Clackity-clackity-clackity goes the S engine

ErricZ · 07-20-2001, 08:16 PM

Ok, so don't tell anyone on the Buell list (ha ha) but on my way home from dinner tonight my S decided that it would start making a rather load, power-robbing clackity-clackity noise. It's not valve chatter, it sounds like rods slapping into dead pistons or something. Help....ouch....Cross Country BMW, where are you?

Mnick · 07-21-2001, 03:55 AM

Sorry ErricZ but you just did. Let me know what that one comes out to be.

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In the Piney Woods
Nick

ErricZ · 07-21-2001, 06:31 AM

Well, I'm being blamed for not keeping the oil in her and that it "burns oil" and that I should check it every ride.

Joe · Joe's Garage

Eric
Sorry to hear your problems. How low was the level and how much damage was done?

JOE

ErricZ · 07-21-2001, 08:15 PM

The oil was a bit low, I don't know the extent of the damage yet, took it into the dealer today. I'll hear from them Monday.

ErricZ · 07-23-2001, 06:46 AM

Spun bearings on right side, left side going...scored pistons/cylinder heads. Dealer seems to think it needs a new motor. I just hope they cover it under warranty but I don't think my DSM really likes me all that much.

kgibbs · 07-23-2001, 07:34 AM

My S scares me at times. I'll ride it for over 1000 miles and check the oil at every stop and it'll be ok.
I keep riding her and checking the level and all of the sudden the oil will dissappear from the window.

This happend at Deals Gap. With 650 new miles and the 1st service completed I hopped from Chicago to Knoxville without loosing a drop. I rode for 3 days and didn't loose anything. On the 4th day, I checked the oil before heading out and by noon she was suddenly low. No real change in riding style. Funny? I just keep and eye on the oil at every 10 minute plus stop.

Thins happened again about a month later in Chicago. I've observed no leaks.

ErricZ · 07-23-2001, 03:09 PM

UPDATE:

Turns out I have spun bearings, scored cylinders and pistons. Not covered by warranty at this point due to 'existing fall over damage" -- and they know about my little dropping episode a few weeks back. They are willing to work with my insurance company or buy my bike as a trade-in and sell me a new S -- funny, they have #112 (mine is #110) which is the same bike as mine, backup for the psycho?

Mnick · 07-23-2001, 06:29 PM

Something doesn't seem right about that. What kind of damage did you do when you dropped it. What kind of money are we talking now. Like I said something doesn't sound right.

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In the Piney Woods
Nick

Conrad (RAD) Sudduth · 07-24-2001, 06:38 AM

I'm with Nick on this one. A get off at the beginning of the month and a few weeks later the motor getting cooked from no oil. I am not big on coincidences. I have put a lot of miles on two oil heads and have been part of a couple of on-line sites regarding them and have never heard of an oil head losing enough oil to cook the motor that quickly without there being another problem.

rad

ErricZ · 07-24-2001, 10:26 AM

How low are we talking? What it were at 2qts low? What do you think? I mean, I hit the ground on the right side when I went down, the car with the left-side...but it's the right-side that spun the bearing. I don't really know what to make of the whole situation but the regional rep is saying it was "oil starvation" and they haven't seen scoring of the heads like it was until 100K+ miles.

Rapt · 07-24-2001, 10:29 AM

Did your engine continue running after you went down or did you manage to kill it?

Is very easy to run the engine dry in some areas of the engine if its running at some weird angle like right over the cylinder and half updside down. That can do real damage to internals. I figure if its in some way related to the crash its your insurance and the dealer who sorts out who pays, not you, since they should have found this and taken care of it at the time.

ErricZ · 07-24-2001, 12:09 PM

The bike was running 30-45 seconds before I gained my wits again.

I didn't have the dealer look at the bike right after, but I was going through silly insurance bulls**t.

roger albert · 07-24-2001, 01:30 PM

While I agree with Rad that it doesn't sound quite right, I also don't believe much in coincidences. I think Rapt has hit it. It was latent damage from 45 seconds of running with the sump sucking air. I did that to a car many years ago. Don't ask.

Still, if the dealer attests to that as a cause, then it seems it moves the problem from BMW-NA warranty to your insurer. I hope so anyway. Good luck.

roger

Mnick · 07-24-2001, 06:39 PM

The bike goes down on the right side. it runs for 30 to 45 seconds and the damage is to the right side. I still don't see it.

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In the Piney Woods
Nick

brad black · 07-25-2001, 04:09 AM

it wouldn't matter which side it went down on. if the oil pickup is in air, all the bits that need oil are going to take some damage.

we had service bullitens a few years ago regarding people losing engines in the r1100 series due to them running out of oil in the run in period. some of them even had stickers on the top triple clamp reminding owners to check their oil, so it was a real problem.

don't know if that's relevant here or not. just sounds like a bad combination of events.

brad

ErricZ · 07-25-2001, 07:41 AM

There happend to be an 1150GS motor for sale on IBMWR.org ... guess what is wrong with it? Was run on it's side after an accident and needed to be rebuilt...hmmmm, design issues here or what? Why didn't my dealer go into specifics about oil checking until *well* after the fact?

Rapt · 07-25-2001, 10:35 AM

I don't consider that a design issue unless there was to be a sensor that shut the engine down if it was "crashed" so that it wouldn't run dry. But FWIW most motorcycle engines are susceptible to this.

As I said. Seems that this should really be an insurance issue. Damage due to the crash, and all. Either you're covered for (ALL) oif it or you aren't. Seems to me they should be paying.

ErricZ · 07-25-2001, 10:50 AM

Yeah, Insurance is my last recourse to have it paid as I called the dealer back, my dealer will not push...he said he'd try to talk to Richard Dampf (DSM) again but doesn't think it will do any good. I find it very disconcerting that if this one guy has a bad day, all warranties are shot...there is no higher power than the Regional Rep as far as BMWNA is concerned.

Mnick · 07-25-2001, 12:48 PM

As far as a tip over sensor Honda has been puting them in Goldwings for years. In fact there is a recall for the 2001 Wings because of a defect in the tip over switch. Folks I'm just a poor old fool from Alabama ,but if the bike fell over on the right side wouldn't the left side cylinder have like serious problems also. Wouldn't it have been starved for oil 1st. It's just a thought.

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In the Piney Woods
Nick