flushing my oil cooler

[Deleted account 210214001]

Good morning, everyone!

I'm going to be doing a bit of work on my '01 1150GS this winter and one of the things I want to address is the bike running a bit hot on not-so-hot days. (We're talking about bumping up to 6 bars in stop-and-go traffic, with a random touch to 7 bars. On hot days this doesn't concern me, but I've seen it on days with temps not quite at 60 F.) I'm planning on doing the usual things like checking engine compression and leak-down to see if I've got any issues there.

I would also like to flush my oil cooler because I suspect I may have some blockage there. My thought is to remove it from the circuit (not sure if I'll remove the cooler from it's hoses or take the cooler and hoses off the engine) and somehow flush it out. I thought about just filling it up with an appropriate solvent/de-gunker, but I'm looking for suggestions from those of you with a bit more experience.

Thanks!

Bohdan

 

[cookie]

if your oil cooler gets hot, it' probably safe to say it's working.

 

[Colban]

Hi there.
Since these oilheads rely on air-cooling,they will overheat when stuck in traffic.
Since in most of the US you cant filter thru,or lane-split the traffic,i guess you can't often get enough air through the rad.
The only blockages i.ve seen have been through crap on the outside.Leaves,bugs etc.
Have you tried blasting though it from the rear with a pressure washer?.
Have you done anything to make it run weak?.Remus etc.
Are you getting any other running issues?.
Which oil and filter do you use.I've read that some cheap filters available in the US are a bit nasty.
Is the temp OK on the open road.?
If you need to take the rad out,it appears easiest to remove the beak and remove the hoses at the cooler end.

 

[ciderman gs]

if the cooler is ok i have seen where people have used computer psu fans behind the cooler to use as and when it gets hot

 

[Stewart H]

I have used aerosol carb cleaner to flush out intercoolers before now, just run it through the matrix against the flow direction than purge thoroughly with an airline, there is probably more to gain from thoroughly cleaning the outside though, mine gets lots of flies, wasps etc there, I would not have thought there would be much inside given that the oil is filtered and that GS owners never know if they are using the right oil and change it every few weeks
Stewart

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

Thanks for the help, everyone!

I have no reason to suspect the oil cooler directly, other than a general sense as I've been working on die miniKuh that, while she wasn't neglected by her previous owner, she was not necessarily maintained to a very good standard.

I know that air/oil-cooled engines will get hot in stop-n-go traffic. I was just a bit surprised a few weeks ago when I was in stop-n-go traffic , temps were around 58F and I ran up to 6 bars and for a moment or two actually touched 7 bars. I wasn't expecting to see that behaviour in such relatively cool temperatures. Since this is my commuting vehicle and temps can easily reach the mid-90's here in the summer months, I want to do what I can to minimise the heating issues.

The thought of a oil-cooler fan has crossed my mind before. There's a thread or two about that over on ADVRider. I'm thinking about installing a bilge exhaust blower behind the oil cooler if one fits - something like this perhaps. That way I'll have a ducted fan, waterproof motor, and high flow rate through the cooler when I need it. If I go this route, I'll control the fan with a panel-mounted switch.

Thanks again, everyone!

Bohdan

 

[Kenny Rodkiss]

Hi temp

Got to be worth checking the oil thermostat (2),
Could be not opening fully and allowing your oil to get hotter than normal.

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

Aha! Thanks, Kenny!

I knew there was a thermostat somewhere in the line, but I hadn't been able to figure it out yet. Now I know where to look! Thanks!

Can anyone describe a way to test it? Is it something similar to the way I'd test the thermostat in my car?

Thanks!

Bohdan

 

[cookie]

Aha! Thanks, Kenny!

I knew there was a thermostat somewhere in the line, but I hadn't been able to figure it out yet. Now I know where to look! Thanks!

Can anyone describe a way to test it? Is it something similar to the way I'd test the thermostat in my car?

Thanks!

Bohdan

take it apart & bung the brass bit in some hot water & the pin should extend. careful it doesn't pop right out, seems like it might.

the washer 1 was never fitted in my 1150, so the thermostat has nothing to bear on, so it doesn't open. symptom: overheating engine, cold rad. hence why i suggested checking it in post #2, possibly a bit obliquely in retrospect
easier to just put your hand on the rad after a ride.

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

Fantastic, Cookie. Thanks!

Neither the rad nor the inlet pipe to the rad have ever seemed really "hot" when I've checked them. They've been warm to the touch, but not much more so than I'd think it would get simply from proximity to the engine.

Think I'll check the thermostat before I install a secondary fan. May still go that route anyway (for a total cost of about USD$50, how could I really go wrong?)

Thanks, everyone!

Bohdan

 

[cookie]

how could I really go wrong?)

electric fan behind the rad would spin up pretty fast in a 90mph blast. bearings may not like it

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

electric fan behind the rad would spin up pretty fast in a 90mph blast. bearings may not like it

Very true, cookie. That's why I'm thinking of a marine bilge exhaust fan like this one. Spins at close to 10,000 rpm already and moves more than 100cfm! And again, at around USD$50 for the whole set-up (including fan, wiring, fabricating a bracket), it might be worth a try. Of course, if I find that my thermostat and/or oil cooler are dodgy, then I'll wait on the fan and see if a straight our repair will do the trick.

Bohdan

 

[Steptoe]

BMW make a cooling fan for the 1100/1150 RT. It's used on bikes in hot countries.


It has an oil drain plug which is used as the thermostat. And comes with a nice fan housing that fits behind the cooler. Shouldn't be that much a problem to fit it on GS.

 

[Deleted account 210214001]

Thanks for the info, Steptoe! I knew such a thing existed, but I didn't know it ran off a thermostat. That would a prime set-up, eh?

I've got some feelers out, looking for a used/crashed RT off of which I can pull the fan. BMW wants something like USD$350 for the full kit; I've seen used ones go for about half that. If I can find an RT set-up, then I'd much prefer that to some bodge job I come up with!

Cheers, all!

Bohdan