Engine rattles?

Flash2004NZ

Flash2004NZ

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I picked my R18 up new and rode it home 200km. The next morning I checked the oil - after checking the process in the book - and discovered I needed to add 1.75L to bring it to half way up the sightglass. Its just ticked over 1000km today and oil level is stable so its unlikely to have burned that initial oil in 200km of soft highway riding. Now I'm paranoid at the rattles the engine makes and which are audible even through the helmet when cruising.
I'll be trailering it the 230 or so km to the nearest dealer for its 1000km check but I'd like to ask fellow owners whether you hear any engine rattles? Thanks
 
first of all I never needed to add oil before or after the first run in oil change. Of course I heard noses from the engine that could be described as rattles. I think the only way you are going to get an answer to your question is to ride or listen to another R18 in the same environment or a side by side comparison.
 
I know you said that you used the book procedure, but just making sure you had the bike upright vertical (not on side stand) and let sit for a couple of minutes before checking the oil level. Although anything is possible, it seems unlikely that the oil level was that low.
 
If you bought the bike new, and are correctly checking the oil, have a word with the dealership about your experienses , just in case the problem develops,
 
Same as R2K wrote. I would find another R18 and listen to that before worrying any more about rattles. It’s a big air cooled lump that does clatter and click especially when cold, once upto temperature it should quieten down somewhat. With a very heavy lean to the left (on the stand) oil could easily be pooled somewhere inside making you think it’s too low when it’s not. Anything is possible but adding 1.75 litres seems an awful lot to me, you may well have inadvertently overfilled it.
 
I'd just like to make the point this is my third R series, R100RS, R1200c x 2 and I'm aware of how long the oil can take to move around to get a proper reading. I'm no closer after all that time to understanding why BMW make it so difficult and imprecise to check the oil level, one of the most basic tasks on any vehicle. So I found a block of exactly the right height to slip under the side stand and on a level concrete floor hold the bike at about 89 degrees to vertical so as close to upright as possible without it falling the other way. I suspect it was shipped from the factory with some preservative oil in it and the selling dealer hasn't checked or changed it. I just hope it hasn't allowed excessive wear during that 200km ride and even up to the 1,000km its done to now with what might be a close to 50;50 mix of shipping oil and 30/W50 motor oil.
 
Flash2004NZ said:
I'd just like to make the point this is my third R series, R100RS, R1200c x 2 and I'm aware of how long the oil can take to move around to get a proper reading. I'm no closer after all that time to understanding why BMW make it so difficult and imprecise to check the oil level, one of the most basic tasks on any vehicle. So I found a block of exactly the right height to slip under the side stand and on a level concrete floor hold the bike at about 89 degrees to vertical so as close to upright as possible without it falling the other way. I suspect it was shipped from the factory with some preservative oil in it and the selling dealer hasn't checked or changed it. I just hope it hasn't allowed excessive wear during that 200km ride and even up to the 1,000km its done to now with what might be a close to 50;50 mix of shipping oil and 30/W50 motor oil.
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What makes you think that it was shipped with something other than regular engine oil? I definitely agree though that they made it harder than it needs to be to check the oil.
 
tommymck said:
What makes you think that it was shipped with something other than regular engine oil? I definitely agree though that they made it harder than it needs to be to check the oil.
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No idea other than my experience with the heavy equipment I deal with. Some of them ship with the barest minimum of preservative oil and the procedure is to change and refill before starting.
 
Flash2004NZ said:
I'd just like to make the point this is my third R series, R100RS, R1200c x 2 and I'm aware of how long the oil can take to move around to get a proper reading. I'm no closer after all that time to understanding why BMW make it so difficult and imprecise to check the oil level, one of the most basic tasks on any vehicle. So I found a block of exactly the right height to slip under the side stand and on a level concrete floor hold the bike at about 89 degrees to vertical so as close to upright as possible without it falling the other way. I suspect it was shipped from the factory with some preservative oil in it and the selling dealer hasn't checked or changed it. I just hope it hasn't allowed excessive wear during that 200km ride and even up to the 1,000km its done to now with what might be a close to 50;50 mix of shipping oil and 30/W50 motor oil.
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For me It’s just about getting to know the actual bike you own. They are all different. It’s a big leap saying it’s got shipping oil in it, how do you know what’s in it? I agree it’s awkward but at least it’s got a sight glass, many don’t. When mine is cold and upright on its stand (in the exact same spot in the garage) the oil level is bang on so I can keep an eye on it that way. Sounds like your block of wood has achieved the same result.
 
Rufus said:
For me It’s just about getting to know the actual bike you own. They are all different. It’s a big leap saying it’s got shipping oil in it, how do you know what’s in it? I agree it’s awkward but at least it’s got a sight glass, many don’t. When mine is cold and upright on its stand (in the exact same spot in the garage) the oil level is bang on so I can keep an eye on it that way. Sounds like your block of wood has achieved the same result.
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I'd love to agree with you but by the time I got to know this bike its engine may well be rooted. I know bikes and i know engines. I never said it had shipping oil in it, I said I didn't know whether it might have had shipping oil in it but suspected it might have had for two reasons: 1 that shipping oil is very light and would burn easily and 2/. it might have explained why it wasn't totally filled at the factory. Anyway I booked it in with another dealer today and they assure me they ship normally with the correct level of the proper grade oil, so while I'm not right in my suspicion, I'm not wrong either because it was only filled to half capacity. The fact remains its rattly and that was the question, I can't stand rattly engines.
 
