Spyder leaked all the oil out TWICE

[gweneb1961]

Anyone have had an oil leak problem, not small bits here and there, but all at once? I bought my 2014 RT-S 1330cc on 7/31/19 with 30,619 miles. I took it from Las Cruces, NM to Tombstone, AZ in the middle of October for a weekend getaway and ended up having to leave it at a Honda dealership in Sierra Vista, AZ while getting a friends Gold Wing serviced there. My Spyder leaked oil in 3 puddles, without the bike overheating or any warning or breakdowns prior to the oil spills. Ended up getting the Spyder trailered back to Las Cruces where it remains in the shop to this day. The local shop replaced the oil gasket and the oil seal, filled it with oil, checked for leaks and then let it run for about 30 minutes. No leaks. I think they then shut off the bike and that's when the 2nd big oil leak/spill occurred. They are going to take off the front end of the bike and go over everything again. Does anyone have an idea of what could be causing the massive oil leak, assuming the gasket and seals were properly installed? This is the only place in town that works on/sells Can Ams, so I'm basically stuck at this shop. Any helpful advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Bfromla]

My 998 SE5 had a major oil leak out of the shifting boot different beast, sorry have not heard of 1330 having many issues.

[Freddy]

It shouldn't be hard to find if it's THAT bad.

[KX5062]

The 1330 motors have established an excellent record of reliability. Your problem seems to be something out of the ordinary. There are several possibilities, almost all of which involve a compromised seal of some sort. I also agree that a good mechanic should be able to locate and fix the problem without too much trouble. Keep us posted.

[Mikey]

[larryd]

There were some early 2014 1330's that had pores crankcase problems...they leaked oil out out thru the crankcase castings...Hopefully yours isn't one that just now showed up...Keep us informed of the problem and the fix...There were several forum members that had this problem way back...larryd

[gweneb1961]

Thank you!

[gweneb1961]

Thank you LarryD! I'll post the outcome - soon I hope!

[Revalden]

Someone leave out one of the O-rings on the drain plugs or oil filter? or Leave one inside under the old one. did that on an old Ford... what a mess to clean up, it's amazing how much gets pumped out just as you start it and sit there looking at the pressure gauge waiting for it to show.

[PMK]

There were some early 2014 1330's that had pores crankcase problems...they leaked oil out out thru the crankcase castings...Hopefully yours isn't one that just now showed up...Keep us informed of the problem and the fix...There were several forum members that had this problem way back...larryd

Yes, some of the very early 2014 1330 engines had porosity in the cases. I suppose anything is possible that maybe this happened here, but seems a bit unlikely.

The symptoms seem to be it leaks when shut down. This is odd and unique. Speculating, I would consider the oil dipstick first if no obvious leaks are found. The dipsticks have had a history of causing leaks, but would expect that while running also. One of those you ride a while, the underbody plastic panels get oil in them. Once parked they drip and drain.

Fault in my idea is you indicated it looses all the oil.

Any chance the engine oil is overfilled, that creates a leaky looking mess too that is difficult to find during a leak check.

[BajaRon]

What puzzles me is there is no indication of a leak while running. Of course there is oil pressure while running. Zero oil pressure when shut down. So logic would dictate that the leak would at least be more severe under pressure.

I can't conjure a scenario where the oil would pool from a leak under pressure and then show up when you shut the engine off. Seems like there is a flaw in the information somewhere.

It will be interesting to hear the final outcome on this. A bit of 'Twilight Zone' here me thinks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

[2dogs]

I've been following this too Ron and I'm a bit confused also. Awaiting the outcome is suspenseful to say the least. Gremlins maybe? :-)

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

What puzzles me is there is no indication of a leak while running. Of course there is oil pressure while running. Zero oil pressure when shut down. So logic would dictate that the leak would at least be more severe under pressure.

I can't conjure a scenario where the oil would pool from a leak under pressure and then show up when you shut the engine off. Seems like there is a flaw in the information somewhere.

It will be interesting to hear the final outcome on this. A bit of 'Twilight Zone' here me thinks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y

… from the description of the OP …. " Two puddles "… " leaked all the oil out twice " ….. I know what a 3/4 qt. puddle looks like ( at least 2ft X 2ft.) …. so my thinking is - most of the oil is coming out during operation …. The OP hasn't said if the rear of His Spyder was covered in oil. …. but I can't imagine it wasn't …… everyone is waiting for more info on this …. me included ….. Mike

[BajaRon]

… from the description of the OP …. " Two puddles "… " leaked all the oil out twice " ….. I know what a 3/4 qt. puddle looks like ( at least 2ft X 2ft.) …. so my thinking is - most of the oil is coming out during operation …. The OP hasn't said if the rear of His Spyder was covered in oil. …. but I can't imagine it wasn't …… everyone is waiting for more info on this …. me included ….. Mike

True. Oil is like blood. Spill a little and it looks like a gallon. Even more if it's yours!

