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R1150RT dropped

164809

New member
I dropped my R1150RTP to the right in the garage rolling it off center stand. Ignition was off. Got it up but it wouldn't start.
Had the dealer pick it up. They told me that it had a hydro-lock, that is oil had flooded the right cylinder. When they took off the right side spark plug oil flowed out.
They were able to start it after getting most of the oil out.
Never had this happen before with other Beemers.
Any thoughts?
 
I dropped my R1150RTP to the right in the garage rolling it off center stand. Ignition was off. Got it up but it wouldn't start.
Had the dealer pick it up. They told me that it had a hydro-lock, that is oil had flooded the right cylinder. When they took off the right side spark plug oil flowed out.
They were able to start it after getting most of the oil out.
Never had this happen before with other Beemers.
Any thoughts?

How long did the bike lay on its side? I've dropped boxers before, and picked them up
and they started immediately.
 
Drop

No comment on the number of times I dropped my 1150 rt when I first got it. Never got oil in the head? Not sure how long bike was down but it must have been sometime.
Ken Denton
 
Dropping the Big Easies

Between the high center of gravity and for many of us the first experience with the weight of an RT ... it's a right of passage.

I've never had any trouble firing it up right after it went to its side.
 
Dodged a bullet

Sorry to hear you dropped your bike. It's a bad feeling and just a bad deal all around.

There's a good lesson to be learned here. Whenever a boxer is dropped and left laying on it's side for a while one should always remove the plug from the downed side and turn the engine over. Ground the plug as you normally would before you turn it over. This will pump out at least enough oil to make the bike safe to start again.

It is possible to really damage an engine badly (read expensive!) from the hydraulic force exerted in the cylinder when it is too full of oil.
 
Sorry to hear you dropped your bike. It's a bad feeling and just a bad deal all around.

There's a good lesson to be learned here. Whenever a boxer is dropped and left laying on it's side for a while one should always remove the plug from the downed side and turn the engine over. Ground the plug as you normally would before you turn it over. This will pump out at least enough oil to make the bike safe to start again.

It is possible to really damage an engine badly (read expensive!) from the hydraulic force exerted in the cylinder when it is too full of oil.

The same can be said for deep water crossings. If the engine stops mid-stream, it could be a number of reasons, electrical, and/or hydro-lock. I'd pull a plug (probably both) before I tried to start the bike.
 
Damage from a hydraulic lock comes in two forms. In the mild form the flooded cylinder is coming up on the compression stroke to fire. The fluid locks it, and either there is no damage or the starter can be damaged. I've seen more than one broken starter nose from this.

The serious damage occurs when the unflooded cylinder is coming up on compression to fire and the lock on the other side doesn't happen till just before TDC. In this case the unflooded cylinder can fire and this then can bend a rod or do other internal damage.

The root cause is that air compresses: oil doesn't, water doesn't, and gasoline doesn't. Carb equipped bikes with a petcock left on a long time can fill the cylinder with fuel.

If your bike tips over for more than a very short time, pull the plugs and crank it first. Stand back - oil may squirt from the spark plug hole.
 
rings are free to spin on the piston. if the gaps end up at the bottom, or line up, oil can leak by faster. Next time they may be in a different position. Some engines the rings rotate, some they do not, I do not know why. There is not any positive ring rotator. It just happens. I am pretty sure mine do as once out of every several hundred starts I get a cloud of smoke, then it will not do it again for months.

Rod
 
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