Head Gasket?

[BillN]

Hi,
2 years ago I purchased a used 2011 Spyder RT for my wife.
It had about 1,100. miles on it when I purchased it.
She got her license and it has sat in our carport since then under cover except for a few times I have taken it out to be sure it was getting a few miles.
It now still only has 1,400 mile on it.
Since winter is now finally over, I took the cover off the other day and started it. It started right up with no issue.
I noticed that there was some light color smoke from the tailpipe but assumed it was just condensation in the exhaust.
I started to back it out of the carport and then there was light colored smoke all around.
I immediately shut it down.
In checking the oil I see that there are bubbles in the oil.
As absurd as it seems to me I assume that it has a blown head-gasket.
This seems bizarre for a vehicle with just 1,400. miles.
Anyone else have an opinion on what it may be caused by?
Thanks...

[Grandpot]

Do a compression test while the engine is cold. If that test is Ok, do another test after the engine warms up. If the smoke problem goes away when the engine is warm, you most likely do not have a problem. The oil probably leaked down through the valve guides.

[ByronM]

Was the oil milky colored? Did the exhaust have a sweet smell? If not you could restart it and let it warm up and see if the smoke clears up. If it does recheck the oil and see if it is still clear or if its milky. Did you have a wvery cold winter? Maybe there was not enough antifreeze for the temperature last winter and you cracked a head.

Unfortunately it is a bit of a deal to get to being able to pressure test the cooling system, maybe someone know a short cut without taking all the panels off.

[larryd]

The best way is to test each cylinder with air pressure and see if it bubbles in the cooling tank...Hopefully you had sufficient antifreeze to prevent any freezing damage...Hopefully you kept the antifreeze fresh with proper PH...Hi acidity can cause erosion especially on aluminum...I seriously doubt if there's a head gasket problem at that mileage unless the ph is way out of balance...

[Peter Aawen]

BillN, rather than worrying yourself a heap over what may be nothing of significant concern, I'd think it far more likely that the engine has collected a little oil seepage & maybe even some condensation in the cylinders while it's been sitting around; and if you've ever added one of the fuel conditioners to the tank for while it's in storage, that could be contributing to the 'smokiness' too......all that plus short runs (ie, anything less than an hour of solid work) really doesn't help any bike - many people actually do far more harm than good by starting up their stored bikes every few weeks and then not running it for long enough! Anything less than 30 mins of 'driving type running' is worse than leaving it stand! Heck, even the battery needs more than about 30mins of mid range revving just to restore the charge that was drained out by just ONE start up & shut down after less than 15 mins or so!!

So it sounds like what your Spyder really needs right now is a good run to blow out all the cobwebs & cook off any build up of contaminants in the cylinders, fuel, & oil etc. Sure, take it a little easy to start with, & don't head straight out into the remote wilderness, but seriously ride it & try hard to give it a good work-out of at least an hour or so, maybe even two, & over that time gently work it up to revving over 4500 or so for long enough to get the radiator hot & for the fans to kick in a few times!! As it gets warmed up, keep a close eye on the temp gauge & watch out for warning lights, but don't pamper it for too long and do build it up to giving it some mild to moderate stick thru the lower gears, just to make sure it spends a fair bit of time running over about 4500-5000 rpm. It needs to clear the cobwebs, & idling or gentle running for a short while is just choking it up all the more!!

If you feel or see any real signs of overheating or get any of the warning lights come up while you're doing this, call it off & get it checked out; but seriously, what you've described sounds very much like the engine NEEDS to work a bit & burn out all the crap that short runs & extended storage has caused it to build up!

Ride More, Worry Less!

[Snowbelt Spyder]

300 miles in 2 years, no oil changes, and stored outside. Under a cover or not, there's a lot of condensation in that motor and in the oil. And besides, that motor had a tendency to make some foam in the oil anyway until it got good and hot. The motor is hardly broken in. Valve stem seals or even piston ring issues are more plausible than a head gasket problem at this point. I don't think the bubbles in the oil are your primary symptom. Likely a red herring. The smoke is. If it was mine, I'd do an oil and filter change and run it. See if it stops smoking.

