Cooler fan for oil cooler

I just read a thread on bmw lt forum concerning regular art’s
Vs RTP’s. Is it correct that the RT Police models come with
The cooling fan already installed but regular RTs are required
To have it added by new owner or watch temp gauge closely?
Ride in excessive heat/humidity on Gulf Coast. Just
Checking with experts that my RTP has cooling fan installed.
Thanks

My understanding is that Police model RT's do have a cooling fan for oil cooler installed behind the oil cooler to pull air through when stopped or in stop and go traffic in high temperatures. Civilian RT's do not. I've never had an issue with overheating in some pretty hot Chicago stop and go traffic, maybe higher than normal but never where I was worried. If you were going to be sitting for a long period of time and not moving you would probably want to just shut engine off.

I've seen the cooling fans for sale on eBay and I think you can buy them from Max BMW and other BMW parts suppliers, not cheap as I recall, but not sure if circuitry is in place to kick fan on as needed, some sort of thermostatic switch, maybe part of programming for RTP versions and part of wiring harness that might not be present on standard RT.

I know I have read of some owners installing the RTP fan or a similar fan that fits and is suitable for the location and just having a switch that allows them to turn on fan as needed in traffic or when idling. I considered this but have yet to find a time where I even saw it was needed.

If you have an RTP I would expect you would see a fan located behind the oil cooler already.

oldnwizr2 said:

I just read a thread on bmw lt forum concerning regular art’s
Vs RTP’s. Is it correct that the RT Police models come with
The cooling fan already installed but regular RTs are required
To have it added by new owner or watch temp gauge closely?
Ride in excessive heat/humidity on Gulf Coast. Just
Checking with experts that my RTP has cooling fan installed.
Thanks

Click to expand...

Since you’re posting in the Hexhead/Camhead subforum we’ll assume you have one of those...and BTW, every RTP of that vintage should have come equipped with the fan...easy enough to look behind the cooler and see.

On the 05-09 Hexhead (I have an 09) there are various threads on the forums on such a conversion if you have the civilian (non-Authority) model...I’m in the process of doing this right now.

I found a cooling fan/shroud assembly used; it consist of the fan, the shroud and some fasteners:

https://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=51560&rnd=07242017

The same thing is done on the 10-13 bikes, but different part numbers. Some things to consider for those of you with non-RTP Hexhead/Camhead bikes:

1. The fan/shroud attaches from the back of the oil cooler and can usually be fitted by just removing the right side front Tupperware.
2. You need to provide power to the fan; the civilian wire harness does not have the connector to hook into the fan.
3. You must provide a switch to turn it on/off; the Authority version senses engine temperature (can’t recall if they use cylinder head or oil temp) and automatically manages this.
4. There are some reports that the fan shroud plastic on the right side must be trimmed a bit as it could interfere with a piece of hardware the civilian bikes have that the 05-13 Authority bikes do not - namely cruise control. The cruise control module is on the right front portion of the bike. (EDIT: See further posts below in this thread...it wasn’t necessary on my 09, just drop the cruise unit down a bit during installation then re-attach).
5. You have to provide a fused circuit to feed the fan.

All that being said I don’t think it’s a huge deal to retrofit...provided you think you’ll need this feature. These bikes generally do well in higher temperatures; the concern is sitting still and idling for a long period of time, or being caught in stop and go traffic for a long period of time.

One silver lining of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders was I wasn’t caught in any traffic jams ...smooth sailing.

For my installation I’m hooking the fan to an unused channel on my Hex ezCAN; I can then set the electronic ‘fuse‘ for that circuit thru programming. I’ll hook the fan to a battery here on the test bench and use a DC clamp-on ammeter to see how much current it pulls so I set that parameter correctly in the ezCAN.

I bought the ‘repair connector’ from BMW so I can make up a feeder harness and not have to cut off the fan connector.

And finally, by using the ezCAN I can turn that fan on and off with the existing controls and buttons on the bike without having a drill a hole and add an additional switch and wiring.

If you don’t have a exCAN managing your accessories it’s still easy to install the fan, a fused switch and you’re good to go...if you’re caught in traffic and the oil temp gets too high just turn the switch on.

I would advise the switch be fed by a relay triggered by when bike is running, so you don’t forget...but the fan can be loud enough you’ll likely be reminded when you turn the key off!

Here’s a link to a thread on another forum with some good pics:

https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/21016-installed-oil-cooler-fan-on-1200-rt/

I’ll let you know how my retrofit goes...



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Bench test of the fan shows just shy of 3A while running (2.93A); fuse size for the circuit would be 4-5A.

The repair connector’ part number to make up the bike side harness is p/n 83300402343.

You’ll also need two M6 nutplates and screws as these are not on the civilian bikes...to anchor the fan unit to the frame.

The shroud nestles around the back side of the oil cooler; the top plate in the diagram above goes on top of the cooler; the long bottom plate with the two retainer ‘ears’ goes just under the cooler and clicks into place in front to provide support.




