Fuel fume smell during ride...thoughts?

[Dawntreader2]

Greetings all,
I am the happy owner of a new to me 2011 RT SM5 . I have about 1500 miles on it now (just over 18000 total), a mix of I-95 commuting and back road cruising, and a few rides to the beach with my wife (the best part1!). I keep a fuel log, and have averaged about 28 mpg. I have noticed something that I would like some community thoughts about. I have read the boards, but none that I can find capture what I am about to describe. Bear in mind that the bike idles well with no surging, has never died, and the gas cap recall is in, no fuel on the ground when I stop riding, and no blue smoke my wake when I ride:

1) I have started noticing fume smell during riding. It has been very hot in Virginia lately, so I that could explain fuel smell when I am done riding, but the smell comes on when I open up the throttle, particularly in 5th gear. I can make it happen by blipping the throttle hard in any gear.
2) Sudden acceleration at highway speed seems rough, with some front end shuddering, particularly in 5th gear if the rpms go below 5050-5200 rpm around 65 mph. You can also feel the roughness depending on how the road dips and rises. It smooths around 5600 rpm, but it also has me moving too fast for commuting traffic. It's almost better to run 6000 rpm in 4th than to upshift. Smoother, but then mpg goes down.

Before I go tearing into the body panels on a fishing expedition, or paying a dealer to do it, any thoughts on what the problem could be? Or am I describing the life of a Spyder rider under normal conditions ? Is this something that I can wait to deal with until my next oil change in 1500 miles?

Thanks for thoughts!

[Jeriatric]

Fuel smell static? Most likely a fouled carbon canister. Fuel smell at WOT could indicate a fuel bypass hose leak. Could

Shuddering when aggressively rolling on the throttle(below 6K) is fairly common. Lightly throttling up will reduce the the shudder, or you can add a belt tensioner which imo will help as well.

Both are my opinions. I'm sure you will hear many more.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

For reasons based on the design and computer parameters of the V-twin engine … it does burn / use a lot of oil compared to the 1330 design …. my 1330 RT uses ZERO oil in 5000 - 7000 miles …. yours will use approx. 0ne oz. every 500 or so miles … That was my experience with the Two V-twins I owned …. There was always some odor until I took the breather hose off the Air Box …. have you done that yet ??? ………… Mike

[robhowen]

I have a 1330 and don't know the design of your unit. However, I did experience a fuel smell, but none of the rough running you mention, that ended up being a missing clamp on the incoming fuel side of the fuel filter.

Rob

[BajaRon]

Sorry, my responses are directed to the OP and the 998 V-Twin motor. I did not make that clear. The 1330 motors do not suffer from the same ailment. BRP greatly improved the Evap Canister design and function on these models. There is a service interval and protocol for the 1330 models. That is where I would start if you get vapor smell on these models. I do not recommend a canister-ectomy on the 1330s.

Sorry for the confusion.

Greetings all,
I am the happy owner of a new to me 2011 RT SM5 . I have about 1500 miles on it now (just over 18000 total), a mix of I-95 commuting and back road cruising, and a few rides to the beach with my wife (the best part1!). I keep a fuel log, and have averaged about 28 mpg. I have noticed something that I would like some community thoughts about. I have read the boards, but none that I can find capture what I am about to describe. Bear in mind that the bike idles well with no surging, has never died, and the gas cap recall is in, no fuel on the ground when I stop riding, and no blue smoke my wake when I ride:

1) I have started noticing fume smell during riding. It has been very hot in Virginia lately, so I that could explain fuel smell when I am done riding, but the smell comes on when I open up the throttle, particularly in 5th gear. I can make it happen by blipping the throttle hard in any gear.
2) Sudden acceleration at highway speed seems rough, with some front end shuddering, particularly in 5th gear if the rpms go below 5050-5200 rpm around 65 mph. You can also feel the roughness depending on how the road dips and rises. It smooths around 5600 rpm, but it also has me moving too fast for commuting traffic. It's almost better to run 6000 rpm in 4th than to upshift. Smoother, but then mpg goes down.

