Oil light flickers

[mark61]

Y2K flh
Oil light has been flickering. Never fully ON and it does not always do it. Other times it just barely flickers not quit constantly.Oil level is good. Pulled, cleaned and greases with electrical connection grease the sender wire. Does not seem to be related to engine speed or load...... ?

[hogdoctor]

Does it stay on solid when the engine isn't running?   Do you have an oil pressure gauge?   If not, put a gauge on it to confirm what the light might be trying to tell you.   If you have plenty of pressure but the light still flickers, look for a grounded wire, if you don't, then pull your cam cover off and take out the relief valve plunger, it might be sticking open.

[N-gin]

Does it stay on solid when the engine isn't running?   Do you have an oil pressure gauge?   If not, put a gauge on it to confirm what the light might be trying to tell you.   If you have plenty of pressure but the light still flickers, look for a grounded wire, if you don't, then pull your cam cover off and take out the relief valve plunger, it might be sticking open.

I made a oil presure gauge myself using a $6 MR.Gasket oil gauge kit and an old manual gauge laying around the shop.

[mark61]

    Thanks for the info. Of course today when I started it up and went for a short ride to the shop it did not flicker. I bought a gauge kit at the local auto parts. Pulled the sending unit and installed the gauge while on the lift. I get 20 psi at idle and around 45 psi at what I would say is a brisk road speed. 3k rpm? Light did not flicker at all. Would a bad ground show up with the sending unit out?
    How can they justify $175+ for a gauge for permanent installation?!?

[Pirsch Fire Wagon]

You shouldn't have had any light with the guage attached. It gets its signal from the sending unit. You may get a code indicated low voltacge bla bla bla.

[chopper]

02 Dyna had the same problem. Intermittent as all get out. Replaced sender, same. Manual gauge showed good pressure. Turned out to be a chaffed wire near the steering neck. When the bare turned (or not sometimes) it'd ground out and the vibration would make it flicker. As it shakes more at an idle, thats when it was most noticeable.

[hogdoctor]

pull your fairing and look where the indicator light wiring comes up over the front edge of the radio box, it's not uncommon to see a wire there with the insulation worn through, the cold side of the oil light could be grounding on the radio chassis.   I will generally lay a single piece of electrical tape across that edge to ward off future issues.

[mark61]

Y2K FLHRI.
   Ordered a gauge. WTH I like knowing more specifics of what is going on than an idiot light provides.  Going to replace the sending unit too while I have it off. Napa store equivalent for ?? What is the low side it will turn the light on/off? Think I read 14psi sometime in the past?

[N-gin]

I think the idiot light goes out at 5psi. Otherwise the light would always be on at hot idle.

[hogdoctor]

 - it takes about 7psi to get the gauge off the low peg too

[mark61]

OK so far I installed the gauge. Got plenty of pressure depending on RPM. Have not got it real hot yet, seeing around 10 to  15 psi at idle. Replaced the sending unit with 1 catalogue says "4 to 9psi" low. Still got occasional flicker. Was real wet the other morning and light was on a lot so has to be a ground or wet connections. With the gauge I ain't gonna freak out about it. Will eventually chase the wire down and remedy problem. Thanks for your all helping!

[mark61]

   Well yesterday I tryed to follow the oil light wire from sensor on back.  The short amount I could uncover and see did not look like any place were shorting out. Short of cutting all the clothe conduit covers and pulling the wiring harness a part I am stumped! Where does the wire go to? directly to the dash light or My manual does not have a wire diagram. Does have the efi diagnostic pages but no schematic. Can some one here clue me in?

[N-gin]

I believe the wire goes to the comuter then the computer tells the dash what to do. Most likly your sensor is bad did you change it?

[Sonny S.]

Check the wires that run under the cam cover. Your wiring is in mesh wire protector but can rub through at the mounting screw for the securing clamp to the cases.

[mark61]

Sonny, First thing I did was replace the sensor. Although I could see no rubbed spots  after  I pulled that cloth mesh back as far as I could,  I  then   forced some shrink wrap over the end  of the wire as far down it as I could. Seems to have fixed the issue. I tryed finding the other end of the wire and just can't tell the colors/figure out where it goes. Have finally found wiring diagram for it so may someday lay a new wire along side the old for replacement if the issue comes back.

Thanks!