I can't believe this

[STOKES73]

My reaction this morning when I started the bike and the oil level eyeglass blew out of the engine casing was WTF!!!

That's right the oil eyeglass just blew out spewing oil everywhere. I can't think of anything other than too much oil that would cause that much pressure. Anyone else have an idea?

Of course I had the oil changed at the 60k service. So far since the 60k service the following has happened.

1 - clutch sensor failed
2 - neutral sensor failed
3 - HES failed
4 - the freaking oil eyeglass

What's with these oil heads? Are they only good for 60k? This is a Y2K R11000RT. Trouble free for the first 60k.

[Walking Eagle]

No diagnosis on the multiple failures, but very happy for you that this blow-out happened in the GARAGE, which likely saved you an engine rebuild, an oily L boot, and (maybe) road-rash.

The gods are angry?

Good (additional) luck with sorting all this.

Regards,

Walking Eagle

[jduke]

Had you noticed any difference in the clarity of the site glass?
I've noticed a lot of riders comment that their site glass was clouded looking before it blew out but they didn't think anything about it.
+1 on glad it happened in your garage.

[STOKES73]

Had you noticed any difference in the clarity of the site glass?
I've noticed a lot of riders comment that their site glass was clouded looking before it blew out but they didn't think anything about it.
+1 on glad it happened in your garage.

Yes, now that you mention it I did. Of course now that I have the glass in hand it is perfectly clear. What would that indicate though? I'm still trying to figure what would cause this to happen.

[motorradmike]

Hi Stokes:

Count your lucky stars that the sight glass blew out in your garage.
If there was a catch basin under it at the time I'd like you to buy me a lottery ticket!

The 4 faults you listed are quite common for this machine and really not terrible design faults. My dad used to trade his cars at 50K because he thought they were pretty much used up at that point.
60K without trouble is pretty good for a motorcycle IMHO.

PS: Keep an eye on your final drive and change it's oil too often.

[jduke]

Yes, now that you mention it I did. Of course now that I have the glass in hand it is perfectly clear. What would that indicate though? I'm still trying to figure what would cause this to happen.

Not sure about the cause, just noticed the "cloudy" comment in most after the fact assessments. Another thing I've noticed is people saying they spray cleaner on the site glass. Did you?
These things go in with almost nothing but pressure and a little oil to hold them there (the 1200's now have a retainer clip to help hold them in). I wonder if the cleaning chemicals dissolve the oil and make it more susceptible to blowing out?
I also wonder if venting the crankcase ventilation to the atmosphere would help reduce crankcase pressure, which could be a culprit?

[RINTY]

It was your lucky day.

[bikerfish1100]

The seal on the sight glass gets "weak"; stiff and a bit brittle. oil sight glasses blowing out/failing is somewhat common- if not replaced when the early symptoms show up; cloudy glass is one, but even more telling is a bit of oil weepage around the glass. if you see ANY oil weepage/seepage around the sight glass, replace it right away. the clouding problem is primarily an issue of "i can't read my oil level anymore", which is due to age- which is what will kill the seal.

do a search- you'll discover many posts about replacing it. easy DIY job.

[STOKES73]

I didn't use any cleaners on it. So it is just a mystery I guess. Bob's BMW says they've seen this before. Their question was "Has the bike overheated?" That's a no too. The bike really has been trouble free and I ride more than 10k a year.

[STOKES73]

As usual you all had some great suggestions. I hate having to take the tupperware off but I now think I'll just buy the part and replace it myself. I used to do all the work on my R100RT but I've shied away from messing with this bike.

Thanks to everyone for responding.

[MarkM]

I know of several oilheads that have popped their oil sight glasses. It's one of those things that can happen if you keep one long enough. It is so common that many keep a spare glass just in case. Be glad it happened at home and not on the road. I think I'll plan on replacing mine before it blows. The bike currently has 33K. I wonder what mileage (or age) would be a good time to replace it.

Good idea doing your own routine and/or minor work. I moved from airhead to oilhead and I have no problem working on the oilhead. My mechanical skills are nothing special, but I enjoy doing what I can.

[jglass]

I asked the guys at BMW shop to replace mine just as a precaution a couple of months ago when they were doing 60K service on my '02 1150RT. They told me it looked fine and they suggested not fooling with it if it wasn't causing problems. Guess I better keep a close eye for leaks because mine is a bit cloudy as well.

[patiodadio]

Mine blew out in the garage also, seems like this is where most of them blow out. I had 71K on my 94' R1100RSL at the time. If it had blown out on the road , the engine would be toast.




.

[jduke]

I've put over 100,000 miles on two oilheads and never replaced the oil sight glass on either. Of course I had the best protection in the world....a spare one sitting in my tankbag.
Someone mentioned the rubber surrounding it. I only looked at mine when I put it in the tankbag and took it out when I sold the tankbag, but I seem to remember the glass was surrounded by metal, not any rubber.
Could be wrong....

[23217]

My reaction this morning when I started the bike and the oil level eyeglass blew out of the engine casing was WTF!!!

Okay...now for more bad news. One of my bikes has been parked since June because BMW is changing the design. As of this week, they don't have an ETA for when they are going to get them in. But, my guess is that your bike will be parked for at least another month.