2nd Gen Oil Pump Removal and Disassembly to Check for Wear

Removal and Disassembly of the Oil Pump for the 2nd Gen Virago. Includes opening the Pump up to check for wear and determining if it is bad or not (comparing it to a bad one I have). Also shows the steps needed to prep the pump for installation. The 2nd Gen pump is very similar to the 1st Gens so this video is applicable for them as well.
Music by Aaron Young for the high speed parts

[@seniorrider9337]

Dang Steve, I just watched these videos on the 1100 oil pump/flywheel removal and man you are making very good instructional videos. I think I could do this if I needed to after watching these videos, BUT, I hope I never have to.

[@StevesDIYs]

Thanks man 👍. Yep, the flywheel is tough to get off and on without messing up the timing or gear positions with the heads still on, but fortunately Yamaha gave us the little holes to line it all up and keep parts from gong everywhere so I figured I’d leave all of the details in there for folks. The oil pump disassembly and check is not so common for folks to do, but it never hurts to check it for peace of mind if someone is already down there. Most important thing for the pump is to prime it with assembly lube and/or oil so it can pick the oil up and start pumping again.
My oil pressure problem turned out to be a combination of the right side crank shaft oil seal being just a tad big from age and all of that goo that was in the bottom of the motor stopping up the oil filter. Not sure what it was though, but it was about a 3/8” thick layer of it so I guess it was getting picked up and taken to the filter which was restricting the oil flow. Might have been some oil additive the previous owner put in there, but hard to actually know.

[@GarysnewYT]

Thank you Steve, I didn’t know about the scoring on the inside of the oil pump until I saw this video. This is another valuable informational video. Much appreciated. I’m curious of what’s causing the low oil pressure. I’m sure you will
figure it out.

[@StevesDIYs]

Thanks man ! Yep, if the oil is allowed to get a lot of big contaminants in it (like if someone forgot to put the orange oring in the oil filter cover when they did a filter change) it gets sucked up by the pump and puts the score marks on the surfaces…basically making it less efficient at pumping the oil. The one I showed that I could catch my fingernail in the score marks was from a 1st Gen parts motor I have that was missing the filter cover oring when I disassembled it (as well as a spun rod bearing ) so it was probably run low on oil or something.
The low oil pressure actually turned out to be a combination of the right side crank seal where the oil goes into the end of the crank and what ever that gooey stuff was that I had to wipe out if the bottom of the motor in the video stopping up the oil filter. The crank seal was hard and was not sealing good anymore, but I’m still not sure what that stuff was in the motor…it was about 3/8” thick in the bottom of the motor. I suspect it was some type of oil additive that the previous owner had put in there and since it was soooo thick, it didn’t even come out when I did the first oil change when I got the bike…never will know for sure what it was though. The pressure is all good now and matches up to the other three Viragos so looks like the motor is in good shape overall 👍.

[@GarysnewYT]

@@StevesDIYs Thank you for the extra information on the cause of the low oil pressure. I already knew you would figure it out because of your experience, great job Steve.

[@jorgelujan5055]

The only thing i remember doing is changing the oil and the oil filter. When im driving, i shift to 3rd gear then to 4th and 5th, the oil light comes on and stays on for a few seconds, then goes away. Is there anything in there to indicate that the pump is going bad???

[@StevesDIYs]

Hey man ! The oil light on the Viragos is actually a low oil level indicator vs. an oil pressure sensor so if the oil light is coming on when the rpms are up, it only means that the oil level is getting low in the motor case as the oil gets pumped up to the heads and places (so the oil pump should be fine). You might just add a bit more oil until the oil level is at the top of the sight glass on the left side cover (with the bike standing straight up or on the center stand). There’s plenty of room in the bottom of the motor case to have the oil level up at the top of the sight glass with no issue. If that keeps it from coming on, then you should be good to go.

[@AlbRider03]

Hey steve thanks again for this video , i also wanted to know did you make any video how to fix te timing , because I checked mine today the cyl 1 is a bit advanced and cyl2 is retarded , and dont have enough knowledge how to fix it . Thank you

[@StevesDIYs]

Thanks man ! For the timing being off, is it just off slightly (like less than one link on the chain?). If so, it’s probably just that the chain has stretched a little over the years and it doesn’t hurt anything to be off just a small amount. If it is off more than one link of the chain, you would just need to remove the cam chain gear held by the bolt in the center of the gear, and then walk the chain over one tooth.
To get the gear back on, you then use a flat blade screwdriver and turn the chain tensioner in so it gives the chain some slack, then put the gear back on the cam being careful to line up the pin that’s in the cam to the hole on the gear.
In case you weren’t sure, the chain tensioners are under the small covers with the small black rubber bump in the middle of them on the intake side of the cylinders. The two small screws that hold the cover come out then the flat for the tensioner is just inside the cover. Hope this helps a bit and all the best ! Steve

[@AlbRider03]

@@StevesDIYs hey Steve , thanks for the answer , i just checked again and both are maybe one link off , so ill leave it like that , its probably as you said the chain got stretched it has 50k km on it already and who knows if it works . Thank you very much 🙏🏼