Before I go tearing into the body panels on a fishing expedition, or paying a dealer to do it, any thoughts on what the problem could be? Or am I describing the life of a Spyder rider under normal conditions ? Is this something that I can wait to deal with until my next oil change in 1500 miles?

Thanks for thoughts!

I would agree with Jeriatric. Very likely your Evap Canister. Can also be leaking fuel lines, but much less likely.

The evap canister can be a very dangerous situation. I believe these lead to some early Spyders burning to the ground. I don't say this to alarm you unnecessarily. Just saying.

I highly recommend a Canister-Ectomy. Which you can find information on here on Spyderlovers.com. It is cheap, easy and completely eliminates any possibility of the problem coming back. Which is guaranteed if you simply service the evap canister.

Surging can be caused by the PVC valve malfunctioning. Or by getting too rich a mixture because of the fouled evap canister. The canister-ectomy eliminates the PVC valve issues as well. It can also be due to bad vacuum lines, which is also very common in the model you have.

All in all, not a big deal. As long as you take care of it soon.

[Jeriatric]

.


https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...canisterectomy

[Grandpot]

Ron, doesn't the canisterectomy end up venting the fuel tank directly to the atmosphere?

[BajaRon]

Ron, doesn't the canisterectomy end up venting the fuel tank directly to the atmosphere?

Yes it does. At worst it vents a very small amount of fumes to the atmosphere. But not nearly as toxic as a flooded evap canister, or a burning Spyder.

The poor design of the canister system on the 998 V-Twin models is not only problematic, but ineffective in function, and a genuine hazard to the vehicle and operator.

[Dawntreader2]

Thanks for the responses. Work was a bear this week so I'm just readind. I do think I have two things going on, the fuel smell and the rough running. This morning I am going to check the short vacuum hoses on the left side for cracking. My first time opening's it up,so a little nervous. Hopefully Advance Auto has silicone hose. BTW are they the same diameter?

Then I will tackle the roughness.I cannot twist the drive belt to 90°, so I may live with the belt tension till next maintenance.

Any 998 wrench savvy people near Stafford, va?��

[Grandpot]

NAPA has the hoses for sure.

Both hoses are the same length. That is important. They are about 4 inches long.

[Jeriatric]

Thanks for the responses. Work was a bear this week so I'm just readind. I do think I have two things going on, the fuel smell and the rough running. This morning I am going to check the short vacuum hoses on the left side for cracking. My first time opening's it up,so a little nervous. Hopefully Advance Auto has silicone hose. BTW are they the same diameter?

Then I will tackle the roughness.I cannot twist the drive belt to 90°, so I may live with the belt tension till next maintenance.

Any 998 wrench savvy people near Stafford, va?��

This may help.

[Jeriatric]

NAPA has the hoses for sure.

Both hoses are the same length. That is important. They are about 4 inches long.

Yup!

Exact length is > 3 & 11/32 each.

[BajaRon]

Thanks for the responses. Work was a bear this week so I'm just readind. I do think I have two things going on, the fuel smell and the rough running. This morning I am going to check the short vacuum hoses on the left side for cracking. My first time opening's it up,so a little nervous. Hopefully Advance Auto has silicone hose. BTW are they the same diameter?

Then I will tackle the roughness.I cannot twist the drive belt to 90°, so I may live with the belt tension till next maintenance.

Any 998 wrench savvy people near Stafford, va?��

Belt twist is probably the worst, most inaccurate way to determine belt tension.

Here is a little video that will shed some light on measuring belt tension.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z11wfc-0-hY

[CADRE]

Hello everyone, 2012 RTS SE5 3K miles... This passed weekend I added the Spyder pops skid plate.. As I was under the front end I smelled gas fumes and noticed a black hose sticking out the bottom of the bike near fuel tank that was emitting the fumes... This coming weekend I will do the Canister-ECTOMY.... Keeping busy till I can see the tech in October...Still having the check DPS indicator... Bike is running great... Will let Tech mess with the DPS...
Thanks to all for the knowledge and experience.... Al