Smashed Oil Filter!!

[ADulay]

All,

 

Well, with the week of Daytona and the Keys under my belt for another year, the only real "crisis" of the whole event was a very weird incident while pulling out of a friend's driveway.

 

Seems he has some paving stones set into a few depressions at the start of the driveway. Well, I drove over one like every body else but this time, the stars and moon were aligned or something and the photo was the result. Instant destruction of the oil filter as one of the paving stones got wedged up from the front tire into the filter, puncturing it, among other things. Hit it so hard that the bike came off the ground and they thought I was pulling a wheelie coming into the street.

 

By the time I had turned around and got back to the driveway, I'd lost two quarts of oil, most of which was dumped on the street, driveway and my left foot as it sprayed from the filter.

 

45 years of riding and I've never seen a destroyed oil filter on a street bike.

 

Luckily for me, the Daytona BMW dealer opened at 9am and we rode on down and picked one up. Also stopped at Pep Boys for a "strap wrench" so we could get the old filter off.

 

Rode another 700 miles without a leak once we replaced the oil and filter, so I'm convinced all is right with the world once again.

 

AD

 

 

[smiller]

You could look at it as actually being lucky... that you didn't punch a hole in the cast aluminum oil pan.

[Paul Mihalka]

Good it did not happen worse than this. Interesting point to note for those who use a old style BMW oil filter in a hexhead, which works but is longer and sticks out a bit.

[Timmer]

Looks like the exhaust pipe took a pretty good hit too.

 

I've always wondered about the oil filter being exposed to damage from road debris.

[Eureka]

You may want to consider replacing the exhaust pipe(s)also. The dent that is evident in the photo will cause a hot spot and eventually erode through. Check Beemer Boneyard for a used one. <beemerboneyard.com>

[ADulay]

You may want to consider replacing the exhaust pipe(s)also. The dent that is evident in the photo will cause a hot spot and eventually erode through. Check Beemer Boneyard for a used one. <beemerboneyard.com>

 

Yeah, that's next on the final list of things to do. No problems with it so far, but it bugs me and like you said, it's just a matter of time before it get a hole there.

 

Arrrrgh.

 

AD

[KDeline]

You may want to consider replacing the exhaust pipe(s)also. The dent that is evident in the photo will cause a hot spot and eventually erode through. Check Beemer Boneyard for a used one. <beemerboneyard.com>

 

Yeah, that's next on the final list of things to do. No problems with it so far, but it bugs me and like you said, it's just a matter of time before it get a hole there.

 

Arrrrgh.

 

AD

 

FYI I had a dent like that in an Airhead for 132,000 miles and never had an issue.

[George]

With a few incidents on high kerbs here in the UK, we knocked up a R1200RT belly pan Stainless one's available soon.

[loujack]

What a bummer. I'm very glad it wasn't worse. I agree with others, you may want to start shopping for an exhaust pipe now, while you likely have a lot of miles to go before you develop a hole - I would take it as time to find a good deal.

 

You also raise a question. Given this experience will you start carrying a spare filter?

[LuckyLeif]

You could look at it as actually being lucky... that you didn't punch a hole in the cast aluminum oil pan.

Yes -- but even more luck than that! The sump is not an oil pan where a replacement can be bolted on if damaged. Rather it is integrally cast as part of the engine block. Knock a hole in the sump, or even just forming a crack would entail substantial dinero to repair to new condition. To my mind this is a weak point of the RT (and ST?) if one is faced with riding over a curb or similar obstacle. Any way that a GS skid plate could be fit to an RT?

[Jim VonBaden]

What a bizare incident! I have never heard of anyone having that happen to an oilhead, even a GS without actually crashing the bike first.

 

I wouldn't sweat it as a possible repeat incident, and surely wouldn't carry a spare filter for it, especially since you can get one that will work at any auto parts store, an alternate for the 1100/1150 bikes.

 

Jim

[hitechcpa]

Another way to get a filter like this off is to pound a long screw driver through it and use it as a lever to twist off the filter. With the R12RT filter position and header location you may have to pound the screw driver through in several places to get to a point that the filter will screw off by hand. I learned this trick when working in a garage during college on filters that had been tightened so much we couldn't get them off with the normal filter wrenches.

 

In fact, I use this method whenever changing my oil, so I didn't have to pay $35 for the wrench. It will leak a little, but it does anyway when the filter is off.

[ADulay]

You also raise a question. Given this experience will you start carrying a spare filter?

 

Nah, no need for a spare filter. This is one of those really bizzare things that just happens.

Like most have stated already, it could have been worse, much worse!!

 

AD

[Huzband]

Reminds me of the last time I developed an oil leak on a Beemer.

 

35 years ago, I was riding down to my parents shop to do some work on my R75/6. It was dark, I was going about 60 per, when I hit some thing VERY hard. Everything felt normal, but I thought I should stop & look, just to be sure. Upon dismounting, I notice a large sum of dark liquid running from under the bike. I crouched, looked at the oil pan, & was astounded at the size of the hole I saw.

 

The rear tire was soaked, & I followed a trail of oil back to the offending rock. It was about the size of a baseball, & also had a fair amount of oil on it. It had gone in far enough to crush the screen, & bend the sump pipe.

 

Needless to say, an oil change was added to the schedule that night.

[SteveNY]

Any way that a GS skid plate could be fit to an RT?

I don't think I saw a reply to this. Has anyone tried it? I just lost my oil after bottoming out on a rock 2+ hours from home and would consider this...

 

Steve