Engine oil leaking

[Christkou]

Hi all,

I recently bought a GSA1200 from a BMW dealer, and I’ve noticed a couple of issues I could use some help with. First, there’s a constant oil leak (just drops) from the filler cap once the engine reaches operating temperature. I also noticed that the engine oil level appears to be above the maximum mark.

What would you recommend doing in this situation?

Additionally, I’m hearing a ticking sound coming from the engine—mainly from the left side of the bike. Is this normal for the GSA1200?

Thanks in advance for your help!

P.S. I’m new to BMWs and the GS lineup, but I’m absolutely loving the bike so far!

 

[Wierpig]

They always overfill them! Get it back and ask to have the level corrected. And they can have a listen to the noise as well. They are quite a noisy engine so its probably nothing and you'll get used to it...good luck

 

[siddo]

Hi all,

I recently bought a GSA1200 from a BMW dealer, and I’ve noticed a couple of issues I could use some help with. First, there’s a constant oil leak (just drops) from the filler cap once the engine reaches operating temperature. I also noticed that the engine oil level appears to be above the maximum mark.

What would you recommend doing in this situation?

Additionally, I’m hearing a ticking sound coming from the engine—mainly from the left side of the bike. Is this normal for the GSA1200?

Thanks in advance for your help!

P.S. I’m new to BMWs and the GS lineup, but I’m absolutely loving the bike so far!

I'd take it back to them and tell them to sort it.

 

[GSian]

Overfilling with oil can cause more lasting damage. What does it look like in the sight glass? can you see the level, or is it fully over the top edge?

I'd be asking them to sort it out.

 

[Santa-2512]

Lets start with some basics,

What year is the bike?

Mileage, service history

a few pics of the bike , oil level - sightglass - engine cold, and again engine running - hot

 

[Christkou]

Lets start with some basics,

What year is the bike?

Mileage, service history

a few pics of the bike , oil level - sightglass - engine cold, and again engine running - hot

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

The bike is a 2018 model with 20K miles and a full service history. After a 40-mile ride, I checked the sight glass while the bike was on the center stand and let it sit for about 10–15 minutes to allow the oil to settle. It looked completely full. I've attached a picture in this link of the sight glass from that check.

https://imgur.com/a/hAcgQll

I’ll take another photo tomorrow morning when the engine is fully cold and the bike is on the center stand again.

Unfortunately, the dealer is 130 miles away, which makes things a bit tricky.

 

[Santa-2512]

If i recall the oil should be level with the top of the red circle at cold

when running, it can vary from just being visible moving in the bottom small holes or the bottom of the red circle

 

[leadfarmer]

Think I can just see the oil level at the top of the sight glass ?

If so then I’d say it’s OK, a bit full yes but not enough to be a problem

For the filler plug, wipe it after a couple of rides and see if it was just oil left on the rubber O ring seal or if it’s actually leaking, it will probably go away after a couple of rides

Get them to listen to the clicking noise so that it’s at least recorded during your warranty period, some bikes have had bad finishes on cams which needed replacement, mine did and also had a cam sprocket changed because of noise

 

[Hartley]

Agree with Leadfarmer, can often get residual oil around the filler point for a surprisingly long time after a top up.

Regarding checking the oil. On the 1250 ( not sure on 1200) it says run the engine til fan cuts in, turn of and check level after 5 mins. Top of inner circle is max.

 

[GSian]

It's not a huge job to take a bit out, I know t's a pain but it'd put your mind at rest for the trip to the dealer for the noise.

The level will be higher when hot or warm.

 

[steadysteve]

Drain some oil out- if it’s going to do any damage then the chances are it will happen on your 130 mile trip to the dealer…

I’d be tempted to drop the whole lot into a clean container then refill the engine to the correct level and see how much you have left over.

 

[Christkou]

OK, I will purchase a syringe and see if I can remove some of the oil. So I've done a couple of hundred miles so far. I've checked this morning the oil level and it's still at the same level and yes you can see a small bubble at the top of the glass. Now, I removed the cup and I didn't see any O-ring there. Shouldn't it be an o-ring or a seal?

https://imgur.com/a/HUmdCCn

 

[Christkou]

Do you have any thoughts on the oil filler plug and whether there should be an O-ring? Was one originally installed and they forgot to put it back in?

 

[leadfarmer]

Do you have any thoughts on the oil filler plug and whether there should be an O-ring? Was one originally installed and they forgot to put it back in?

There is an O ring, if I remember rightly it sits in the rim at the bottom of the filler hole rather than staying on the plug

 

[Christkou]

Thanks for your response. Could someone with a GS1200 confirm by sharing a picture? I’ve bought thishttps://www.motorworks.co.uk/engine-oil-filler-plug-o-ring-ena04950-1.html O-ring—hopefully it fits.

 

[leadfarmer]

Just unscrew the plug, using the screwdriver handle from under the seat, and have a look if there’s an O ring in there

 

[Christkou]

Yes I did this already see pictures above. There was no O ring so maybe during it's service at the bmw dealership they forgot to put it back in? That's why I wanted someone to confirm.

 

[littleade]

Yes I did this already see pictures above. There was no O ring so maybe during it's service at the bmw dealership they forgot to put it back in? That's why I wanted someone to confirm.

There's an o ring on my 1250 RS, it came out on the end of the plug and sits on the internal flangevat the bottom end of the thread. same engine so yours is missing
So my guess is the "Technician" wasn't paying attention when he/she/them screwed the plug back in after the last oil change, so all in all not a good job done IMO

 

[KarlyBoy]

Thanks for your response. Could someone with a GS1200 confirm by sharing a picture? I’ve bought thishttps://www.motorworks.co.uk/engine-oil-filler-plug-o-ring-ena04950-1.html O-ring—hopefully it fits.

that's the correct O Ring for the Oil filler

 

[clutchspring]

Photo of my o ring sitting inside the rocker cover on my 2018 1200 gs