Oil filters?

[Workinman]

When I first purchased this R90S I bought an oil filter off of eBay that I THINK is for an R90/6. It’s the two piece hinged type. It’s a good filter, I’m sure, as it’s a Mahle, but I wasn’t sure it was the right one for my bike, so I bought a one piece filter and installed it. Now I’ve got this two piece sitting here and I’m wondering if I can use it. What say you guys?
Chris

[schrader7032]

There isn't a different filter for the R90/6 or R90S...unless there is an oil cooler involved. Read about filters on Snowbum's page:

11-42-1-337-570

Search that page for "570" and find info for non-cooler bikes near the bottom.

I don't have a lot of experience with the pre /7 filters...the filter canister design was changed in 1977. The issue might be the use of the large black o-ring/rubber on the ends of the filter. They are needed for the /7 that I know.

[Workinman]

My bike also doesn’t have that $2000 o ring on the oil filter housing that I’ve heard about. I guess I need to do some more research…

[Bmwwrench]

All Airheads without an oil cooler use the same filter(s). The correct current filter has a square section, black o-ring at either end.

[srankin]

The oil filter cap and housing on the R90S bikes were pre the $2000 O-ring. Personally I liked that system more than I do the /7 and later system with the O-ring.

I think BMW probably changed the design to save a few bucks on parts That $2000 O-ring and it's shim sealing the oil filter, eliminating the cap on the filter, like you have, with the outer cover, is cheaper to source and make than the older design.

Of course this is just my opinion based on some idea of manufacturing things. Over the Course of however many /7 and newer bikes built with the $2000 I would be curious to see how much money BMW saved? St.

[schrader7032]

I wasn't present at the meeting that changed the design! But one reason I can think they might have done that is they were looking down the road at potential use of oil coolers. From what little I can see about the older style, I don't think it would have accommodated an easy mod to include the cooler. So the change was made. At that point, a cooler can be added with only a few changes. That's just one possibility for the change IMO.

[srankin]

LOL, I know one thing for certain, the older style filter cap was easier to work with. I have come close a few times to the $2000 O-ring disaster.

Bloody thing wouldn't leak on the lift after an oil change but started to leak each time fifty miles from home. Thankfully, I never totally lost oil pressure and made it home to the lift.

Now, when I change the oil filter, I clean the damned O-ring and its metal shim, the cover and put a three drops of super glue onto the assembly to hold things in place until I carefully tighten it all down.

This is one of my constant wonderment of BMW engineering "what were they thinking?" St.

[schrader7032]

I've never really had an issue with the "new" setup. I do remember, though, that during my first few oil changes on the /7, I didn't really understand the setup, the o-ring, shim, etc. I just left the old ones in place for multiple changes with apparently no ill effect. Then I read what Snowbum had to say about it and began to change the o-ring each time. Then I read Oak's description and went about measuring the depth of my canister. Turns out my canister sits too close to the outside of the case I now I use two gaskets to lessen the squish of the o-ring. I'm lucky I didn't cut or split an o-ring over the years.

I've never experienced the first filter confirmation, but have a pretty good handle on this new one. Following the proper steps, I've not found it to be a problem.

As I said, I've never seen the /5/6 setup. It appears from the parts diagrams that the canister was still there, but it never came into play with the filter and cover. But seems to me that when looking forward to an updated oiling system, rather than throw out the entire configuration, they found a way of utilizing the existing parts in a way that kept the basic parts in the engine block but adapted for further use. If all that is plausible, I could see that engineering and the business side sat together to try and solve a potential problem.