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Oil Light constant on after Primary and Main Oil change.

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XB12XUlysses

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2019
Messages
5
Ok, so firstly, I just did a ton of mods on my 08 Buell XB12X Ulysses. Breather reroute, airbox delete and Cone filter put in its place, PLX Wideband O2+Analog output for the ECM (CEL is coming on after 15 mins of riding indicating loss of signal or always lean, but that's probably just the activation delay or voltage needing tweaking or something- I can fix that no issue) and a few other things...

Now the last thing I did was change the primary/crankcase and main oil. At first I messed up and added too much main oil, as I had not completely drained it :/. The Oil light was coming on at low RPMs and when I would lean LEFT, but would fade out as I gave it gas or leaned RIGHT.

After a short ride, I went to check the dip-stick and oil came gushing out, so that was my signal that maybe I added a bit too much.

The source of my confusion: rather than drain from the plug on the swing arm, as I should have, I was confused (amd overtired) and I drained the primary oil only. What I did was take the drainage bolts from, not only the one on the left by the kick stand, but I also took out a drainage bolt (looked like all the others once removed, except this one was flush with the crank case... when it was removed, a spring, a small hollow, aluminum tube that the spring was in, and possibly a small other piece- like a tiny brass spacer- although I'm not sure as the spring kind of catapulted everything out amd that could have been preexisting on my garage floor).

Anyway, the bike seems to be running great. Better than ever. I do hear some more ticking, but that's coming from the new, less insulated filter. Neutral is always easy to find, before it had been hard when the bike was warm, and everything else seems fine.

But the Oil Light is constantly on... my guess is it must have something to do with the other drain plug which I pulled from the right side of the bike, behind the oil filter, my guess would be that that is the pressure sensor. Can anyone provide me with any help on the issue. Thank you so much.
 
What have you done to that poor bike? I’m a little confused as to where your expertise lie with this bike. Please don’t take this the wrong way and you’ll get all the help you need with a little well deserved crap lol but you’ve leaned the crap out of your bike and feel it’s a simple solution fix but don’t know how to change the oil? Buellmods.com go here and download your free manual, if you already have read it please. Hopefully your oil light is a bad connection or switch but I wouldn’t ride it until I at least made sure my oil drive gear was ok or you at least know oil pressure isn’t compromised.
 
remove bulb from oil pressure warning indicator. you'll be fine.
C'mon Lunatic. With a post like his, he'll take you seriously and we'll have one less Uly on the planet:upset:



The light is on because you have no oil pressure.

DO NOT START IT Do not start ANY engine that you know has a constant oil pressure light, unless you like buying new engines.

You removed the oil pressure bypass and screwed something up on re-assembly.
Get the manual like TapRoot said to re-assemble correctly with all the parts.
The oil pressure sender is down there, make sure that wire is connected.
Use the manual to completely drain and re-fill all the fluids.

After you do that correctly:
A Buell ECM won't take a WideBand sensor input, it needs to have a NarrowBand emulator to run in Closed Loop. If you tune engines like you do oil changes, this will be an entertaining thread.
 
LMAO...tears in my eyes, like i said well deserved crap but in all seriousness listen to Cooter, hopefully you haven't done any or serious engine damage.

I know enough about bikes to know what I'm doing... I made the mistake of removing one wrong bolt- but realized that. I then drained the primary exactly as I should have, and I drained the main- but in a rush, I must not have let it completely drain. I added 3 Qts of 20W-50 Mobile 1 to the main and 1 Qt to the primary. Still, I fuxed up and can accept the backlash.

I took off the sender, cleaned and looked at it. Pretty sure my problem lies there, as I took a very thin pin, wrapped it in latex (as in the kind you use to hold something to something else, not a sewing pin lol) and pushed to simulate pressure, nothing seems to move in there, everything is jammed to the bottom.

I reinstalled the "bypass" that I had taken out at first according to that page of the manual I was able to get so.eone to take a pic of and send me.

