Oil Filter for 1972 R 75/5

I know this is a bit of a stupid question.... But..... I changed the oil on my bike the other day (a 1972 R 75/5) and took out the old filter which is a hinged type. A filter came with the bike, and I was going to use it, but it was a one piece, and there were no rubber sleeves on the ends, nor any in the box it came in. The filter is labeled "BMW 11 421 253 919", and I can find pictures of it on line, but no info as to whether that filter has internal rubber sleeves, or if I need to find some external ones. The ones on the hinged filter are a different size so they won't work on this filter. It has been 50 years since I changed the oil in one of these bikes so I don't remember much about it, but I expect back then I just replaced with the same type and so never ran into the issue. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I hope I don't have to drain the oil, pull the filter, locate rubber sleeves, etc., etc....but want to know for sure.

Thanks

Go to the Max BMW parts fiche website and look at the catalog for the R75/5, Engine. You will find photos and part numbers for the hinged and straight Mahle oil filter. OX35 or OX37. I don’t find the part number you mentioned. I would hesitate to use a filter without rubber o rings on the ends.

Bobs BMW microfiche shows the filter with 2 separate o-rings. The # for the o-ring is 11 42 125 02 85 U need 2. That or get a new filter with the rubber o-rings already attached. I also suggest u get a good light, look up into the oil filter housing and see if there are old rubber o-rings crammed up on the end of the metal tube. Good luck with Ur project.

2wheeljunkie said:

I know this is a bit of a stupid question.... But..... I changed the oil on my bike the other day (a 1972 R 75/5) and took out the old filter which is a hinged type. A filter came with the bike, and I was going to use it, but it was a one piece, and there were no rubber sleeves on the ends, nor any in the box it came in. The filter is labeled "BMW 11 421 253 919", and I can find pictures of it on line, but no info as to whether that filter has internal rubber sleeves, or if I need to find some external ones. The ones on the hinged filter are a different size so they won't work on this filter. It has been 50 years since I changed the oil in one of these bikes so I don't remember much about it, but I expect back then I just replaced with the same type and so never ran into the issue. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I hope I don't have to drain the oil, pull the filter, locate rubber sleeves, etc., etc....but want to know for sure.

Thanks

Click to expand...

A good place to start on filter questions is here: http://largiader.com/tech/filters/

Best,
DeVern

GTRider said:

A good place to start on filter questions is here: http://largiader.com/tech/filters/

Best,
DeVern

Click to expand...

Thank you. I had looked at that site, which is where I saw the picture of the same filter that I have. On enlarging the picture, the part number on the box is the same as on the box that I have, but the dialogue is a bit confusing as it talks about different types of filters and I am not sure which filter they are actually talking about. I am inclined to think that the inner 0 rings on the filter I have do the same job as outer rubber sleeves on the other ones, but I am not 100 % sure of that, so I may pull the filter and look it over again.

barryg said:

Bobs BMW microfiche shows the filter with 2 separate o-rings. The # for the o-ring is 11 42 125 02 85 U need 2. That or get a new filter with the rubber o-rings already attached. I also suggest u get a good light, look up into the oil filter housing and see if there are old rubber o-rings crammed up on the end of the metal tube. Good luck with Ur project.

Click to expand...

Thanks. I looked at this on Bobs BMW, but the filter they are showing is different than the one I have. I believe that it has interior o-rings, but haven't been able to confirm that anywhere. I will pull the filter and look inside to see if I can see any old rubber rings, but I don't think I will as the filter I replaced was the double one and it still had the 2 rubber sleeves attached to it. The previous owner had restored this bike and knew all it inside and out so I don't think he would leave old rings inside. I have emailed him to see if he can advise me any further.
Thanks for your help.

Well, I got the answer to this inquiry. I contacted the original owner of the bike and he said that the 1 piece filter that was with the bike was an original BMW filter and that exterior 0-rings/sleeves would need to be used. These 0-rings usually came off and had to be pulled out of the filter chamber with a bent wire, and often got missed and caused problems when putting a new filter on. BMW changed these later and had 0-rings built into the filter, but part of the 0-ring/sleeve stuck out of the filter. I think this is what muddied the waters for me as I thought that "interior 0-rings" meant that they were totally inside the filter and did not extend out. From what I see all filters for this bike would require an exterior part that would seal the filter to insure oil flowed into and through the filter.

So, I drained the oil, pulled the filter, inspected inside of the canister(no o-rings stuck inside), put in the old filter(until I can get a new one with 0-rings attached), and put the oil back in the bike. Luckily the weather is crappy and snowing, so no riding anyway.

Thanks to all who helped. Funny thing is.....I don't remember any of this from the times I changed the oil 50 years ago.

