Engine Flush treatment

[Sparky84]

Oil light is coming on more often riding up hills or stopped at lights on hills, the incline is usually more than moderate. Plenty of oil there, so it's not the level.

Just wondering if a Engine Flush treatment might assist getting some muck that might be associated with this (that's if it is that), or that will do damage to the clutch?

Or maybe I need to rip of the pan and clean the oil pump filter out.

Cheers
Alan

[red]

Oil light is coming on more often riding up hills or stopped at lights on hills, the incline is usually more than moderate. Plenty of oil there, so it's not the level.  Just wondering if a Engine Flush treatment might assist getting some muck that might be associated with this (that's if it is that), or that will do damage to the clutch?  Or maybe I need to rip of the pan and clean the oil pump filter out.
Cheers
Alan

Alan,

I have no direct answers to your questions, but IIRC, the oil sensor can be removed from the pan by removing two bolts, and then you can remove the sensor and check or clean it easily.  You may be able to lean the bike over enough to do that job, without draining the oil, but drain the oil if necessary, of course.  I do not have the factory manuals, but somebody here may be able to check out this two-bolt option for you.  I would not be willing to try an engine flush at all.  I would not recommend removing the pan, if that is not necessary.
.

[balky1]

Wet clutches usually don't like it, unless you find something compatible. I wouldn't do it even then. But... as Red said try removing the sensor and see if cleaning gets you anywhere. Although cleaning the pump pick-up screen would be beneficial for the engine, it would get you nowhere on the light coming on since FJ has no oil pressure sensor, just oil level sensor.

[Bill_Rockoff]

There may be plenty of oil there, but I believe you are mistaken, it is still the oil level, because there is not "plenty enough." Add half a quart or a quart, I bet the light quits coming on in normal riding. (Riding up a hill or stopping on a hill, even a steep hill, counts as "normal" riding.)

The oil-light sensor on these doesn't seem to jibe with the sight glass fill-line. When mine has a full crankcase according to the fill line, it gives me a low-oil light under similar conditions as yours. Both of mine did that. (I had one bike from 3 miles to 9,300 miles, I've my current one from 1,500 miles to 117,000 miles so far.) I simply add 3-1/2 quarts when I change the oil and filter, and it's fine until I burn / leak some out. (Badly in need of a rebuild, mine will use a quart in a single tank of gas if I'm riding it fairly hard, but it will go 1,000 miles of commuting otherwise.)  

An "engine flush treatment" will not cure the problem you are describing, and I have not heard of one of these engines with "muck" inside. The snake-oil they sell in a parts store (which is probably kerosene or mineral oil or both) seems like a solution in search of a problem, particularly a problem your bike almost certainly does not have.

Cleaning the oil pump screen maybe couldn't hurt things, but I cannot imagine how it would help, either. It would have zero impact on the oil level, which is what is causing your "OIL" light to light up. (If the light came on because of low oil PRESSURE, it might help, but your problem is low oil LEVEL, which is not related.) And since that screen sits in a bath of oil all the time, anything caught on the screen probably falls off when the engine is not running and comes out the drain hole when you change the oil. I can't imagine there's a lot of stuff stuck to the outside of this screen, and if you're expecting to clean it like a lint trap in a clothes dryer, I think you'll be disappointed, or relieved.

[Pat Conlon]

I'm with Bill. No on the engine flush.
On my '84 my sensor started acting wonky. I removed it, cleaned it, reinstalled it and it still gave false alert lights.
Yes, it's annoying as hell....a real buzz kill.
I think they just wear out. I figured after 30 years of service, I could afford a new sensor.
$76 from RPM vs. $134 from Partszilla, it became obvious where to buy.



http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=4H7-85720-01&cat=39

Problem solved.

[Sparky84]

So I definitely won't be using an Engine Flush treatment,

I always look at sight glass before venturing out, so maybe might pull sensor out to inspect and if still giving intermittent problems might get another.