Getting nearly 5 quarts on the garage floor would be a huge mess. Not to mention the EPA is going to want to talk to you!

The only solution for this quandary is to wait for the solution.

[gweneb1961]

Revalden - No. I drove it from Tuscon, AZ to Las Cruces, NM and all over the place around Las Cruces for about 4 weeks before taking it to Tombstone, AZ October 11, 2019. There wasn't as much as a droplet of oil (or anything liquid) on the patio where it's parked (well, when I have it at home, that is...lol). Nothing.

[gweneb1961]

OK - So I've talked with the service manager at the shop and he said that nothing leaked from the bike until it after it had been running for awhile, turned off, turned back on and driven around the parking lot, then shut off again. Once the pressure had been built back up and then the engine had been shut off is when the oil leakage occurred. I am thinking that there is a crack in something that no one has been able to visualize yet, but they did tell me that they have taken it to the wash bay and hosed off the undercarriage and the area of the suspected leak, but still have not found where it may be leaking from - yet. SO - no progress with a solution as of yet, but keep the ideas and such coming my way as I am sharing with the service department. I also have been told that they have been on different forums looking for anything similar in nature to my problem, so they are using the power of the internet as well...

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Revalden - No. I drove it from Tuscon, AZ to Las Cruces, NM and all over the place around Las Cruces for about 4 weeks before taking it to Tombstone, AZ October 11, 2019. There wasn't as much as a droplet of oil (or anything liquid) on the patio where it's parked (well, when I have it at home, that is...lol). Nothing.

...in your post #1. - you said " My Spyder leaked oil in three puddles " ….. I'm losing interest in learning why …… sorry …. Mike

[SpyderAnn01]

...in your post #1. - you said " My Spyder leaked oil in three puddles " ….. I'm losing interest in learning why …… sorry …. Mike

Mike, what’s your issue? The bike lost the oil when he was in Tombstone, he trailered it to the dealer in NM. It had not leaked oil before his trip to AZ. Ease up dude!

[Curlytops]

If it doesn't do it while its running and only when shut off and no apparent leaks maybe is syphoning out somewhere..dunno ..sucking up to airbox somehow and draining out of hole...? Its odd it doesn't go everywhere when it was running as it would with a normal oil leak! Just a thought..

[PMK]

Change the dipstick and seal...easy to do, low cost, and eliminates one possible source of oil running everywhere, pooling then dripping.

[blacklightning]

Mike, what’s your issue? The bike lost the oil when he was in Tombstone, he trailered it to the dealer in NM. It had not leaked oil before his trip to AZ. Ease up dude!

, If you have lost interest, then just don't post up. I think most anyone else with a 1330 is interested, just in case we have the same situation to occur.

[blacklightning]

Change the dipstick and seal...easy to do, low cost, and eliminates one possible source of oil running everywhere, pooling then dripping.

I had not thought about the dipstick gasket (or seal). My 2016 F3T had an oil leak, and only when stopped. And it was due to the dipstick gasket. After the replacement, it never gave me anymore trouble. The bad thing is that the first leak happened in front of a lot of harleys.

[splake0]

I had not thought about the dipstick gasket (or seal). My 2016 F3T had an oil leak, and only when stopped. And it was due to the dipstick gasket. After the replacement, it never gave me anymore trouble. The bad thing is that the first leak happened in front of a lot of harleys.

Ohhh that’s bad.

[ottawa-rider]

Remember, the 1330 engine, as was the V-Twin, is a dry sump engine. The oil is stored in an external tank. When the engine is not running, some of the oil drains from the tank, that's why the instructions say to check the oil level after shutdown when the engine is fully warmed.

My guess is that the oil, for some reason, drains where it is not suppose to and then leaks out when the engine is running and there is pressure.

[wiggy1]

Likely a seal that is not fully failed, but starts to leak once the oil is pushed through the engine. If you pull off the two access covers or look up under the bike from the left side you can see if there is any oil trails to the source of the leak. Bummer about your trip. hope you get it resolved soon.