Engine Overheat?

[MrW]

Greetings, all! Yesterday was pretty hot (for England) and I was stuck in a line of traffic for at least 30 minutes - probably longer - stopping, moving forward a tad, stopping etc etc. At some point during this period the red triangle warning light started flashing and the oil can showed on the dash. I had no choice but to press on but as soon as I could stop I did, to let the engine cool off a bit. I have a pre-water cooled 2011 model RT. After a short wait, I tried to start the engine and it wouldn't start. I waited some more and tried again but no luck. In the end I had no choice but to call the emergency BMW number and the man in a van turned up about 90 minutes later. The engine didn't turn when he tried to fire up the bike - there was just that clicking noise which tells me the battery hasn't enough juice left in it. He put jump leads on the battery, the engine fired up immediately and off I went to complete my journey without a problem - about 120 miles. I didn't dare stop in that time in case the engine didn't start again. It's possible my battery is dodgy and I've just ordered another, but is it possible that the bike might not have started owing to the oil / engine still being too hot? Has anyone experienced anything like this? It's rather a concern because hold ups and hot weather are inevitable every so often. Thanks for any advice.

[David.]

The warning light flashes red + oil can appears on the display = insufficient engine oil pressure.
What is the engine oil viscosity range, wonder whether it got too thin when hot to maintain the oil pressure.

A weak/dodgy battery may also be affected by heat.

I'm not aware of any thermal cut outs on the bike.

[MrW]

Thanks for your comment, David. I have no idea which oil is in the bike, other than it's what the BMW dealer put in at its last service so I have to presume it's the right type!

[David.]

What mileage has the bike done since the oil & filter was last changed.

BMW use 15W-50 for 2011 Camheads and 5W-40 for the later water cooled bikes. The BMW dealer invoice will detail what oil was used.

[motormuis]

Mr.W, this is a huge issue unfortunately... I have been suffering from exact same issue for years now.
replaced the oil pressure switch, the oil temperature switch, the oil pressure relieve valve, and Oil thermostat as well.
ALso replaced the oil pump a few years ago.
Did not make any difference, so in the end went to a slightly thicker oil, going from 10W50 to 10W60, and this has helped last year a lot.

But, just finished a regular maintenance job, and today again same issue after +/- 20 minutes in traffic, with outside temperature only +/- 20 degrees C.

I am doubting the accuracy or tight tolerances of the oil pressure setting (0.15 bars) compared to the warning system.
I even did a check with a different 1200RT, and put a seperate pressure dial gauge onto that bike, and compared to mine.
On the other bike, no problem, same pressure as mine!
But mine went into warning zone.....
Please if anybody (BMW???) can help here, I spent over €1200 so far the last 4 years trying to correct this issue, or get rid of the alarms....

[Stu]

@motormuis welcome to the forum

This is an old thread and @MrW hasn't visited since 2021!

Anyway do these bikes have an oil cooler?

[simbo]

@motormuis welcome to the forum

This is an old thread and @MrW hasn't visited since 2021!

Anyway do these bikes have an oil cooler?

Yes they do, but unless your actually moving and creating airflow through the cooler it doesn't really do anything. The only real answer is fitting a fan like the RTp bikes have for cooling the oil while stationary.

[Stu]

Yes they do, but unless your actually moving and creating airflow through the cooler it doesn't really do anything. The only real answer is fitting a fan like the RTp bikes have for cooling the oil while stationary.

A bigger cooler if available would help to dissipate heat too but yes I was going for the fitting a fan route to draw some air through

[Steve398]

A bigger cooler if available would help to dissipate heat too but yes I was going for the fitting a fan route to draw some air through

Now that’s interesting Sakm, could you tell me more please? Temperatures in Italy/Greece can be a bit extreme in June/July and it is a concern for me.

[Glenn]

This might help if you want to install a fan

[Stu]

Now that’s interesting Sakm, could you tell me more please? Temperatures in Italy/Greece can be a bit extreme in June/July and it is a concern for me.

I see @Glenn has answered you already with a nice handy video

As you can see its just about getting a fan fitted to introduce some airflow

[Glenn]

There is a fan & radiator for sale in the UK https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404282162487 ... R6L5_tOHYg