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1995 R1100RSL oil sight glass blowout on a trip
- Thread starter mtraphagen
- Start date
weschmann
Kawa Afterthought
Thanks for the advice Paul. I'll go ahead and replace as one of the first things I do. Bought this bike to tinker and learn from. Even at 70 years young, I try to never stop learning something new, and the neighbors are running out of new and challenging repairs in the neighborhood, so this is my new challenge. Not much of a mechanic, but with a Manual, and advice from folks such as on this forum, it's as good as being in a classroom. I hope to not bore you folks in the future with silly questions. With the bike setting so long I'm sure the advice about dried out rubber or paper gaskets as such will be well remembered as I go through the bike.
52184
GTRider
Use a soldering pencil to melt a hole in the plastic, then pry out the sight glass using a seal puller or a screwdriver and wood shim, being careful either way to not scratch the bore the sight glass fits into.
Best,
DeVern
m_stock10506
Well-known member
It's only a thing if the bike has been sitting unused for years, or if you see oil weeping from the sight glass. Keep in mind, that the original sight window was plastic, so the advice to melt the old one to make a hole. The replacement sight windows are GLASS and must be very carefully installed or they will shatter.
52184
GTRider
Aaarrgh…I have mixed feelings on that. Glass solves the clouding issue that affected the plastic windows, and most likely once the glass unit is installed it likely will never need replacement in the newer bikes that came with a retention provision for the sight glass. But the prospect of doing a clean & reinstall of the glass unit in a motel parking lot would, on an older oilhead, would have me looking seriously at the safety-wire solution pictured earlier in the thread.
Best,
DeVern
Any failure which causes the immediate and complete evacuation of engine oil, likely onto one's rear tire and which can result in catastrophic engine failure, is something to be concerned with. I'm familiar with 3 occurences and would recommend heeding Paul's, DeVern's and others' advice.
ksdcr
Member
Sounds like a rainy weekend project. So the replacement glass, are also a press fit?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Yup.
mtraphagen
Member
Thank you all -- I am grateful. And Paul, thank you sincerely for the tips and information.
The bike and I are home. I have profound hearing loss and have to turn down my hearing aids when wearing my helmet (to prevent too much feedback) -- while I definitely heard the different sound while starting up in the motel parking lot, I wasn't sure I would hear it on a very windy day at freeway speeds. I pulled over more than once to check it. After riding for a while, I noticed it was weeping more.
Basically, all of the dynamics that caused it to launch out in the first place were still in play. I couldn't trust it.
So...my wife found a Uhaul truck not far away and the bike got a ride home for the last 600 miles. The challenge became finding suitable places to tie down the RSL in the truck...basically, it was floating in a spiderweb of ratchet straps. We made it home just fine.
I have a new sight glass (and one for my R1100R, too) -- as mentioned, the new one is actually glass. Tomorrow, it gets installed during an oil change.
Again, thank you all sincerely. It's really good to know y'all are out there.
Mitch
The bike and I are home. I have profound hearing loss and have to turn down my hearing aids when wearing my helmet (to prevent too much feedback) -- while I definitely heard the different sound while starting up in the motel parking lot, I wasn't sure I would hear it on a very windy day at freeway speeds. I pulled over more than once to check it. After riding for a while, I noticed it was weeping more.
Basically, all of the dynamics that caused it to launch out in the first place were still in play. I couldn't trust it.
So...my wife found a Uhaul truck not far away and the bike got a ride home for the last 600 miles. The challenge became finding suitable places to tie down the RSL in the truck...basically, it was floating in a spiderweb of ratchet straps. We made it home just fine.
I have a new sight glass (and one for my R1100R, too) -- as mentioned, the new one is actually glass. Tomorrow, it gets installed during an oil change.
Again, thank you all sincerely. It's really good to know y'all are out there.
Mitch
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
And Thank You for updating your progress. It is really good to get a wrap up by the OP to finish out the thread for others in the future. Looking forward to yours after you complete the replacement.
mtraphagen
Member
Great wife!
om
That she is. This is my second cross country for an old BMW motorcycle in seven months.
mtraphagen
Member
I will do just that. Will have the weekend to give it a nice test.
mtraphagen
Member
Changed the oil, filter and installed the new sight glass yesterday. Tested it out on a ride today -- no drips, no weeping, the seam, such as it is, doesn't look wet at all.
The new sight glass (which is actually glass, compared to the plastic version that launch itself from the bike) took a surprising amount of pressure to press in. When I pressed in the old one after it shot itself out, that required very little pressure, just easily pushed it in with my thumb. With the new one, I ended up tapping it in using a 30mm socket. I'm not overly worried about it randomly flying out anytime soon.
In removing the old one, I did have to use a soldering iron to make a small hole and then used a wood screw as a grip for removal. It came out easily. I cleaned everything up with Brake Kleen sprayed onto a rag before installing the new one.
With glass, I'm not sure how this one could be removed -- but I think I'll have a number of years before having to worry about it.
Once again, thank you sincerely for all of the input and assistance in that Kentucky motel parking lot. I am grateful!
Mitch
The new sight glass (which is actually glass, compared to the plastic version that launch itself from the bike) took a surprising amount of pressure to press in. When I pressed in the old one after it shot itself out, that required very little pressure, just easily pushed it in with my thumb. With the new one, I ended up tapping it in using a 30mm socket. I'm not overly worried about it randomly flying out anytime soon.
In removing the old one, I did have to use a soldering iron to make a small hole and then used a wood screw as a grip for removal. It came out easily. I cleaned everything up with Brake Kleen sprayed onto a rag before installing the new one.
With glass, I'm not sure how this one could be removed -- but I think I'll have a number of years before having to worry about it.
Once again, thank you sincerely for all of the input and assistance in that Kentucky motel parking lot. I am grateful!
Mitch
A drill and then a screw - but you don't have to worry about doing it again. Great story, great wife, great ride!