I only drove about 1.5 miles home since the light first came on intermittently. I'm now driving to a mechanic. I don't want to risk anything else. Still any help would be appreciated. I don't want to drive it like this, but it's only 5 miles to the mechanic and I'll be going nice and slow with someone following me.
 
After you do that correctly:
A Buell ECM won't take a WideBand sensor input, it needs to have a NarrowBand emulator to run in Closed Loop. If you tune engines like you do oil changes, this will be an entertaining thread.

I know that, the PLX has a 1V analog output, that's what's run to the ECM... but I think the curve on the stock O2 is slightly different. I have a Buelltooth, and if there's one thing I do know, it's computers and tuning, so I have that handled.
 
Oh, and besides my last 2 posts, I had installed the "oil pressure bypass" incorrectly it seems. Spring side up rather than down... my thought was that it was there to push out the plug, I was obviously wrong. And the oil light is constantly on when in N, not while riding- it is intermittent.
 
Ok, OIL LIGHT IS OK NOW... IT WAS JUST THE BYPASS INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN!!!!! It went off 3 seconds after I started it and stayed off like it should. I'm OK now. Thank you for that info or I wouldn't have thought to flip the spring in it. So my guess is that it's been OK all this time. The reason it was intermittent at first must have been because it was overfilled and the pressure as it warmed caused it to activate anyway
 
Dude, slow down and do some research before you jump in again. You're making choices that will cost you an engine, catastrophically, and dangerously, on the road.

You had zero oil pressure because you over filled it and NEVER should have started or ridden it until it was figured out. Not 5 miles, not 100 feet, not at all.
You also had zero oil pressure because you re-assembled something with a guess instead of referencing the free manual, and never should have started or ridden it until it was figured out. Not 5 miles, not 100 feet, not at all.

It's not about making mistakes, heck we all do... It's about making the right choices to fix them. Glad you figured out both your mistakes with the oil pressure. But if you see the red oil pressure light again: Please pull over safely, immediately and have it towed to a place with the ability to fix it.

"if there's one thing I do know, it's computers and tuning, so I have that handled."...

OK that's cool but, a Buell ECM will still not take a WB O2 sensor input to run in CL (1v analog output or not, without a NB emulator). It doesn't know what to do with the WB voltage info. It only knows lean/add fuel, rich/subtract fuel, but it won't know how much which is what a WB O2 does and why its better:)

You can (and should) use the WB to tune with TunerPro/MLV, but will need to lock the ECM in OL (no O2 reference) to datalog correctly anyway.

This is a nice forum and we are here to help you, no need to remind us that you know everything while asking us questions, haha:eagerness:
 
^^^^+1 Fixing the issue was never gonna be the problem, like I said these guys know there stuff. Of course you were gonna get a little flak even if you were the smartest guy on here lol Glad you were able to figure it out and pending everything has been re-installed correctly that 5 miles with no oil to the top of the engine seems like a lot and the only fact I bring it up is because you mentioned extra ticking? Has the extra ticking gone away, in lieu with the normal valve train noises? You say it took about 3 seconds to pressurize and for the light to kick out? Now someone will correct me if I'm wrong but my oil light goes out as soon as i start cranking my engine and will stay off for a few seconds if i let go and it hasn't started. My thinking is your passageways were mostly empty and oil was not getting to the top of the engine so again, 5 miles this way? This may not be the case at all and I could be talking out of my butt not even had seen or heard your Buell, just when someone says there is extra ticking after starving the engine for oil, it isn't coincidence, unless you were hearing the lifters not being pressurized or the bigger lash between the rods and rockers. These engine heat up fast, take oil away...keep us posted if you don't mind XB12XUly
 
Ya, 5 miles... slowly... is about 15 minutes of running an engine with no oil. I can't believe the cams, lifters, or rod bearing is happy about that.:upset:
 
I hope I'm not too late
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