Oil Pressure Gauge Falling to Zero

[ironmark]

The oil pressure on my bike will be 7 psi @ a idel it has gone down to 5 psi in real hot situations . You should always have oil pressure that is why the EFI bikes idel @ 1100 rpm , the higher idel insures that the engine maintains enough oil pressure to keep the top end lubricated . Sounds like the dealer is giving you a line , the oil pump should always pump oil & oil pressure @ idel is important because the bike is not cooling .

 

[Hoople]

and they said it was perfectly normal, it is designed to only pump fluids as required,

Good deal. I DO accept the answer that it is normal to have pressure like that at idle.

I do not accept the reason why because I am pretty sure we do not have "fluid on demand pumps" in these bikes. But hey I do admire him being able to give a smooth answer that anyone would accept as being ok.

Glad everything is ok.

 

[Gas Gauge]

Sounds like the dealer is giving you a line , the oil pump should always pump oil & oil pressure @ idel is important because the bike is not cooling .

Again, blame me for poor communication skills and taking the short version of a discussion when having to re-type it. The dealer said the oil pump would pump only what was needed when and where it was needed....i.e. 7 psi is sufficient at idle to keep the engine (including the top end) well lubricated, it doesn't need 32 psi constant pressure.

 

[Hoople]

The car was a 1969 Austin Healey Sprite, (almost identical to the MG Midget), and at idle, once the engine was warm, the car's oil guage would drop to ZERO! I drove that car all over the place and put a TON of miles on her without ever doing a single repair, right till the day I totaled it, and that low oil pressure reading at idle never affected the car at all!

Guess this issue doesn't ALWAYS mean you're actually in trouble!

Richard, Great story... I had a '64 VW Beetle that did a similar thing. At idle the Red oil pressure light would come on solid. I don't mean this glowing stuff... Solid Red. But when you Blip the throttle it would go out. Drove like that for years and never even worried about it and had no problems at all...

Then something in my mind went Snap and here's where I am today!

 

[Jack Klarich]

If in doubt I would remove the oil sender and use an oil pressure master gauge to verify the pressure.

 

[Joyflyin]

Again, blame me for poor communication skills and taking the short version of a discussion when having to re-type it. The dealer said the oil pump would pump only what was needed when and where it was needed....i.e. 7 psi is sufficient at idle to keep the engine (including the top end) well lubricated, it doesn't need 32 psi constant pressure.

Gas Gauge, I wish I would have had that answer 3 years ago while hubby & I were on vacation. Long story short, we got his bike, (EGC) one day, my bike the next, and then the next day he had his rotator cuff repaired. We didn't get to ride much early that year, then we went to Oak Island, SC for vacation; well, the first hot day we took off for a ride and he saw the low oil pressure and panicked. Wouldn't ride my bike, wouldn't ride our friends bike, pretty much spoiled our vacation only to find out that the bike was okay. He was out on it just yesterday.

 

[geezer1941]

I have had some really big builds and noticed many times when the oil temp rises to around 275 on a hot day the Arlen Ness gauge will after a while show ZERO pressure. I am sure that it is getting some oil but the gauge is not accurate enough to show a couple of pounds. When you rev the engine it will come back. I have only noticed that on an engine that is hot, on occasion I have noticed a cold high pressure reading of 50 or more. THAT was just before the oil pump went. I just installed a new Jim's 131 but have not rode it in temps above 75 yet. PS the above holds true with Syn or Dyno oils.

 

[BUBBIE]

I have had some really big builds and noticed many times when the oil temp rises to around 275 on a hot day the Arlen Ness gauge will after a while show ZERO pressure. I am sure that it is getting some oil but the gauge is not accurate enough to show a couple of pounds. When you rev the engine it will come back. I have only noticed that on an engine that is hot, on occasion I have noticed a cold high pressure reading of 50 or more. THAT was just before the oil pump went. I just installed a new Jim's 131 but have not rode it in temps above 75 yet. PS the above holds true with Syn or Dyno oils.

geezer1941,

131 sound like a smoker and I don't mean oil...
Boy that 275* temp scares me. I Had an oil cooler and use redline 20/50 in a Built 95" 2000 FXDS dyna and even down in Az.
I kept the temps below 225* area ... I also put a Feuling oil pump with a delkron cam plate, Gear drive and I never saw oil pressure below 12/15 when hot at idly 1050 rpm.. The oil pump volume made a big difference.

some one else has that bike now as I run an 09 FLHR that replaced my Hot rod..... The new ride will have a jagg oil cooler, waiting in Az. garage and a Fan if it works good for Smitty901...

I haven't put a manual gauge on this bike YET as I will go with the same HD one that fits Off the rear valve cover on right side.. Had the HD one on my dyna for years.

On that 131?
what kind of hp/torque with it?

signed....BUBBIE

 

[silverdyna]

I installed one of those oil gauges that you mount on the rocker covers. Not the HD one. Last winter and I noticed as the bike warmed up in the winter the pressure would start at 50 then drop to 30 at idle as the bike warmed up. Now as it starts to get warmer when I'm in traffic sitting still at idle I noticed the gauge drop to 0-5 lbs as soon as I give it gas it jumps right up to 30-40 lbs. And not once have I seen the oil light come on so I figured it was all normal.

 

[fpd4308]

I installed one of those oil gauges that you mount on the rocker covers. Not the HD one. Last winter and I noticed as the bike warmed up in the winter the pressure would start at 50 then drop to 30 at idle as the bike warmed up. Now as it starts to get warmer when I'm in traffic sitting still at idle I noticed the gauge drop to 0-5 lbs as soon as I give it gas it jumps right up to 30-40 lbs. And not once have I seen the oil light come on so I figured it was all normal.

I have the same thing. I think the gauge is made by accel. I just noticed the same thing today. Cruising pressure was around 20-30 and idling pressure was like 0-5. Gave me a scare but I am guessing that since it goes back up when I rev up and I dont hear any unusual engine noise everything must be ok. Also I guess I should take into account that it was 100 degrees today. Only reason I looked at it was becuase I tightened up the connections on the gauge. I also have no oil light so I just have to go by the gauge.