Did BMW add a paper gasket to help seal joint between engine block and filter cover?

[ohiorider]

I've owned my 1991 R100GS since new (March, 1991.) I've typically done most of the routine maintenance over the years, and didn't recall ever installing a thin paper gasket between the block and filter cover. I've ridden the bike very little over the past few years, as I'm approaching 80 years old, am short, and the bike is now a bit tall for me.

A good riding buddy and I changed oil and filter yesterday, and there was no paper gasket when we removed the filter cover, so we didn't install it.
Once all back together, we fired it up in the driveway and let her run for a few minutes to check for leaks. It appears to be seeping a small amount of oil where the filter cover bolts to the block using three bolts.

Did BMW add this thin paper gasket to the filter kit at some later date?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Regards,

Bob (Ohiorider)

 

[kinterridge]

I always use Mahle filter kits that have the washers, "O" rings etc. They have the paper/fibre gaskets included.

 

[stevenrankin]

paper

I will not say the paper gasket is needed as sometime in the early days of oil changes I "think" but am not 100% certain my dealership did not use them. Sorry that was 30 years ago.

I have been replacing the paper gasket when needed and the Mahle kits do come with new ones.

The stupid O-ring and metal shim can be such a pain in the butt sometimes to get placed correctly, I hate to say it but I would pull things apart and check them.

I have taken to super glueing the O-ring and shim to the housing, it makes things so much easier to assure they don't move out of alignment. LOL, the filter change from the /6 and earlier bikes is one of my gripes with BMW. Good luck, St.

 

[20774]

Generally speaking, there is no paper gasket between the filter cover and engine housing. However... It all depends on the depth of the canister that the filter slides into. It should nominally be inset about 3.0mm from the outside edge of the engine housing. I did a pictorial on this subject in this thread:

https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?95493-R100-7-Filter-Change-A-Pictorial

So, a couple of issues. First, the initial canisters were pretty sharp edged and could cut the large white o-ring. So, a thin metal washer was needed to protect o-ring. At a later date, I'm guessing around 1984-1985, the canister was replaced with another one that had a rolled edge, so less likely no tendency to cut the o-ring. So, technically the thin metal washer could be eliminated.

If the canister depth is around 3.0mm, then there's probably not much to do. But you should go through the steps to calculate how much the o-ring is going to be squished. As I said in the above link, Oak wanted to see somewhere between 10-25%.

If your situation was still getting some leakage, then you might have a canister that is a bit deeper so that the cover doesn't quite seal. In which case, you maybe need to add a thin metal washer to help with that. Putting a gasket on in your current situation might make matters worse internally. It might stop the leaking outside, but without the adequate crush on the o-ring, you could have an internal leak where the oil is not going through the filter resulting in a drop in oil pressure throughout the engine.

 

[pauls1150]

The parts fiche shows the paper gasket before and after that range (1991 +/-) on the GSs but not the RTs (where it also shows the folding filter instead of the straight one).

As Kurt infers, the two small O-rings (one at each end of the filter, OR as an actual PART OF the filter), and the larger outer O-ring, need to be compressed just enough to make sure the oil goes where it's supposed to and doesn't go where it isn't.

And of course, with a GS, washing is optional.

 

[ebeeby]

The 1973 R75/5 here has a thick-ish paper gasket.

 

[88bmwjeff]

On my 1988, there was a paper gasket when I got it and I've always replaced it. I checked and the O-ring is appears to be sufficiently compressed. As such, I will continue to replace it.

 

[52184]

Anton Largiader’s website has an excellent explanation on filters, cannister depth, o-ring and gasket usage, and so on.

http://largiader.com/tech/filters/

http://largiader.com/tech/filters/canister.html

Best,
DeVern

 

[ohiorider]

Thanks!

I appreciate all the info each of you provided! I think I'll double-check that we did it correctly. I don't need a "$2000 Gasket" mistake on this old girl!

Bob

 

[lkchris]

The paper gasket for the oil filter cover only applies to /5, maybe some /6. These bikes had an inner cover as well.

 

[20774]

The paper gasket for the oil filter cover only applies to /5, maybe some /6. These bikes had an inner cover as well.

Kent -

I have to use two paper gaskets on my /7 because the inner filter canister is installed more towards the outside edge of the engine case. The gaskets are not for sealing oil but rather as spacers to prevent over squishing of the large white o-ring. So there can be a use for them.

 

[lkchris]

On my 1988, there was a paper gasket when I got it and I've always replaced it. I checked and the O-ring is appears to be sufficiently compressed. As such, I will continue to replace it.

Surely you don't mean new from the factory.

Your '88 should also have the folded edge on the inner canister meaning no need for the metal shim to protect the o-ring.

That folded edge canister is pretty mysterious ... I have a 1984 produced factory service manual for /7 that shows it, but my 1984 didn't have it. I don't think they arrived in USA until much later.

 

[20774]

The service bulletin 2050 (March 1982) mentions that during the '82 production, the oil canister was changed to include the flat contact surface for the o-ring. It suggests that the shim and gasket can be eliminated. In bulletin 2077 (May 1983) for servicing the oil canister, it provides min-max dimensions for the canister as 3.1 to 3.8mm. Using Oak's method for calculating the squish on the o-ring, when using no gasket but using the shim, the squish would range from 11% to 28%...somewhat acceptable numbers, although the 11% is getting low. If the shim is dropped, the compression drops to 3.8% to 11%...that's pretty horrible.

Bottom line, measure your canister depth and do the math.

 

[pglaves]

The service bulletin 2050 (March 1982) mentions that during the '82 production, the oil canister was changed to include the flat contact surface for the o-ring. It suggests that the shim and gasket can be eliminated. In bulletin 2077 (May 1983) for servicing the oil canister, it provides min-max dimensions for the canister as 3.1 to 3.8mm. Using Oak's method for calculating the squish on the o-ring, when using no gasket but using the shim, the squish would range from 11% to 28%...somewhat acceptable numbers, although the 11% is getting low. If the shim is dropped, the compression drops to 3.8% to 11%...that's pretty horrible.

Bottom line, measure your canister depth and do the math.

Pretty stone age, I would say! The /5 early /6 solution with an internal filter cap for the canister was far superior. Why they went backwards can best be describes as the intern was in charge during Octoberfest.

 

[20774]

Pretty stone age, I would say!

Many would agree that the /5/6 set up was bullet proof. Not sure of the motivation for the change...can't say as I've seen anything from Oak about it in the Airmail.

 

[stevenrankin]

Why

Why does any company change things. The bullet proof cap system probably cost more to make. Get rid of it, go to a cheap O ring and metal shim, over the course of the production, money saved. BMW sure didn't do it for the owners and mechanics. St.