replacement front engine cover.

[GSmonkey]

Had the new cover installed I've just checked to find the foam is still present. It appears to cover some plastic panel, which would seem to be a sensor of some kind.

 

[alecmuffett]

Had the new cover installed I've just checked to find the foam is still present. It appears to cover some plastic panel, which would seem to be a sensor of some kind.

Utterly wild and unsubstantiated guess, would that be the anti-knock sensor? Some sort of microphone, listens to the ignition and adjusts timing for the grade of fuel that you're using?

 

[skywalker]

Utterly wild and unsubstantiated guess, would that be the anti-knock sensor? Some sort of microphone, listens to the ignition and adjusts timing for the grade of fuel that you're using?

completely wrong, knock sensors are on the cylinder heads.
The cover you are refering to is the access door for the balancer shaft bolt etc

 

[Rich]

I dont have the foam on mine. Oct 04 build-ish.

 

[ktmmark]

Thank god for that i was thinking it was just me

 

[GSmonkey]

....six months on and its starting to corrode again

 

[Pukmeister]

I had 2 covers replaced on mine under warranty. Last time it was done, I bought a can of 'liquid electrical tape', removed the small screws which hold the plastic alternator belt cover on and painted them in the stuff before refitting. Its a dielectric paint which prevents the electrical circuit forming between the steel bolts and alloy cover to cause corrosion.

The alloy cover is painted at the factory, yet they then tap into it after the painting process to form the mounting holes for the plastic cover, exposing bare alloy. When assembled the steel screws then act to corrode the alloy when an 'electrolyte' like water is introduced into the threads. Its called 'Galvanic corrision' (trust me on this, I am a marine engineer and see it all the time).

Touch wood, the front panel is now looking good. I haven't removed the acoustic foam pad as the dealer reckons it causes a lot of engine clatter to be transmitted. I wash the bike regularly and apply protectant to keep things looking nice.

 

[GSmonkey]

Looks like a solution. I'm going to wait until next March, which is when my warrenty is up then have another put on. I think I'll give this a try.

Do you fit up with the liquid wet?? I assume you can still undo the bolts??

I'm going to contact BMW UK and see how long they warrenty their replacement parts. I'd have thought that 6 months is certainly not fit for purpose in my book. Its not as though the problem with dissimilar metals is a new thing!!

 

[birdseye]

I have had my cover replaced already Sept 04 bike it is down to the bolts used wrong mix of alloy and steel thus corrosion!! also had rear frame replaced at same time... too many cheap bolts on a ten grand bike. Bolt heads on handbar yoke showing signs too.. as well as the rear hub.. but then my bike gets wet and dirty

No Shaun - its a problem that is inherent with painted aluminium and using stainless bolts etc wont help at all. In fact it can generate worse problems because you get an oxide formed at the interface which can make the bolts impossible to remove. Ask any yachtsman who has a roller reefing system.

What happens is that the natural oxidation of bare aluminium creeps under the edge of any paint system, lifts the paint film and then the process continues further under. If the ally were totally bare (like old bikes used to be and HD still are in many cases) then all that would happen is slow dulling / discolouration. If the ally were totally painted, then the problem doesnt exist until a chip (or screw hole) bares some metal and then it starts.

Beat way of minimising the problem I have found (on my boat which is in salt water and therefore even worse an environment than a bike faces) is to protect all the bare metal I can get to with paint or with something like waxoyl and to bed all fasteners in Duralac which is a jointing compound used in the aircraft industry where dissimilar metals meet.

Even then you wont win.

 

[Pukmeister]

Yeah GS monkey, you just paint it on and then assemble the screw, as you would with Loctite. The liquid fills all the voids between the threads under capillary action then sets to form a permanently dry protective barrier preventing the flow of electrons and thus alleviating any galvanic corrosion. I got mine from a local Yacht chandlers as I couldn't find duralac, but it pretty much does the same job.

 

[The Nutter]

I've been watching my replacement like the proverbial hawk. No re-occurence yet, and this year I haven't been spraying the bike with fs365. Most manufacturers give a 12 month warranty I believe on replacement parts. So unless BMW address this issue, they may well be replacing these things for years to come. I have fitted a fender extender since the last one started to go. Maybe this may help. Only time will tell.

 

[Mouse]

I've had a fender extender on my bike for over a year and my front cover has lost pretty much all the paint. Gonna try Pukmeister's idea when I get it replaced, soon hopefully

 

[Pukmeister]

Agreed Mouse, a fender extender did nothing to stop mine from corroding as it all takes place beneath the paint anyway.

 

[GAG]

Had the new cover installed I've just checked to find the foam is still present. It appears to cover some plastic panel, which would seem to be a sensor of some kind.

Had my cover replaced two weeks ago, back to the dealers yesterday to check out an increase in engine noise
While I was there they did the battery discharge recall (software update)

Speaking to the mechanic he said that they now replace the cover without the foam as they think it has a part to play in the corrosion of the front cover, the downside being that you get a slight increase in engine noise coming from the front , also the software update changes the fueling at tickover and other throttle positions.
Having run it for 60 miles the engine seems quieter, more responsive and the engine braking seems to be stronger, Happy again

 

[DockingPilot]

Mine has corroded as well. Its the sponge under there thats holding moiture and getting hot from the engine. Bad combo. Mine will be replaced soon.

 

[cookiemonster]

I picked up my 12 today - one owner, June 2005 bike with 970 miles. I gave it an ACF50 all over and had a quick peak under the cover.

Ouch

Soaking wet sponge covering blistered paint work. Not what i wanted to see on the first day of 1200 ownership. I've ditched the sponge, and acf50'd the stuff underneath, but once its started i cant see anything stopping it.

 

[TheJoker]

End of Sept 2004 16K miles - and new engine cover coming up...

 

[Mouse]

My bike was in for some work last week, and they were going to replace the front cover. But in the end they didn't, apparently BMW are releasing a revised design soon, so we decided I may as well wait for that. It's only a cosmetic issue, which I can live with, maybe the new design will resist corrosion better.

 

[GSmonkey]

My bike was in for some work last week, and they were going to replace the front cover. But in the end they didn't, apparently BMW are releasing a revised design soon, so we decided I may as well wait for that. It's only a cosmetic issue, which I can live with, maybe the new design will resist corrosion better.

Any idea when that's going to be released??

 

[Pukmeister]

Yeah, probably a week after my two year warranty expires.