I'm hoping some of the clever dogs can help me figure this out.
Yesterday my eldest and I took to the western canal route. I tell you, a 24 year old has way too much testosterone for their own good. I can't imagine I was ever such a cowboy :ricky:
Anyway, at one point I dropped the GS after I unknowingly stopped with a ditch on my left, so I couln't put my foot down. She just fell over gently, and it took me a second or so to get back to her to turn off the engine. So she was running on her side for about 2 seconds max. After picking her up and waiting a minute or so I started her, only to hear the normal clackity-clack of the timing chain when there is not enough oil pressure for the tensioner. The oil pressure icon as well as the red triangle was flashing furiously, so I turned the engine off again. I assumed all the oil ran to the wrong place, so I left the bike on the center stand for about 5 minutes to allow all the oil to run down to the bottom again. Keeping my eye on the sight glass I could see it filling up, and there was definitely enough oil in the engine. Yet, when I started again the same happened. Clackity-clack and flashing lights. I gave her a few seconds to see if pressure would build up, then turned her off again.
This was a dilemma. In the end I thought I could start her and give her a quick blip to help build up oil pressure. Well either that, or I'm going to break something when I blip her. I waited another 5 minutes or so and started her again, same noise, but the moment I blipped her all returned to normal. The sound smoothed out, the lights turned off, and she was happy. We continued riding, and she's been perfectly fine since.
I assume some air got trapped at the oil pump or something? I don't know where the oil pump is located in this engine. Maybe it would have helped leaning her over to the right for a while? Anyway, question is, is this normal? Or does the fact that she would not build up oil pressure at idling point to a worn oil pump perhaps? Did I do some damage by blipping her like that? Even though it got everything running normally again? Finally, is there something else one can do to get rid of such an air lock, if that indeed was the problem?
I look forward to some leanred replies.
Yesterday my eldest and I took to the western canal route. I tell you, a 24 year old has way too much testosterone for their own good. I can't imagine I was ever such a cowboy :ricky:
Anyway, at one point I dropped the GS after I unknowingly stopped with a ditch on my left, so I couln't put my foot down. She just fell over gently, and it took me a second or so to get back to her to turn off the engine. So she was running on her side for about 2 seconds max. After picking her up and waiting a minute or so I started her, only to hear the normal clackity-clack of the timing chain when there is not enough oil pressure for the tensioner. The oil pressure icon as well as the red triangle was flashing furiously, so I turned the engine off again. I assumed all the oil ran to the wrong place, so I left the bike on the center stand for about 5 minutes to allow all the oil to run down to the bottom again. Keeping my eye on the sight glass I could see it filling up, and there was definitely enough oil in the engine. Yet, when I started again the same happened. Clackity-clack and flashing lights. I gave her a few seconds to see if pressure would build up, then turned her off again.
This was a dilemma. In the end I thought I could start her and give her a quick blip to help build up oil pressure. Well either that, or I'm going to break something when I blip her. I waited another 5 minutes or so and started her again, same noise, but the moment I blipped her all returned to normal. The sound smoothed out, the lights turned off, and she was happy. We continued riding, and she's been perfectly fine since.
I assume some air got trapped at the oil pump or something? I don't know where the oil pump is located in this engine. Maybe it would have helped leaning her over to the right for a while? Anyway, question is, is this normal? Or does the fact that she would not build up oil pressure at idling point to a worn oil pump perhaps? Did I do some damage by blipping her like that? Even though it got everything running normally again? Finally, is there something else one can do to get rid of such an air lock, if that indeed was the problem?
I look forward to some leanred replies.