So the old filter you installed for the time being did have the black rubber o-rings on either end? It wasn't clear. You removed the old, inspected and didn't seen any o-rings left inside, and then reinstalled the old filter as-is. Provided the old filter was properly configured, you'll be OK for a while. Would have been nice to see a picture or two of what you were dealing with.

All’s well, that ends well.

In the old days, the o-rings required for filter installation were separate items and the o-ring way down at the bottom of the canister on the little short tube was often reused.

I believe it was in the 1980s when BMW switched to providing filters with attached o-ring (quad ring).

Your at least 40 year old part requires installation of the separate o-ring. Be sure to remove that o-ring at your next filter change when you install a new one with attached o-ring.

You would be best off throwing this piece of ancient history away or placing it in a museum and purchasing a modern filter with o-ring attached. I'm surprised this old part hasn't disintegrated into dust. Who knows what would happen if you use it.

20774 said:

So the old filter you installed for the time being did have the black rubber o-rings on either end? It wasn't clear. You removed the old, inspected and didn't seen any o-rings left inside, and then reinstalled the old filter as-is. Provided the old filter was properly configured, you'll be OK for a while. Would have been nice to see a picture or two of what you were dealing with.

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Sorry for the confusion....when I re-read my post, it confuses me as well.

Yes, the old filter had the rubbers on each end and it was the filter that I took out last week when I changed the oil on this bike for the first time. I had an unused filter that the previous owner left with the bike, and I assumed it was ready for install. But, when I went to put it in I noticed that it didn't have those rubbers. I looked at a lot of info on line and there was a picture of the same filter but it was unclear (at least to me) if it needed those rubbers or not as it was shown right under a statement about later filters having the 0-rings inside. I put that filter in the bike, assuming it had interior 0-rings as there wasn't any in the filter box. I probably didn't listen to whatever the previous owner told me about the filter when he brought the bike to me.

And, before putting the filter back in (that I had previously taken out), I thought that I should check to make sure there were no 0-rings stuck inside from previous changes. I may not even run any oil through that filter if new ones arrive before I get a chance to get a ride. That filter is in good shape, and according to Snowbum's BMW information website the 2 piece filter is stronger and better than the 1 piece filter, and a bit easier to put in as it bends in the middle, so that is what I will order if I can find them at a decent price.

I will take a picture of the filter that didn't have any rubbers on it and the box with part # on it, but the 2 piece filter with the rubbers is in the bike now, but there are lots of pictures of them on the web. If I get a replacement soon, I will update this with a picture.

Not wanting to beat a dead horse, but the filter that was in the bike was a two-piece with rubber o-rings on each end. You were thinking of using the other straight filter but there were no o-rings and you found out you needed those. Then in the end you put the used two-piece filter back in the bike. Is that how things have gone down?

A suggestion as part of a filter change...I'm getting ready to do that this weekend on my /7. Once you have the filter in the bike and covers installed and have poured in your two quarts/liters of oil, I recommend that you drop the float bowls carefully...be careful to not damage the gasket between the bowl and carb. Then, with the bowls sitting on the ground, try and start the bike...run the starter for 15-20 seconds or as long as it takes for the oil light to go out. Then reinstall the float bowls...carefully. Now the system is primed with oil and when you start it the next time, it won't be running "dry" until the oil makes its way through the system.

20774 said:

Not wanting to beat a dead horse, but the filter that was in the bike was a two-piece with rubber o-rings on each end. You were thinking of using the other straight filter but there were no o-rings and you found out you needed those. Then in the end you put the used two-piece filter back in the bike. Is that how things have gone down?

A suggestion as part of a filter change...I'm getting ready to do that this weekend on my /7. Once you have the filter in the bike and covers installed and have poured in your two quarts/liters of oil, I recommend that you drop the float bowls carefully...be careful to not damage the gasket between the bowl and carb. Then, with the bowls sitting on the ground, try and start the bike...run the starter for 15-20 seconds or as long as it takes for the oil light to go out. Then reinstall the float bowls...carefully. Now the system is primed with oil and when you start it the next time, it won't be running "dry" until the oil makes its way through the system.

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Thanks for that bit of info. I did put the bike in neutral and used the kick start to turn the pistons over a few times, but this is a good idea. I will keep that in mind when I do get some weather to take a ride. Still snowing a bit today and snow and/or rain for the next 2 days. And YES you are correct as to how things went down.....at least I have some up to date experience in changing the oil for these bikes. I had that same bike from 72 to 75 when I got a R 90 S or a 90/6, I can't remember for sure. I changed the oil lots on those bikes, but I guess the knowledge faded with the years.