• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

  • Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.

    The Election forum is here: Election Forum

Oilhead oil drain Q

nrpetersen

nrpetersen

Curmudgeon
My 2000 R1100RT is apart in my shop for brake lines & routine maintenance including fluid changes and I want to change oil. But it seems a lot is trapped in the oil cooler etc since it was a very short trip and was cold when driven into my shop. Fuel tank is off & alternator belt removed.

Is there a way to more fully drain it?
 
nrpetersen said:
My 2000 R1100RT is apart in my shop for brake lines & routine maintenance including fluid changes and I want to change oil. But it seems a lot is trapped in the oil cooler etc since it was a very short trip and was cold when driven into my shop. Fuel tank is off & alternator belt removed.

Is there a way to more fully drain it?
Click to expand...

There is no doubt that there are those that will disagree with me but if you take about a 20 minute ride to warm things up really good then park the bike on its side stand for about a half hour then place on center stand and pull the drain plug all, or most of the oil, comes out. I am assuming your bike has an oil temperature thermostat.
 
jammess said:
There is no doubt that there are those that will disagree with me but if you take about a 20 minute ride to warm things up really good then park the bike on its side stand for about a half hour then place on center stand and pull the drain plug all, or most of the oil, comes out. I am assuming your bike has an oil temperature thermostat.
Click to expand...
With modern oils, it makes little difference if you change 80% or 90% of the oil, hot or cold. Just do it.


Rod
 
Yeah - I understand from somewhere that only hot oil will drain back to the sump while parked. After posting, I decided that access isn't so bad but what I can get to the drain and filter after the tupperware is on, so it's going to have a short ride tomorrow.

I thought maybe there was a fitting that could be cracked loose or something, but maybe that isn't such a bright idea after all.

THX
 
jammess said:
There is no doubt that there are those that will disagree with me but if you take about a 20 minute ride to warm things up really good then park the bike on its side stand for about a half hour then place on center stand and pull the drain plug all, or most of the oil, comes out. I am assuming your bike has an oil temperature thermostat.
Click to expand...

How's this? TOTALLY AGREE!:deal

Been doing it for 14 years that way.
 
GSAddict said:
How's this? TOTALLY AGREE!:deal

Been doing it for 14 years that way.
Click to expand...

I should also have said that this method works very well on my '04RT I think because it has a thermostat but seems to make no difference on my '93RS probably because it has no thermostat.
 
The warm up and side stand method you described is the only way to accurately check your oil level on the thermostat bikes as well. We've had loads of ahem... discussions about that here too! :blah
 
happy wanderer said:
The warm up and side stand method you described is the only way to accurately check your oil level on the thermostat bikes as well. We've had loads of ahem... discussions about that here too! :blah
Click to expand...

I respectfully must disagree. If you use the above oil drain/fill method then you need only go to the the center stand to check the oil level after a ride with engine at temperature. That's the method described in my '04RT owners manual and it works. Been doing this for ten years and the oil level always goes to the center of the sight glass with the oil cooler full. If you place it on the side stand after a ride then go to the center stand to check the level and the level is on the sight glass center dot with the oil cooler empty then your bike is under filled with oil. I'll bet you a mouth full of p__s and you can hold the bet.:yum
 
My 2000 R1100RT has a thermostat. I can tell by the excellent oil temperature control in service. The hot vs cold drain back issue is a revelation though. I was surprised by the low sight glass level after that very short ride across my backyard - and it never recovered after several days parked inside.

There's something in the oilhead oil level that I don't understand then. Is there a guru reference? or an established guru opinion?
THX
 
BC1100S said:
Read post #2, #5 and #7.
Click to expand...

Yup, do as described in post #7 and all will be well as the most you will be low is only about 0.25 quarts or maybe a little less which matters very little if at all and hardly worth discussion. Oh, and probably better than you'll get at a dealer either way.:laugh
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
2004 R1150RT: iABS issues, Bubbles in the Funnel tool...
Replies
6
Views
2K
adriancw
A
C
Rough running engine? Remember to check your coil connections.
Replies
2
Views
809
pauls1150
pauls1150
senseamidmadness
Tiny metal flakes on the drain plug -- should I be worried about my transmission?
2 3 4
Replies
74
Views
17K
senseamidmadness
senseamidmadness
pauls1150
Adding Parallel Battery Cables
Replies
7
Views
2K
mikegalbicka
mikegalbicka
jedz
Jedz - 1996 R1100R Build / Modification Documentation!
2
Replies
23
Views
6K
slime
slime
Back
Top