Triumphrat

TX1911fan

It's a brand new shorai. Can I put a regular trickle charger on it?

Seems strange it would just die like that. I started it right up yesterday. However, I haven't ridden in over a week.

Forchetto

If you have not been doing much riding it's probably discharged. Apparently any trickle charger will work, as long as it doesn't have a desulfate feature (ie. Optimate). Most Battery tenders work fine.

TX1911fan

Well, after charging the battery I started the bike. When I disconnect the switch the light goes off. Connect it again and it comes back on. That means I need a new switch, right?


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Forchetto

If you're sure that you do have oil pressure then yes.

Note that the oil pressure switch opens its contacts to estinguish the warning lamp with just 0.25 Bar (3.6 PSI). The normal running pressure at that point is around 50-60psi and as much as 70-80 psi with a cold engine.

Not easy to ascertain if you have pressure. With the bike upright observe the oil level window. Start engine and observe that the oil that was previously showing there disappears straight away. This shows that the pump is at least drawing oil from the sump and circulating it.

If you can't hear any strange noises from the top end it's probably safe to assume that the valve gear is being lubricated.

If you have an ohmmeter connect one probe to the oil switch terminal and the other one to a good ground. With engine stopped there should be full continuity. As soon as the engine is going the contacts should open and you'll see an open circuit on the meter.

TX1911fan

I've done the check you recommended, and I believe I have oil pressure. The oil disappears when the engine is started and I have no strange noises.

Is the part I need to order #18 in the attached image? Do I need to order anything else?

Also, do I need to drain the oil when I replace the switch?

Forchetto

Yes, item 18. It's a combined pressure switch and banjo oil connection as well. I don't think the crush washers come with it so I'd replace them as well (item 19x2).

There will only be a little oil dribble but place a rag on top of the crankcase to avoid any mess.

Follow Mikeinva's advice for removal, it's on post 3 of this thread. Torque is 13Nm (About 10 ft/lbs). It's not much, but as you have to use a rather large wrench due to the 22mm hexagon, there's the possibility of overtightening due to the excessive leverage.

TX1911fan

Thanks for the tips, as always! I'll order the parts today and when they come I'll document the procedure. And I'll slather it up with dielectric grease once I replace it to keep this from happening again. I don't think it was coincidence that this happened just after I washed the bike and had a boot full of water.

TX1911fan

Forchetto, I checked the oil in my window on startup. It doesn't immediately disappear, but it does empty out and then when the bike is shut off it fills back up again. No strange sounds. Am I good?


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Forchetto

I think so. A fault in the lube system means the first thing to suffer is the valve gear and lack of pressure there causes increased top end noise.

The way to know for sure is to undo the banjo connection a little bit, either at the top of the crankcase or at the pressure switch, but it could be messy as the oil should squirt out if everything is OK.

I know I'm always ranting about the past, but some of my old bikes actually had a plug in the valve gear oilway that was undone a tad to provide visual confirmation of oil flow. This CB350 for example, see arrowed bolt:

TX1911fan

Changed the switch yesterday and all is fine. Was pretty easy to replace with the tank off. I smeared the connection with dielectric grease and cut a drain hole in the bottom of the boot.


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