Got the fan mounted; much easier after taking out the three bolts holding the cruise control bracket to the frame...then the control unit can be moved down just enough to get the nutplate on and the fan in and bolted down...no trimming.








If you have added the second horn to your bike (the 09’s were the last year of the bikes with dual-horn wiring harnesses but no second horn) you might need to remove the left side Tupperware as well and unbolt the second horn for better access to the left mounting point just above the oil hose and install the nutplate:



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A bit off topic, but I am wondering how you are switching on and off the fan? I have a Hex Ezcan and I know there are some ways to dim and brighten the Aux lights with a combination of switches but I wasn't aware of a way to actually switch off and on circuits on Ezcan with existing bike switch gear.

rangemaster said:

Since you’re posting in the Hexhead/Camhead subforum we’ll assume you have one of those...

On the 05-09 Hexhead (I have an 09) there are various threads on the forums on such a conversion if you have the civilian (non-Authority) model...I’m in the process of doing this right now.

I found a cooling fan/shroud assembly used; it consist of the fan, the shroud and some fasteners:

https://shop.maxbmw.com/fiche/DiagramsMain.aspx?vid=51560&rnd=07242017

The same thing is done on the 10-13 bikes, but different part numbers. Some things to consider:

1. The fan/shroud attaches from the back of the oil cooler and can usually be fitted by just removing the right side front Tupperware.
2. You need to provide power to the fan; the civilian wire harness does not have the connector to hook into the fan.
3. You must provide a switch to turn it on/off; the Authority version senses engine temperature (can’t recall if they use cylinder head or oil temp) and automatically manages this.
4. There are some reports that the fan shroud plastic on the right side must be trimmed a bit as it could interfere with a piece of hardware the civilian bikes have that the 05-13 Authority bikes do not - namely cruise control. The cruise control module is on the right front portion of the bike.
5. You have to provide a fused circuit to feed the fan.

All that being said I don’t think it’s a huge deal to retrofit...provided you think you’ll need this feature. These bikes generally do well in higher temperatures; the concern is sitting still and idling for a long period of time, or being caught in stop and go traffic for a long period of time.

One silver lining of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders was I wasn’t caught in any traffic jams ...smooth sailing.

For my installation I’m hooking the fan to an unused channel on my Hex ezCAN; I can then set the electronic ‘fuse‘ for that circuit thru programming. I’ll hook the fan to a battery here on the test bench and use a DC clamp-on ammeter to see how much current it pulls so I set that parameter correctly in the ezCAN.

I bought the ‘repair connector’ from BMW so I can make up a feeder harness and not have to cut off the fan connector.

And finally, by using the ezCAN I can turn that fan on and off with the existing controls and buttons on the bike without having a drill a hole and add an additional switch and wiring.

If you don’t have a exCAN managing your accessories it’s still easy to install the fan, a fused switch and you’re good to go...if you’re caught in traffic and the oil temp gets too high just turn the switch on.

I would advise the switch be fed by a relay triggered by when bike is running, so you don’t forget...but the fan can be loud enough you’ll likely be reminded when you turn the key off!

Here’s a link to a thread on another forum with some good pics:

https://www.bmwsporttouring.com/topic/21016-installed-oil-cooler-fan-on-1200-rt/

I’ll let you know how my retrofit goes...



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Click to expand...

bicyclenut said:

A bit off topic, but I am wondering how you are switching on and off the fan? I have a Hex Ezcan and I know there are some ways to dim and brighten the Aux lights with a combination of switches but I wasn't aware of a way to actually switch off and on circuits on Ezcan with existing bike switch gear.

Click to expand...

In my case I have a Gen 2 Hex ezCAN programmed this way:
Red channel is Aux 1 Left LED driving light.
Blue channel is Aux 1 Right LED driving light.
Yellow channel is programmed for Aux 2 lights (the symbol with the pair of lights and the number ‘2’).
White channel is my Skene brake light LEDs.

When you configure Aux 2 light channel (for fan control) with the computer turn off all modulation, strobing, off-on-turn signal, etc. so you get 100% output. In addition don’t adjust the intensity on that channel like you can with lights...you will damage the fan motor if you try to vary the fan speed by changing the duty cycle of the output waveform.

On my 2009 R1200RT if I hold the BC (or INFO on later RTs) button down for 7 seconds it turns the Aux 1 lights on/off; if I hold the clutch in while holding the BC (or INFO) button for 7 seconds it turns the Aux 2 lights (or in my case the oil cooler fan) on/off.

This info is well hidden on the FAQ portion of their website.
BTW - being able to turn circuits on/off using controls on the bike only works if the channel is defined as Aux 1 or Aux 2 lights.

People use this same trick with the ezCAN and their heated gear.

The Gen 2 ezCANs gave users the flexibility to add that second channel of Aux lights, plus more programming flexibility to do other things.

