Flywheel, removal warning, main seal, oil pump cover, oil pump

FLYWHEEL REMOVAL (and replacement) WARNING!!!
>>>>Flywheel Re-installation, MAIN SEAL Installation, oil pump and oil pump cover, ETC.<<<<

When you remove your flywheel for such as to replace a main seal, oil pump seal, etc., it is CRITICAL that the crankshaft be BLOCKED from moving forward. This blocking is usually done by some sort of makeshift tool that places some pressure against the alternator rotor center bolt. This can be done in many ways, such as a piece of 2 x 4 lumber bungeed to the cylinders or exhaust pipes and with a screw to press against the rotor bolt. Very crude, that. A small easy-to-make tool can be made of a piece of Allen wrench with a welded or brazed fender washer on one end, over-all about 3/4 inch long. See next paragraph below. The outer cover holds it in place, the tool being made just a bit too long to allow the cover to fully bolt-up to the engine, and this gives a bit of pressure (do NOT overtighten the cover bolts!!). The tool's Allen end simply fits into the existing alternator rotor bolt head. I highly recommend you make one of these small tools the way I designed it. A photo of this tool is in my tools article.
If you do not want to make this type of tool, then you can substitute a 8 mm bolt, screwed into the rotor, leaving enough of the bolt outwards, so that the front cover will bear on it.

If you do NOT block the crankshaft, you run the REAL risk of the crankshaft moving forward a small amount... probably it could possibly move a bit under 1/4", and the HIDDEN thrust washer COULD move off the pegs. If that happens, the thrust washer will not align back on those pegs as you tighten the flywheel bolts (and you do not have to tighten very much to damage things), and you run the risk of MAJOR DAMAGE to the thrust washer....AND even the engine casting! In FACT, if you really tighten the flywheel bolts with the thrust washer off its locating pegs, you REALLY CAN ruin, totally, the engine block!!!

With a thrust washer having fallen off its pegs, you will find that the crankshaft will essentially freeze up as you tighten those bolts. You REALLY do NOT want this happening!! You do NOT want to even get near the point of the crank freezing up. If you forgot or did not know about blocking the crankshaft, and you want to know IF the crankshaft has moved, Tom Cutter's sketch, well below, will give you the information.

Things look different for the clutch carrier models (1981+), but you will be able to see if there is a problem.

The dimensions need to be as shown, in order to know that the crankshaft has not moved. If you have blocked the crankshaft before unfastening the flywheel bolts, you have nothing to worry about!

The only way to see and get to (however slightly) and MAYBE get the thrust washer back in place if it has moved off the pegs, is via removal of the right cylinder.....(or disassembling the engine!). Do NOT think that you can simply tighten the flywheel bolts to see if the crank starts to seize up, that is, if engine rotation becomes more difficult. By the time the crank gets to that point, you already have likely caused damage.

If the thrust washer has already been destroyed/damaged, then disassembling the entire engine is your only option. This is very serious business, with many additional ramifications not mentioned here. So, heed my words, heed this article!! BLOCK THE CRANK!!
YES, I am WELL AWARE that many have never had a problem from not blocking the crankshaft. PLEASE heed MY cautions, and DO block yours!

Snowbum's Tool to hold crankshaft from moving forward:

NOTE: If you remove your flywheel for any reason, be sure to FIRST set the engine to OT, top dead center, Oberer Totpunkt, and be sure that OT is STILL in the timing window when replacing the flywheel.

Make a tool out of a piece of 6 mm Allen wrench material, and weld it onto one end of a 1" (or so) steel disc or 'fender washer' from your favorite hardware store, the washer maybe 1/16" thick (not critical), making the length such that its Allen end fits into the alternator bolt, and the disc end presses against the outer timing chest cover. Usually ~3/4 inch overall. The length should be such that some light pressure is applied by the cover, the cover being screwed back onto the engine LIGHTLY, but can't quite fully be brought back to the engine surface. DO NOT overtighten. Carry it in the tool tray on the bike, but you are UNlikely to ever need it while touring. Weld it squarely to the straight piece of 6 mm Allen wrench. The last time I made one of these, I made it to fit my 83-84 bikes, and the OVERALL length was 3/4". You can also just use a 8 mm bolt, and not have to make this tool. Some have just used a piece of allen wrench.

