RGS oil temperture switch

[Dellortoman]

There are two wires that dangle out of the bottom of the RGS engine. One is a red/green wire comes from the neutral switch. The other is a purple wire that according to the wiring diagram is from an oil temperature switch. I wired them into the new wiring harness. Neutral light works as expected, but when the oil temp switch is wired to a light, the light comes on (with a cold engine).

To my way of thinking, an oil temperature light is an over-temperature warning and should only come on if the oil is above a certain temperature.

Since the wiring diagram calls it a switch rather than a sensor, my assumprion was that it drives an oil temp light rather than a gauge. But when I look at an RGS dashboard, there's a temperature gauge but no light.

Can someone shed some light on this? What's the normal operation of the oil temperature switch (or sensor)?

 

[Davo]

Usual format is that they come on when you switch the ignition key to on but go out when you start the engine. Unsure if this applies to the RGS though.

 

[MarnixSFC]

The RGS has a oil temp gauge, not a light.

Marnix

 

[Laverdian]

Cam I'd call it a sensor not a switch. There's one wire going in to the centre of it so I assume it just acts as some sort of resistor which changes resistance with temperature and provides an earthing circuit across the gauge. It's as much use as a chocolate fire guard, in our northern latitudes even on the warmest day you'd be lucky if you see any temperature registered on the gauge. If you need to look at oil temperature gauges on your track bike you're not going fast enough 


Cheers,

Ian

 

[Dellortoman]

Thanks Ian & Marnix - I suspected as much  :

Davo - you're not thinking of a generator light are you?

 

[Davo]

Davo - you're not thinking of a generator light are you?

Nup. Any of the modern bikes I have had all the warning lights come on with the key and then go off (if all is well) when the engine starts.

 

[breganzane]

Nup. Any of the modern bikes I have had all the warning lights come on with the key and then go off (if all is well) when the engine starts.

You're thinking of an oil pressure light.
Hard to do on a Lav since when hot there's very little pressure.
The RGS is a variable-resistance-to-ground temp sensor.

 

[Davo]

You're thinking of an oil pressure light.
Hard to do on a Lav since when hot there's very little pressure.
The RGS is a variable-resistance-to-ground temp sensor.

Read the last sentence of my first reply. :-*

 

[Dellortoman]

The RGS is a variable-resistance-to-ground temp sensor.

Now I'm wondering what to do with the oil temperature light I built into the dashboard. I did that because the bloody wiring diagram says oil temperature switch, not sensor.
Maybe I can use it as a warning light for an open door  :

 

[Rob]

Hey Cam - I'm sure you could come up with a logic switch to light the lamp once the resistance drops below a certain threshold.....keep you amused for a few hours!!  Complete waste of time of course because the thermistor is in the coldest part of the sump.  Usually reads not a lot on the temp gauge, barely getting off the stop - think I've seen 95 degrees C when it's been roasting hot and stuck in slow traffic.  I guess track bunnies might see something similar

 

[breganzane]

Read the last sentence of my first reply. :-*

I did, it was the only bit of correct information you provided.  :-*

Cam, as Rob has suggested, there's little of interest going on down there.  I suggest you just put a magnetic plug in there, it will be of more use than the temp sensor.  After I fitted the cooler to the ICR race bike I measured entry and exit temp out of interest, but really oil temp is not a big problem. 
On the injected RGA I initially used a similar temp sensor in that location as the 'coolant temp' channel for my ECU, but it was a useless indicator of engine temp and I put a sensor in the head.  I do still monitor oil temp from that sensor, but more out of interest than anything.
If you have a light in the dash, throw it away, you will save some weight.

 

[Davo]

I did, it was the only bit of correct information you provided.  :-*

Oh, the information was correct, just not relevent  :-* 

 

[Simonr501]

Oh, the information was correct, just not relevent  :-* 

As Eric Morecombe once said 'I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order'.

 

[Paul Marx]

You don't want to know the oil temp on a Laverda unless you have a large stock of anti depressants.
Paul

 

[chrisk]

You don't want to know the oil temp on a Laverda unless you have a large stock of anti depressants.
Paul

That is the quote of the year!

 

[redax5]

just finished rebuilding a RGA/RGS bike and the temperature sensor had a big rubber bung over it so we repaired the oil leaks the bung was trying to solve
then when I fitted the engine I ran new wiring to the temperature sensor, looked at the wiring schematic and identified which wire colour I needed, completed all the wiring and then looked at the dash to see if the gauge was working only to realize the bike had the RGA gauges fitted, does not have a temperature gauge installed

old age is a bitch sometimes 

 

[markQLD]

'tis reassuring that the shed 'stupid old duffer' hat gets passed around, sometimes.

old age is a bitch sometimes   

as i woz starting to mutter profane obscenities at said RGA/RGS, while attempting to fit the rear exhaust pipe, i hear the boss's voice say "that goes on the left".
so, as i moved around to the other side of the bike stand, i replied, "i knew that".  :'(

 

[Vince]

Sounds like the worlds most expensive RGA, that things got a tail to tell. Hope the owner has a long run of happy times soon.

 

[markQLD]

'tis a good-looker RGA/S i reckon.

& it now has another world-class Redax engine.  (bigthumb)
woz lucky to take it for a 12 km loop just before beer o'clock.  runs sweet.  no surprise there.
'tis always a good return on investment in the Redax shed, ay Vince.  8)

 

[Vince]

Sounds like your Reds offical  test rider,lucky buggar