Gen 1 ezCANs can switch Aux light on/off & vary intensity, but only for one set of lights...whether it uses one or two output channels.

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Rangemaster,

OK, thanks, I'll have to look at the FAQ and info on the GEN2 more carefully. I just swapped my GEN1 for a GEN2 EzCan about 2 weeks ago so I haven't played with it much. I have mine similar to yours with Left and Right Aux lights and Skene brake lights but I am using other channel for phone and power sockets on handlebar.

I did see a video of a guy in UK that was using a second Denali CANSMART (EzCan) to control additional lights and add more circuits, in his case he was using a GEN2 and a GEN1 both and Denali/HEX had informed him it would work since it just monitors the CANBUS and does not interact. Figure if I had more lights I might as well find a use for my old GEN1, but for now I don't have more lights.

rangemaster said:

In my case I have a Gen 2 Hex ezCAN programmed this way:
Red channel is Aux 1 Left LED driving light.
Blue channel is Aux 1 Right LED driving light.
Yellow channel is programmed for Aux 2 lights (the symbol with the pair of lights and the number ‘2’).
White channel is my Skene brake light LEDs.

When you configure Aux 2 light channel (for fan control) with the computer turn off all modulation, strobing, off-on-turn signal, etc. so you get 100% output. In addition don’t adjust the intensity on that channel like you can with lights...you will damage the fan motor if you try to vary the fan speed by changing the duty cycle of the output waveform.

On my 2009 R1200RT if I hold the BC (or INFO on later RTs) button down for 7 seconds it turns the Aux 1 lights on/off; if I hold the clutch in while holding the BC (or INFO) button for 7 seconds it turns the Aux 2 lights (or in my case the oil cooler fan) on/off.

This info is well hidden on the FAQ portion of their website.
BTW - being able to turn circuits on/off using controls on the bike only works if the channel is defined as Aux 1 or Aux 2 lights.

People use this same trick with the ezCAN and their heated gear.

The Gen 2 ezCANs gave users the flexibility to add that second channel of Aux lights, plus more programming flexibility to do other things.

Gen 1 ezCANs can switch Aux light on/off & vary intensity, but only for one set of lights...whether it uses one or two output channels.

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Click to expand...

Pics and more details added to my posts above...


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Finished the install and ezCAN hookup/programming...

Started the bike and let it idle...after about 15 minutes the temperature gauge reached 3/4 and climbing (it went from the 1/2 to the 3/4 mark in just a few minutes):



I then turned the fan on...the temp quit climbing immediately. In about 12 minutes the temperature not only quit climbing, it dropped from 3/4 to 5/8:


Ambient temp was only 67 degrees so it took a while to get the engine to heat up... that being said, it does work to about the extent I expected.

It will be interesting to see if it has any real effect on a hot/humid day... or in a traffic jam...or both.

Ride safe!


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It's not something needed on civilian bikes.

You're not going to park your bike running for an hour at a crime or accident scene with warning beacons flashing and police radios turned on.

Don't think Hexheads or Camheads are much different than Oilheads ... an Oilhead factory service manual I have cautions against letting the bike idle for more than 20 minutes.

A lot of us are conditioned by 1950s American car experience where the cooling fan is driven by ... a fan belt. In this case at idle the water pump isn't pumping much and the fan isn't doing much and overheating happens. All of this is irrelevant to an aircooled motorcycle where the determining factor in engine heating is simply engine rpms. So, if you're not fast idling at stoplights or continually blipping your throttle, you aren't creating much heat (because you aren't burning much fuel). It's not as if your nice motorcycle is constantly on the edge of self destruction. Shut your motor off if stuck in a traffic jam or road construction ... this is easy. If you're concerned about heat, be sure you use full synthetic motor oil.

lkchris said:

It's not something needed on civilian bikes.

You're not going to park your bike running for an hour at a crime or accident scene with warning beacons flashing and police radios turned on.

Don't think Hexheads or Camheads are much different than Oilheads ... an Oilhead factory service manual I have cautions against letting the bike idle for more than 20 minutes.

A lot of us are conditioned by 1950s American car experience where the cooling fan is driven by ... a fan belt. In this case at idle the water pump isn't pumping much and the fan isn't doing much and overheating happens. All of this is irrelevant to an aircooled motorcycle where the determining factor in engine heating is simply engine rpms. So, if you're not fast idling at stoplights or continually blipping your throttle, you aren't creating much heat (because you aren't burning much fuel). It's not as if your nice motorcycle is constantly on the edge of self destruction. Shut your motor off if stuck in a traffic jam or road construction ... this is easy. If you're concerned about heat, be sure you use full synthetic motor oil.

Click to expand...

And I agree...

That being said, I did this just to see what was involved...you know, ‘therapy wrenching’. It didn’t cost me much.

This only took a fraction of the time I invested in retrofitting ASC to the same bike...and boy was THAT a learning experience.


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