I've got my bike all sorted and am going to do an oil change. This is an 88 R100RS with an oil cooler. As it seems with every airhead topic there are pages and pages and pages on the internet with all sorts of varying information. Is there someone on this forum who has an actual 88 and who has changed their oil and could answer a few simple/stupid questions? I've probably done 150 car oil changes in my live...easy peasy...reading the Clymers on this bike I am totally confused about shims and gaskets and 0-rings. I'm goin to drain it tomorrow and give it a go, but would like to talk to someone with an 88 if I might.
Thanks
Mark
Mine is an '83, probably pretty close. Make sure you have gear oil for the linkages.
I used to own a 1988 R100RS. What I did with mine was to simply put it back together the way it was when I opened it up. If I remember correctly, there was a square profiled black O-ring in a groove in the oil cooler filter cover. I can't remember if it used the round white rubber O-ring. If there is no shoulder on the inner part of the cover to interface with the white O-ring and the canister, you might not need it. It's been many years ago that I owned that RS, and my memory is a bit sketchy. Please report back what you find when you open it up. 309-251-0877 if you want to ring me up.
former Airmarshal, IL.
Thanks guys! I'll work on it today and see how it's currently configured. I did some reading (thanks to Brad) and it makes more sense now.
• First thing is to not touch the oil filter unless you have the correct replacement element. The element for the "oil cooler model" is slightly different in that the ends of the canister are different. The open end of the element goes toward the oil filter cover and allows oil to flow to the cooler.
• The 3 bolts can be hard to remove due to the placement of the fairing. Just go slow.
• Your oil should be a 20W50 with an API rating of SF and/or SG, such as oil is Valvoline VR1. I've found this in gallon jugs at O'Reily Auto Parts. You will not find SF/SG at Walmart. SF/SG is far MORE important than being a synthetic.
• While the filter element is removed it is VERY important that you reach down to the very bottom of the oil filter cavity and test the spring action of the oil filter by-pass system. These springs seem to have a very high failure rate after 30 years. If the spring has broken and collapsed, then the engine oil simply by-passes the filter completely. The ball should have 2-3mm of spring travel if it's still working. If it's not working, replace: the ball, the screw AND the spring... BEFORE going any further.
• There are several O-rings between the oil filter and the cover. These should be replaced with new replacements exactly as they came out. The special white O-ring is protected by a very thin metal washer that needs to be returned to its inner-most position. Some bikes have an additional gasket on the triangular cover. If the gasket is there, then replace it; if the gasket is not there then put it back like you found it. (Some filters may also come with a red or black version of the "white O-ring". Don't use them; ONLY use the white O-ring from BMW.)
• The cooler will drain during the oil change, and so the engine must be cranked and run for several minutes to achieve the actual oil level on the dip stick.
• The correct oil level is read when the dip stick is NOT screwed in, but simply brought down to touch the engine case.
• I change my engine oil every 5000 miles (when the odometer is a multiple of 5000; e.g. 60,000, 65,000, 70,000 miles).
* You may find that managing oil changes with the oil cooler is a bit of a headache. IMHO the cooler is not necessary if your ambient air temps never exceed 90°F, OR if your bike is fitted with an extended sump that holds more engine oil. The necessity of the oil cooler depends on where you live and where you ride.
Gearbox & Final Drives
• The gearbox itself holds almost 1 qt, meaning that to change everything will require that you to purchase 2 qts. And you MOST DEFINITELY want to change the gearbox, drive shaft AND final drive (all 3 cases) together and at the same time. These oils are not changed due to being "old" or "worn out", but rather to rid the cases of water content from condensation. Changing these 3 oils once a year on a road bike is adequate.
• The engine oil really doesn't care about synthetic/non-synthetic with oil changes every 5K miles, but the gearbox and drives cases most definitely DO. Shifting will improve and final drive temperatures will be reduced. I had excellent results with Valvoline 75/140 Full Synthetic.
