Pro-Oiler Help

[Zero Knievel]

I went to check the bike and noticed that an air bubble in my oil line (downstream from the pump) wasn't moving.

I tried priming the pump, but nothing happened.

I did the troubleshooting. Battery was okay. Wiring was okay. I lubed the pump with WD-40. Eventually, it started running again. However, it wasn't pushing oil even after dozens of prime cycles. Now it just isn't running anymore.

Anyone been down this road?

[haWHYnXX]

When I first installed mine, it would not pump either. After rechecking, I realized I wired it wrong.

That's when I talked to Pablo at Pro-Oiler. One of his suggestions was to whack the pump with the butt end of a screwdriver (don't try to kill it, but not too lightly). This in conjunction with the WD-40 lube you already mentioned.

Also, try unplugging the oil line at the sprocket nozzle and see if it will prime. If it does, you'll need to clean all the crap out of the nozzle. Grease and grime could be plugging it up there.

Good luck - if nothing else works, email Pablo at Pro-Oiler. He's very responsive.

[Zero Knievel]

Whack it in the butt?

So far, I've been testing the pump w/o an outgoing line attached. It's not pumping even though you feel it operating.

I don't know if the pump design is idiot proof (if it pumps, fluid must flow) or if it can "pump" but something inside be busted so that it still doesn't work.

I tried blowing oil through (oil in supply line with me blowing on the end to create positive pressure. Nothing goes through when the pump operates.

Either it's really gummed up or it's busted. I'd try soaking it, but I don't know if that is safe.

Too bad the 24-month warranty on parts just expired.

[Zero Knievel]

Well, Pablo said to whack it in the butt.

Never needed to.

Took the bike into town for the annual inspection. I hooked everything back up. I sucked the oil to the pump intake, and closed everything up.

I set the oil dispersion to maximum and decided to just see what happens. When I got home (appx. 40 miles), the oil line was free of air bubbles.

My guess is that the "prime" function isn't all that great on a MC battery. You gotta have the voltage and amps to make it pump strong, and I was already hooking a car battery in (in parallel) to keep the bike from dying while I kept running prime cycles (the headlamp was eating up the juice). Running to town and back seemed to solve the problem.

I'll watch to see if the oil stays lubed properly at the normal setting (5). If so, there's no more trouble.

[haWHYnXX]

Yeah, from Pro-Oiler install guide:

Important: the pump needs at least 11.5V to operate - but the controller needs only 5.5V.

So, if the controller counts through the 20x Prime pulses, but nothing happens at the pump, just start the bike's

engine so that the battery is charging and the voltage is up - then try again.

And I think butt whacking is good at any time!!!

[Zero Knievel]

Well, my multimeter said I had well over 12v.

I think the battery was low on amps from not being run in a while.

[CCTX_XX]

I have been going thru the same nonsense with my pump. It will not pump just off the battery though, I have hooked it up to a charger, whacked it, and then squirted wd-40 into it in order to get it going again. It will work for a while and then quit again. It has been irritating to say the least. I cannot remember how long I have had it but I am sure it has been less than 2 years, I guess it is time for an e-mail.

[Zero Knievel]

Well, you should have a 24-month warranty, so contact Pablo immediately so if you need a new pump, it's covered.

I suspect it gets gummed up over time, even with clean oil. When you consider a bike might sit for several months with minimal use, I can see how that happens.

My 2 cents....do as I did. Get a car battery and jump in parallel (+ to +, - to -) so you're using the CCA of both batteries to work with. This way you can prime for a long time and not drain your bike's battery. If you get the pump to work at all, suck oil down the supply tube and connect it pre-bled to the supply side of the pump. If it still doesn't pump, try putting it all back together, and go for a 50 mile ride with the system set to maximum oiling. With the bike running, it might do the job...at least that's how mine started working right again. 50 miles will not harm your chain at all.

Another trick is to take some of the capillary tube (oil tube) and make a loop from supply to output. Put some WD-40 in the tube (not 100% as the air bubble will tell you if it's working. I think a problem with the pump is that it needs a constant suction to make it work, and that happens sooner with a narrow looped tube than it does with the oil tank. Don't know why, though. When I did this trick, I saw the fluid shoot around in circles and thought the problem was solved. Put the thing back together and hardly any oil would pump. Took the bike to town and back and the problem seemed to be solved.

Also, I don't know how viscosity affects the system. I use straight 30 weight. I don't see this as a problem, but it has been cold (30-40), and even though the bike is in a garage, it's still probably 40-50 degrees all the time. I don't think that's too cold, but maybe the pump works best with warm oil (70+ degrees)? When I took the bike home, it was chilly, but it warmed up to the 50 degree range and the bike (black) was sitting in the afternoon sun.