Joeman

So, all is looking good - engine is running, header pipes are all at the same temp, readings from the OBD2 port show the engine temp was rising steadily, Power commander reading revs and TPS correctly (matches readings from the OBD2 port) - seriously, it's more like debugging software than bike mechanics!! just need to get all the fairings back on and see how she rides. Only thing i'm not sure about is the oil on the downpipes... will it come back?? who knows!! time will tell.. Video showing he header temps - the smoke is just all the lubricants burning off the exhaust. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj51878V8ec Cylinder shaped object is the BMW OBD2 port, and the rectangular shaped object is the bluetooth OBD2 adapter sending diagnostic data to my phone. cheap ebay special laptop that i keep in the garage for running Power Commander software on: headers all look same blue colour: So looking more likely that i will be able to ride to the rally next week!!

No management light. Suspect it's been sparking away, randomly making contact with the top of the plug.. Got it all back together tonight and digital thermometer confirms the downpipes are all the same temp. Will uploads some more pics when I'm back in the house... currently gassing myself in the garage with sweet smelling petrol fumes and cloud of smoke from various lubricants burning off the exhaust and motor.

Instead of my name, can I have "can I buy you a beer".. That way when people meet me they will say "hello, can I buy you a beer"

Yep, it's due a service actually, so I'll put it in and see if they notice... if they don't say anything I'll ask if it's normal to have oil on the plug wells and a snapped off coil. But whilst it's being serviced I'll be chatting to the sales team about ordering a new bike..... great way to get the service department to lose a sale

Make sure you get the waterproof version!

Hi. How does it perform. Does it zap battery? Is it accurate as in how many meteres have you detected it with. Has it ever failed you. Does it have a standby mode until shaken etc? It's pretty good for the price. Accurate to within a couple of metres. Not too bad on battery when in low power standby mode. Will wake up when the bike moves, power cut, or ignition switches on.

So heres my findings... This is what the coil packs look like: And this is the coilpack from the dodgy cylinder that just slipped out - no need to pull...The rubber part snapped in two parts, and the electode was not clicked over the top of the plug. Rubber eroded by sparks maybe? it was a real pain getting the broken off big of rubber out from deep down in the cylinder head. had to use a bit of white hooked at the end to pull it out. Also, notice all the oil around the coil pack. Seems the rocker cover is leaking down into the spark plug wells. I suspect its left over from the last time i took it to BMW for them to fix the leaky rocker cover.. very tempted to take it back and tell them to do it again properly!! Oil down in plug wells: I pulled two of the plugs (other two i couldn't get the coil pack off - maybe you do need a special tool after all! ), they looked fine, but covered in oil on the outside. They were very loose. never felt plugs done up that lose before. Anyway, the coil pack is in two bits, but ive put it all back together and pushed it down firmly so the electrode "clicks" over the top of the plug. IF the coilpack is still working, this should at least cure the spark problem. Tomorrow i'll get the exhaust back on and fire it up. if the coil pack is working i should see even temperatures on the header pipes... fingers crossed!! Yes, default map is useless. its far too rich. the Auto tune module will arrive at the weekend, that will allow me to build my own custom map... Once i know its all running as it should (might need a new coil pack) i'll get some dyno time.. will be interesting to see the difference between a map produced on the dyno compared to the map produced by the AutoTune module....

Litttle update.. 8:30pm went into my garage. Removed remaining fairings, seat, tank. Ecu, air filter and loosened the airbox. Can now access the tops of the plug coils.. Special tool?? Not required! I just gave then a tug with my hand and they pop off... Now here's the funny part... the problem cylinder, the coil pack was not fully pushed down - it just lifted up with no resistance!! So that's my problem I think - i reckon it's been bouncing about, intermittently connecting and sometimes not. Maybe the spark has been jumping from the cap to the top of the plug?? Whatever, I suspect that's my problem...

I'm a fan of the TLT2 trackers. Got one on my bike. Easy to wire in.

Yep, it's the same side as the original leak i had when I first bought the bike. Here's the original thread: http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=52392" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; They did a poor job of patching it up so wouldn't be surprised if it's leaking again. so hopefully thats the oil explained. The bike was running too well to be on three cylinders. The cylinder must have been firing else it would have been a very rough ride. Bike still pulled hard upto tripple digits speeds which I don't think it would have done on just three cylinders. Even though i put the exhaust on a year ago, it's only done maybe a thousand miles tops - Ive not had chance to ride it much I've been moaning about low power ever since fitting the exhaust. Here's the thread: http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=59590" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; So It was lumpy prior to the power commander going on.... I'm suspecting I've had a dodgy coil pack for a year!! Swapping the coils about and measuring header temps with digital thermometer seems the next course of action.

