A friend of mine rode up to the finger lakes region of NY over the weekend to meet a buddy who was coming down from Canada.
Canada looks at his oil pressure gauge and sees that oil pressure has dropped from 50 psi to 15 psi. He gets worried and pulls over. When my friend pulls up he gets told that not only has the oil pressure 'gone away' but the engine is making 'rattling' noises. They pull out cell phones and find a Harley dealer (oh yeah, a 2010 EGUC with 7000 miles). Explain the situation and get told that 'Sorry, it's a holiday weekend, we're going home'.
They manage to find another dealer 38 miles away who told them to bring it in and they'd look at it. So they get it towed in. Canada tells the svc writer the story and mentions that he filled it up with regular instead of premium at the last gas stop. Svc writer sells him a can of octane boost and then checks the oil (which was synthetic and had about 200 miles on it). Says "I can smell that your oil has been burned up by the hot engine, which was caused by the regular gas", and sells him an oil change.

So, he got back on the road which is good but I'm really not sure that the oil change was necessary. I think they did that to make a couple of bucks. $135 for an oil change and a can of octane boost.

I told them to just continue their trip and think of it in the light that the dealer was willing to stop what ever they were doing and look at his bike. If they hadn't he would have been stuck paying for a motel room for 2 days to be told the same thing. In the long run it's not that much money but I still think the oil change wasn't necessary. (The octane boost took away the 'rattling'.)

 

200 miles on an oil change and you were told the oil was burned by the hot engine, caused by regular gas?
I think you were scammed!
I use the highest octane when ever filling but at times, the station doesn't have High Test.
Never had a problem with an occasional lower grade of gas in my Ultra.
I do carry a bottle of gas additive, just in case.
Never noticed that it helped.
It just made me feel good.

 

The reason dealers can get away with that kind of ridiculous stuff is that too many people have no knowledge of the workings of their motorcycle.

Regular gas causing low oil pressure...for cryin out loud...

 

Im not a mechanic, but I find it hard to believe that 89 octane would burn that much hotter than 91.
So what type of oil was used when it lost pressure? What filter?

 

It's wasn't the gas.

 

Low octane gas causing low oil pressure?


And y'all believed that?


That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time!!!!

 

first thought the same thing , gas won't cause low oil pressure. However after thinking about it lower octane could cause it to run hotter, which would raise the temp on the oil. When you said the bike was rattling (preignition, spark knock) and had low oild pressure I wonder just how hot the engine did get, it may not have been absolutely necessary, but an oil change might not have been a bad idea. Personally if I get caught in stop and go traffic where I know the engine has been run hot I'll change the oil even if the mileage is low on the oil change. If the oil has a burnt smell I don't blame the dealer for suggesting it. Synthetic resists heat better but an oild pretty cheap insurance for your motor if its got overheated.

 

Hi There, I only have a 2001 883 hugger but the manual says for me to only use the lower octane gas and my instructor also told me not to use high octane ( I was going to use it cuz I was under the impression that the higher octane the better ) because the higher octane will make my bike run to hot. I know this prob doesn't help much but I just wanted to tell you what I learned.

 

Check your invoice and make sure they didn't charge you to check your blinker fluid and muffler bearings

 

lower octane does burn hotter and may have thinned out the oil because of higher engine temps. resulting in lower oil pressure. just like when your oils cold the pressure is higher. i don't think a change was needed, unless the oil really did smell burnt.