1983 BMW R100RS Shim Oil Filter Canister, Install Oil Cooler & Filter

[@BIG-K]

Thank you for the best description of this process I have yet come across. Very helpful.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're Welcome Big Keith. Thank you coming by to look.

[@gravitygreg]

Thanks again for making this video. Whenever I need advice you are the man I come to.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Thank you 🙂

[@WildlifeMoto]

Excellent video sir. 3.6mm gap on mine so 1 shim gets me to 17.5% (if I worked it out right).

[@doncook9034]

Very thorough demonstration of this procedure,Thank-you.I've owned Airheads since the '80s,but none with coolers and have had no problems.Acquired an '83 RS last year with a cooler,so this is helpful.It came with a Suburban Machinery remote spin on filter conversion and I want to change it back to stock,so this will be a good guide.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Hi Don, Cool beans. I'm glad this material will be helpful to you and converting the oil filter assembly back to stock.

[@faridessack]

Much appreciated. Turned out to be two shims and no gasket for me :)

[@adamscott310]

wow, Wow, WOW Brook. What a fantastic video. You are so very detailed. I LOVE it! Thanks a million for posting this incredible resource for the community of airhead fans. Cheers! -Adam

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Thank you for your kind words Adam.

[@adamscott310]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage 💪🏽🙏🏽🤓

[@thickasabrick52]

Thanks. I have an '83 RT and feel more confident about the filter change.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're Welcome. My canister was pretty deep so it was good I measured it and figured out I needed 3 shims to seal it.

[@francescofalsini1807]

Very interesting to know about the shims. Did not know will do it at my next filter chance. Thanks!

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Hi Francesco, Yes, I encourage you to check and verify your white o-ring will compress enough to seal. IMHO, this oil filter design by BMW is way too complicated for such a routine maintenance item. The older style covers with the center cover and bolt inside the external filter cover that compressed the filter and sealed it was a dirt simple design.

[@malcolmnash5850]

Thanks very much again Brook, but unfortunately I have to remove the exhaust which won't budge. New Star Nuts required and then constant re-greasing thereafter. The last owner never did this very important job.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

@@malcolmnash5850 Well as my Mom used to say, "If it's not one thing it's another". Sigh.... :-)

[@assessor1276]

Excellent video Brook - thanks!

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're welcome Peter.

[@mohamedhadibi3831]

Excellent video👏👌👍 thanks

[@sherylarp5035]

Hi, thank you, very helpful! Would you mind sharing the EXCEL spreadsheet that you designed for this?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Go to my website and locate the documentation. I included the link to the document in the video summary above.

[@BIGGZ46]

Brook, my airhead’s oil cooler has seen better days from an aesthetic perspective. Can I rattle can paint it to refresh it?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Yes.

[@treharneable]

Is this for real? How can bmw make an oil change so complex?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Indeed, sometimes they make what should be simple, overly complicated.

[@zm6658]

Howdy. Nice work on this. Brand new to airheads, picked up an R100RT that has seen some miles. I'm curious as to whether I need to bleed the cooler after doing an oil change? or can I just simply replace the filter, copper washers in the banjo bolts, fill and call it a day? Thanks!

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Z M, I'd bleed the oil cooler to ensure I get all the dirt out of the oil system when I do an oil change.

[@bmwairheads]

Brook, great video! What would be the signs of a poor white O ring seal? Oil seepage coming from between the engine block and oil filter cover (with or without gasket)?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

I check to see that the ring is flattened on the sides between the cover and shim. The flat area should be visible but not excessive

[@mohamedhadibi3831]

Excellent video thanks

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

You're welcome Mohamed. Thank you for watching.

[@militia814]

If you are deleting the oil cooler and going to the older style filter cover, should you still measure the canister and use appropriate amount of shims? Also, I’ve purchased a few R100’s and so far they’ve all had one shim. What causes the need for more shims?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Jeffrey, as explained in the link to the complete documentation for this work that's in the introduction to the video, the canister depths varied at the factory. In that document you will find links to good references on all the differences in oil filters, covers and assemblies BMW used over the years. It will explain the differences in them. The older style used on the /5 and /6 engines did not use the white o-ring to create a seal around the canister and cover so no measurements are needed, as I noted in my reply to Francesco's note.

[@nigehaworth]

Hi Brook, a basic question if I may, you are so experienced I trust your view. Servicing my ‘80 R100RS on the garage floor on centre stand is getting more difficult. Is it OK to lift the bike with a scissor lift, taking the weight on the oil sump?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Yes, but you should put a board under the sump so the weight is evenly distributed on the oil pan.

[@nigehaworth]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage thank you, door to know .

[@nigehaworth]

Good to know!!

[@nigehaworth]

I seem to recall that of the 3 bolts holding my thermostat housing one is a shorter length than the other two. You make no mention of that Brook, so perhaps mine is a non-standard modification to ease removal with the fairing in situ?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Nigel, BMW used the same length for all three cover bolts, M6x20.

[@nigehaworth]

Thanks Brook, then there are only 2 options, either I’m mistaken (away from home currently but will check my notes on my own filter change procedure). Or someone made a modification so far back that I’ve forgotten !

