Bad Oil Pump?

dieselracer · 06-03-2014, 07:11 PM

I was wondering how often you have heard about oil pumps going bad? Today after work I went to the store and took a much longer commute then I am used to. So on the way back to the house. I noticed the engine was getting a little louder. When I got on it It was resonating more noise then i was used to. Then a few miles later at a stop. I noticed that the engine started to rev up on me. An issue i thought I fixed a few weeks ago by adjusting the idle mixture.. I dragged the clutch to bring the idle back down.

When I went to take off from the stop. I noticed that the engine started to make a clunking noise. That same noise when you are about to stall out an engine. I slipped the clutch a little extra and once the engine revved up the noise went away. I have heard that noise before a couple times when stalling the bike when i first got it (learning). But now it was doing it on take off and have to slip the clutch extra to keep it from doing it. I thought maybe the oil was low. I stood the bike up right. Checked the oil with the engine off. It was right at the full mark. Then I decided to start the engine while stood up and see if the oil disappears. The oil did not disappear. Gave it a quick rev and the oil was still there. It was more or less still at the full mark due to the engine vibrating. IIRC the oil should disappear from the window right? What would cause the oil pump to go bad? its a 2003 with 33,000 miles on it.

Thanks

Water Warrior 2 · 06-04-2014, 01:00 AM

Don't ride it at all. Do not even start the bike. Some one will be along shortly who knows more about the oil pump than I do.

**jonathan180iq** · 06-04-2014, 09:04 AM

Recently had a similar problem with another member on here. I suggest it was a faulty oil pump gear after some clutch work had been done, seeing as they are on the same drive. In the aforementioned case, that was not the issue, but it's worth a look to you. Check out this exploded parts diagram.

http://www.ronayers.com/CLUTCH--C227893.aspx

The oil pump is identified as #16, directly in front of the primary drive (which is #1).

I'm not saying that this is your issue as I don't see the background, but if you've had any work done recently then keep this in mind.

Blockages can cause oil from not flowing or pumping either, but unless there was some real damage somewhere inside, I don't see this being an issue, unless of course you just never changed your oil and it's like chocolate fudge... But you don't seem like the kind of cat who would do that.

WW is right- don't try and ride it at all until this is resolved.

You can tell a lot about what's happening in the engine by draining the oil and straining some through a filter of some sort.

I would recommend doing an oil drain and seeing what kind of stuff comes out with it. Also, inspect the oil filter element. It should have caught some things if there is a real problem in there. Then do a refill and see what happens on a quick start up. I would also enlist the help of a friend or, at the very least, some rear fork stands to hold the bike upright for you the whole time so you can inspect what's going on.

dieselracer · 06-04-2014, 09:12 PM

Thank you for your input. I changed the Oil to synthetic as soon as I got the bike. Has less then 500 miles on the oil. I took the bike back out and it seems to be running back to normal. If i start the engine and let it idle the oil in the sight glass stays about the same and just jumps around. Then I took it down the street. Went fast enough to hit second gear and then stopped at a stop sign. I then looked at the oil sight as soon as I stopped. There was no more oil in the sight glass. So then I stayed and waited and after 5 to 10 seconds the oil starts drops back down. I think That it might be normal as I have read that an idling bike will not lubricate the engine properly.

As far as the knocking/stalling off the line. It has not done it yet. I think I may know what happened. This commute I took yesterday was not just longer but also harder on the bike. The hardest I have ridden the bike yet. Since I had to go WOT for quite some time to get up to speed and then hitting stops shortly after that and back to WOT. I am a heavy guy too. Also hit a few steep hills where I was going WOT in 3rd or 4th for some time. I think the engine may have started or overheated a little bit. Making the engine work harder on take off causing the about to stall knock as I took off and needing more throttle.

As for the louder then normal engine, It was at WOT. Now that I think about it. I think It may have been pinging. Maybe the extra heat was causing pre-ignition. The reason I think it was running hotter then normal was I forgot to mention when I got home and shut the engine off, The exhaust popped.

The only time the exhaust has ever popped before was when I had it idling too long in search of a vacuum leak and the engine got hot. When the exhaust popped that one time. I started the engine again and off two more times. It continued to pop. I figured it was the heat. I did a couple of laps around the block. Pulled it into the house and shut it off. It didn't pop any more. That's why I think the engine was just a little to hot.

Any of this seem plausible? Thanks again.

raul10141964 · 06-04-2014, 10:52 PM

checking the oil pressure and aspects from the service manual

**jonathan180iq** · 06-05-2014, 08:43 AM

Good post, Raul.

With 33,000 miles on the bike, you're a little past the half-way mark for a fully lived GZ. Going on longer WOT runs probably isn't in your best interest. That being said, I'm not the kind of person who actually believes that engines have a cut-off mileage. If a vehicle has been taken care of, it will last.

You've switched to synthetic and have put 500 miles on the bike since then. Are those 500 miles your only miles on the bike?

Do a valve inspection and adjust as necessary to spec. There is a brief write-up here on the site and the service manual can assist with any blanks that you might draw. And keep is in the loop.

dieselracer · 06-07-2014, 07:28 PM

Yes I have only owned the bike for a month or so. Been working on it little bit at a time. I am on vacation now. So wont be able to do anything for a week. Will check valve clearance next and a new spark plug since I dont know the age of the current one.

k1w1t1m · 06-13-2014, 12:00 PM

I think you need to check for vacuum leaks again and/or check your mixture. Things you've said just make me think it's running lean. I could be wrong, it's just a hunch.

