Draining the transmission

[kurt1305]

How do you keep from making a huge mess when you drain the gear box on a 1150RT? The manual refers to part "BMW No. 23 4 680 drain tube", but I can't find it on any of the online sites. Any work-arounds or penny-tech solutions?

[kbasa]

How do you keep from making a huge mess when you drain the gear box on a 1150RT? The manual refers to part "BMW No. 23 4 680 drain tube", but I can't find it on any of the online sites. Any work-arounds or penny-tech solutions?

Cut up an old oil bottle and use it like a funnel.

[John Brase]

Not sure about the RT but on my RS I put a piece of aluminum foil over the cat (converter, not house) and just let the oil dribble over the foil into the catch tub.

John

[Mr. Frank]

I cut a rectangle out of a paper plate with a scissors, about 3"x6", and cut a little V in one end for the oil to run out of. I roll the paper into a half tube and stick the non V end into the tunnel and around the drain plug. I put another paper plate over the cat unit to catch minor drippings. The oil drains neatly into a drain pain below the tube. Loosen the drain plug before you insert the paper trough.

[kurt1305]

I cut a rectangle out of a paper plate with a scissors, about 3"x6", and cut a little V in one end for the oil to run out of. I roll the paper into a half tube and stick the non V end into the tunnel and around the drain plug. I put another paper plate over the cat unit to catch minor drippings. The oil drains neatly into a drain pain below the tube. Loosen the drain plug before you insert the paper trough.

I'm thinking of adapting a piece of 1.25" PVC pipe or vinyl tubing in much the same way.

[Mr. Frank]

I'm thinking of adapting a piece of 1.25" PVC pipe or vinyl tubing in much the same way.

The thinness and flexibility of the paper makes it possible to give the trough a downward slant. There isn't much room between the tunnel and the drain fitting. A thick material would be more likely to make the drain parallel to the ground, and the oil would spill out of both ends.

[bmwmick]

Get it warm, put it on the centerstand and slip a thin piece of wood under the
left centerstand foot. That tilts the bike to the right just a little. Cover the CAT with a piece of aluminum foil and insert the dran pipe. I'll attach a pic. I think I wrote this up back in 1995 when I first got my R1100RT.

1 1/2" Sched 40 pipe, 6 1/2" long and make a notched cut 1 1/2" deep and 1 1/4" wide in the end. Works great!

[kurt1305]

I talked with a mechanic at the dealership, and he says he uses toilet paper core tubes. Sticks the socket on an extension through the tube and removes the plug. :doh No one had ever seen the tool referenced in the manual.

[Mr. Frank]

An advantage of a trough design rather than a tube is you can see what you are down when you remove the drain plug with an extention. You can also withdraw the plug with less chance of dislodging the trough because the top is open.

[kbasa]

An advantage of a trough design rather than a tube is you can see what you are down when you remove the drain plug with an extention. You can also withdraw the plug with less chance of dislodging the trough because the top is open.

That's why I use an old, white, cut up oil bottle. I can see the lube as it comes out. By tilting the "funnel" to a shallow angle, the oil spreads out and I can get a good look at its condition.