Hope this helps.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
• While the filter element is removed it is VERY important that you reach down to the very bottom of the oil filter cavity and test the spring action of the oil filter by-pass system. These springs seem to have a very high failure rate after 30 years. If the spring has broken and collapsed, then the engine oil simply by-passes the filter completely. The ball should have 2-3mm of spring travel if it's still working. If it's not working, replace: the ball, the screw AND the spring... BEFORE going any further.
If the oil bypass valve is bad, can that be replaced from inside the oil canister, or is it a major engine task?
• That work is done from the point of view from which the photo was taken... That is to say from the outside of the engine, on the RH side.
• My photos show the central oil filter support tube as being removed. I did this to make access to the cover easier. When the tube is present, you will not have that much room to operate.
YOU GET EXACTLY ONE TRY to do this work, or it becomes much more involved. The reason you buy a new screw cover is so that you can spend an hour shaping a parallel tip screwdriver bit to get 100% FULL engagement on the old screw. If you try to extract the old screw cover with a hardware store variety screwdriver bit you will quickly round out the slot and then the only option quickly becomes a LOT more work.
?1
Collapsed spring vs. New spring
Sometimes the pieces of the bypass spring come out when the engine oil is drained from the sump. Finding the broken pieces, as shown, are often the first hint of trouble.
You will definitely want to "fish around" inside the bypass well with a powerful mechanics' stick magnet to retrieve all the broken parts before trying to install the new spring, ball and screw cover.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
Ok, everything went fine. The depth of the canister is within spec per the articles I read, no the previous oil change used the same single shim and o-ring (and squared black o-ring). Same filter part number, too. Oil bypass valve works fine. I have yet to fill and test for leaks…waiting on a crush washer.
i did not have new crush washers for the oil cooler lines, but the washers were in good shape, so I used them. Hopefully it won’t leak or I’ll have to replace the washers in situ. I could find no torque spec for these two bolts in Clymers…which was surprising
I didn't know about the spring. Is it the same for an '83 as an '88?
I would suggest coating the drain plug and oil line crush washers with LocTite 510 gasket maker before reusing.
(There's a whole series of these sealants in approximately the same number series.) They are red gels (about the viscosity of toothpaste) which apply easily to gaskets or washers. Like the thread lockers, they do not 'set' until deprived of air... meaning if a cover needs to be taken off 3 times the sealant is still good. Also that excess that oozes out can easily be wiped off. They are also impervious to oil, meaning that surfaces and drain plugs don't need to be surgically clean. Simply wipe off the excess oil and apply.
You can get this exact same product in a ~25cc tube from your Dodge/Chrysler parts dept.
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
I would suggest coating the drain plug and oil line crush washers with LocTite 510 gasket maker before reusing.
(There's a whole series of these sealants in approximately the same number series.) They are red gels (about the viscosity of toothpaste) which apply easily to gaskets or washers. Like the thread lockers, they do not 'set' until deprived of air... meaning if a cover needs to be taken off 3 times the sealant is still good. Also that excess that oozes out can easily be wiped off. They are also impervious to oil, meaning that surfaces and drain plugs don't need to be surgically clean. Simply wipe off the excess oil and apply.
You can get this exact same product in a ~25cc tube from your Dodge/Chrysler parts dept.
Thanks. I drove about 5 or 6 miles yesterday and no leaks so it may be OK. But I'll keep this in mind if I have any leak issues.
@16813 hi Mike, I have the same spring/ball bypass valve in my ‘78, so I’m sure it’s in yours, also. When my filter is out, I inspect the valve and try depressing it with a long drift just to be sure it feels fine. I’ve never had to replace mine at 45 years / 170K miles. Seems those original parts are pretty good.
@16813 hi Mike, I have the same spring/ball bypass valve in my ‘78, so I’m sure it’s in yours, also.
I'm pretty sure it's common to all Airhead engines since the /5's.
When my filter is out, I inspect the valve and try depressing it with a long drift just to be sure it feels fine.
Then it's a good check, don't you think ?
I’ve never had to replace mine at 45 years / 170K miles. Seems those original parts are pretty good.
• As every stock broker is fond of saying... "Past performance is no indicator of future results."
Owning an old Airhead is easy.
Keeping an old Airhead running great is the true test.
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