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Overheat warning

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Berardi3

Berardi3

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Jun 2, 2022
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325
Location
Ringwood New Jersey
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2022 BMW R 18 B 1991 BMW K75S
So today I was commuting to work on my R 18 B ands stuck in traffic only about 65 degrees outside and got a warning on my screen to keep idle low as engine was running too hot has anyone encountered this ?
 
At 65 degrees I'd suspect maybe low oil level or possible something blocking oil cooler, like a leaf? In over 15,000 miles I haven't had either my TC or FE aleert for overheat while riding for hours at well over 90 degrees with some very uncomfortably hot stop and go sessions included. I did find a leaf stuck in my oil cooler once but didn't cause issues, I think another R18 rider here experienced similar once.
 
When I say riding around, I was inferring stop and go traffic. Like your commute to work. So yes, idling/riding around in 113 degrees all week, zero overheat issues. The fact it did that in 65 degree weather is concerning (at least to me would be). Unless you were stopped without moving for 30 minutes+
 
Kawasakidj said:
When I say riding around, I was inferring stop and go traffic. Like your commute to work. So yes, idling/riding around in 113 degrees all week, zero overheat issues. The fact it did that in 65 degree weather is concerning (at least to me would be). Unless you were stopped without moving for 30 minutes+
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yes it was pretty much stopped with inching forward
 
Interesting - I had the same thing happen with my new TC last week (500 miles now) and was going to post here and forgot. It was the same situation... 70 degrees and stuck in traffic for 20 minutes inching forward occasionally. Once we started moving the warning went away. My take away is to turn it off if I'm going to be stopped for a while. Excuse me while I go check if the oil cooler is blocked... 😉
 
Does the TFT display report the actual engine temperature?
 
Almost 20,000 miles on my 2021 R18C and yeah,the sidecar is still on there.
No issues with overheating and Ilive in the hot part of Arizona.The same county where cotton is planted and grown.
Gas mileage?I stop between 75-100 miles to fill up.Have not ran out of gas(YET).The car drops mileage.
My recent trip up to Washington State was a little more than 3500miles.Temps ranged from 65-110 and when we went thru the Mojave desert I think it was 112.Again,I have a sidecar.Never had her overheat, ever.
I do have a DNA A/C set-up and the Bren Tune w/stock exhaust.Maybe that is the difference,don't know.
The R18C safe to say, maybe the coolest running air/oil cooled engine I have ever owned.Just does not get that hot.
Not to start a oil thread but I will say,I don't use the BMW oil.Though I do use a oil that meets(& or exceeds) their requirement
I also really don't know what is going on with folks engines shutting off.Is the flapper valve staying closed?
Lastly,I run the bike in ROCK 100% of the time but,I just tried the ROLL mode yesterday for a run to Tucson.Maybe a little better gas mileage and less throttle response but still did not overheat.
Hope you folks with the issue get it sorted out.
TK
 
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Hmmm - Maybe the Bren Tune = better AF ratio = cooler temps? Just thinking out loud...

I've seen on some other air cooled bikes (like Guzzis) where a remap seems to dramatically lower operating temps.

My TC has under 500 miles, and the oil level is good and the oil cooler is clean. Bren Tune is on my "to do" list soon.
 
I started a thread about this same issue several months ago. Almost the same riding conditions and it happened to me. The first time, there was a big leaf stuck behind the oil cooler, but the second time had no blockages. I've done the first service and Bren tune since and haven't experienced the issue again but will be keeping an eye on it. I reported it to my dealer / service head.
 
Berardi3 said:
So today I was commuting to work on my R 18 B ands stuck in traffic only about 65 degrees outside and got a warning on my screen to keep idle low as engine was running too hot has anyone encountered this ?
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I’ve seen that warning or caution at a traffic in an intersection with no movement for a long time. Temp was high 80s or low 90s in San Diego. Slightly uphill…. My r18 at the time only had 300 miles or so. Once I started moving the warning cleared. Later that week I checked my oil level and it was low, i couldn’t see oil in the sight glass. That might be a factor as well.
 
I would expect a new engine (especially an air cooled one) with only a few hundred miles on it to be very tight and sitting in traffic idling will stress it. It would not surprise me to see a warning light cone on. The warning light is a good thing IMHO. It means do something about it. Switch off, pull over and switch off, whatever you can. I read somewhere these R18’s come with fully synthetic oil in from the factory, which if true gives me more confidence the oil can stand extreme heat without breaking down. Having said all that, I would not take my bike into a location I knew or thought it likely to be stuck in a jam until I had run it in because this is what can happen. BMW fanboys will know if this is true but I was always told to start up and ride away immediately on air cooled boxers, don’t let them idle.
 
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I don’t recall the specifics though a bmw rider had synthetic used in their K1100?maybe trans then they traveled through hot weather…maybe to last years bmwmoa rally and it fried the transmission. She had to get a used bmw from a dealer while on the road as a result.

her boyfriend said something about it was a mistake not to run old school dyno oil instead of a synthetic. I don’t know maybe in some instances non-synthetic oil can be better for high temperature use?
 
motoring said:
I don’t recall the specifics though a bmw rider had synthetic used in their K1100?maybe trans then they traveled through hot weather…maybe to last years bmwmoa rally and it fried the transmission. She had to get a used bmw from a dealer while on the road as a result.

her boyfriend said something about it was a mistake not to run old school dyno oil instead of a synthetic. I don’t know maybe in some instances non-synthetic oil can be better for high temperature use?
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That's odd. Everything I've ever seen from Bob is the oil guy to all sorts of vehicle forums have said synthetic oil is the one to run for high-temp use, as dino oil has a greater chance to break down at those temperatures.

As for me personally, I've been running synthetic since the early 00's in EVERYTHING and never had oil breakdown/overheating issues in any vehicles/motorcycles I've ever owned. But, that's just my own experience.

Mike
 
I could have misheard the story…maybe it was the other way around and they used dyno and should have used synthetic. A nice lady that rides bmw bikes and lives down southeast (florida…maybe georgia).
 
We all know friction generates heat. So selecting a proper oil makes sense.
The problem is very few have degrees in chemical and petroleum engineering.
There seems to be a multitude of factors at play inside the ICE so I’m destined to be an oil dummy.
 
Keeping oil level to the proper mark will definately help since this is a AIR and OIL cooled engine.
I hate to reiterate that I live in Arizona and a cool day in the summer here is 100 Degrees.I have 19,000 miles on my R18C and pull a sidecar.NEVER had a temp warning lite come on or go into limp mode.We even came across the Mojave desert with temps over 110.The bike was really loaded down with my wife's stuff.Again No issues.
Bren Tuned and DNA A/C equipped.
 
motoring said:
I could have misheard the story…maybe it was the other way around and they used dyno and should have used synthetic. A nice lady that rides bmw bikes and lives down southeast (florida…maybe georgia).
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No worries ;). I've gotten things wrong before...

I have the black saddlebag protection bars from Wunderlich to prove it ;). I only have a few more days before I can change my profile pic back from Don Quixote to Lady Dimitrescu, since I was fighting windmills a couple weeks ago😂.

Mike
 
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