1995 R1100RA, has it's major service then the next routine service. During that service forks rebuilt, new rear disc & pads.
Currently 28,2xx miles. I have owned it since 20,000 miles, never a problem. Today on the way home the low fuel light comes on. I pull into QT, shut down the engine and fill the tank. I finish, switch on the key and only CLUNK. I figure low battery as it is 3 years old. Roll down a slope in the lot, dump the clutch, rear tire skids like a locked brake. I figure too slow and high compression. Thirty minutes later AAA arrives, after I get home I get a jumper box and hook to battery... CLUNK.
I pull the starter. Other than looking 13 years old it looks fine. I pull both spark plugs and try to crank... CLUNK. I put it in gear and try to rotate the tire to turn the engine. ***** I get about 1 degree of movement. Something has FUBARed.
Is it seized at the crank or has a rod come lose? Has a valve failed (I would think not since I would think I'd get more than 1 degree of rotation.)
I guess since whatever dropped to lock up the crank, there would be a minimal amount of damage. If you know what happened... let me know this. Was it a failure that would not have happened until the engine stopped... or am I lucky I stopped for gas and the engine did not seize at 45 mph in traffic? (The last time I had an engine seize I was going about 60 mph on a 1969 (?) Bridgestone 350 GTR. It was everything I could do to keep it up until i got stopped. I do not know who had more of a sheer terror look on their face. Me as I looked back at the station wagon which was trying not to run into me, or the guy driving the station wagon thinking he was going to crash into me? It might have been a tie!!!)
I guess I jinxed myself. I was not long ago talking about the dependability of the boxer engines and them lasting for 200k or more.
Forums > Maintenance > What caused my engine to seize?
| What caused my engine to seize? | |
Joined: Jun 01, 2008
Location: FORT WORTH, TX
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Posted on
07/21/2008 at 00:00
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Joined: May 22, 2007
Location: Cheyenne, WY
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Beyond my diagnositic skills by a long shot. When you were hand turning the tire to turn the engine, what gear were you in? Did you notice anything unusual when you turned off the engine? (from your description, you did not actually run out of gas, right?) Could a hydrolic lock act like this? I just don't get why it would seize when shut down vs. while running. Sorry and Good luck. If you get it fixed, please let us know what the issue was. For future referrence. Jack --------------------------------- "There ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk." -- T. Waits
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 14:10
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Joined: Apr 05, 2007
Location: Edison, NJ
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If your oil or temp light didn't come on, then i doubt it's an engine seizure. But on the other hand, I can't figure why it wouldn't turn over with the plugs out. Hmm..this is a tricky one...
--------------------------------- 07 X-Challenge - -Xplor BlueRidge (08) Group Leader/Sweeper -Xplor the Pines (07) Group Leader -PB500 Group Leader (06,07)
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 14:15
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Joined: Dec 24, 2006
Location: Austin, TX
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Crystal ball time . . . The spirits are not helpful today . . . I'm getting something however . . . The spirits say . . . 1) Snapped timing chain; or maybe 2) Snapped generator belt; or maybe 3) Generator bearings/brushes seized; or maybe 4) Scored and seized rocker bearing . . . That's all the spirits will say for now. C
--------------------------------- 401K? Retirement? Ha! Don't be ridiculous!
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 14:26
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Joined: May 22, 2007
Location: Cheyenne, WY
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 Csteinman said:1) Snapped timing chain; or maybe 2) Snapped generator belt; or maybe 3) Generator bearings/brushes seized; or maybe 4) Scored and seized rocker bearing . . . Why at engine shut off? Shear coincidence? (please excuse lame pun) Or, during engine shut down, could there be a brief but significantly increased strain on the timing chain or generator belt? Rocker bearing was a genius-level thought, btw.
--------------------------------- "There ain't no Devil, there's just God when he's drunk." -- T. Waits
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 15:35
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Joined: Dec 24, 2006
Location: Austin, TX
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"Why at engine shut off?"
My reasoning is related to what happens at engine shut off: All the moving parts snap from a positive load to a negative load. What are the weakest moving links inside the engine when snapping from a positive load to a negative load? Anything related to the main bearing, crank, rods, and pistons would have made a huge noise (and possibly case damage) upon faliure. The rocker arm seizing is related to possible oiling and wear issues in the top end of an older bike. The top end of BSAs are known to burn and seize because of oiling issues. Wild guesses. Who knows really. C
--------------------------------- 401K? Retirement? Ha! Don't be ridiculous!