Nailed it

recoverable http://youtu.be/TqKShV-iN5M

It's ok, we'll just dial 999 and you'll have to attend

Not got that far yet. Getting to the plugs is an epic task requiring tank and airbox removal and special BMW tool to remove the plug caps/coils. At 2am this morning I figured I should leave it until later. If I get time tonight all have a crack at it without the special tool.. what's the worst that can happen?

Been looking at the photos all day... Look at this one - look where the oil starts: The oil doesn't start right at the header Have I just got a leaky rocker cover gasket (again) that's dripping down onto the header pipe??

Oh yes , if it turns out to be a blown motor I'll be having serious words with BMW and make it very clear that it's their problem not mine. They don't want to upset a customer like me... im their target audience but also could easily become their worst nightmare.

Yep and I didn't bother with the extended warranty as I fitted exhaust and PCV a d only do a couple of thousand miles a year!! Bloody typical... Tempted to put it all back together and trade it in for a new one.

Yep it's a strange one indeed! The bike was pulling well, not as well as it used to, but i put that down to the dodgy map in the PCV.. and ordered an auto tune yesterday to sort it out. Since nothing nasty in the exhaust port I'll refit the headers and run the bike with the PCV removed to eliminate that from the picture. I've got a laser infrared thermometer so I can check the temp of each of the headers. If it's still cold then I'll swap the coil pack with another cylinder and test temperatures again. Typical Bmw - i need a special tool just to remove the coil pack from the top of the plug. Sourcing one at the moment. But running cold was a worry. Coolant all looks fine but I'll drain and replace and I check the thermostat. But if it was only running on three cylinders iy makes sense that maybe 20% cooler. Already scanning ebay for an ex BSB motor - just in case

Kids clearly get on well with our spooky visitors... cheap childcare idea maybe??

Coolant level is fine and still looks in good shape. No sign of oil in the coolant. Ordered an endoscopic camera so I can take a look inside the cylinder and look for scoring or dodgy valves. Assuming it's not mechanical, it can only be lack of fuel or lack of spark, both of which I would expect to show an engine light... So, hoping it's either a bad plug l, bad coil, bad injector or bad Power Commander. Oil does look a bit black so maybe it's been injecting fuel but not burning it, and it's been running down the bores into the sump and being pushed out the exhaust once mixed with oil.. I'll drain the oil anyway as a precaution and look for metal fragments, and I'll change the coolant anyway and check the thermostat operation. Busy few evenings ahead if it's to be ready for the TMBF rally...

It's when you walk into their room at night and see them asleep but hovering three feet up in the air - that's when you know it's time to burn your own house down....

wondering if it might be coil gone bad... seems BMW coils fail quite a lot... heres a thread on another forum reporting simiar loss in power with no engine lights: http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=40371" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; my bike has only done 7600 miles so i surely cant have blow the motor already can i?? But i do have a history of blowing engines up...

actually, i might be coming as a cager this year http://themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=60982" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Took my bike on a 200mile ride yesterday. it felt down on power and wasn't warming up. at one point it was running 65degrees after being on the motorway for ages... it always used to run 80 to 105 degrees, but yesterday it was mid 70s... was in the garage tonight and noticed oil on my right downpipe... stopped what i was doing (clearing stuff up) and stripped the bike down to get a better look.. This is what i found: One oily downpipe: the oily one (closest to the camera) hasnt gone as blue as the rest: HEaders removed - the oily one looks really clean inside: compared to number two cylinder (bad photo - but it's a nice even colour consistent with the others) So, its all very strange - looks like number one cylinder hasnt been running and just pumping out oil thats leaked down the downpipe... Tomorrow i'll whip the plugs out for a look and remove the PCV to eliminate that from the equation... Thoughts are, either its a bad plug/coil, or the PCV has not been fueling number one cylinder properly - there are two injectors per cyclinder and the PCV only connects to one injector per cylinder, so maybe ive only been running one one injector? this might account for low working temp and lack of power... Really hoping nothing internal has gone like a piston ring or stem seal etc - but if it had i would have expected more smoke... Any ideas people?? ever seen anything like this before?? more pics:

I'm coming as "joeman 2015 edition". Only one made so highly collectible.