oil switch question
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2nd Gear
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oil switch question
i just bought a 98 sporty 1200 xlh and it had been in storage for 3 years, not stored very well, i cleaned it up and it seems to run fine, but now all of a sudden the oil idiot light doesn't come on with the key on. i thought maybe the bulb was corroded since i had the same problem with the turn signal (dash) bulb indicators, so i took it apart and verified that the bulb itself is ok. there is an oil cooler on this bike that looks kind of complicated and i don't really want to get into it unless i have to. question - is it pretty common for the oil switch to go out, should this be my next area of investigation? or is there something else i might check. the oil tank is full of new oil. oh one other thing, there is a hose coming up in front of the bike and goes underneath the handlebar right above the big fork nut, that is terminated with a set screw, i think maybe there had been an oil pressure guage at one time. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated
thanks!
tim
thanks!
tim
RE: oil switch question
If a 98 Sportster is anything like a 99 Heritage, the oil pressure switch should be a single wire that sources power through the ignition switch, through the light and finds ground at the switch. The switch should be normally closed (NC), which connects the load (Neutral light) to ground and illuminates the light. When the engine starts,pressure makes the contactinside the switch transferopen and the light goes out.
The quick & dirty test is to pull the wire off the oil pressure switch andtouch it to any bare metal ground with the ignition switch ON but with the engine off. The light should illuminate.
If the light illuminates, then the switch itself is bad.
If the light does not illuminate, then there is a problem with the bulb or the path through the ignition switch.
The quick & dirty test is to pull the wire off the oil pressure switch andtouch it to any bare metal ground with the ignition switch ON but with the engine off. The light should illuminate.
If the light illuminates, then the switch itself is bad.
If the light does not illuminate, then there is a problem with the bulb or the path through the ignition switch.
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