Service Interval For 2007 Final Drive Oil

[dduelin]

Is there a consensus or suggestion as to mileage interval for changing FD oil? I did a 24,000 mile service when I bought the bike and this included the FD oil using BMW C-SAF-XO. I changed it 3500 miles later and now the oil has about 7800 miles on it. I'm used to a 18,000 mile interval on my Hondas. Is 18,000 or every third engine oil change reasonable with a 2007?

[dirtrider]

13 minutes ago, dduelin said:

Is there a consensus or suggestion as to mileage interval for changing FD oil? I did a 24,000 mile service when I bought the bike and this included the FD oil using BMW C-SAF-XO. I changed it 3500 miles later and now the oil has about 7800 miles on it. I'm used to a 18,000 mile interval on my Hondas. Is 18,000 or every third engine oil change reasonable with a 2007?

Evening  dduelin

 

The hexhead final drive holds so little gear oil & the rear wheel needs to be (should be)  removed to re-fill the final drive so  a good (workable)  maintenance schedule is to just  service the final drive at every rear tire change. 

 

Personally, I remove the rear wheel, then drain the final drive, then mount & balance the new rear tire (that gives it time to fully drain), then re-fill the final drive, then reinstall the rear wheel.   

[dduelin]

2 hours ago, dirtrider said:

Evening  dduelin

 

The hexhead final drive holds so little gear oil & the rear wheel needs to be (should be)  removed to re-fill the final drive so  a good (workable)  maintenance schedule is to just  service the final drive at every rear tire change. 

 

Personally, I remove the rear wheel, then drain the final drive, then mount & balance the new rear tire (that gives it time to fully drain), then re-fill the final drive, then reinstall the rear wheel.   

Thank you DR. As a data point my ST1300 took 155 cc and my Goldwing takes 120 cc after draining.

[dirtrider]

11 hours ago, dduelin said:

Thank you DR. As a data point my ST1300 took 155 cc and my Goldwing takes 120 cc after draining.

Morning  dduelin

 

Your hexhead final drive holds 200 cc (dry)  but only  180 cc at each gear oil  change so if careful that is 5 changes per quart (or 5 rear tire changes per quart). 

 

The hexhead (original final drive) does not have a vent so NEVER over fill it at each gear oil change (only 180 cc at each change, never any extra). With no vent to atmosphere & the very small internal cavity area it needs room to expand above the gear oil or it can push gear oil out past the seals.

[dduelin]

4 hours ago, dirtrider said:

Morning  dduelin

 

Your hexhead final drive holds 200 cc (dry)  but only  180 cc at each gear oil  change so if careful that is 5 changes per quart (or 5 rear tire changes per quart). 

 

The hexhead (original final drive) does not have a vent so NEVER over fill it at each gear oil change (only 180 cc at each change, never any extra). With no vent to atmosphere & the very small internal cavity area it needs room to expand above the gear oil or it can push gear oil out past the seals.

DR,

 

Thanks, yes that is one of the first things I noted when getting ready to do the first service after purchase. I think I actually printed a couple of your posts as to recommended lubricants and quantities to start the information folder I always put together for each motorcycle.

 

Dave

[Twisties]

The specification is every 12,000 miles.  180 mL fill.  As Dirtrider says, the rear wheel has to come off, and I like his idea of every tire change for those who get longer tire lives.... some people routinely get something like 12k miles per tire.  Personally, I get around 6k miles, and removing the wheel is no big deal, so I do it with my 12k (major) service interval (every other service).  

It was, of course, originally sold as a lifetime fill, btw.  That didn't last.  LOL.  

To change FD oil, if you have the early model with no drain hole, you have to release the pin on the upper arm link for the FD, so the unit can tip back to drain.  The nut on that pin is supposed to be replaced each time.  It's a mechanical lock design.  Part # below, also, I believe Beemer Boneyard has an aftermarket part.

The gear oil specification is 75W90 Synthetic GL-5.  Some people believe you should avoid limited slip (LS) formulations... but IDK.

I use a 60 ml (2 oz) syringe with a tube on it to dispense the correct amount of gear oil into the FD through the speed sensor hole.  Three shots.

 

#

07

Description

FLANGE NUT - M10-10-ZNS3

Qty

2

Part #

07 11 9 904 670

Price ea.