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 15:43
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Joined: Jun 01, 2008
Location: FORT WORTH, TX
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The low fuel light had just came on. It did not run out of gas. Pulled up to the pump, shut off the key, pumped gas... clunk on the attempt to start after fueling. 28,xxx miles on the odometer, so it is very low mileage for a 13 year old oil head. Shut down was entirely normal. No strange sounds, nothing different than the other time I have shut it down. Other than the ABS not setting up probably due to low battery voltage after the rear disc & pads were replaced, there was no indication of issues. Actually the ABS was regularly setting up giving me the indication riding the bike and having the charging system keep the battery up and no longer a battery tender was encouraging... nothing abnormal at all! I am the third owner and I bought it with 20K on the odometer. It has had all the factory services as per the manual. I tried rotating the engine in both 1st & 2nd gear. I could only move the engine about 1 degree. I typically will not rotate an engine backwards, but it moved forward 1 degree and no further, I rotated it backwards and it moved 1 degree, then again forward and it moved 1 degree. Repeated the same in second gear. With the sparkplugs out and ZERO compression no matter what gear it should have rotated the engine easily.
Posted on
07/21/2008 at 23:21
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Joined: Nov 17, 2006
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
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If this were a truck I'd think the starter teeth have jammed against the ring gear, due to a loose mount. Don't really know how the Beemer engine is spun, but that would explain no movement and the failure on start up. If the boxer were a truck that is..... Can you pull the starter motor easily? Bob --------------------------------- "Go out, things happen. Stay at home, they don't" .....................Ted Simon
Posted on
07/22/2008 at 00:26
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Joined: Jun 01, 2008
Location: FORT WORTH, TX
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I pulled the starter thinking it might have failed and jammed the starter ring. The starter is not the issue unfortunately!
Posted on
07/22/2008 at 20:44
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Joined: Nov 12, 2006
Location: Charlottesville, VA
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There's no "this is what usually happens" situation for this, and all I have to go on is your description of what you think you are observing. I think you're just going to have to investigate a bit more. Pulling the starter was a good idea. At this point I'd pull the valve covers off and watch the timing chain as you try to turn the motor. Try to turn it (gently!) with the cam sprocket bolt, each way. You've not going to hurt anything turning it gently backwards. The bolt is tightened to 65 Nm, so obviously you don't want to turn with anywhere near that much force. Just a little, see what you notice. --------------------------------- Anton Largiader Charlottesville, VA
Posted on
07/23/2008 at 12:52
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Joined: Nov 17, 2006
Location: Corpus Christi, TX
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Anton..................You sound suspiciously like you know of which you speak.....................Bob
--------------------------------- "Go out, things happen. Stay at home, they don't" .....................Ted Simon
Posted on
07/23/2008 at 16:13
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Joined: May 19, 2007
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How about trying to turn the wheel (or starting the engine) with the clutch DISENGAGED (clutch lever pressed down) to see if it's the transmission that's locked?
Posted on
07/23/2008 at 23:43
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Joined: Jun 01, 2008
Location: FORT WORTH, TX
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I tried in neutral... clutch in... clutch in in first. It still clunks and it rolls in neutral and in gear with the clutch in. It is not the transmission or drive train.
Posted on
07/24/2008 at 21:18
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Joined: May 19, 2007
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Uh oh, you may have to brace yourself for some bad news... Have you checked the sump for traces of burned oil (or, yikes, metal fragments) yet? Good luck.
Posted on
07/24/2008 at 22:36
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Joined: Apr 03, 2007
Location: Lapeer, MI
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Looks like all are good suppositions. the real "tell" is in the tear down. But for what its worth, I'll throw out another possible: If it was a really hot day out there when this happened. And after you stopped and filled up, perhaps your engine suffered a detonation when you went to start it. A good hard pre-ignition spank could have done some real damage in one swift kick without you even hearing a backfire. It may have sounded like the engine was hit by a stout hammer at the moment you thumbed the starter button. One sharp knock and then nothing. --------------------------------- The best day of the year is the first day of winter, because every day after it is just a little longer.
Posted on
07/25/2008 at 00:28
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