Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

Lubrication System (oil feed pump and scavenger pump, reservoir, filter, and lines)
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Mr Mach1
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Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#1

Post by Mr Mach1 »

Just looking for reasons not to reinstall the oil pressure switch. I like the gauge but as its only useful when stationary. I'm thinking the light is more practical.
TimmyV
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#2

Post by TimmyV »

my old Pan as well as most others won't make enough pressure for the gauge to be worth your time, IMHO. Dash light will tell you what you need.

Lotsa folks here with waaaaay more experience on these old gals than I...hopefully someone else will chime in here & give you their opinion too !
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#3

Post by Cotten »

Mr Mach 1!

The ONLY thing a gauge tells you is how warmed up your motor is, and not very well at that.

Worse yet, it might tempt you to take your eyes off the road.

....Cotten
Larry
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#4

Post by Larry »

A gauge also tells you when the motor is beginning to overheat.
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#5

Post by Cotten »

Larry wrote:A gauge also tells you when the motor is beginning to overheat.
Larry!

If your gauge doesn't read with a normal running motor, how will it tell you if there is a spike?

....Cotten
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#6

Post by RUBONE »

My experience with gauges is that the only thing they really tell you is that you have a gauge! I find them absolutely worthless in use.
JMHO
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#7

Post by Larry »

Cotten: I don't understand the question.
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#8

Post by Cotten »

Larry!

How can an ordinary oil pressure gauge tell you if the motor is overheating?

Warm up too quick?

I'm always up for a new way measure things, seriously!

....Cotten
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#9

Post by Larry »

Under extreme conditions, like riding fast and hard on the interstate in July, the oil pressure will slowly drop. Reducing speed by a few mph will allow the pressure to return to normal. I believe this helps define the safe limits of operation.
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#10

Post by Hauula Pan »

From experience I can tell you that neither one will tell you much of anything unless you can find an accurate OEM sending unit and gauge which is just about impossible today. I ran my 52-FL for over 25 years without a gauge or light & never had a problem or worry. Then for some reason a couple years ago I decided to install both. I freaked & panicked when I watched my gauge drop from 30 psi to 0 and my light kept coming on at stop lights and even when riding around with the motor fully warm. I did the old look in the oil tank thing & saw that I had plenty of oil returning to the tank so figured I must be getting circulation & rode on home. The problem is most of the gauges & sending units being sold today aren't accurate enough to give a true reading at the low pressure the Pan operates at when fully warmed up. They have so much error tolerance that at 2 to 5 psi they just don't work. Yes you will get a nice reading of 28 to 30 psi & no light when you fire it up but as it warms up you can watch your gauge drop & when it falls to 2 or even 0 and your light starts coming on every time you stop you'll probably do what I did & freak out. After doing the look in the tank thing & even putting an infrared heat gun to the cylinders & heads I realized the motor was doing just fine & the gauge & light were useless. Oh by the way I asked the same question here & got the same answers which reassured me that as long as that oil was circulating & the cylinders weren't glowing my motor was probably OK. I have since scrapped the gauge & found a good OEM sending unit for the light. Which by the way still comes on at stop lights. Install them for looks if you like but if they're after market you can pretty much ignore what they are telling you.
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#11

Post by JOHNSON »

if you know your bike,the different noise,clanks,bangs,rattles when it's hot,you don't need a gauge,if your tank full of oil,your the gauge,just listen to her,she tell ya when to park.had a return line came loose on my 50,remote spin on filter,ran it out of oil,light was on,didn't see it on,made some noise,to late,pistons told me i was out of oil,not the light.just keep the light,just for start up,just keep good maintenance,and no rocks in the oil,you be find.............JOHNSON..ALSO COMMON SENSE HELPS.........also this sounds like my wife..............
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#12

Post by Huck »

Riding along not a care in the world, dumped the whole tank light saved the motor. Yup everybody told me not to use copper. Last week in Florida headed to the AMCA swap. An hour of trying to get the old ferrel off the line, re connected same and down the road we went. Anybody need a filter? I'm figuring out less is more.
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TimmyV
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#13

Post by TimmyV »

pm sent :mrgreen:
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#14

Post by Bigincher »

Huck wrote:... I'm figuring out less is more.
Less IS more.
Harleys ran for decades without a filter before they were introduced--- as an option---, and I've run my old pan-knuck for decades without one, never been an issue.
Of course,religiously changing oil at 2000 mile intervals, and keeping the air filter clean might have something to do with it....
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Re: Oil gauge or oil light ? Opinions

#15

Post by cdndewey »

If Timmy doesn't take it let me know, I'm interested.
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