$1.13

 

[dduelin]

5 hours ago, Twisties said:

The specification is every 12,000 miles.  180 mL fill.  As Dirtrider says, the rear wheel has to come off, and I like his idea of every tire change for those who get longer tire lives.... some people routinely get something like 12k miles per tire.  Personally, I get around 6k miles, and removing the wheel is no big deal, so I do it with my 12k (major) service interval (every other service).  

It was, of course, originally sold as a lifetime fill, btw.  That didn't last.  LOL.  

To change FD oil, if you have the early model with no drain hole, you have to release the pin on the upper arm link for the FD, so the unit can tip back to drain.  The nut on that pin is supposed to be replaced each time.  It's a mechanical lock design.  Part # below, also, I believe Beemer Boneyard has an aftermarket part.

The gear oil specification is 75W90 Synthetic GL-5.  Some people believe you should avoid limited slip (LS) formulations... but IDK.

I use a 60 ml (2 oz) syringe with a tube on it to dispense the correct amount of gear oil into the FD through the speed sensor hole.  Three shots.

 

#

07

Description

FLANGE NUT - M10-10-ZNS3

Qty

2

Part #

07 11 9 904 670

Price ea.

$1.13

 

Yes, Thanks. This will be the third change since I bought it 12,000 miles ago,  a 2007, so no drain provided, I've dropped the FD as you describe. Not a question there.

 

Since the 2007 did not have a FD specification of 12,000 miles and none of the BMW maintenance schedules I've seen have a 12,000 mile OCI for the FD, where did you see the 12,000 mile interval? In later models?

[Bernie]

I thought the recommendation was for 24,000 miles, with the transmission and the spark plugs.

So I think that would be every 2 - 3 tire changes for you Dave. @dduelin

[lkraus]

The BMW repair DVD specifies every two years or 20,000 km (~12,000 mi). The FD was originally intended to have a "lifetime" fill (200ml) that required no maintenance. In the real world, heat in the un-vented units forced oil past the seals. So BMW reduced the oil quantity to 180 ml to allow for expansion and added oil changes to the maintenance schedule. I guess their theory was that a smaller amount of oil wears out quicker. That addition to the maintenance schedule goes back to the earliest Hexheads. Later models got a vent, and a more convenient drain location, but the replacement interval remains the same.

[dirtrider]

10 hours ago, dduelin said:

Yes, Thanks. This will be the third change since I bought it 12,000 miles ago,  a 2007, so no drain provided, I've dropped the FD as you describe. Not a question there.

 

Since the 2007 did not have a FD specification of 12,000 miles and none of the BMW maintenance schedules I've seen have a 12,000 mile OCI for the FD, where did you see the 12,000 mile interval? In later models?

Morning Dave 

 

First, there was a BMW service bulletin that went out to BMW dealers  (dated about 4/15/09) that specified the lower final drive fill levels (200 ml initial fill after overhaul or at new drive install), then 180 ml for gear oil changes @12,000 miles (or 2 years)  change intervals.

 

Then the BMW service manuals (or RSD updates) from about 5/2009 onwards  showed the new fill levels & 12,000 mile/2 year time frame. 

 

This came from the early 1200 hexhead  (filled for life) finial drive problems. The early (before late 2008) final drives were factory filled with 220ml at the factory but that fill level led to seal leaks & crown bearing grease wash-out (the crown bearing was pre-greased & lived in it's own sealed chamber so wasn't supposed to run in gear oil).

 

Seeing as the early final drive was supposed to be a filled-for-life  with no service required BMW didn't furnish a service fill quantity so the only spec the dealers had after seal replacement or crown bearing replacement  was the initial fill spec of 220 ml (that was WAY too much) as there was usually some remaining gear oil in the drive so that higher fill amount made the drive leaking  problems even worse with many returns due to leaking. 

 

So, around late 2008 BMW went to a (new design) serviceable final drive with separate fill plug & separate drain plug  then added the 2 years or 12,000 mile service intervals. That still led to seal leakage so a short time later  (around 4/15/09) BMW went to the 200 ml for initial fill & 180 ml for service gear oil changes.  This cured most (but not all of) the drive seal leakage problems. 

[dduelin]

Thank you gentlemen.