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09 K1300 GT safety switch

roamingbeemer

roamingbeemer
Thank goodness these engines shutdown with a loss of oil pressure.
Be careful of Nicked O rings is all I will say... even after a test ride with no issues.
The next start up was apparently a gusher as evident by my trail of oil...
All is good now....apparently all these newer bikes have a safety shutdown to protect the engine. I thought it was toast until talking with a mechanic.
 
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Thank goodness these engines shutdown with a loss of oil pressure.
Be careful of Nicked O rings is all I will say... even after a test ride with no issues.
The next start up was apparently a gusher as evident by my trail of oil...
All is good now....apparently all these newer bikes have a safety shutdown to protect the engine. I thought it was toast until talking with a mechanic.

Never heard of of a switch shutting down the bike when it's low on oil.
How much oil did you loose because of the nick in the cam chain tensioner o-ring?
 
Never heard of of a switch shutting down the bike when it's low on oil.

Me neither. Must have some sophistication other than low oil pressure otherwise the bike wouldn't start - due to low oil pressure. If it does in fact exist, perhaps it operates similar to the headlight; doesn't activate until the bike has started.
 
It was a gusher as evident by my trail. The remaining oil was Nil to none.
The mechanics at the dealer were pretty confident in this knowledge of a shutdown feature and had other examples to back it up.
 
Not sure what would have happened if the final oil leaked out at 8000 rpm. All I can relay is what happened to me at idle when red lights came on and the bike almost immediately stopped running. I got to the shoulder and waited to get picked up.
After finding the O ring problem they put fresh oil in and it fired right up without a hitch. They were very confident the bike had shut off as designed.

Although they were mortified by what happened. No leaks during their test ride.
 
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It was a gusher as evident by my trail. The remaining oil was Nil to none.
The mechanics at the dealer were pretty confident in this knowledge of a shutdown feature and had other examples to back it up.

Did this happen to be a multi-line dealership? I remember one mechanic swearing up and down to me that my K100 had a tip-over sensor that killed the engine at 30 degrees of bank.
 
Did this happen to be a multi-line dealership? I remember one mechanic swearing up and down to me that my K100 had a tip-over sensor that killed the engine at 30 degrees of bank.

No multi brand dealer. Long term BMW dealer with Mechanics going back to the 1100s. It certainly seemed to work the way they described with the bike shutting off immediately after the red oil pressure light came on. I would expect it to run a little longer before seizing (especially at idle)
They talked about examples of R bikes losing all their oil after idling all day and they start right up after fixing the seals etc.
 
I will be monitoring oil consumption closely. It never used any oil so hopefully this remains true. If it starts to use oil I will know some damage occurred.
I may send a sample for analysis when I do the next oil change.
Very strange this occurred after the test ride by the mechanic. After I called back to the dealer they saw my trail of oil from where I started the bike to leave. They had to put oil dry down to absorb the oil.
The service manager said he just followed my trail of oil to find me.
They were horrified and I have never had so many apologises from everyone at the dealer in my life.
 
It has now been on multiple test rides at the dealer and the oil pan has been dropped to check for any metal. So far it appears okay. I will be getting good deals at this dealer for a long time.
It will be interesting if this bike runs for years still. I had no plans to replace it. Good thing since telling a prospective buyer it had ran out of oil once may not lead to a productive conversation. If it starts to burn oil I will need to negotiate something because I would not sell the bike without full disclosure.

The cam tensioner had stopped holding pressure so it was being replaced with the newer style to stop the chain rattle on start up.

Preventative maintenance in this case may not have been worth it.

In retrospect the mechanics were probably just telling me they have seen these bikes run okay after losing oil.
 
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I will pick up the bike tomorrow. The dealer says everything appears okay. They are concerned but there is no evidence of any damage.
I will be checking the oil level frequently for a while. Obviously I am not getting charged for anything.

This will be interesting to see if everything is normal. Will be a testament to BMW if the result is a nominal running bike.
 
200 miles and everything is good. Oil level has stayed just below Max just after shutting down.
To have all the oil leak out while running and for everything to now appear nominal is good news. Hoping it stays this way.

Guess I am keeping it now. Dealer has offered to be very generous on a new bike but I like this one.
 
200 miles and everything is good. Oil level has stayed just below Max just after shutting down.
To have all the oil leak out while running and for everything to now appear nominal is good news. Hoping it stays this way.

If it hasn't blown up yet, you can count your lucky stars. Any negative effects of this issue will only be seen in the long term.

In the short term, I'd be interested in hearing back from you regarding oil consumption (before and after comparison) in 4-5,000 miles. I'll bet a quarter it'll be similar. :thumb
 
Will update. I now have an excuse for an extended ride.

The dealer wants me to keep them updated too. They have been very good.
 
I was riding today and stopped at a different dealer where I know a very experienced mechanic, rebuilder, and motorcycle racer.
I told him the story of losing all the oil and oil pressure. He unhesitantly said the bike has a cutout if that happens. He said go ride and forget about it.
I totally trust this guys knowledge and I am sorry I doubted the other mechanics who did the work. Forums need to be taken with a grain of salt.... even this...
 
Forums need to be taken with a grain of salt.... even this...

You're absolutely right - always ask for a second opinion. At the same time, no one here said the cutoff switch/system didn't exist. It was merely stated that no one had heard of it or questioned how it would work. I plead guilty on that last one.

On the upside, we're all relieved to hear that all is well. :thumb
 
I, for one, was hoping to see a BMW technician—someone who has attended service school on the wedge-K models—chime in and positively confirm the existence of an engine cutoff when oil pressure is lost. Such systems or provisions are not unusual, we ran one on a race car back in the 1970s and they were not new then. Back then, the system simply cut power to the coils when the oil pressure sender indicated pressure below a certain level—but before reaching zero.

It would actually be easy to do something similar in the BMS-K computer on the K13. If the pressure sender is a typical sort sending an analog signal, the BMS-K could monitor that and shut down the ignition system at a pre-set level, hopefully still above zero. Not trying to create any consternation for the OP here, but this thread still lacks definitive input as to whether or not that monitoring and shutdown process really exists on the K-13 or any other contemporary BMW. :dunno

So, any up-to-date certified techs reading this thread?

Best,
DG
 
It was merely stated that no one had heard of it or questioned how it would work. I plead guilty on that last one.

Same here.
You would think if BMW had a low oil shut off switch they would design it to shut the bike off before the oil tank was empty.
2 quarts low would be a good point to shut off the engine or have it go into limp mode.
 
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