1150 GS oil cooler fan

[Massive Lee]

I've been toying with the idea of improving engine cooling for those days where I'm stuck in traffic and oil gets so hot and thin that I am down to a very, very low oil pressure. Low enough that it make the oil pressure light flicker... So, I've designed and am curently testing fitment and esse of installation of a 4" Spal fan in pulling position. It pulls 150cfm of air and doesn't draw much current. It is also an automotive fan. The same brands as those found in KTMs. They shall widthstand rain, vibrations, heat and dust. I expect the project to be finalized by the end of September.

BTW Police spec 1150RT-P and 1200RT-P had a cooling fan for when those bikes were stuck in traffic. Why not the civilian oil cooled boxers?

First version.

 

[Timolgra]

Interesting, keep us posted how it performs.

 

[Bryn]

That looks excellent

 

[Paul Young]

If the Police versions had fans fitted, I would expect these to be on the parts fiche and available to order. Was that not an option?

 

[bisbee]

Will it run all the time? Or will you have it cut in at low/no speed?

 

[Timolgra]

Will it run all the time? Or will you have it cut in at low/no speed?

I would just have a manual on/off switch which is what I do with some of my watercooled bikes so I can override the thermoswitch.

 

[SteveM]

It wouldn't be bad if you simply had an old school on/off switch and turned the fan on and off when needed. Looks great btw, a really neat installation.

(sorry, wasn't in time to see the above post)

 

[Massive Lee]

If the Police versions had fans fitted, I would expect these to be on the parts fiche and available to order. Was that not an option?

The 1150RT-P fan is designed for the RT, not for the GS. So, it'S a no-fit at all. Front ends are very different between an RT and a GS.

 

[Massive Lee]

It wouldn't be bad if you simply had an old school on/off switch and turned the fan on and off when needed. Looks great btw, a really neat installation.

(sorry, wasn't in time to see the above post)

Correct. I suggest the fan to be manually triggered. On my Africa Twin, I added a fan on the left radiator and it is also manuallt triggered, as the right fan is on a thermoswitch.

 

[Deak]

just an observation, but wouldn't the natural airflow through the oil radiator be restricted by the housing and fan unit when the fan isn't switched on? The stationary blades on the fan will effectively block any air flow completely.

Potentially the oil temperature could be greater than it would be without the fan and housing fitted. It may be prudent to install a thermo switch rather than rely on a manual one and also possibly mount the fan without the housing.

 

[Massive Lee]

just an observation, but wouldn't the natural airflow through the oil radiator be restricted by the housing and fan unit when the fan isn't switched on? The stationary blades on the fan will effectively block any air flow completely.

Potentially the oil temperature could be greater than it would be without the fan and housing fitted. It may be prudent to install a thermo switch rather than rely on a manual one and also possibly mount the fan without the housing.

when the bike will have enough airflow to go thru the cooler, the flow will also be high enough to spin the blades. Those have very little resisitance. and believe me, at speed there's a lot of airflow. The hike curently has no fan, so there's no "prudence" in fitting a thermoswitch over a manual overrider.

Fan without no housing? Could as well just not use a fan at all. There's a reason for cars to have a shroud around the fan. ;-)

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

What viscosity oil are you using? How many bars have shown on the RID? If you're not overheating according to the RID, I venture that you have some other issue going on that's causing the low pressure -- too low a viscosity being one of the possibilities.

I can appreciate what you're trying to do and your handiwork looks good. On the other hand, I tried something very similar to what you're trying with my previous 1150GS. It caused more problems than it solved.

Bohdan

 

[Massive Lee]

20W50. New oil pressure sender. 7 bars on the RID. Cleaned grey connector. And I am not the only one to have an overheating GS, believe me.
Oil pressure was checked and well within BMW's specs. That is until the engine starts packing heat. I suppose that there's a real problem if the police bikes are equipped with fans... Otherwise, they wouldn't have them ;-) So, get rid of heat, and oil pressure will climb back to where it belongs.

BTW Do you have any picture of the cooling fan set-up you made?

Lee

 

[Roymondo]

I think the police spec bikes' cooling fans were designed to cope with something a bit more arduous than heavy traffic - Police vehicles are routinely left idling for extended periods to power lights, radios etc while at the scene of an RTC or similar. "Civilian" bikes would not be expected to be (ab)used in such a way.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

 

[Kritou]

It is my understanding that plod bikes have fans so that engines can be left running at idle and unattended for longish periods - which ties in with the BMW handbook warning of not allowing extended idling on civvy bikes

OK, it's not an 1150GS but my R1200RTP has it's fan disconnected (indeed most of the secondary authority wiring circuit has been removed) I have never seen the engine temperature rise above normal indications, even in the 45C plus temperatures and hills of eastern Turkey or the gridlocked streets of summertime Paris

 

[King Rat]

What is this "STUK IN TRAFFIC" scenario you talk of? Even with my Adv boxes on the sides I don't get stuck for more than a few seconds.

GERRODUVTHEWAY I'm coming through. One of the joys of the Adv - the traffic opens up like the parting of the Red Sea.

 

[Steptoe]

The police bikes have a thermostatic switch in the engine oil drain plug... And the police bikes only need them because they stand with the engine idling for very long periods while at incidents, the engine needs to be running due to all the electrical items the police have running.

Normal use for these bikes doesn't require a cooling a fan, even when crossing deserts in the middle of the day.

 

[Sleepy]

If you ever get stuck at passport control at (say) the Eurotunnel, you'll see where a fan like this might come in handy.

I normally end up switching my 1150 off, and pushing it in the queue...

 

[jimbo]

The police bikes have a thermostatic switch in the engine oil drain plug... And the police bikes only need them because they stand with the engine idling for very long periods while at incidents, the engine needs to be running due to all the electrical items the police have running.

Normal use for these bikes doesn't require a cooling a fan, even when crossing deserts in the middle of the day.

not a lot of traffic in the deserts of course

 

[Massive Lee]

Normal use for these bikes doesn't require a cooling a fan, even when crossing deserts in the middle of the day.

Well. Crossing the desert in the middle of the day means you still have more air going thru the oil cooler than being stuck idling in traffic. More air going thru the oil cooler and more air taking a bit of heat off the engine cylinders. If the bikes doesn't move, no air. I wonder why water cooled engines have a fan... Electric or mechanical...

BTW I welcome comments from the people who think that an 1150GS needs no cooling fan. You said it, now you can visit other threads. For those who are interested in that development, which may even end up in a dead end if I am not 100% satisfied by the results, well, please subscribe as I will document the development and testing. Whatever the end result will be. Positive or negative. I also welcome comments from people with hands-on fabrication skills. Keyboard engineers... well.... ;-)