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born again enthusiast needs oil info?
- schrader7032
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born again enthusiast needs oil info?
Here's a page from an owner's manual that was printed in May 1964.
http://w6rec.com/duane/bmw/2man/page35.jpg
It suggests various grades of engine oil for the tranny, drive shaft and rear drive.
I'm kind of in the same dilemma for a newly acquired '52 R25/2. I thought that it would need engine oil for lubrication in the drive train, but when I called Vech and ordered the fluids, they sent me GL-4 SAE 80w90. I'm still not sure what I'm going to us. The user's manual I got for the R25/2 suggests engine oil.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
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gearbox oil
- Darryl.Richman
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born again enthusiast needs oil info?
I'm not an expert, but I use modern fluids in ALL of my older bikes. My understanding is that specialty gear lubes just didn't exist for the general public until the 60s sometime, and BMW eventually issued service bulletins advising the use of gear lube, with only a change in the seals to go along with it.
You should keep in mind that gear lube "weight" numbers are measured at room temp and not engine operating temp, so 30 weight engine oil has a similar weight to 80 weight gear lube, at the temperatures your transmission and final drive are going to see.
However, this is a topic that always engenders multiple answers and no seeming definitive one. Duane's web site is a great resource, and he has a tremendous amount of knowledge about these bikes "from back in the day". But even he will tell you that he got out of it in the early 70s.
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gearbox oil
- schrader7032
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born again enthusiast needs oil info?
If the tranny was rebuilt in the 80s, it's likely that newer seals would have been used. This would certainly allow for using the gear oil instead of reverting to engine oil.
Kurt in S.A.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
born again enthusiast needs oil info?
born again enthusiast needs oil info?
Transmission Oils
1968 R69US
1973 R75/5
1971 Norton
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9040
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
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Dominic - You have the '69
You have the '69 R69US, right? If so, you're good to use the gear oil and not the engine oil. By that time, BMW had changed the seals to allow use of the hypoid oil. You're only issue is going to be whether it should be GL4 or GL5. The controversy is that the GL5 could potentially have higher sulphur contents which hurts the yellow metals in the tranny. Vech is adamant about using GL4. But I've not heard of the sides of the road being littered with damaged transmissions so far...I don't think there's much to be worried about.
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.