NOTE: If you remove your flywheel for any reason, be sure to FIRST set the engine to OT, top dead center, Oberer Totpunkt, and be sure that OT is STILL in the timing window when replacing the flywheel.

If the thrust washer has already been destroyed/damaged, then disassembling the entire engine is your only option. This is very serious business, with many additional ramifications not mentioned here. So, heed my words, heed this article!! BLOCK THE CRANK!!

Below is a sketch of the flywheel and crankshaft of your Airhead, sketch courtesy of Tom Cutter, with additional notes by me. Following this section is information on main seals, etc.

Dimension B is the depth of the flywheel (or clutch carrier, as it is called on 1981+ models) where the crankshaft boss fits into. The sketch is simplified, and does not show how the rear thrust washer is retained, and other such minor details that are of no importance here.

Another way of explaining things:   A must be greater than B by at least .05 mm. If A is LESS than B, by, perhaps, 3 or 4 mm, then the crank has moved forward, and the thrust washer has slipped, and if one tries to bolt up the flywheel, serious damage will occur.    If the amount of forward movement is quite small, you may be able to move the crankshaft backwards with some relatively modest pressure at the alternator rotor. This might also be done by bolting up the crankshaft VERY LOOSELY and moving the flywheel rearward by hand pressure.   If you can move the crank by either method to the proper dimensions, A is larger than B, you have 'lucked-out', and you can tighten up the crank to torque specifications and the crankshaft will not be locked up. Be really careful about all this sort of thing!
_{Flywheel bolt torques}_{:

This is in reference to BMW Service Information
bulletin (we call them SI's), November 1991, #11-049-91, sub
number 2495, & this can also be seen on the 12/92 fiche on page
3, G23.   Basically, it stated that while the flywheel bolts were
previously at ~75 foot-pounds (100 Nm), they were now to be at 90
foot-pounds (125 Nm), first you cleaned the threads, and then the
threads were to be OILED! BMW specifically said that the
bolt limits would NOT reach their limit of elasticity at that
torque, and could be REUSED!    I will NOT tighten
them that tight. Makes me very nervous! However, some
do, and I have heard of no problems reported. It is YOUR
CHOICE. NOTE that this is in regards to the 11 mm bolts, and applies
to 1981+ models....certainly not
the smaller /5 and early /6 10 mm bolts. These early
bike 10 mm
bolts need replacement upon each
use, which the 11 mm do not, and those 10 mm bolts in the /5 and early /6 are
absolutely not be torqued to such high values.   There have been a lot of different
specifications on flywheel bolts over the
years.    There were also two lengths of 10 mm bolts used.

I
use (clean and dry) torques of 42-45 foot-pounds on the 1973 and earlier
engines; for the 1974 I use 52-55 ftlbs; and for 1975 and later up to the 1981
models, I use about 75 to 80 ftlbs. I typically use about 80 ftlbs, clean and dry
threads, on 1981+.   I think 80 ftlbs is safe for all
the 11 mm bolts.    Some aftermarket literature
will show different flywheel bolt torques for different engine
sizes for the same year. DISREGARD such advice unless you
KNOW what you are doing!    The big difference is
in the size of the bolts, with the earlier 10 mm bolts as used on
the /5 and into early /6, using less torque.

For additional details!!.....read:
torquevalues.htm, the section on
flywheel bolts.}

Crankshaft main seals came in a number of styles over the years. The very latest seal, of a Teflon-like material, is quite different in design from the early seals. for the nerdy here...see: http://www.elring.de/tsi/TSI_03_04_e.pdf

Early seals were very conventional looking, a lipped rubber seal (more than one type of lip and seal color) with a coiled spring backup. The 1980 and earlier models had just the conventional seal. In 1981, BMW changed the design of the flywheel/clutch, for lighter weight which gave faster engine acceleration and deceleration, unfortunately with more vibration, but also gave greatly reduced hand lever pressure. The flywheel was now called a clutch carrier. The earlier flywheel had the main seal lip resting on the flywheel boss, so when the flywheel was inserted into the engine, the seal curled...well, sort of...ever so slightly inward. For those earlier designs, I always recommended that the flywheel seal area be laboriously polished with ONLY crocus cloth (in kerosene). Absolutely no fingernail felt irregularities are allowed in the flywheel sealing area...although discoloration is normal. Seals were installed sometimes to very slightly different depths to avoid old rubbed areas. Seals must be installed squarely.

