R100RT Oil Filter Stuck!

[RK Ryder]

I’ve had my ‘98 R1100RT since 2009. Each year I change the oil once or twice a year, depending on the mileage, with no issues. I’ve always changed the oil hot.

 

Well for the first time last fall, I didn’t get around to it. Today I decided to change the oil cold and let it fully drain for a couple of days. Drained the oil but the oil filter won’t budge, even with a gentle tap with a mallet on the wrench handle. I always install the oil filter by hand and finish tightening to the specified torque (11 or 12Nm). I use either the BMW oil filter or the Mahl equivalent.

 

Currently the bike is the centre stand (son’s bike is on my lift) so do not wish to be too forcible with the wrench. 
 

Do I wait until the dripping has stopped, reinsert the oil drain plug and use a breaker bar with the bike on the side stand

 

or put the old oil back in, ride and bring the bike up to temperature and try to remove the oil filter

 

or go to a shop?

 

Suggestions please.

 

Paul

[dirtrider]

46 minutes ago, RK Ryder said:

I’ve had my ‘98 R1100RT since 2009. Each year I change the oil once or twice a year, depending on the mileage, with no issues. I’ve always changed the oil hot.

 

Well for the first time last fall, I didn’t get around to it. Today I decided to change the oil cold and let it fully drain for a couple of days. Drained the oil but the oil filter won’t budge, even with a gentle tap with a mallet on the wrench handle. I always install the oil filter by hand and finish tightening to the specified torque (11 or 12Nm). I use either the BMW oil filter or the Mahl equivalent.

 

Currently the bike is the centre stand (son’s bike is on my lift) so do not wish to be too forcible with the wrench. 
 

Do I wait until the dripping has stopped, reinsert the oil drain plug and use a breaker bar with the bike on the side stand

 

or put the old oil back in, ride and bring the bike up to temperature and try to remove the oil filter

 

or go to a shop?

 

Suggestions please.

 

Paul

Afternoon Paul

 

It sounds like you didn't put a coating of oil on the filter gasket last time you changed it?

 

It should still come off if you get a good fitting filter wrench & cheater bar. 

 

If you can get enough grip on it then last resort is to use a very large pair of vise grips as so far I haven't had a filter those won't remove.

[Rinkydink]

I have a strap oil filter wrench that wraps around the filter just for those occasions. Get as close to the base as possible and in my case use a wrench to loosen it. If you definitely tightened it to proper torque it should come off. Have a spotter secure bike so you don’t have to worry about knocking bike over. 

[RK Ryder]

2 minutes ago, dirtrider said:

Afternoon Paul

 

It sounds like you didn't put a coating of oil on the filter gasket last time you changed it?

Possibly but unlikely as that is part of my routine when installing the filter. ,

[RK Ryder]

Actually Dirt Rider, I did do one thing different with the filter gasket but I don’t if that is the cause of my problem. I have always put used oil on that gasket (as recommended by the master BMW tech I sometime frequent) but with the install of this filter, I used new oil.

 

I’ll get the appropriate breaker bar. My two are 1/2” bars.

 

I’ll let you know how things work out.

 

Paul

 

[RK Ryder]

Years ago I had the BMW oil wrench for that bike which I kept in the cowling. At one point, possibly when the bike went in for service somewhere, it seems to have been lost. Been using a less deep aftermarket oil filter wrench successfully for years with the bike. So I called the local Beemer shop and I am going out to pick up the correct Beemer filter holder/wrench, and then a 3/8” breaker bar to remove the stuck filter.

 

New problem; before leaving, thought I’d put a screw drive into the current wrench to remove it. It seems to insist on staying on the filter!!! 😱

 

If it’s not one thing, another thing pops up. 😂

[dirtrider]

33 minutes ago, RK Ryder said:

Years ago I had the BMW oil wrench for that bike which I kept in the cowling. At one point, possibly when the bike went in for service somewhere, it seems to have been lost. Been using a less deep aftermarket oil filter wrench successfully for years with the bike. So I called the local Beemer shop and I am going out to pick up the correct Beemer filter holder/wrench, and then a 3/8” breaker bar to remove the stuck filter.

 

New problem; before leaving, thought I’d put a screw drive into the current wrench to remove it. It seems to insist on staying on the filter!!! 😱

 

If it’s not one thing, another thing pops up. 😂

Afternoon Paul

 

Try the tightening direction to see if that centers the wrench flutes in the filter flutes then try removing it. Otherwise try rapping the wrench with a hammer (strike lightly all the way around the filter).

