Futuara Oil Problems - Please Help!

[DaveBFutura]

Hi all

Ive bought a 2001 Futura with a few known problems.....

Oil light was coming on and there was smoke coming from the front end of the engine up through the headstock area. Oil level wasnt low and the bike still runs and sounds fine so hopefully there isnt any damage internally.

Ive dropped the oil and changed the filter and just fired up again. Same symptons. Oil light comes on after about 30 seconds of running and smoke from front end (Im hoping this part is just old oil on the pipes!)

Anyway, when I fire up the bike, the oil level doesnt dip at all in the sight tube. Is this normal? As oil is fired around the engine I would have thought the level would drop down and return once stopped and the sump fills up again? Could it be the oil pump therefore not working - this might explain why oil level doesnt dip in the sight tube? Can I test the oil pump (and where the hell is it / how do I get to it !?

I havent rang the bike for any long period and temp hasnt got past 120 before I stoped it. Still starts on the button and runs / sounds ok.

Any thoughts.....????

Dave

[Futura]

Install a pressure gauge where the oil sender is. See what you see there. DO NOT just run it HOPING all is well.

You may just have a bad sender and a leak, bit use caution.

I do think the oil should dip, but the pressure test will tell.

You may have a clogged oil system as well.

[Pars]

If you have oil in your breadbox it could leak out of it onto the front header and create that smoke. I've had that once...

[RAS]

The site tube measures the oil in the tank. oil is continually pumped back into the tank by a secondary oil pump. The sump stays "dry". If you've only heated it to 120F then you have not measured the proper oil level as it has to be done at full operating temp(170-172F) for some miles.

How much oil did you pour in?

We've seen failed pressure sendors. If your oil pressure is truly less than 5psi(below which that light will normally come on), it won't run long. And oil leaking onto the front pipe from the airbox is common.

[DaveBFutura]

Thanks guys. Just over 3.5 litres of oil in after changing filter. Its about three quarters up the sight tube. I didnt want to overfill. Im obvioulsy worried about running up to operating temp just in case oil isnt being pumped round the engine.

Is it safe to run to 170 degrees and then check level?

If I get to this temp and oil level looks ok but oil light is still on then will it be a pump issue? Ive noticed that the light goes off when I give it a handful of gas. Tickover speed is normal and it isnt struggling to run but light stays on at idle.

[kzmille]

You are new here so is this the first time you have changed the oil? I ask because there have been some instances where the owner put the filter in the wrong way and this blocks oil flow.

[DaveBFutura]

KZmille.... youve got me paranoid now ! Which way should the filter sit. Closed end facing out?

[flying fox]

KZmille.... youve got me paranoid now ! Which way should the filter sit. Closed end facing out?

Yes!!!
Otherwise,how is the oil going to flow through the filter,from the hole where it presses into the crankcase?
Do you know that there are two drain plugs?

[kzmille]

The end with the big hole in it goes in first.

[DaveBFutura]

Thanks again fellas. How easy / accesible is the oil pump to remove? Is it a professionla, full front end strip down job or can I get at it with just the panels removed?

[deefred]

Yes!!!
Otherwise,how is the oil going to flow through the filter,from the hole where it presses into the crankcase?
Do you know that there are two drain plugs?

As far as I know the oil is first filtered and then passed through the hole in the crankcase.
Hence any particles in the oil will collect at the surface of the filter.
No need to cut it open to search for debris.

[RAS]

Thanks again fellas. How easy / accesible is the oil pump to remove? Is it a professionla, full front end strip down job or can I get at it with just the panels removed?

It's way more likely that the pressure sender has died than the oil pump. And if you actually have no oil pressure, that motor, which already is not particularly quiet by nature, will be making some serious clatter in no time.

You'll not see any movement in the oil level site tube until the motor is fuly warmed. Get a new pressure sender, 1st. Then get it hot.

When you changed the oil, did you check the screen that's in the bottom of the tank. It's held in with a big nut on on the bottom right of the tank.

[DaveBFutura]

Thanks agian guys - really useful info & much appreciated! One last question....

If it is the pressure sender unit at fault, does this mean that oil will actually be circulating at normal pressure but a faulty reading may be triggering the oil wanring light on the dash? In other words (and maybe Im clutching at straws here!), the oil system could be working perfectly and the issue is electrical rather than mechanically terminal...!!

[RAS]

Thanks agian guys - really useful info & much appreciated! One last question....

If it is the pressure sender unit at fault, does this mean that oil will actually be circulating at normal pressure but a faulty reading may be triggering the oil wanring light on the dash? In other words (and maybe Im clutching at straws here!), the oil system could be working perfectly and the issue is electrical rather than mechanically terminal...!!

Exactly. The sender is just a little switch. Pressure(usually only 3-5 psi) opens the connection. If oil leaks past the seal inside, it'll stay on on the time. Normal hot, oil pressure at idle is likely closer to 25-30psi and @ 4k, 50-70 psi).

So with that light on(and the sender working properly, you have virtually no oil pressure. Few things will cause a complete loss of pressure. Putting the filter in ass backwards is one.

Let the thing sit until you can plug in a new sender. If that still doesn't fix it, look for shorts/water corrosion in the wiring harness between the switch and the instruments.

[deefred]

Checking the wiring is easy.
The oil light should not come on with the wire removed from the sensor.
When wire grounded the oil light should come on.