Ok, not sure why you went with the R18 then, it is what it is? Had you not tried one or heard one before buying? I’ve had 2xR850R’s and an R9T myself and the bike more than delivers on what I hoped/expected. It’s no more rattly than any of those.
 
Rufus said:
Ok, not sure why you went with the R18 then, it is what it is? Had you not tried one or heard one before buying? I’ve had 2xR850R’s and an R9T myself and the bike more than delivers on what I hoped/expected. It’s no more rattly than any of those.
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Shouldn't you be on facebook with a comment like that? I DID test ride an R18 and noticed no unusual noises. i DID ride mine 200km and noticed no unusual noises, it was only AFTER I discovered the oil was low and rode it again after topping it up that I detected it had become noisy. FFS man I've been a petrol head from over 50 years with every kind and size of bike car, truck, and even horse and I don't need that sort of crap comment. this was my question" I'd like to ask fellow owners whether you hear any engine rattles?"
 
From Flash's post, it sounds like he's had other boxers and his R18 engine noise is out of the ordinary. It'll be sorted out once he gets it to the dealer, I'm sure. I'm still skeptical that it really needed nearly 2 quarts and wonder if it isn't now overfilled. It would have required that it shipped with only half of its oil and that the dealer didn't run through their checklist. Strager things have happened, but it just seems unlikely. There was a guy here a few months ago (or more?) who had a very similar issue where he seemed to be misinterpreting the fill indicator. I don't recall if he reported back how that resolved.
 
Flash2004NZ said:
I'd like to ask fellow owners whether you hear any engine rattles?"
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Short answer to this is "no". I have everything from /2s to a contemporary R1250GS. The R18 is not out of the ordinary, and if you are hearing it at speed through your helmet, it doesn't seem "normal" to me. The fact that the noise appeared after you added the extra oil strengthens my suspicion that it's now overfilled, but of course can't say for sure.
 
Sometimes with very clean oil it is hard to read on the sightglass when it is all the way to the top. I have had to do a double take sometimes to be sure It’s not showing empty when it is really all the way to the top. This does not appear (pun intended) to be the case in this situation.
 
Flash2004NZ said:
Shouldn't you be on facebook with a comment like that? I DID test ride an R18 and noticed no unusual noises. i DID ride mine 200km and noticed no unusual noises, it was only AFTER I discovered the oil was low and rode it again after topping it up that I detected it had become noisy. FFS man I've been a petrol head from over 50 years with every kind and size of bike car, truck, and even horse and I don't need that sort of crap comment. this was my question" I'd like to ask fellow owners whether you hear any engine rattles?"
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Look, not trying or intending to be funny but you raised this thread. If you had explained more fully in your original post what had happened with your bike and maybe some of your experience too rather than spoon feeding important details drip by drip we would all have had a much clearer idea what your concerns were. Folks appear on here and sometimes just complain about the bike from the off, it’s like ‘why did you even buy it?’. Anyway, I apologise.
 
Just to throw in my 2¢ ... you all do realize that this is a 'pushrod' engine with solid cam-followers, while all the other modern boxers (GS, R9 etc.) are overhead cam engines ... a pushrod engine will always have more valve train noise than an overhead cam engine ... low oil or not ... btw did the engine oil warning light ever come on? if not you did have adequate oil pressure at any given time and your engine had plenty of lube not to cause any harm ... but thats just me ...
 
Ulrich said:
Just to throw in my 2¢ ... you all do realize that this is a 'pushrod' engine with solid cam-followers, while all the other modern boxers (GS, R9 etc.) are overhead cam engines ... a pushrod engine will always have more valve train noise than an overhead cam engine ... low oil or not ... btw did the engine oil warning light ever come on? if not you did have adequate oil pressure at any given time and your engine had plenty of lube not to cause any harm ... but thats just me ...
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Absoutely.No worries unless the light comes on.
 
No low pressure Lights although that's not strictly necessary for the extreme reaches of the oil galleries to be partially starved - rocker gear is usually where starvation is felt first. I can absolutely guarantee the oil level as it is now is correct. I had my wife assist and we tilted the bike until I could see the oil appear in the window. When I first checked it and discovered it was low I could get the bike to right on the falling point and no sign of oil. That was when I knew i had a problem. The BMW new bike scene seems to be in a bit of turmoil here in NZ right now. BMW have made some major changes and I think brought the bikes and cars under the same management umbrella and the dealer I bought from had lost their franchise only the month before I bought the bike (I didn't know that and they never told) I get the impression they might've been relieved to get rid of it. It doesn't help that their service manager comes across as a flustered imbecile either. Thanks for all the comments and assistance.
 
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