, the sensor is located higher and well forward of the sump. So it makes sense the light will come on while oil still being in the pan. Now I have to go put my oil pan back on.
View attachment 78135View attachment 78136

the hero none of us knew we needed.

 

[Screwloose]

Generally speaking, it is rare to find potential issue with something the gentleman from South Florida brings up. But since I'm the aforementioned four quart kind of guy, I've been pondering this for a bit. A couple of main points trigger me to respond here:

1) I don't know what the surface area of the oil in the sump is, or how much 4/10 of a quart would raise the level there. Certainly a half an inch or less - 12 mm for the Europeans among us. I don't imagine that's going to be a detectable problem either with regard to lost horsepower from the crank whipping through it or aeration of the oil as a result of that action.

2) With the engine running, a significant amount of that oil is no longer in the sump but distributed throughout the lubrication system. The sump level varies, and under normal operation, 100% of the oil would never be down there.

3) I don't spend my days at high rpms, but if I did, I would definitely want to have extra oil supply available. The last thing I would want would be for the pickup to start sucking air. Sustained high RPM cruising is worst case for your lubrication circulation and that extra half a quart could be the difference between a problem or no problem.

... Sorry, just thinking out loud

Oil is a fairly complex subject with some nice names attached such as kinematic viscosity at running temp, I.E. what you read on the front of the can, after shearing takes place. I think the yanks discovered all this stuff hence it's usually SAE approved. It does many duties in the engine such as grabs heat and throws it around the engine casings to promote cooling down, it also gets temperature spikes hence we still have mineral oil versus synthetic, large and small molecules for taking up engine play, different multigrades, the list goes on.

But what I have noticed is that the less viscous the oil and less of it, (with usually plenty of teflon and liquid moly- relating to car engines only additives such as Slick 50), the engine runs fast and zips up and down the revs allot smoother. Also you will get better fuel consumption with less shearing effort in the casings.

I think the standard oil and filling levels are fine for everyday running, but if you want the engine to rev easier and use up less bhp's at the crank (effort of oil shearing of possibly oil that you do not need), then drop to the lowest viscosity you can use, keep the oil level at the lowest, (and use additives such as Slick 50 if running a car engine).