I just bought a scooter and I had a tune up done on it yesterday. I had the air filter, the spark plug and the oil changed. There’s a small green light that is supposed to go on when it’s time to change the oil. How does it work? How does the scooter know when it’s time to change the oil? Does the scooter recognize that I just had the oil changed or will the light go on at a wrong time in the future because I did not wait for the light to go on to change the oil? Is the light reliable or should I just change the oil based on mileage?
If anyone can explain this to me, it would be very helpful.
On many scooters there is a slot just below the light a bit.
When you change the oil, you push the key into this slot, and it resets the light (from red to green).
[quote=“zender”]On many scooters there is a slot just below the light a bit.
When you change the oil, you push the key into this slot, and it resets the light (from red to green).[/quote]Thanks, I’ll have a look for that. I don’t think the mechanic reset anything when he changed the oil. The light is green but it’s very dim so I’m not sure if it’s even on. I thought it would become bright green when it’s on. What I’m interested to know is how it calculates service intervals. The scooter is a 2002 model. Maybe the light doesn’t even work anymore.
It usually is just calculated off the odometer. After xxxx km the light will go on, after they change the oil, the mechanic manually resets it.
There are no sensors or any suchlike fancy electronics. In fact most scooters don’t even have a light, just a colored indicator window.
I’m guessing that it works with your odometer, and it just comes on again (red) after 700 or 800 kilometers.
Maybe you should write down the mileage and see if it comes on next time. If you get to 1000 kms, change it for sure. Don’t assume your mechanic will push the key into the hole to reset it for you.
[quote=“plasmatron”]It usually is just calculated off the odometer. After xxxx km the light will go on, after they change the oil, the mechanic manually resets it.
There are no sensors or any suchlike fancy electronics. In fact most scooters don’t even have a light, just a colored indicator window.[/quote]
[quote=“zender”]
Maybe you should write down the mileage and see if it comes on next time.[/quote]I did that already because I am not sure the light even works so I need to keep an eye on the mileage to know when to change the oil next. Thanks!
Its not a light, just a wee roller thing that’s green on one side, red on the other. When the mileometer clicks over 1,000km or whatever, the roller turns, so the red bit shows. YOu change the oil and stick your key in the little slot underneath the dash, which resets it to green.
[quote=“RobinTaiwan”]There’s a small green light that is supposed to go on when it’s time to change the oil. How does it work?
If anyone can explain this to me, it would be very helpful. [/quote]
When a switch is closed, completing the circuit, electrons flow through the wire from the ‘positive’ terminal to the ‘negative’ terminal because of the difference in electric potential between those two points. The light globe has a small section of very high resistance wire (compared to the wire in the rest of the circuit) so most of the work done by those electrons in moving through the wire occurs in the filament of the light globe. This makes the wire very hot, so that it emits photons of energy, and also heats surrounding areas by conduction. Most of the photons are in infrared wavelengths, and are invisible, but some of the photons emitted by the hot wire are in the visible wavelengths and can therefore be seen when they reach the eye. The lens of the lamp contains a piece of translucent plastic that absorbs photons in the red and blue parts of the spectrum, so only ‘green’ photons get through, and so the lamp glows green.
[quote=“urodacus”][quote=“RobinTaiwan”]There’s a small green light that is supposed to go on when it’s time to change the oil. How does it work?
If anyone can explain this to me, it would be very helpful. [/quote]
When a switch is closed, completing the circuit, electrons flow through the wire from the ‘positive’ terminal to the ‘negative’ terminal because of the difference in electric potential between those two points. The light globe has a small section of very high resistance wire (compared to the wire in the rest of the circuit) so most of the work done by those electrons in moving through the wire occurs in the filament of the light globe. This makes the wire very hot, so that it emits photons of energy, and also heats surrounding areas by conduction. Most of the photons are in infrared wavelengths, and are invisible, but some of the photons emitted by the hot wire are in the visible wavelengths and can therefore be seen when they reach the eye. The lens of the lamp contains a piece of translucent plastic that absorbs photons in the red and blue parts of the spectrum, so only ‘green’ photons get through, and so the lamp glows green.[/quote]
Shouldn’t this be in the “Dying in Taiwan” forum?
[quote=“sandman”]Its not a light, just a wee roller thing that’s green on one side, red on the other. When the mileometer clicks over 1,000km or whatever, the roller turns, so the red bit shows. YOu change the oil and stick your key in the little slot underneath the dash, which resets it to green.[/quote]Upon closer inspection, I think you are right. It’s not a light which explains why I thought it was on but dim. I also found the key slot and I reseted it. I’ll have to wait and see if it will eventually turns red. Thanks, sandman.
