Transmission Oil Capacity ?

[ferrarirobinson]

1957 R60 Transmission.

What is the transmission oil capacity ?

I’ve heard to the bottom of the filler threads somewhere (doesn’t sound right) to
1.7 Qts. (Doesn’t sound right either)

Charlie

[schrader7032]

Bottom of the filler hole threads is right. The attached info from the Library indicates 0.8 liters:

https://vintagebmw.org/library/?model=R50

See the first link in the Library. You'll have to decide if you should use a gear oil or engine oil. Depends on if you've had the seals updated in the transmission. If not updated, then it's supposed to be engine oil.

[DIS295]

HavIng just replaced the oil in my transmission, I can recount that 800ml was a good bit below the bottom of the thread, but and additional 150ml made it to the bottom of the threads. So about 50mlshort of a liter., as In 950ML.

BTW, by having the full point be the bottom of the threads, they allow transmission oil level checking without a dip stick.

[Flx48]

Hi Charlie-
As previously said, the spec'd amount of oil for the trans is 800ml; which puts the oil level just a bit below the filler plug hole threads.

The oil at that level sufficiently bathes the bottom teeth of the 1st through 4 gears on the lowest shaft in the trans, the idler shaft.
Because it is a constant mesh transmission, the oil picked up by those lower teeth on the idler shaft gears is then passed along to the 1st through 4th gears on both the input and output shafts above, which keeps everything in the trans constantly lubed whenever the engine is running.
Best-
George
.

[DIS295]

One of the problems I'm having, is conflicting information supplied by BMW. In the specifications part of the owners manual it says .8L, but in the maintenance section is says "fill up to the lowermost thread of the filler opening".

[Flx48]

One of the problems I'm having, is conflicting information supplied by BMW. In the specifications part of the owners manual it says .8L, but in the maintenance section is says "fill up to the lowermost thread of the filler opening".

Hi DIS-
Had the same issue with inconsistent info, so when the next opportunity came with the trans rear door off, a dam was installed across the rear of the case at the same level as the bottom of the filler hole threads and the case was filled with 800ml, to see where that level fell with the internals.
That showed the 800ml level of oil bathed the bottom teeth of the four gears on the idler shaft, (even the little first gear) and was still well below the input shaft seal by around a half inch or so.


Believe there were three basic versions of the instruction manual during the 14 year run of the "/2"; the early, (50-69) the mid, (50/2-69S) and late.(50US-69US)
How the material was presented is pretty much the same in all three, but with some discrepancies, some errors, and some changes here and there.
A discrepancy example- would be in the early manual the periodic maintenance at 6000km translated to 4000mi, then in the mid manual to 3600mi, while the actual conversion is 3728mi; or the major maintenance at 12,000km being translated to 8000mi in the early and 7200mi in the mid, with actual being 7456mi.
An error example from the mid manual- while discussing the idle mixture screw "screwing it in makes the mixture richer, screwing it out makes it leaner" while fifty pages on it reads "the mixture may be made richer by further screwing out the adjusting screw, or made leaner by screwing it in" (not)
Believe that one was discussed here a short while back.
Or changes- in the late manual a number of maintenance items doubled in their mileage intervals from those in the early and mid manuals; these included engine oil change, from 1000mi to 2000mi; trans/swingarm/rearend oil change, wheels and swingarms bearing removal/clean/grease, and brake clean/lube/adjust, all going from 8000mi to 16,000mi intervals.
If one were generous that change could be seen as newfound confidence in the more modern lubricants of the time; or it could also be seen as a competitive reaction to the relentless downward pressure of the more popular Japanese bikes which was steadily shrinking the BMW market share through the late '60s.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the transmission is splash lubricated, so the engineer's calculation of 800ml, versus the maintenance writer's knowledge of the practicality of simply eyeballing that oil level via the fill hole threads probably renders the point moot; no critical difference between the use of either amount was ascertained.
Best-
George