06-04-2014, 09:04 AM	#3
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Recently had a similar problem with another member on here. I suggest it was a faulty oil pump gear after some clutch work had been done, seeing as they are on the same drive. In the aforementioned case, that was not the issue, but it's worth a look to you. Check out this exploded parts diagram. http://www.ronayers.com/CLUTCH--C227893.aspx The oil pump is identified as #16, directly in front of the primary drive (which is #1). I'm not saying that this is your issue as I don't see the background, but if you've had any work done recently then keep this in mind. Blockages can cause oil from not flowing or pumping either, but unless there was some real damage somewhere inside, I don't see this being an issue, unless of course you just never changed your oil and it's like chocolate fudge... But you don't seem like the kind of cat who would do that. WW is right- don't try and ride it at all until this is resolved. You can tell a lot about what's happening in the engine by draining the oil and straining some through a filter of some sort. I would recommend doing an oil drain and seeing what kind of stuff comes out with it. Also, inspect the oil filter element. It should have caught some things if there is a real problem in there. Then do a refill and see what happens on a quick start up. I would also enlist the help of a friend or, at the very least, some rear fork stands to hold the bike upright for you the whole time so you can inspect what's going on. Login or Register to Remove Ads
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06-03-2014, 07:11 PM	#1
dieselracer Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 3	Bad Oil Pump? I was wondering how often you have heard about oil pumps going bad? Today after work I went to the store and took a much longer commute then I am used to. So on the way back to the house. I noticed the engine was getting a little louder. When I got on it It was resonating more noise then i was used to. Then a few miles later at a stop. I noticed that the engine started to rev up on me. An issue i thought I fixed a few weeks ago by adjusting the idle mixture.. I dragged the clutch to bring the idle back down. When I went to take off from the stop. I noticed that the engine started to make a clunking noise. That same noise when you are about to stall out an engine. I slipped the clutch a little extra and once the engine revved up the noise went away. I have heard that noise before a couple times when stalling the bike when i first got it (learning). But now it was doing it on take off and have to slip the clutch extra to keep it from doing it. I thought maybe the oil was low. I stood the bike up right. Checked the oil with the engine off. It was right at the full mark. Then I decided to start the engine while stood up and see if the oil disappears. The oil did not disappear. Gave it a quick rev and the oil was still there. It was more or less still at the full mark due to the engine vibrating. IIRC the oil should disappear from the window right? What would cause the oil pump to go bad? its a 2003 with 33,000 miles on it. Thanks Login or Register to Remove Ads Last edited by dieselracer; 06-03-2014 at 07:14 PM.
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06-04-2014, 01:00 AM	#2
Water Warrior 2 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Squamish B.C Canada Posts: 11,409	Don't ride it at all. Do not even start the bike. Some one will be along shortly who knows more about the oil pump than I do.
	0

06-04-2014, 09:12 PM	#4
dieselracer Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 3	Thank you for your input. I changed the Oil to synthetic as soon as I got the bike. Has less then 500 miles on the oil. I took the bike back out and it seems to be running back to normal. If i start the engine and let it idle the oil in the sight glass stays about the same and just jumps around. Then I took it down the street. Went fast enough to hit second gear and then stopped at a stop sign. I then looked at the oil sight as soon as I stopped. There was no more oil in the sight glass. So then I stayed and waited and after 5 to 10 seconds the oil starts drops back down. I think That it might be normal as I have read that an idling bike will not lubricate the engine properly. As far as the knocking/stalling off the line. It has not done it yet. I think I may know what happened. This commute I took yesterday was not just longer but also harder on the bike. The hardest I have ridden the bike yet. Since I had to go WOT for quite some time to get up to speed and then hitting stops shortly after that and back to WOT. I am a heavy guy too. Also hit a few steep hills where I was going WOT in 3rd or 4th for some time. I think the engine may have started or overheated a little bit. Making the engine work harder on take off causing the about to stall knock as I took off and needing more throttle. As for the louder then normal engine, It was at WOT. Now that I think about it. I think It may have been pinging. Maybe the extra heat was causing pre-ignition. The reason I think it was running hotter then normal was I forgot to mention when I got home and shut the engine off, The exhaust popped. The only time the exhaust has ever popped before was when I had it idling too long in search of a vacuum leak and the engine got hot. When the exhaust popped that one time. I started the engine again and off two more times. It continued to pop. I figured it was the heat. I did a couple of laps around the block. Pulled it into the house and shut it off. It didn't pop any more. That's why I think the engine was just a little to hot. Any of this seem plausible? Thanks again.
	0

06-05-2014, 08:43 AM	#6
jonathan180iq Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Dalton, GA Posts: 3,996	Good post, Raul. With 33,000 miles on the bike, you're a little past the half-way mark for a fully lived GZ. Going on longer WOT runs probably isn't in your best interest. That being said, I'm not the kind of person who actually believes that engines have a cut-off mileage. If a vehicle has been taken care of, it will last. You've switched to synthetic and have put 500 miles on the bike since then. Are those 500 miles your only miles on the bike? Do a valve inspection and adjust as necessary to spec. There is a brief write-up here on the site and the service manual can assist with any blanks that you might draw. And keep is in the loop.
	0

06-07-2014, 07:28 PM	#7
dieselracer Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 3	Yes I have only owned the bike for a month or so. Been working on it little bit at a time. I am on vacation now. So wont be able to do anything for a week. Will check valve clearance next and a new spark plug since I dont know the age of the current one.
	0

06-13-2014, 12:00 PM	#8
k1w1t1m Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Centerton AR USA Posts: 36	I think you need to check for vacuum leaks again and/or check your mixture. Things you've said just make me think it's running lean. I could be wrong, it's just a hunch.
	0