Dark gear oil?

[MattW]

I recently changed the gearbox oil on my 34,000 mile '94 1100. It has a full main dealer service history up to this point.

The oil I drained was quite dark in colour (a dark greyish colour) - certainly nowhere near the amber of fresh gear oil. While I didn't think too much of it at the time (just put it down to heat and inevitable metallic contamination), I've since read a few things here and on adv rider concerning discoloured oil being a sign of bearing failure in early 1100's. However these threads seem to mention a chocolate brown colour, whereas mine was more of a dark grey. The magnetic plug had some fine metallic sludge stuck to it, but nothing 'chunky'.

My bike doesn't do the jumping / hesitation in third thing and I didn't notice the gold flecks which I believe go hand in hand with this issue and indicate worn selector forks. However, it does occasionally clunk like a bugger between second and third when warm (although not every time) - I've always assumed that this is just a 'BMW thing' / wrong technique on my part.

Thinking about it, the final drive oil was also quite dark when I drained it...

Is this something I should be concerned about, or is it normal and a 'just ride it' type thing?

ta
Matt

 

[Boon]

My bike was dealer serviced up to last year.(2000 1150gs)

When I took the gear and final drive oil out it looked ok but definately not fresh.....brown ish........from memory its a bi annual change.I assumed it hadnt been replaced in a while and reckoned it gets a pounding in a gearbox.

When I put in new gl5 oil the gearbox felt allot better.

Every beemer I have owned has clunked.

 

[Shep]

At least you know the oil is working, a race oil techie once told me that it was good for gearbox and diff oils to go that grey colour, it proved it was doing its job, and more contraversially he mentioned that changing that oil for fresh was false economy as fresh oil takes its time to work well

Shep

 

[motobiker]

you would look a bit grey too if you took the beating gear and FD oil takes.

It's only a tenner a bottle.. and the simplest job in the world. and so for that reason I change both every other oil change. (6k in the case of my over fettled bike)

the oil that comes out doesn't look much different to the oil going in - so I know its overkill.

you really do need to stop reading nightmare stories and enjoy your now (leakless) 1100... when you get visible or auditory symptoms then start reading up.

you may have the old gear box - but remember not all developed faults. think about 'Hank' on his 480K 95. didn't have to have the bearings replaced on his until 200,000 miles.

 

[ogni]

Gear oil and water or moisture = Grey oil
Could be due to short runs where the water cant
evaporate as it doesn't get hot.
Just change the oil.
Ogni

 

[MattW]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm not looking for things to worry about - honest

I just happened to be surfing around here and read about people saying that heir gearbox oil looks the same when they drain it as when they put it in - mine certainly doesn't!

However, I intend to change it every 6k anyway (it's only £10 for enough GL5 75w90 to do the final drive and the gearbox - seems a no-brainer really) - I'll see how it looks after the next change.

Just got to get a decent run in this weekend and work out how spots of gear oil are getting on my back tyre

 

[ktmmark]

I was involved in the chocolate oil thread, it was on the later gear box with sealed bearings the colour was caused by the input shaft gear eating into the seal on the bearing.(had the oil checked 20 times expected metal + rubber was in the oil)
The early gear box has a different setup & this is not a problem my early box is up to 93'000 still running good

 

[Steptoe]

shouldn't be a grey colour at all. That indicates metal contamination.

 

[MattW]

Ah, my hopes so cruelly dashed

So I guess I've got two options:

1. Run it and see what the next oil change looks like (and monitor for nasty noises in the gearbox).

2. Take the gearbox off and send it away for a professional inspection / recon. (While I'm not afraid of spanners, I don't have the experience or special tools to do a gearbox).

I'm leaning towards option 1

 

[davegs]

Gear box

Put it on E-bay quick, or swap it to me for my stuffed fox!.
Dave gs.

 

[D6]

changing that oil for fresh was false economy as fresh oil takes its time to work well

Shep

EH?HOWS THAT WORK?

 

[ogni]

Option 1 sounds good

Option 2 could be done later if needs be

 

[MattW]

Put it on E-bay quick, or swap it to me for my stuffed fox!.
Dave gs.

Not a chance - I love it
These little niggles are just me and it getting to know each other.

 

[ktmmark]

Easy way, run the bike for a couple of thousand mile drain the box and get it anerlized by an oil company.
It could be a number of things, if you are not to far away i may be able to help

 

[MattW]

Easy way, run the bike for a couple of thousand mile drain the box and get it anerlized by an oil company.
It could be a number of things, if you are not to far away i may be able to help

Good thinking Mark - I'll do as you suggest (and get in touch in a couple of thousand miles ).
cheers
Matt

 

[Trullion]

Like the main man said, the oil shouldn't come out greyish (unless possibly someone added Molyslip or similar to the oil). The usual signs of gearbox failure in the pre '97 boxes are either the infamous golden shower (bits of selector fork in the oil) or silver bits in the oil (bearings). The '97 on boxes have the so-called 'clean' i.e. sealed bearings, when produce a brown colour in the oil when they fail - this is the grease in the bearings.

FWIW I use Castrol 75/140 fully synthetic oil in my gearbox; I believe that the earlier boxes in particular benefit and the gear change is much sweeter. There's loads on this on the RS owners site. I would keep an eye on the oil by looking at it through the filler plug. If the box does start making odd noises or otherwise misbehaves you might be better looking at it before it self-destructs. Motorworks sell used boxes; Scriminger rebuilds them, if you don't fancy it yourself.

Good luck.

 

[Shep]

EH?HOWS THAT WORK?

Eh! how the fek do I know, it was him that said it and at the time he was supplying gearbox oils to Williams F1 set up, I chose not to argue with him Perhaps its due to some active ingredients in the oil that need to be mashed to work 100% or indeed something to do with the viscosity, as i said, how the fek do i know

Any way stop SHOUTING!

Shep