Currently the oil light on my new to me '88 FXSTC doesn't light up with the key on and the engine not running.

I doing a little research here on oil, oil pressure, oil levels, and oil indicator lights here it seems I don't need an oil pressure gauge. The noises and vibrations are probably all normal, I have learned since I got a manual today I've been running it on the low end of acceptable.

Since my light never has come on at all it made me specificly check it this evening.

The light should come on with the key on and it not running?

The key switch is a little hinky and sometimes the nuetral light comes on and sometimes it doesn't. I think something is a little loose connection under the "dash" there with the ignition switch. Just jiggling it while running with make the engine miss a little and sometimes you have to jiggle it even after switching to run in order to get all the lights to come on and the starter to engage. Even then the light indicators working are hit and miss.

Should I even bother to get the idiot light working for the oil pressure?

 

Jack on a bike that old yes you need your oil pressure light.
First thing I would check is make sure the wire is on the oil pressure sender, not sure where yours is but mine is in the front bottom right side of the engine.
If is is plugged in take it off and turn on the key take a volt meter and make sure the wire has current.
The sender acts as a ground for the light, when the bike has pressure the switch does not ground the light.
(so if the wire is off the light will not come on)
If there is no juice to the wire then you need to track down the problem.
If you know the switch has intermittent problems, I would start there.
Pull off the wires and use a electronic connection cleaner, then put in some dielectric grease. (not a bad ides to do this to all your connections,)
I do not know what switch you have so you need to check your manual.
If the lights go off and on when you wiggle the wires it is a bad connection, if they go off and on while you wiggle the key ****, then the switch is bad.
Some switches you can take apart and clean grease, some you cant, and you have to replace the switch.
Sounds like you need to replace the switch.
Let us know.
Oh yea light should be on when you turn on the switch. (no pressure)

 

On my 90, the bulb sockets in the dash were corroded.
Check that first.

 

Thanks a bunch guys. That's a darn good start.

Got the tappet screen checked, cleaned and replaced.

Found the primary drain. Checked the primary chain it's fine so I put that back together with a new gasket on the inspection cover. Pulled the clutch cover to refill and it's got about a 4 inch 0 ring. I think the shop gave me the wrong gasket. No o ring, they gave me a big flat gasket the size of the cover and it says "Clutch this side".

Is that wrong for mine? It didn't have anything like that before? If I use that do I just leave out the o ring type seal? If nothing else I'll call the parts dept tomorrow to double check it.

 

I've run in to a couple snags on this project.

The book and even a Harley tech said the same things but I think the high beam indicator and the oil pressure indicator lights are burnt out. I also am missing the odometer reset ****.

So I tried checking out those lights. Pulled the choke ****, took off the locking nut, now the console is supposed to just lift up but the chrome on the speedometer won't let it pass through the hole in the console. This is what motivated me to inquire of the guys at the shop and they couldn't figure that out either.

In the process I learned it doesn't really matter any way, my bike is apparently obsolete. They don't have or carry the light bulbs to replace them even if it is the problem. Nor can they get the odometer replacement ****. That's my guess why the guy who owned it before me didn't replace them.