Rear Drive Oil Almost Black at 600 mile service

[leshenits215]

I just drained the oil from my new 06' LT, and was surprised to see thah it looked almost like dirty engine oil. I read once on this site that its normal for a new rear drive.
Just would like some reassurance from the group, thank you? Other thing was I was barely able to put in half of quart of new gear oil (yes, I did rotate the wheel while filling up). Is there anything amiss? I thought it took one quart to refill.

[Dick]

I just drained the oil from my new 06' LT, and was surprised to see thah it looked almost like dirty engine oil. I read once on this site that its normal for a new rear drive.
Just would like some reassurance from the group, thank you? Other thing was I was barely able to put in half of quart of new gear oil (yes, I did rotate the wheel while filling up). Is there anything amiss? I thought it took one quart to refill.
Les - '06 rear drives are prolly not much difference in gear lube capacity than earlier models - and Toad, on the centerstand, takes .24 qt. at each change.

[meese]

Do yourself a big favor and buy a maintenance manual. Either the official BMW manual, or the new Clymer version. It is invaluable if you plan on doing any more work on the bike.

[rkirker]

Do yourself a big favor and buy a maintenance manual. Either the official BMW manual, or the new Clymer version. It is invaluable if you plan on doing any more work on the bike.

I have been wearing out my clymer since I got it about 2 months ago it is invaluable definitely worth the $40 to $50 investment. The current one covers 99 to 05 though no 06.

[early1]

A 1/2 quart??
I'd open the top hole and see if it drips out. If it does I'd let it run out till it stops.

Though the black color was what I found @ 1000 when I 1st changed it

Les - '06 rear drives are prolly not much difference in gear lube capacity than earlier models - and Toad, on the centerstand, takes .24 qt. at each change.
Ditto

[mneblett]

I just drained the oil from my new 06' LT, and was surprised to see thah it looked almost like dirty engine oil. I read once on this site that its normal for a new rear drive.
Just would like some reassurance from the group, thank you? Other thing was I was barely able to put in half of quart of new gear oil (yes, I did rotate the wheel while filling up). Is there anything amiss? I thought it took one quart to refill.Dark oil is "ok" -- the final drive is vented to atmosphere, and the moisture in the air is the source of the "dark."

A 1/2 quart of oil in the final drive is *way* too much! The capacity is .23 qt -- half what you put in. Drain it and start over. Don't worry about volume, fill it until the oil is up to the *bottom* of the threads of the fill hole. If you leave the level where it is now, you'll probably have oil regularly flowing out of the drive's vent on top of the housing.

[meese]

I have been wearing out my clymer since I got it about 2 months ago it is invaluable definitely worth the $40 to $50 investment. The current one covers 99 to 05 though no 06.There shouldn't be much difference between '05 and '06, except the HID headlight.

I'm glad we have this site to share knowledge and help people learn to do their own maintenance, or at least have a much better idea of what to expect from a dealer. I know I've learned a lot, and I try to give that back where I can. Apparently it's working, as evidenced by the recent CCR awards.

But I am concerned that we may make it seem too easy. Every so often we hear of folks without the proper background tearing into their bikes and making a mess of things. This can be quite expensive, and potentially dangerous.

So just a quick word of advice. If you're not absolutely sure of what you're about to do, then put the wrenches down, back away from the bike, and get the proper help. That can be a post here to ask a question, a read through the maintenance manual until you understand the whole procedure, going to a tech session to see the work performed, or having someone come by and lend an experienced hand. If you can't be bothered to do any of the above, then take the bike to a dealer and just write a check.

Your safety just isn't worth saving a few bucks if there's any chance of messing things up.

Just my opinion, of course. :)

[cjack]

Dark oil is "ok" -- the final drive is vented to atmosphere, and the moisture in the air is the source of the "dark."

.

Actually I think BMW puts Molybdenum disulfide in the gear oil (or they use oil that has it in). In the new drives, which have the same black gear oil, they specify Castrol SAF-XO which is synth and extended drain. I don't know if it normally has moly in it or not. For refills, BMWNA recommends their synth 75W90. No mention of moly. For some years many have recommended a 3% moly additive like Dow Moly Gear Gard.

[Ranger]

The dark color of the rear drive gear oil is understandable, but what is it that causes the sludge buildup? I've noticed that mine does not have metal filings, is dark, but is also quite thick, sludge-like. Is this too just a result of exposure to air through the vent?

[leshenits215]

I miswrote when I typed about putting in half a quart. It was really about 1/4 qt., which is the correct amount. I must have been thinking about the tranny oil, which is a quart on my R1150GS. I'm getting the CD, as well as the Clymers book. I can do, and have done, many things on bikes and cars, and am looking forward to working on the LT as the need arises.

Thanks again to all of you!

Les Henits
Stroudsburg, PA
06' LT, 02 R1150GS and 01' F650GS

[RealWing]

Actually I think BMW puts Molybdenum disulfide in the gear oil (or they use oil that has it in). In the new drives, which have the same black gear oil, they specify Castrol SAF-XO which is synth and extended drain. I don't know if it normally has moly in it or not. For refills, BMWNA recommends their synth 75W90. No mention of moly. For some years many have recommended a 3% moly additive like Dow Moly Gear Gard.

One Tech at my dealer told me he believed that BMW added moly at the factory. I have had my rear drive oil analyzed at each change, including the original factory fill. Based on this analysis BMW does NOT add any moly. There was no moly in the analysis. The black is iron from the gears. My initial drain on my '06 was also very black with black "sludge" in the bottom of the sample bottle. The analysis showed very high levels of iron. Subsequent changes show less and less iron as the gears bed in. I'm now running 75W140 syn and future analysis will show if this is reducing the amount of gear wear and thus less iron.