rt sm5 clutch problems

[Spyder VaBeach]

I have a 2010 Can-Am Spyder RT sm5. It seems like last year I had to constantly add fluid to the clutch master cylinder. I did not see any leaks anywhere. I went to start the motor today, because it hadn't been started in a couple of months and it ran fine, however I had no clutch pressure. When I went to bleed the clutch I saw the remnants of black rubber coming out of my bled tube. In the clutch bleeding process I have refilled the master cylinder 3 times and I'm getting no pressure . I have a shop manual, and can handle the repair, but wanted to know if anyone else has run into this same problem. The dealer doesn't seem to want to help troubleshoot. I went to partsshark.com and it looks like there are several O-rings in the slave cylinder. Does it sound like I'm on the right path ? Any suggestions??

[Chupaca]

Not on my spyder but in the shops I worked in this was not uncommon. The o-rings start to break down and leak. You just need a rebuild kit and change them out. Flush the lines well and rebuild or at least take the master cylinder apart to clean as well. Those rubber pieces can clog up the works...

[Peter Aawen]

^^ Wot 'e says!! And don't forget that the clutch (& brake) fluid needs to be flushed & changed fairly often too! I think it says every second year in the manual, but it could be annually (I didn't check!) especially if you've got a dodgy seal or 'O-ring' in there that may have exposed the fluid to air so it could absorb moisture!! The clutch & brake fluid just lurves doing that, & can suck enough moisture out of a dead donkey's dying breath to really stuff up your clutch system!!

If you don't do those regular flushes & change the clutch & brake fluids at appropriate intervals, the resulting contaminated fluid can even start to look & feel/smell like dodgy black rubbery goop oozing out of the bleed tubes!! And then it's a real pain to clean all the goop out & replace all the seals & O-rings too - and you hafta do that once the fluid's got that bad, or your clutch &/or brakes just won't ever work properly again!!

[Haze]

This is information I have gathered from past posts on the clutch problem.
I bought and stored a set of 'O' Rings as my SM5 system responded well to flushing and addind fluid.

Past post notes:

Clutch Slave Cylinder Rebuild

Section #5 Diaphagm Cover of the parts listing
Orings – 10, 11, 13

p/n 420431441
p/n 420431301
p/n 420631892

Look up 2013 -5 service bulletin in the forum
I'm guessing that your slavecylinder has failed. This is a recurring problem that is being investigated. You will have to replace the slave piston & O-rings, and the slave bushing (cylinder) and O-rings. Cost of parts is about $80 if it is out of warranty. You will recognize the problem by discolored clutch fluid, due the the aluminum that is sluffed off the slavecylinder as it wears, and the deterioration of the O-rings. Be sure to thouroughly flush the clutch system when you do the work. If the clutch fluid is clear, the first place I would look is warped clutch plates, as Lamont said. There is a newly revised clutch pack available, with steel plates and 5 plates/discs. Be sure they order the one for the SM...the SE clutch kit is different.

[merlot]

You say you filled the master cyl 3 times...sounds like you're bleeding from the top down
when I bleed my clutch I do it from the bleed nipple and push the fluid back up into the master using a cheap bottle pump or syringe....otherwise air can stay in the slave
rebuild the slave then back bleed
dont rotate the centre nut to disassemble as you'll tear the vacuum diaphragm inside..need to hold the centre with 5mm? Allen key..it may be loctited so use good unity ring spanner to undo
best with a manual if you don't already have...it's not diff to do
good luck

[GK72Cane]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I am having the same problem. I have a 2014 RS SM5 with 7400 miles. Went riding yesterday afternoon and noticed some difficulty with shifting - a little harder than usual. Further into the ride I noticed that I had very little free play in the clutch. I made it home ok and this morning I checked the clutch fluid level. The level was very low so I added some but this did not fix the problem, clutch not disengaging.

Decided to try flushing and refilling but was unable to drain the fluid. I don't have a vacuum pump so I used the manual method - pull in clutch lever, open drain valve, close drain valve, release clutch lever, repeat as necessary. After only 1 pull I lost pressure. Now when I pull the clutch lever I get nothing. The little fluid that did come out had black gunk floating in it.

I stopped by my nearest dealer and ran the symptoms by the service department. Was told that it is the clutch - of course not covered by warranty. I have no faith in the dealership so now I am trying to figure out what to do next.