Oil sight glass blew out

I'm a new (third) owner (2 months, < 2500 miles) of a 95 R1100Rs with 55K on it. It appears to have been well cared for and the PO I purchased it from was knowledgeable.

The oil level sight glass blew out this morning on the way to work. I missed shifts in two successive corners, originally thinking I was being sloppy, when I looked down to find my boot covered in oil.

I don't know how far I had traveled before noticing but was only 3 miles from home, and was not riding hard (<4k rpm). I never got an oil light and am hoping the engine did not suffer any damage.

I've read the forum postings regarding installation and am prepared to be careful. Any additional inputs or observations on the event, possible engine damage, or precautions are appreciated.

I'm a new (third) owner (2 months, < 2500 miles) of a 95 R1100Rs with 55K on it. It appears to have been well cared for and the PO I purchased it from was knowledgeable.

 

The oil level sight glass blew out this morning on the way to work. I missed shifts in two successive corners, originally thinking I was being sloppy, when I looked down to find my boot covered in oil.

 

I don't know how far I had traveled before noticing but was only 3 miles from home, and was not riding hard (<4k rpm). I never got an oil light and am hoping the engine did not suffer any damage.

 

I've read the forum postings regarding installation and am prepared to be careful. Any additional inputs or observations on the event, possible engine damage, or precautions are appreciated.

Afternoon JimmR75

Not really EXCEPT the new sight glass is real glass & breaks very easy (many have broken a couple before having dealer install the darn thing)

If you are quick then use brake clean as a lube to (carefully) install the new sight glass. If you don't think it will go quickly then use glass cleaner as the lube then let it sit for a while before starting the engine.

Just make sure that your driver ONLY contacts the new sight glass outside of the glass area (if you drive on the outside edge of the actual glass it will probably break)

I have just used spittle/spit to lube the rubber...works fine..

Get a sample of IPC P-80, temporary rubber lubricant. The stuff is amazing.

If you buy the bmw part, it may come with a metal wire retaining ring that is used on the 1200. Just disregard it for your bike.

As you install the new one, there is a "shelf" the sight glass bottoms out on so there's no chance of it going in too far. You can break it by continuing to "seat " it after its home so look carefully and listen to the change in tone as you tap it in.

Installation was very straightforward after reading the experiences and suggestions here, requiring maybe 15 minutes total.

1. Cleaned the recess thoroughly with alcohol and then brake cleaner.

2. Lubricated with brake cleaner and started the new sight glass in with my thumbs.

3. Put a 32mm socket on an extension backwards to put the flat surface of the socket against the rubber seal of the window.

4. Gentle blows with a dead blow hammer (to reduce harsh impact), checking alignment regularly. If it started to get crooked at all, I would slightly tip the extension to realign the sight glass. Did not pound, but consistent controlled use of the hammer.

5. After the sight glass was nearly flush, switched to a 36mm socket to let the flat surface of the socket meet the the surface of the engine case.

6. Then drilled a 1/16” hole in a cooling fin as seen in the photo. (Actually drilled a second hole as the first one was too far outboard)

7. Safety wired (.032”) from the hole to the fairing bracket mount to try to prevent a catastrophic blowout in the future.

50+ miles since the installation with no leaks or other symptoms. The engine has seemed to be undamaged. I drained nearly 2 quarts out as part of an oil change as part of this recovery and believe that the engine never suffered total oil pressure loss (never had an oil light).