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

@@nigehaworth If your bolts are the hex head ones, someone may have installed a shorter one (the rear perhaps) so they could get it out easier. There is very little clearance, as you know, so that's a possibility.

[@nigehaworth]

Brook's Airhead Garage Yes I think you’re right, could well have been me,, after 35 years ownership you can easily forget what mods you have made over the years. By the way, another great video. I really appreciate your time and patience to give such clear information.

[@ethanhudson5439]

Brook I am restoring a 1990 R100GS the previous owner was running paper gasket and one shim. I measured canister depth and my measurements were almost the same as yours avg 4.0mm. Im suprised the engine made it 86k miles with no issues. Anyway I ordered what i thought was correct oil filter from EME for R100 with oil cooler. My oil filter came with black rubber gasket on both sides. Is there a different filter for models with thermostat oil cooler? I;m not going to install anything until i figure it out. I dont understand why your filter only has gasket on one side

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Ethan there are different filter designs as BMW changed the housing. You're year/model uses part# 11 42 1 337 575.

[@ethanhudson5439]

Thank you Brook you are so helpful I’m glad I caught it I have ordered the correct filter thanks again

[@441rider]

Should /5 filter area require the big white oring? or is it cooler cover only part. Can I add cooler to the /5? thanks.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

441rider, the /5 models have a different filter cover design from the /7 and R100RS models. The /5 does not use the white O-ring. Adding an oil cooler to a /5 makes very little sense, IMHO. BMW added filters to the RS and RT models as they were concerned the fairing might increase engine temperature and oil temperature since the fairing blocked air flow around the engine case.

[@441rider]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage Thanks, I ride in 105f in summer here and thought it may reduce heating of the oil but come to think of it the "breeze" is like a blast furnance so guess that reduces effectiveness. Yup places in Canada get 110f LOL!

[@ethanhudson5439]

Hi Brook I have a 1990 R100gs is it ok to jack bike up on oil pan? it looks loke that what you are doing in this video. i have been hesitant to use my motorcycle jack like yours on my BMW because it does not contact frame thanks for the help

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Ethan, I always put a board between the jack and the oil pan so the load is evenly distributed across the oil pan. I have not had a problem doing this.

[@ethanhudson5439]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage thank you sir

[@ethanhudson5439]

would you be comfortable jacking entire bike this way? or just the motor?

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

@@ethanhudson5439 I've jacked the bike this way with no damage.

[@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193]

I thank you as well, this video plus largiader.com and one can't go wrong. Unfortunately, I must have put in one shim too little, put in just two plus have paper gasket. Maybe I should change oil again, do it perfectly right and without paper. Yea, I worry about oil pressure, but don't know of an easy way to measure it. You know the easiest way? I have a 1983 R100 with oil cooler, as on this video. Also, bought an oil stick with thermometer at the end and found its showing way too hot, 115 C at normal road speed. Then I put the stick in boiling water and saw 108-110 C, so that helps. But, is there a way to tell if the oil cooler is getting its oil? I even have the large sump too. Well its 25-30 C in the air now, but yea its running hot still. I would install oil temperature and pressure meter if available, but couldn't find any. Good explanations in videos, thank you.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Hi BION, I show how I measured my oil pressure in this document on my web site: brook.reams.me/bmw-motorcycle-rebuilds/1983-bmw-r100rs-rebuild-project-index/11-bmw-r100rs-diagnose-intermittent-low-oil-pressure-light/ You should measure your canister as I show here to be absolutely sure how to shim the canister. There should be no guessing about that.

[@biondanishgenomeinstitute8193]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage I digested your great oil pressure page and will do likewise. I did measure canister depth but now think there is one shim too little, better have one extra if the choice is between 10% and 25%. Will find an oil pressure meter, test the pressure sensor, check the high pressure valve at bottom of canister and reshim without the paper gasket (so that if there is pressure bypass it will leak out). For the heat problem I could first point a heat sensor at the oil cooler right after a road trip, and if much cooler than the sump-oil, then bad flow .. because of blockage in the housing or maybe inside .. not sure how to test that though. Thank you for very good web pages and videos, you're a good teacher. My name is Niels Larsen, from Aarhus DK.

[@pdm2201]

Not only do you have to do all this you also have to remove the exhaust header. There must be a lot of folks who only change the oil.

[@rico000plusone]

No paper filter between the cover and engine?!

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Richard, no you typically don't use that on the oil cooler models. Click the link to go to the web page with all the details about shimming the cover.

[@alwedworth]

I would believe that if you remove shims, you just replace the gasket add and shims no need to measure.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

Albert, it the gap between the cover and white O-ring is out of range, you get to buy a new motor. For that reason, I'm anal retentive about getting the shimming correct.

[@alwedworth]

@@BrooksAirheadGarage if it was sealed before. It will seal again. No need to measure. Just install new seals. And run it.

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

@@alwedworth unfortunately the inside can has been known to move in over time which opens the gap and that can let oil seep.

[@twinturbo8304]

All I want to know is how to take the Exhaust pipe off not all the rest of that stuff

[@BrooksAirheadGarage]

twin turbo, well then, look here: --> brook.reams.me/bmw-motorcycle-rebuilds/1983-bmw-r100rs-rebuild-project-index/18-bmw-1983-r100rs-remove-exhaust-system/