The "guide ring" used on the 1981+ models (the clutch carrier fits to it, the guide ring is over the crankshaft) and has a center lug to enable it to be pulled rearward by a factory tool. To replace a main seal on a 1981 and later, you have to remove the guide ring first. You can improvise. You can use a flat punch to rotate the ring until some of each crankshaft hole is covered, then pry to the rear....use a small screwdriver or similar, pry a bit on each hole/guide ring. Be careful, not to damage the guide ring nor the threads. Once the guide ring is out, you can remove the main seal. The Guide Ring can deteriorate (hard coating). If the surface appears to be deteriorating, that surface could have teeny imperfections that would eventually tear-up a new main seal. Replace the Guide Ring if it has so deteriorated

With the guide ring removed, you then install the seal. The guide ring (with a new O-ring!) is then moved into the seal, using the carrier bolts. When using the bolts for that, you may need to use spacers under the bolt heads....see the guide ring installation photos, later here, showing the bolts with some sort of junk-box provided spacers under them, to allow the bolt heads to be turned properly. As the guide ring is installed, it makes the "Teflon-like" seal working part move forward. That helps the seal maintain oil integrity as crankcase pressures increase during engine operation.

Main seals are installed using the special factory tool, but if you are careful, you can do this with a prepared block of wood (or Ed Korn's tool). Install the seal absolutely straight and square. Install at the same depth...except that early flywheels with a big radius are best installed not quite fully...maybe a mm will be proud of the surface. See notes below.

MORE on that new style seal:
The latest seal is a "Teflon-like" (PTFE) seal. The latest version, again see: http://www.elring.de/tsi/TSI_03_04_e.pdf, is usually installed DRY but can be installed oily. DO oil, slightly, the bore area of the engine case that the seal fits into. If you have an earlier seal, soak the new seal and installation tool in 150°F +- engine oil for a few minutes....the temperature helps the job of preparing the seal, perhaps softening it, perhaps not. If you fail to oil or grease the working part during assembly, it may squeak for a short while after engine start, until oil works its way to the seal. Press the new seal in squarely, using a flat plate seal installation tool, or fashion something. Install the flywheel (carrier) with a bit of oil on the nose.

****Oak did an article on main seal installation in the MAY 2004 issue of AIRMAIL (see page 17-18)...where he discusses this in some depth, in response to a question posed by someone. ****

Be sure the 5 holes in the guide ring are exactly aligned with the crank holes, as you do this job.

If you use one of the plates-type of installation tools, you need not tighten the bolts very much.

Some recommend installing the flywheel when it has been heated fairly hot. When you align a 'flywheel' to the crankshaft, install by eyeball first. YOU SHOULD HAVE previously set the pistons fully outward; and now when you reinstall the flywheel, its OT mark is in the timing window, and you've double checked OTC on the pistons...right?.... then insert the bolts lightly, and then find the centering point of the assembly, by moving the flywheel CW and CCW, back and forth on the bolts...there will usually be a very slight amount of play. Then tighten to only a few foot-pounds, evenly, cross-pattern as best you can. When it has cooled, tighten fully to specifications. Mind the torque. As noted previously, the early 10mm bolts must be new. The 11 mm ones are reusable, unless damaged from over-torquing.

A tool can be fashioned to lock the flywheel/carrier, whilst the bolts are torqued. Such tools are shown in photos in such as Clymer's and Haynes manuals, BMW literature, ETC. The original BMW tool may even be available, but the tool is quite simple. I recommend you do not lock the flywheel/carrier by using the starter teeth.