[RK Ryder]

One breaker bar, plus my neighbour holding the bike and brake, and the filter is off the bike. 👍

 

Given the effort and number of partial turns before being able to loosen the filter by hand, the conclusion must be that I used the wrong torque setting when I installed the filter. 🤷‍♂️ No idea where my brain was as over the years, I’ve installed many of these filters on both my K100RT and this Oilhead and all previous ones came off with no effort. 🙄

 

Thank you to Rinkydink and dirtrider for your suggestions and opinion as to what the caused the problem. My limited (very limited) mechanical background was hesitant to try a fix before consulting with you.

 

Cheers!

 

Paul

[Jim Moore]

A few more tricks for next time. Drill a few holes in the filter wrench. Put the wrench on the filter, then put a few screws through the holes and through the filter. If you have a filter you can get at from the side, hammer a screwdriver through the filter and turn it like that. 

[Rinkydink]

1 hour ago, Jim Moore said:

A few more tricks for next time. Drill a few holes in the filter wrench. Put the wrench on the filter, then put a few screws through the holes and through the filter. If you have a filter you can get at from the side, hammer a screwdriver through the filter and turn it like that. 

I would do that as a very very last resort. That can turn ugly. I did have to do that once on my brother’s Buell. He bought a K&N oil filter with a nut on the end of the filter for removal. It snapped right off. Almost never got the filter off. 

[Jim Moore]

1 hour ago, Rinkydink said:

I would do that as a very very last resort. That can turn ugly. I did have to do that once on my brother’s Buell. He bought a K&N oil filter with a nut on the end of the filter for removal. It snapped right off. Almost never got the filter off. 

Those techniques REALLY focus the mind.

[King Herald]

15 hours ago, Rinkydink said:

I have a strap oil filter wrench that wraps around the filter just for those occasions. Get as close to the base as possible and in my case use a wrench to loosen it. If you definitely tightened it to proper torque it should come off. Have a spotter secure bike so you don’t have to worry about knocking bike over. 

 

My '97 1100r has the filter sunken up into the bottom of the motor, nothing protrudes to get a wrench or grips on. Is the 1100rt totally different?

 

I bought a pressed steel filter socket in an auto supply, the exact right size, so I assume the BM filters are an industry standard size. 

 

I always fill the filter with oil before putting it on, but it's been mentioned by others that BM policy is not to do that. 

 

 

 

[RK Ryder]

A master BMW tech who for many years gave his clients mini service courses each winter, told us filling the oil filter was not necessary. His position was that an empty oil filter is filled instantly once you push the starter. I have put a little over 300,000 kms on my two bikes and neither have ever had an engine issues.

 

Having said that, many do fill their oil filters before installing them and if that also seems to work. For me (I’m clumsy) and pre filling has been messy the one time I tried it.

[dirtrider]

1 hour ago, RK Ryder said:

A master BMW tech who for many years gave his clients mini service courses each winter, told us filling the oil filter was not necessary. His position was that an empty oil filter is filled instantly once you push the starter. I have put a little over 300,000 kms on my two bikes and neither have ever had an engine issues.

 

Having said that, many do fill their oil filters before installing them and if that also seems to work. For me (I’m clumsy) and pre filling has been messy the one time I tried it.

Morning   RK Ryder

 

The empty filter doesn't fill instantly but it does fill once the engine is cranking & running. 

 

If the filters filled instantly then oil filters that are mounted horizontally or upside down would not need internal check valves.  

[Hosstage]

I have installed filters dry, and pre-filled.

When dry, the oil light stays on for a few seconds. When pre-filled, the light goes out immediately.

I don't overfill the filter, allow it to absorb, no mess.

[BABABeemer]

I’ve had similar problems with the K&N filter. Nut on end snaps off. I had to use the vice grip method to remove. I wish I knew of a substitute filter that was a little longer so a filter strap would work.

[RPG]

4 hours ago, Hosstage said:

I have installed filters dry, and pre-filled.

When dry, the oil light stays on for a few seconds. When pre-filled, the light goes out immediately.

I don't overfill the filter, allow it to absorb, no mess.

Same here. I don't like seeing the oil pressure light illuminated for two, three, four seconds with the engine running. With a filled oil filter, the light goes out immediately.

