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Performed clutch flush/bleed - details inside

10K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  Nexus-6 
#1 ·
Thought I'd post the part #s you'll need for this if you want to do it yourself. :)

Firstly, our bikes come with a plug inserted in the clutch slave where the bleed nipple is inserted. You'll need to remove this with an allen key (not certain which size - very small, perhaps a size 2?). Anyhow, for obvious reasons don't remove this plug until you are ready to put the nipple in place.

You can purchase the bleed nipple and cap from Max BMW here :

http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/MainDiagrams.asp?mospid=49384

(scroll down the fiche list and click on the Clutch Control picture)

You need the following :

32727695221 vent screw (M5X1) $9.90
32727695222 dust cap $4.80

They don't sell the extra virgin olive oil needed for our clutch system, but A&S does. You can purchase this pricey liquid gold here :

http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=39065

It is called "BMW Hydraulic Clutch Fluid Mineral Oil" and is a funky blue color. It comes in 2oz bottles and is $11.06 per (and you thought gas was pricey these days!).

I purchased two bottles to be thorough - one bottle to completely flush the system, another bottle to fill and top off.

Easy as any other clutch bleed once you have the missing bleed nipple in place.

Cheers!
 
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#4 ·
:D

Prax, I've been wondering about that myself lately. heh I wonder if BMW has a part # for the requisite bottle of single malt...

Grif - you take that Big Bend trip yet?
 
#7 ·
They're talking about flushing the hydraulic actuating fluid, not the engine oil that the clutch itself operates in.

I'm not sure about the GT, but on my LT BMW recommends flushing out this fluid every year or two. But that was regular DOT4, which can absorb water over time and thus lose its effectiveness. I'm not sure what the recommended service interval is for the mineral oil used in the newer Beemers.
 
#9 ·
Meese said:
They're talking about flushing the hydraulic actuating fluid, not the engine oil that the clutch itself operates in.

I'm not sure about the GT, but on my LT BMW recommends flushing out this fluid every year or two. But that was regular DOT4, which can absorb water over time and thus lose its effectiveness. I'm not sure what the recommended service interval is for the mineral oil used in the newer Beemers.
Prax nailed it - I think it's suggested as an annual thing which is what I do just to keep everything fresh, though the mineral oil schedule may be longer (dunno). I figure why not - it's cheap and easy to do (took me less than 10 minutes start to finish).

Grif, I did the Big Bend thang a few months back - weather was great for it in October so we made a run out of it. Nothing quite like the river road at sunset...
 
#12 ·
Brahma said:
So I guess I'm stupid because I can't find this in the RepROM anywhere, or in the maintenance schedule...
Haha...I don't know, are you? :p

All kidding aside, it probably isn't suggested by BMW as a must do item if it's not showing up in their schedules. I haven't scanned the owners manual but I'm not certain if it's in there either. More and more auto manufacturers are calling their trans and diff fluids "Lifetime Fills" but after seeing some of those so called long term fluids after just 10K miles, I beg to differ.

For me, it's therapy. I was a keyboard jockey for wayyyyy too long so any time I get to use my hands and get 'em a little dirty, for me that's therapy. It's cheap - it's easy piece of mind - and it is required maintenance on every other bike I've owned over the years. Call it habit I 'spose given that last point...probably won't harm anything by not doing it, but it also doesn't hurt a bit to have fresh fluids whenever ya can.

I'd only call you stupid if you decided to never flush the clutch fluid, put 100K miles on your bike and wondered later on why if the bugger ever let ya down. ;)
 
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