I sold my beloved 1150R last Sunday and the new owner is having some trouble:
Sunday when I rode the bike home from WI I had to slow down to about 20 mph for road construction and when I did the bike acted like it was running out of oil, the oil light didn't come on but the engine started to knock like it didn't have oil, so I stopped and checked the oil level and it was ok. The engine had quit knocking almost as quick as it had started knocking so I continued home thinking it was just a freak thing. This Saturday it did it again only much worse. I was in a benefit ride going 30 mph at about 3000 rpm and not slowing down just holding a steady speed. All of a sudden the engine started knocking to the point you could hear the rods hammering. Still no oil light and before I could get pulled to the side of the road oil pressure and came back everything was ok. I checked the oil again and the level was good. I brought the bike home and parked it. Do you know about this? If not I have no choice but to take the engine apart and look for a bad oil pump or loose oil pump pickup tube. I have noticed a couple of times when tiring in town that the engine would sound just a little noisy but not more then a little tick which could have been nothing more than having my head turned so I would hear the engine more. But now I starting to wonder about that.
It sounds like Knocking to me, but I never expierenced it so I'm not sure. In the summer I always used the highest octane and 95% of my miles were at 65+ mph on the interstate. I would guess that slower speeds = higher temps and may cause the knocking. What do you guys think.
The sound of rod journals slapping against the crank is a VERY distinct sound. Is he hearing the typical "ping or knock?" It could also be the sound of the cam chain tensioners too. Cam chain tensioner sounds will only be herd at low rpms and sound awful. I recently went down this path. Bad gas is also another avenue to head down.
Edit: As I read his post again, my bet is cam chain tensioners. They will start making a lot of noise when the engine is really hot and you're just cruising along. The drop in oil pressure, combined with the thinner oil, will cause the tensioners to slack off a bit. BTW -- mine started making noise around the 40k mark. There is no harm done to the engine re bad cam tensioners; I just didn't like the noise.
Well -- always start with the easy path first: bad gas.
I was in the same situation when I bought my R (used): once it warmed up, your could hear a BAD knock at low RPMs. A local Ducati dealer convinced me that it was the rod bearings. Fortunately I did not go along and soon found a redesigned cam chain tensioner for the left cylinder. Problem gone!
I had the cam chain tensioner issue. When the engine was hot, and especially when coming to a stop, there was a LOUD tapping from the engine. It would come and go as I revved the engined.
If it is the cam chain tensioner, you can just live with it, or replace with new updated version. It's an easy cheap fix.
I would suggest taking it to the dealer and letting them listen. They probably wouldn't charge anything for a quick listen.
ErikU wrote:I would suggest taking it to the dealer and letting them listen. They probably wouldn't charge anything for a quick listen.
Your dealer was able to diagnose the cam chain tensioner? Mine did not, and he instead wanted to redo a 1000-mile-old service. When asked about the possibility of trying the enhanced tensioner, he dismissed it as useless "internet" information.
The bike is about the same age as mine, and I was recently experiencing much the same symptom as described in the original post. Knocking when idling or putting around at slow speeds. Essentially a loud, annoying, slap-rattle-knock. It is no fault of previous owners, but simply age, wear, and heat.
Easy fix. $55 bucks from Chicago BMW.
Now the bike once again "purrs" and accelerates more smoothly from a stop. Sweeeeeeeet........
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence" - Napoleon Bonaparte
[quote
Your dealer was able to diagnose the cam chain tensioner? Mine did not, and he instead wanted to redo a 1000-mile-old service. When asked about the possibility of trying the enhanced tensioner, he dismissed it as useless "internet" information.[/quote]
Yikes,... no, I diagnosed it myself and replaced it myself. Probably would have gone to the dealer though had it continued.
Just a thought but the new owner says that they stopped and checked the oil. But as we all know it's not that easy to check the level you have to give it time to drain.
But in the end it's hard to analyse what some body else is saying without hearing the noise and under what situation. If the new owner has not had a BMW before then it just might be the normal noises we all know and love.
