f700GS Overheating, motor misses like running out of gas - Any ideas

Hello! My spouse are full time traveling in Kalispell, MT and my 2017 BMW f700GS has been running hot and overheated (on a day that was 99 degrees in Montana)
We had the bike "repaired" in Missoula, MT but it is acting up again. They said it was out of coolant and changed to radiator cap but did not find anything else wrong.
Now, the bike has spilled coolant and started missing at normal speeds and RPM. Any thoughts? I appreciate any insights as we now have to travel to a more reputable BMW dealer for repair.
(Not returning to Missoula...)

Where you?

COBProductions said:

Hello! My spouse are full time traveling in Kalispell, MT and my 2017 BMW f700GS has been running hot and overheated (on a day that was 99 degrees in Montana)
We had the bike "repaired" in Missoula, MT but it is acting up again. They said it was out of coolant and changed to radiator cap but did not find anything else wrong.
Now, the bike has spilled coolant and started missing at normal speeds and RPM. Any thoughts? I appreciate any insights as we now have to travel to a more reputable BMW dealer for repair.
(Not returning to Missoula...)

Click to expand...

Where are you now.???

Where is the coolant spilling from?

Don't let it overheat!!!!!!!~!

Stuck fan?
The missing may indicate a failing head gasket.

+1 on Don't let it overheat!!!

PGlaves said:

Where are you now.???

Where is the coolant spilling from?

Don't letit overheat!!!!!!!~!

Click to expand...

We are in Kalispell, MT.
When we got home from a ride the coolant was spilling. I cannot tell where it is coming from.
Thank you for the heads up about not letting it over heat.
I will not ride it until I have resolution.
We are looking to see if anyone else has had this issue before we take it to a dealer 500-800 miles away.
C

OldCamper said:

Stuck fan?
The missing may indicate a failing head gasket.

+1 on Don't let it overheat!!!

Click to expand...

We are checking the head gasket now. Thanks so much.
I will not ride or over heat until we get this resolved.
C

COBProductions said:

We are checking the head gasket now. Thanks so much.
I will not ride or over heat until we get this resolved.
C

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Quick checks: coolant in the oil will usually make the oil foamy. Oil in the coolant can be checked by opening the radiator cap *with engine cool* and looking for any discoloration or oil sheen.

My son’s F800S will always puke a bit of coolant from the cap on the coolant reservoir tank if the bike is run at high speeds (85ish +) for any length of time.

Best,
DeVern

It’s a long shot but i wonder if it’s possible the bike got a fill of e85 by mistake?
The FI would probably not be able to compensate and it might run lean to the point of missing and overheating. Easy enough to check, though.

Good luck. Please let us know what you find.

GTRider said:

Quick checks: coolant in the oil will usually make the oil foamy. Oil in the coolant can be checked by opening the radiator cap *with engine cool* and looking for any discoloration or oil sheen.

My son’s F800S will always puke a bit of coolant from the cap on the coolant reservoir tank if the bike is run at high speeds (85ish +) for any length of time.

Best,
DeVern

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Thank you for that. We have been running at high speeds 80-85 getting around Montana. Never noticed a leak but will recheck cap area for the leak. Also, the oil was not foaming or white. Oil looked good.
C

I can’t speak to your particular bike, but on my son’s F800S when it blows coolant it is coming from the cap on the coolant reservoir—and that’s by design, if you look at the cap. From there it travels via airflow, which can make it look like it’s coming from other locations.

If the bike had the radiator cap replaced without a coolant drain and subsequent refill using a vacuum tool, you might have air trapped in the system. Some report success in clearing that by getting the bike warmed up to where the fan engages, then leaning the bike far to the left & right. IIRC there is also an air bleed screw in that coolant system. If you’re riding to a dealership to have it looked at you might just want to have them do a full coolant service, a drain then refill with the vacuum tool, just to be sure of no air pocketing and correct coolant mix, along with verifying no coolant/oil intermix.

Best,
DeVern

GTRider said:

t. IIRC there is also an air bleed screw in that coolant system. If you’re riding to a dealership to have it looked at you might just want to have them do a full coolant service, a drain then refill with the vacuum tool, just to be sure of no air pocketing and correct coolant mix, along with verifying no coolant/oil intermix.

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These bikes are notorious for having air trapped in the system if not filled properly. As DeVern stated, there is a bleed screw located near the water pump impeller that is helpful in removing some of the air. I assume that the radiator is getting hot and the fan is coming on during these times the bike is overheating?

I too have been riding my new to me 2013 F700GS around Montana at our high speed limits and in our protracted heat wave. I have about 2,500 miles on the bike since I bought it. On one occasion, after a long ride at 75-85 MPH on a day with temperatures in the high 90s, it blew coolant out of the reservoir cap as DeVern described. The temperature gage did not indicate it was running higher than normal and the bike did not behave as if it were overheating. Although this F bike is new to me, Annie had an F650GS twin and has an F800GS that I've maintained since 2011 and know the comment about it being difficult to avoid having air trapped in the coolant system is a very possible cause of your problem.

I want to add a comment about Big Sky BMW in Missoula. Like virtually every other dealership Big Sky has it's strengths and weaknesses, but I can attest to their Senior Tech, Andy M., being one of their strengths. I've had dealings with Andy since 2011. He stood up for me when BMW wanted to deny a warranty claim and got the claim honored by doing research; we had never met when he did this, personally called me at home on multiple occasions to get information he needed to fix a warranty problem and fixed Annie's throttle position sensor problem in 15 minutes when another dealership's senior tech wanted us to wait 5-7 days in Seattle for a replacement TPS. Also, when the sales manager at Big Sky heard we might need a TPS he found us in the building to tell us he would let Andy take one off a new bike if it was needed. As the sales manger was speaking to us is when we saw Andy ride by taking the bike on a test ride. So, although you are not satisfied with the service you got at Big Sky, you may be cutting off your nose to spite your face by not telling them your concerns and asking that Andy take another look at your bike.

Any updates to this?
I’m curious as to what might have been causing the miss.