Edit: Sorry Peter. Didn’t see your reply. What He Said ^.

[CopperSpyder]

BillN, rather than worrying yourself a heap over what may be nothing of significant concern, I'd think it far more likely that the engine has collected a little oil seepage & maybe even some condensation in the cylinders while it's been sitting around; and if you've ever added one of the fuel conditioners to the tank for while it's in storage, that could be contributing to the 'smokiness' too......all that plus short runs (ie, anything less than an hour of solid work) really doesn't help any bike - many people actually do far more harm than good by starting up their stored bikes every few weeks and then not running it for long enough! Anything less than 30 mins of 'driving type running' is worse than leaving it stand! Heck, even the battery needs more than about 30mins of mid range revving just to restore the charge that was drained out by just ONE start up & shut down after less than 15 mins or so!!

So it sounds like what your Spyder really needs right now is a good run to blow out all the cobwebs & cook off any build up of contaminants in the cylinders, fuel, & oil etc. Sure, take it a little easy to start with, & don't head straight out into the remote wilderness, but seriously ride it & try hard to give it a good work-out of at least an hour or so, maybe even two, & over that time gently work it up to revving over 4500 or so for long enough to get the radiator hot & for the fans to kick in a few times!! As it gets warmed up, keep a close eye on the temp gauge & watch out for warning lights, but don't pamper it for too long and do build it up to giving it some mild to moderate stick thru the lower gears, just to make sure it spends a fair bit of time running over about 4500-5000 rpm. It needs to clear the cobwebs, & idling or gentle running for a short while is just choking it up all the more!!

If you feel or see any real signs of overheating or get any of the warning lights come up while you're doing this, call it off & get it checked out; but seriously, what you've described sounds very much like the engine NEEDS to work a bit & burn out all the crap that short runs & extended storage has caused it to build up!

Ride More, Worry Less!

[BillN]

thanks for all the great replies.
I will do an oil change and replace the coolant and see how she does.

"that motor had a tendency to make some foam in the oil"

The oil was foamy...why is this common to this engine?
I have never seen that before.

I am going to be busy the next couple of weeks but will report back after the oil change etc.
Can anyone provide a link to a good service manual for this bile? ...like a chiltons?

Bill

[CopperSpyder]

you can find them on ebay on disk for about 15 or the paper book version from 60 to 150 for service manual, also find owners manual there on ebay if you need one. Here is a link to some videos to oil change if you need https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...011+change+oil

[Snowbelt Spyder]

thanks for all the great replies.
I will do an oil change and replace the coolant and see how she does.

"that motor had a tendency to make some foam in the oil"

The oil was foamy...why is this common to this engine?
I have never seen that before.

I am going to be busy the next couple of weeks but will report back after the oil change etc.
Can anyone provide a link to a good service manual for this bile? ...like a chiltons?

Bill

Hey Bill. I'm not sure I'd go so far as to replace the coolant just yet. But that's up to you. Whatever you do, DO NOT try to remove the drain plug on the radiator. The whole fitting will turn and leak. Remove the lower hose instead. But, your oil has adsorbed a lot of moisture over the last two years. That, for one thing, will cause the foaming until the moisture gets driven out. You've got to get it up to operating temperature and run it for awhile. The other is just the plumbing and the flow rate in the oil system into and out of the tank. There tends to be a thin layer of foam on the top sometimes. And this will vary depending on your oil type. Amsoil probably doesn't foam at all. XPS does it a little. But, the bubbles break up fairly rapidly. Sometimes you see it checking the oil and sometimes you don’t. Not a big deal.

This is a commonly used shop manual...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2010-2011-C...item3ce521c64d

Good luck with it.

Edit: And because it’s been sitting outside for 2 years, better do a critter nest inspection.