[tenrocky]

My '02 has close to 60,000 miles on her, and it does ping/knock when I have a load on the motor. At first I thought it might be time to check the valve clearance, but now, I'm not so sure. Question: What is most likely the number 1 reason for this happening ? I only use Sunoco 91 octane gas, and do keep up with all scheduled maintenance.

 

[tenrocky]

In researching this problem in past threads, I read were an individual had mentioned sooty exhaust and also the possibility of a faulty O2 sensor could also produce the Ping. I too have sooty exhaust. The thread stated that sea foam injector / carbon cleaner would resolve the problem. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[gary45]

if your air filter is clean then perhaps your O2 sensor - when they fail the motor runs rich - black sooty tailpipe

 

[tenrocky]

Not three weeks ago while performing some brake line work, i did just change the air cleaner. And,my tailpipe is very sooty. Do I have to strip the whole machine again just to change the O2 sensor. I haven't looked it up yet.

 

[jzeiler]

Define "a load on the motor". If you are rolling throttle on hard below 3,000 rpm you are lugging the engine.

 

[tenrocky]

Define "a load on the motor". If you are rolling throttle on hard below 3,000 rpm you are lugging the engine.

I tend to shift smoother and usually at a lower rpm when riding two up. I`m not as aggressive as I would be if I were riding alone. And as stated before, the tailpipe shows excessive soot build-up , which I found to be odd for the type of machine that we ride.

Is shifting at or above 3000 rpm`s the standard for this bike ?

 

[wa1200lt]

Soot on the end of the tail pipe is as normal as rain on these bikes. They run quite rich when cold which accounts for the soot. Start the completely cooled down bike on a concrete floor, let it idle for a few minutes and watch the black crud appear on the ground in very short order.

They all do it is accuratein this case.

Loren

 

[gary45]

my completely stock 00 has a tiny amount of soot lining the tailpipe, does not leave a deposit on the concrete, I do a lot of city driving so once in awhile run it to the rev limiter, these motors need a good highway run a couple of times a month, I normally shift at low rpms in city driving. They are great city bikes but were designed for long long drives at speed

IF the only symtom is a lot of soot on start up, heavy soot deposit in tailpipe, and bad mileage AND the motor has been pushed hard/long run highway then the O2 sensor is a good prospect. If the bike always driven extremely easy it could be slightly carboned up (possible pinging) and needs a good fast highway run.

no offence meant to anyone - when I was young I used to hear mechanics talking about taking poorly running babied sports cars out for an "Italian tuneup" - run the s**t out of them - return them purring like a kitten - no parts required

 

[RonKMiller]

I tend to shift smoother and usually at a lower rpm when riding two up. I`m not as aggressive as I would be if I were riding alone. And as stated before, the tailpipe shows excessive soot build-up , which I found to be odd for the type of machine that we ride.

Is shifting at or above 3000 rpm`s the standard for this bike ?

If anything you need to be shifting at much, MUCH higher rpm's - especially when riding two up. You are NOT going to hurt this engine by hard revving and it will reward you with much better performance.

Think of the Brick as more of a sport bike type of engine - it needs lots of rev's to produce power, and it is not designed to have a lot of torque low in the power band.

One trick for shifting more smoothly on almost all BMW's is to just pull the clutch in about half way - you'll be shocked how effortlessly it will "snick" into gear. This is how they are designed to shift - this goes all the way back to my 1979 Airhead which many rider's complain about being clunky and industrial. They spend all sorts of time and effort adjusting the clutch, the slack in the cable and on and on. Mine shifts like Buttah.

'Ya just gotta know the "code".

 

[tenrocky]

I'll try shifting at higher revs, maybe its all that I need to change. Will this change my MPG ? Currently running around 43. Also, is there some method that can be used to check whether the O2 sensor is working correctly ?

 

[gary45]

the dealer can probably hook it up to their diagnostic computer and check, there are many posts on the internet how to check with a voltmeter - the tailpipe on most cars, at least on my Jetta shows bare metal so as soon as I noticed black soot I changed the O2 sensor and mileage went back to normal, if they fail totally crappy running and black smoke out tailpipe.

 

[tenrocky]

I appreciate your help. Heading out June 1 for a trip up through Niagara, then thru to Canada and want my machine running at its best.

 

[jzeiler]

The soot build up is normal as she goes full rich at cold start up. You can remove it with windex and a tooth brush but it will keep coming back.

 

[Bones1955]

The soot build up is normal as she goes full rich at cold start up. You can remove it with windex and a tooth brush but it will keep coming back.

You actually did that?