Main Seal installation tools (if you decide to use them):

The original BMW main seal installation tool was #880.
There is an article on making a fancy, nice, main seal tool that works fine with the later seals. The article is on the http://www.airheads.org website, and it is also here: http://www.gunsmoke.com/motorcycling/r100gs/mainseal_driver/index.html

In the photo below, note that the BMW stepped plate can be used upside down for flush seals, or with the step to the inside for installing to slightly forward of flush. The Ed Korn type tool shown uses setscrews to adjust the depth...and Ed (and his predecessor) provide instructions with the tool.
There area two types of flywheel (or clutch carriers) in use. If the front end has a small radius, then the seal is installed to full depth. If there is a taper, as on early flywheels, then the seal is rearward a small amount, about 1 or 1-1/2 mm. Oak uses rear ring gear shims for that, installing the shims, then the seal. I don't....because I don't have any stock of them.

NOTE the thrust washer and pegs! That is the 5 bolt holes in the crankshaft you see, above, and notice that they are symmetrical...that is why you MUST align the flywheel/carrier for OT mark with pistons fully outwards!	Notice the spacers used by Al Patton here...otherwise the bolts would not turn at the hub area.
Notice that the holes all are lined-up	The 10 mm hex bolts at the oil pump cover are the later types.
NO need to tighten much!

When installing the flywheel, mind the information early in this article on bolts and their torques! If flywheel bolts loosen, or come out or are sheared off, considerable damage to the threaded holes in the flywheel can occur. This most often was seen on the old /5 bikes, with the small threaded bolts, with someone forgetting they were on a German bike, and shifting the wrong way, from, let us say, 2nd, with lots of rpm, down to first. That sheared the bolts. I've fixed a few of those!!
NOTE: If you remove your flywheel for any reason, be sure to FIRST set the engine to OT, top dead center, Oberer Totpunkt, and be sure that OT is STILL in the timing window when replacing the flywheel.

There are two potential trouble areas when removing and replacing a flywheel. One, the moving of the INNER thrust washer off its pegs, is PREVENTED by the use of the crankshaft blocking tool previously noted and described well above, together with a photo of that tool.

There is a second possible problem. The REAR thrust washer can come off its locating pegs. It must be on its pegs, and not be rotatable by your fingers (check!) before you reinstall the flywheel!

The oil pump cover O-ring should be replaced any time the flywheel is removed. Early oil pump covers had Phillips screws, which often are a problem to remove (use of the special impact wrench listed in my tools.htm article is highly suggested!). You can install the later pump cover, with the later hexhead bolts, see the photo above. When installing the pump cover with its new O-ring, be sure to grease the O-ring, or otherwise be very careful that the O-ring stays in place during the installation/tightening process. I use Loctite BLUE on the threads; and I am careful to tighten the 4 bolts evenly, in a cross-pattern, a bit at a time, until tight....88 INCH-pounds (that is only 7.3 footpounds).

The oil pump inner rotor INNER EDGE is chamfered, in case you remove it and wonder what direction to replace it in. Oil pump clearances are easily measured with common feeler gauges and a machinist's or other, straight edge rule, on edge. Here are some general specifications:
Rotor 2.22" +0-.0009"
Housing 2.23" +.0017" -0
Rotor end clearance .004-.007"
Rotor thickness .54" -.0066+.0013"
Rotor to housing face .001" to .0023"
Rotor to rotor clearance .0046" to .0117"

Rev:

02/04/2008: incorporate all previous revisions; expand and also add information from "being-eliminated" article engineinternals.htm; clarify details on mainseal installation.
02/11/2008: Photos of rear seal installation. Fix typo on which sub-section of article 60. Edit entire article A/R, for clarity and emphasis.
04/24/2009: Minor changes to text in one photo. Clarify the 90 foot-pounds that are only on the 1981+ models.
05/10/2009: Remove most of the emphasis and base colors, as experiment.
01/15/2010: Clean up article for better clarity, less verboseness.
08/08/2010: Add information on the crank tool from my TOOLS article
05/31/2011: Cleanup
08/01/2011: Add Addendum area with note on the REAR thrust washer problem.