engine rattle?????

[borrachadog]

Got a engine rattle on my 05 ADV. It sounds like a cam chain type of noise. Its been back to the dealer spoke to sales, 2 out of 3 salesmen thought it needed looking at. One said he thinks it is cam chain. Left it at dealer but the "technician" says he can not hear the noise (think he is deaf). The rattle comes on between 2000 and 3000 revs when doing about 30 ish goes off as soon as you give it a bit throttle. some times it can be heard when idling. Anyone got any ideas? anyone got/had the same problem? Also the bike uses loads of oil dealer says "this is the norm till 10,000 miles ask anybody" so i am asking.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[luke scott]

My new Adv has 400km on it and it is the same as yours !! Mind you my last one was the same even when it had 25,000 km on it

 

[Wino]

I know that my 1100 gs has a rattle when the oil gets very hot and the rid is at 6 bars. This sounds like the cam chain as the oil is thin and the adjuster slackens off. Will put in 20/50 before going to Spain and will hopefully see the rid stay at the normal 5 bars, which I hope will keep things quiet.

 

[stainy]

irecentley bought an 03 adv and i was going to ask if the rattling is normal?, me mate asked the mechanic at bmw and he said its the fuel injection unit but i think its a bit cam chainy never mind though when it goes they`ll fix it if its under warranty won`t they . and another thing does the boxer engine use a lot of oil........

 

[Captain Beaky]

These bikes do make some alarming noises at times - don't panic - get on and ride the bike.

Mine sounds particularly rough until the oil has circulated. Then it settles down to it's usual clatter.

But mine did improve with age, and careful tappett / throttle body adjustment.

Also seems much smoother with thicker oil.

Used to run 10w40 - was ok - just a bit rattly.

I now run 20/50 (in the manual, this covers it from 0 to 50 degrees or something) Fine by me - I'll never use it in the snow!!!

But I will put 1040 in for winter.

Yes they use oil - keep a careful eye on it - also be aware that oil gets trapped in the heads giving you a false low reading. For really accurate oil level checking, I prop mine for a few mins on each side (I rest it against a wall on the right, and then put it on the sidestand for 5 mins. Then centrestand, and check level.

Take care not to overfill.

I made the mistake of putting synthetic in at 5000 miles, so mine took longer to settle down. 20kmiles now, and it used about a pint (500ml) in the last 5000 miles, Wait until it's stopped using oil before putting synthetic in.

 

[Captain Beaky]

Oh - one more thing.

Keep an eye on the oil temp.

It's usually pretty stable while travelling at speed.

If it suddenly jumps a bar or two while travelling - check the oil quick.

The GS has 2 oil pumps - one for lubricating the engine,one for cooling.

The cooling oil pump pickup sits higher than the lubricating oil pump pickup.

If the oil level is very low, the cooling circuit is starved first, and the engine will not have enough cooling oil flow, and will heat up.

But it's much cheaper to just check the oil level.

 

[borrachadog]

Thanks for all the info Mike. I am still unhappy about the noise so will try and hook up with someone local with a GSA and have a listen to there bike and see what sort of noise it makes.

 

[Sea Lion]

These bikes do make some alarming noises at times - don't panic - get on and ride the bike.

Mine sounds particularly rough until the oil has circulated. Then it settles down to it's usual clatter.

But mine did improve with age, and careful tappett / throttle body adjustment.

Also seems much smoother with thicker oil.

Used to run 10w40 - was ok - just a bit rattly.

I now run 20/50 (in the manual, this covers it from 0 to 50 degrees or something) Fine by me - I'll never use it in the snow!!!

But I will put 1040 in for winter.

BMW (1100gs) recommends 20-50 for anything above -10 deg.C., and 10-40 for between -20 and +20 deg.C.

This suggests that for UK temp ranges, 20-50 is the most suitable oil all year round.

I changed from 10-40 to 20-50 and may cam chain has stopped rattling

 

[littleredrooster]

Who makes 20W-50 with the correct specification? (SG or better)

 

[Le singe]

As it's stinking hot here at the moment, I'm using Elf multigrade S, 20w/50, rated SF, 10:65 euros for 5 litres!
The BMW manual for my 1100GS states that either SE,SF or SG oils, (CC or CD), may be used without problem.

 

[Sea Lion]

Who makes 20W-50 with the correct specification? (SG or better)

Valvoline VR1 Racing 20w-50, SJ rated, bought from my local car accessory shop

 

[Bagpuss]

Due to being new to all things GS, I usually have a daily panic about the rattles my engine makes. A friend with GSA says it is fine etc, but I am looking forward to getting a service and putting my mind at ease.....

Am planning a trip to France & Spain at the end of the month, I guess I should ask the dealer to use 20-50W?

 

[Le singe]

At the rear of your BMW handbook,there should be a chart showing the air temperature against the recommended oil type.
I'm in northern France but it has been over 30° here quite often lately,hence the change to 20w/50 as per BMW's recommendations.
Spain can only be hotter.
BMW state in the handbook that the dealer can supply a 5w/50 oil which covers the whole range,might be worth mentioning it then sitting down while you're told the price!
This info is from the BMW handbook for my 1100GS,there must be the same available for the other models.