[dirtrider]

15 hours ago, RPG said:

Same here. I don't like seeing the oil pressure light illuminated for two, three, four seconds with the engine running. With a filled oil filter, the light goes out immediately.

Morning Rick

 

That oil pressure light is triggered by a switch that turns off at around .15 bar (a little over 2 psi) so even after the dash light goes off you still might not have any real meaningful oil pressure for a few seconds more. 

[RPG]

Morning D.R., thanks for the clarification. I guess I go back to my days spent in the garage with my dad. As long as our cars had vertically hanging oil filters. (most Ford V8's of that era did), he taught me to fill the filter first. :)

 

Hoping to see you at the MOA National in June. A bunch of us are leaving MI and riding south to hit the Cherohala Skyway, then over to the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and on up to Richmond, VA.

 

I need to change out the steering head bearing in my RT first. There's a little bit of side to side play in the handlebars when the bike is off the centerstand. I have the bearing, but am doing an engine re-seal on a client's R60/5 so I need to finish that up first.

 

Rick

[9Mary7]

On 4/13/2023 at 10:10 AM, BABABeemer said:

I’ve had similar problems with the K&N filter. Nut on end snaps off. I had to use the vice grip method to remove. I wish I knew of a substitute filter that was a little longer so a filter strap would work.

What part number filter are you using? 

[Paul De]

I've always used the cheapo oil filter cap wrench like this with great success.  With all the filter flats engaged you can put a lot of torque on the filter without crushing it. 

 

I did reduce the flange lip a bit with a bench grinder to reduce the wrench diameter to better fit into the Oilhead's recessed filter cavity.

About $4 at Autozone.

 

I've never used a torque wrench for installing an engine oil filter. After lubing the gasket with either used or fresh oil I spin it on until I feel the gasket just contact the seating surface and then hand tighten another 1/2 turn give or take.  Nice and snug, but not too tight as measured by my bio-mechincal torque wrench. On the Oilhead with the filter located in a recessed cavity the cap wrench is needed to snug the filter, but I choke up on the ratchet to get closer to a hand feel for that 1/2 turn to snug the filter down.   I've never had a leak or a filter come loose doing it this way.

[Rinkydink]

On 4/13/2023 at 4:04 AM, King Herald said:

 

My '97 1100r has the filter sunken up into the bottom of the motor, nothing protrudes to get a wrench or grips on. Is the 1100rt totally different?

 

I bought a pressed steel filter socket in an auto supply, the exact right size, so I assume the BM filters are an industry standard size. 

 

I always fill the filter with oil before putting it on, but it's been mentioned by others that BM policy is not to do that. 

 

 

 

I wasn’t aware the 1100s had the recessed oil filter. My first BMW was an ‘04 except my airhead. 

[dirtrider]

12 hours ago, Rinkydink said:

I wasn’t aware the 1100s had the recessed oil filter. My first BMW was an ‘04 except my airhead. 

Morning Rinkydink

 

Yes,  depending on the length of the filter used it can be fairly recessed (protected).

 

 

[BABABeemer]

On 4/17/2023 at 6:02 AM, 9Mary7 said:

What part number filter are you using? 

I was using the KN-163 when I had the end twist off.

[9Mary7]

Thnx. I only use the wrench end filters if I'm safety wiring the filter.... so not on an RT.

The Mobil one filter (m1-102)  is a bit taller and seems to come off more reliably.

[The Fabricator]

I am assuming you are using a stamped sheet metal oil filter wrench, which is a loose-ish fit on the filter, also stamped sheet metal.

I for a stuck filter/spinning wrench I stuff very coarse sand paper around the inner circumference of the wrench and drive it onto the filter with a rubber mallet.  

Shim as appropriate.

[Bumwah]

Totally agree with Paul De... ALWAYS! put oil on the rubber seal, New or Old doesn't matter. I've NEVER pre filled the oil filter. Spin the filter on until its snug.

Half turn with filter wrench. DONE! this has worked for over 50 years. Torque Wrenches are for stripping small bolts and screws...

It's a BMW, Keep It Simple Stupid! HAPPY SINCO De DRINKO!

[Hosstage]

I found that if I pre-filled the filter and let it sit, the oil absorbed into the pleats. I then installed the filter with no leakage happening. I found that if pre-filled, the oil light went out sooner, almost immediately. But I rarely go thru the trouble of doing it, it was more of an experiment. When dry, the light stays on for a few seconds (up to 5?), not a big deal for me. 125,000 miles, seems to be working just fine.