Thanks for the replies

Cheers
Alan

[wainot-Phil]

"""Oil light is coming on more often riding up hills or stopped at lights on hills, the incline is usually more than moderate""".
Hi Allan,
The same thing happened to me on my 87 ,except the light was on and off  about 6 times and then it stayed on all the time , I replaced the Oil Level Sensor with a late model low K  2nd hand one off eBay for $20 ,
The Oil Sensor,s the exact same as the FJ ,,,,, are installed in  hundreds of Bikes , Just make sure that you buy  one the same length as your old one and all will be good again ,,,

[Sparky84]

The Oil Sensor,s the exact same as the FJ ,,,,, are installed in  hundreds of Bikes , Just make sure that you buy  one the same length as your old one and all will be good again ,,,

That's Phil for that inside info.

[racerrad8]

Just wondering if a Engine Flush treatment might assist getting some muck that might be associated with this (that's if it is that), or that will do damage to the clutch?

Cheers
Alan

Alan,

If you want to do a cleaning of the internal parts of the engine, I recommend changing the oil, but adding one quart of transmission fluid during the fill up. I would run that oil for around 1000 miles and then drain it out. You can always do it a second time to keep cleaning the internal components of the engine. The transmission fluid will not harm the clutches or anything else in the engine.

Pulling the pan is not a bad idea as well. With it off you can clean any sludge/debris that might be settled in the oil pan. Don't forget to check the pick up screen, check out the 3rd & 4th photos: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=18239.msg183768#msg183768

With the pan off, you can also use brake clean to spray into the sensor in an effort of clean it internally.

As Pat already mentioned, the new replacements are on the shelf ready to go anytime and currently on sale: Oil Level Sensor

Randy - RPM

[balky1]

Just wondering if a Engine Flush treatment might assist getting some muck that might be associated with this (that's if it is that), or that will do damage to the clutch?

Cheers
Alan

Alan,

If you want to do a cleaning of the internal parts of the engine, I recommend changing the oil, but adding one quart of transmission fluid during the fill up. I would run that oil for around 1000 miles and then drain it out. You can always do it a second time to keep cleaning the internal components of the engine. The transmission fluid will not harm the clutches or anything else in the engine.

Pulling the pan is not a bad idea as well. With it off you can clean any sludge/debris that might be settled in the oil pan. Don't forget to check the pick up screen, check out the 3rd & 4th photos: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=18239.msg183768#msg183768

With the pan off, you can also use brake clean to spray into the sensor in an effort of clean it internally.

As Pat already mentioned, the new replacements are on the shelf ready to go anytime and currently on sale: Oil Level Sensor

Randy - RPM

Interesting info.
My question is which transmission fluid, with which specifications? I suppose gradation would be more important than the specifications? Automatic or manual or is it the same?

[Motofun]

ATF....Dexron III or equivalent.  Buy the cheap stuff. 

[ribbert]

Personally, I would not run a quart of tranny fluid in my own engine for 1000 miles, it has entirely different qualities to engine oil. If you really want to do it (?), add it just before the next oil change, leave it idling a while, then dump the oil hot. I would not be happy riding my bike with tranny fluid making up a quarter of the total engine oil. But hey, that's just my opinion and as everyone knows, oil behaves differently south of the equator.

Having said that, if I was asked the question, does my FJ motor (or any other modern engine) need flushing for the hell of it or as part of some sort of maintenance schedule, I would say no. If you were to pull your FJ motor apart tomorrow, it would be clean!

This is one of those old habits handed down from father to son that no longer applies. Anyone that worked on engines in the 50' and 60's and earlier will understand where the whole engine flushing thing came from.

IMO

Noel

[red]

Interesting info.  My question is which transmission fluid, with which specifications? I suppose gradation would be more important than the specifications? Automatic or manual or is it the same?

Balky,

Manual transmission oil is like 90~120 weight gear grease.  The "transmission fluid" being discussed is Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF).  This is about 10 weight oil (very thin), with a healthy dose of detergents in it.  Unless your engine oil changes have been neglected for far too long, there may be little or no need to do an "engine flush."

Remove the Oil Pressure Sensor, to check and maybe clean it.  If it come out looking fairly clean, the rest of the engine is probably just as clean inside.
.

[Motofun]

Reminds me of a story.  A fraternity brother of mine bought a used Rambler (this was about 1971).  He thought correctly that he should change the oil.  He thought incorrectly to use modern (at that time) detergent oil.  He immediately disolved all the crap in the engine (it had regular 30 wt in it).  It made it about 10 miles before seizing....