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[shawn m]

     The bike is a 2012 roadglide 103". 7500 miles. Ran dino oil to 5000 then switched to redline.
 Yesterday was riding and oil gauge went to 0 on peg. pulled over, checked oil level and level was about 1/4 up the range between add and full hot. (I usually run the level mid way on the dipstick cold.) Oil level to me was a little low but nothing to be concerned about. I assumed it was a sending unit , gauge, or ground wire problem.
     Ok here is my concern. I started the bike and the gauge went back to normal but as soon as I took off it went back to 0 on the peg. Not low but 0! I assumed it had oil pressure and I had a sending unit problem so I rode home approx 4 miles gauge on 0. When I slowed down to turn the oil pressure came up but as soon as I accelerated it went to 0 again. I braked hard again and pressure went from 0 to normal.
     I got home checked oil level and it was 1/4 between the add and full mark on the hot side of dipstick on jiffy stand. Again this did not concern me. No odd engine noise either. I topped off the oil to the full mark and the oil pressure started reading normal. Had to add approx 3/4 of a quart! Put 100 miles on bike that day and no problems.
     Could some of the tech guys give some in site on what happened please. I know running oil levels at 3.5 qts instead of 4 is standard practise but Could running the level 3/4 to 1 qt low create no oil pressure?
     Also if running at 55mph for 5 miles and I trully had no oil pressure why did motor not sieze?
Thanks and again would appreciate some direction.
Shawn

[prodrag1320]

HD motors have roller bearing lower ends,not bushings like a car,they wont seize not having oil pressure.if yours truely has 0 oil pressure,the lifters would be making alot of noise.check it with a mechanical gauge (if you need,i can send you the tool i made to check TC`s)

[shawn m]

Kirby,
Am I right in saying if the motor did loose oil pressure the first sign would be the lifters colapse and loose valve lash?
Shawn

[Thermodyne]

If the oil lamp is not lit, then it's a gauge/sender issue.  Had the same thing on my 11 TRX.  It was the sender.  It's very close to the front down pipe and the heat damages them.  In my case I had been caught in a traffic backup on the slab and once I got moving again I noticed that the gauge was laying on zero.  I pulled off and realized that the oil warning lamp was not on and that it would come on with KO/EO.  So I rode it home and took it to the dealer the next week.  Lady at the desk said it was something they were seeing on the 10-11-12 scooters. 

I'm really not impressed with the electrical systems on late MoCo touring scooters.  I've had three failures now.  Brake switch, oil sender, and a short in the running lamp circuit.  And lots have had charging system issues.  The shorted wires were from a sharp piece of casting flash in the RF marker lamp housing.  Seriously, how this was missed when the lamp assembly was put together is beyond me.  Left me with no tail lamps, 150 miles from home, in the dark, and trying to stay ahead of a winter storm.  That one really pissed me off.

[sadunbar]

Kirby,
Am I right in saying if the motor did loose oil pressure the first sign would be the lifters colapse and loose valve lash?
Shawn

Correct...you would have significant valve train noise with no oil pressure...

[dlaws01]

You are brave to continue to ride with oil pressure indicating zero. More brave than I would be, 

[Thermodyne]

If the oil lamp is off, but functional, and the lifters aren't clattering, it's a good bet that there is oil pressure and that it's just a electric gauge malfunction.

[shawn m]

Thanks for everyones help.
600+ miles, no oil pressure on gauge & no boom. I'll look into replacing the sending unit first.
What I would really like to know, is this a common issue on the late model touring bikes or has any one else had the problem?
Shawn

[prodrag1320]

i thought you were going to verify that the gauge/sender is bad.i defanatly wouldnt just keep riding it till you do

[grc]

Thanks for everyones help.
600+ miles, no oil pressure on gauge & no boom. I'll look into replacing the sending unit first.
What I would really like to know, is this a common issue on the late model touring bikes or has any one else had the problem?
Shawn

Why are you "looking into replacing the sending unit"?  A 2012 bike is still covered by the factory warranty, so let your ace dealership diagnose and then fix the problem.  While it may very well be a sending unit problem, I think it would be a much smarter approach to do the proper diagnosis rather than just throw parts at it hoping for a quick cure.  For all you know it could be something as simple as a wire coming loose at the gauge or in the connector at the sending unit.  It's a pretty simple diagnostic, even for the typical Harley shop. 

As for your question about this happening to others, I've read several reports of similar issues over the past year or two. 

Jerry

[doublerunner]

I am no expert but could it be something as simple as a clogged oil filter? Or if the filter has a bypass maybe the bypass is not working properly?

[Midnight Rider]

Thanks for everyones help.
600+ miles, no oil pressure on gauge & no boom. I'll look into replacing the sending unit first.
What I would really like to know, is this a common issue on the late model touring bikes or has any one else had the problem?
Shawn

Well...if you actually didn't have oil pressure, you'd know it for sure by now.  It's not a filter, nor a bypass.  It's probably the sending unit, but as mentioned, the bike is in warranty so why are you guessing about this?  Take it to the dealer immediately and let them check it out.