Engine smoking and burning lots of oil - anyone pulled an engine?

Hello!

I have a friend who has a 2015 Spyder RT-S SM6 with about 20k miles. He was on a ride and did not notice any changes in power or responsiveness of the engine, but they stopped to eat and when they came out and started it back up, it was smoking really bad, especially at start up. There is still not any noticeable loss in power, it just uses oil at about a quart every 90-100 miles. Dealership suspects maybe one piston with a broken ring.

My question is, has anyone pulled the engine on their RT and if this job is covered in the service manual? Or would you take it to a dealer? Anyone else have or hear of this problem?

Thanks!
Andy

As a suggestion, before going into the top end, verify the clutch vacuum assist has not failed.

Even with broken ring(s), which is pretty rare in modern engines, it would take several broken rings on one piston to consume 1qt in 100 miles.

The manual clutch, vacuum assist can fail, and engine vacuum draws oil past the leak.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wcntech

Hello!

I have a friend who has a 2015 Spyder RT-S SM6 with about 20k miles. He was on a ride and did not notice any changes in power or responsiveness of the engine, but they stopped to eat and when they came out and started it back up, it was smoking really bad, especially at start up. There is still not any noticeable loss in power, it just uses oil at about a quart every 90-100 miles. Dealership suspects maybe one piston with a broken ring.

My question is, has anyone pulled the engine on their RT and if this job is covered in the service manual? Or would you take it to a dealer? Anyone else have or hear of this problem?

Thanks!
Andy

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:welcome:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PMK

As a suggestion, before going into the top end, verify the clutch vacuum assist has not failed.

Even with broken ring(s), which is pretty rare in modern engines, it would take several broken rings on one piston to consume 1qt in 100 miles.

The manual clutch, vacuum assist can fail, and engine vacuum draws oil past the leak.

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Thanks PMK. To check for that, would I pull the plugs and look for oil in all 3 cylinders? Or is there a hose I could pull to check for oil where it shouldn't be? I figure if I pull the plugs and find one cylinder that is oily, that may be the culprit for bad rings, but if they all look the same, it could be leaking from somewhere else like the clutch assist or maybe a plugged crankcase vent or something.

Andy

has the engine oil been OVERFILLED REPEATEDLY?? If you check the Spyder oil like your accustomed to do for an auto, then its wrong. It could be coming out the fill tube cause of an overfill situation, and running down engine and smoking. is the smoke coming out the EXHAUST? Oil level procedure is in the manual

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wcntech

Thanks PMK. To check for that, would I pull the plugs and look for oil in all 3 cylinders? Or is there a hose I could pull to check for oil where it shouldn't be? I figure if I pull the plugs and find one cylinder that is oily, that may be the culprit for bad rings, but if they all look the same, it could be leaking from somewhere else like the clutch assist or maybe a plugged crankcase vent or something.

Andy

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As the other guy suggested, absolutely CORRECTLY check the oil level when hot. Your words tend to indicate it was fine to the restaurant, then acted up after the food. Also incorrectly checking the oil level could give odd dipstick readings.

As for removing spark plugs, you could, but that is no assurance of how to proceed. You should be able to accomplish a vacuum check on the clutch assist and watch for leakdown.

Years ago, a local rider had a very similar issue, repair was the clutch vacuum assist leaking. Not saying this is absolutely the cause, but far easier for the DIY mechanic to check.

Yes, absolutely. I'm sure a lot of people check their oil incorrectly. This is not so in this case. He has owned the machine for 7 years and was meticulous on the maintenance. He hasn't abused it and most of the miles were touring with his wife. The smoke is coming out of the exhaust.

Going to check the easy things first. PCV, clogged vents, etc. PMK, you mentioned a fellow rider had a similar issue, was his the SM6 or SE6 with the clutch assist problem?