1100rt oil question

[rich7196]

Hi,

Just changed oil in 99 1100rt.. 4 quarts, started engine.. Leveled off, perfectly in center.. Road for 500 miles, and oil is either above the glass or below, I cant tell.. I added 1/2 quart and still no level.. A friend of mine said that if you cant see the oil in the glass that means there is too much oil? Anyway I road yesterday for about 1 hour, and nothing blew , etc. can someone please let me know what the next step is.. I am anal about the oil level and want to make sure its right. Thank you.

[jingdog]

I think you have too much in there. Probably your friend is right about the sight glass. I suggest draining the oil out into a clean container. Then add 2/3 of it back into the engine. With the bike fully upright add the remaining oil a cup at a time until you see it at the bottom of the sight glass.
Actually if you drain the oil and add the recommended ammount the level is right no matter what the gauge says. I think you made a mistake adding the extra half quart. Its a little tricky learning to read the sight gauge.

[rich7196]

can i drain while engine is cold, then add for a proper level?

[jingdog]

Engine cold, yep. If you can get the plug back in cleanly you can just drain some screw in the plug and check the level.

[pga9256]

The site glass is 2 cups top to bottom. So at best you have 1 cup too much in there. You should be alright. the bike is going to burn that soon enough. Some tmes the oil gets hung up in the oil cooler because of the oil thermostat. This is why you should warm up the bike and then check the level.

[kgadley01]

I have the exact same bike as yours. 4 quarts w/ filter change. no more!!!!! too much oil is more harmfull than a little less.

[kgadley01]

PS if you use the stock BMW oil filter, you will need less oil. aftermarket filters tend to be slightly larger so they hold a little more oil. I use a Bosch filter and 4 Qts of oil. with a stock filter it should use 3.85 Qts.

[rich7196]

i used stock bmw filter & oil. as i said it lined up right in the middle of glass after changing.. then i didnt see any oil in glass after approx 500 miles, i just figured i burned a little. and thats when i added..

question.. i road for an hour yesterday, would i of noticed a problem during/after ride?

or does it take longer to build up pressure with too much oil.. I'll unscrew plug and drain out 2 cups as suggested and go from there. thankS.

[maxscycle]

You can also try......tipping the bike slightly to the right side while looking at the sight glass. if there is too much. You'll see the level appear. I've done this. Helps if someone else does the tipping while you look at the glass. Or you tip, they look
max

[kgadley01]

i used stock bmw filter & oil. as i said it lined up right in the middle of glass after changing.. then i didnt see any oil in glass after approx 500 miles, i just figured i burned a little. and thats when i added..

question.. i road for an hour yesterday, would i of noticed a problem during/after ride?

or does it take longer to build up pressure with too much oil.. I'll unscrew plug and drain out 2 cups as suggested and go from there. thankS.

OK your on the right track... heres how I check my oil to get a correct reading. ride the bike a short distance to warm it up. leave the bike running and place on the centerstand. let it run for about 30 seconds and turn it off. let it set about 10 minutes before checking. if you have a fan, you won't need the short ride...

[DarkCloud]

I had a 96RTL. It takes 3 quarts and 600ml out of the 4th quart. You won't get an accurate oil level reading. If the oil level is above the bottom of the sight glass and two thirds the way up the glass you are good to go. If the bike is hot, you have plenty of oil if it covers the sight glass while the bike is on the kick stand.

[Ken F]

Ditto letting the bike sit on the centerstand.

First time I changed the oil on mine, I added the propper amount and saw nothing on the glass. Came back in the morning and it was perfect. I've gotten into the habit of checking it first thing in the morning after it has sat all night.

The oil gets stuck in the oil cooler and takes some time to drain down is the how and why of it.

460

[bikerfish1100]

The oil gets stuck in the oil cooler and takes some time to drain down is the how and why of it.

460

which is why you bring the bike to full operating temp (10-20 min ride), shut it off, place on SIDEstand for about 10 mins, THEN put on c-stand. wait at least 15 minutes, then check.
this has been written about and discussed on this and other BMW forums numerous times. for oilheads with oil coolers (possibly excepting the R11xxR bikes), due to the position of their oil coolers, the only way you'll get an accurate reading is to get all the oil out of the cooler.
tilt & drain, then read.

drop all the oil, replace with correct measured amount.

[rich7196]

had friend hold bike and lean a little to right.. sure enough i saw level (nice trick).. drained out approx 1 cup.. level is good now.. I will never let this happen again (or at least try not too).. thanks to all for input.

[Brownie]

Bikersfish has the most accurate procedure.....simple, reliable....

[Mr. Frank]

If you try to drain a little oil using the drain plug, you stand a good chance of dumping lots of oil. Use a clean drain pan just in case. An easy way to drain a little oil is to unscrew the filter and dump its contents. The oil in the engine is below that level.