Spyder leaked all the oil out TWICE

[BajaRon]

Stripping the bike down, hosing it off good and starting with a clean slate is probably the best way to find this leak. It's very hard to find a leak in an oily mess.

[Freddy]

Keep the guesses coming - sounds like they need it. .........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...

[Mikey]

Putting the degreaser and cleaning the thing down clean, then run it or take it for a short spin should make it rear it's ugly head I would think!! My 2 cents!!

[JayBros]

Dye in the oil is a sure fire way.

[wiggy1]

The OP needs to find an ex-spurt, also known as a former drip under pressure.

[gweneb1961]

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.

Well, the way I see it is that your bike didn't want the Harleys to feel out of place...

[2dogs]

I thought the days of having to park your ride over a cookie sheet were over, but, I guess not. Hope your leak is a simple fix. My issue is my 1330 drips coolant only when it's 30 or below outside. Had it in for a fix but it has never stopped.

[Bfromla]

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...

here’s what happened to my 998 SE5 not sure if any help but shows how well they can hide :
https://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/...ranny-heads-up

[UtahPete]

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

I understand your frustration, Mike. The OP's various descriptions of the problem are bit difficult to diagnose or even imagine. "All of the oil dumps out" Really?

[Knight]

Dye in the oil is a sure fire way.

I can't believe no one mentioned it sooner. Severe oil leaks can often be more difficult to diagnose than small ones, mainly because there's so much oil covering everything that finding the source of the leak can be difficult. That is what UV dye is for.

OP, I'd ask your service advisor if they've considered this option. If they aren't familiar with the process, I'd seriously consider taking it to a place that is.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I understand your frustration, Mike. The OP's various descriptions of the problem are bit difficult to diagnose or even imagine. "All of the oil dumps out" Really?

Thanks ….. I'll leave it at that ….. Mike

[2dogs]

When folks become frustrated things can be exaggerated, and as time and frustration builds conditions can also become overstate. Yes, when it comes to blood and or oil, estimations can be quite overemphasized.

[gweneb1961]

Hey y'all - nothing much to update with at this time except to say that the bike is still apart and the repair shop has reached out to BRP and they're waiting for a response. I appreciate all of your responses, as I have been sharing them with the shop (the only one in town and for quite some miles). I will continue to update periodically until it has been repaired. Thanks again! Gwen

[Saluda]

Wish you luck with this one, keep us posted.

[BajaRon]

Just seems very odd to me that it is taking so long to locate the leak. That should be the easiest part of the job.

[Poasttown]

Just throwing this out as “food for thought” and an event I experienced. I had an oil leak in a VSTAR a number of years ago and I traced it back to a broken graphite like gasket between the exhaust and engine head. I’m not sure how the Spyder is set up and if this is even possible in your situation but in my case the leak was not where I figured a leak would occur.

Poasttown, 2019 F3L

[MrBill5491]

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!

He is a she, her name is Gwen a friend of mine. And having worked on motorcycles and other vehicles over the eons, this has me perplexed as well.

[gweneb1961]

He is a she, her name is Gwen a friend of mine. And having worked on motorcycles and other vehicles over the eons, this has me perplexed as well.

Yes, I'm Gwen and I've always been Female and always will be, too...thanks Bill for clearing that up 😉🙂

[gweneb1961]

On Tuesday February 4, 2020 the shop called to say my bike was repaired and put back together, test driven twice and all was right with the bike. I brought my Spyder back home on Thursday 2/6/20. I will post detailed repair info soon, as I currently do not have all the proper names of the parts, etc. I can say that the oil leak was an overfilling situation, but due to the problem that caused it to live at the repair shop for the last 16 weeks - which was - if we all know with 100% certainty that there is exactly 5 quarts of oil in the bike and did the BRP recommended procedure for checking the oil with the dipstick, then WHY was the oil not registering ON the dipstick? The dipstick was verified to be the correct one for that bike, mounted correctly and in good working order. Turns out that had the bike not ejected the excess oil thru the air filter and then out of the bike entirely, no one would have known that the oil reading 'low' on the dipstick was not an indicator of a need for oil, but a small, oval-shaped gasket that was missing, therefore not letting the engine build up pressure enough to return the oil to the reservoir from the crankcase, but would occasionally get up enough oil to show a need to add oil, when in actuality there wasn't. So once the leaking oil problem was solved, the next step was to go thru and replace all the gaskets, 2 O rings and test the system again. After numerous emails to and from the engineers at BRP Canada and BRP Juarez, Mexico it was decided to double-check 4 potential causes of why the dipstick readings were showing to add oil when the system was full. One by one things were checked and rechecked, items were replaced, oil refilled, but still no luck - until they get to #4 of 4 things to check. #4 turned out to be a missing gasket on the right side, possibly falling out/off when that cover was removed to replace one or both solenoid. And since the mechanic apparently did not see that gasket fall out when the cover was removed, no gasket was replaced when the cover was replaced. So, a missing, small 1.5 inch, oval-shaped gasket was the root cause of all of this mess. My Spyder and its issues have become well known throughout BRP. Thanks to all who offered suggestions and who were just as interested and perplexed as I was. �� Gwen

[Mikey]

Glad you got to the bottom of it!!! Now get out there and ride that thing!!

[carbonation]

I've been working on machinery for 40 years. Copiers and printers specifically, but many intricate mechanical systems with precise repair procedures and adjustments. A piece of paper is about .002 thick. Some of my adjustment specs are +/- half that.
In life, the motto is don't sweat the small stuff, in repair, it's often the small stuff that makes you sweat.
Don't overlook that a mechanics job is often to find out what it isn't, so you can find out what it is. That takes time.
Glad for you it's repaired. Quite possibly more glad you know who and what you are vs. some of the confused youngn's I see coming up behind me.
Go for a ride!

[gweneb1961]

Glad you got to the bottom of it!!! Now get out there and ride that thing!!

Well, the fun will have to wait a few days - I work weekend night shifts and it is too chilly for me to ride at night...soon though, very soon. I did take the bike on a victory lap around the shop's parking lot during the day - that felt WONDERFUL! And I see some lovely road trips in my near future, although I think we will go back to Tombstone/Bisbee later in the fall again...with much better results this time 😉😉😉

[gweneb1961]

Glad you got to the bottom of it!!! Now get out there and ride that thing!!

Well, the fun will have to wait a few days - I work weekend night shifts and it is too chilly for me to ride at night...soon though, very soon. I did take the bike on a victory lap around the shop's parking lot during the day - that felt WONDERFUL! And I see some lovely road trips in my near future, although I think we will go back to Tombstone/Bisbee later in the fall again...with much better results this time 😉😉😉

[PW2013STL]

Glad to read that the issue was identified and fixed.

We will be heading to Bisbee on the 17th and stay at a B&B for two nights. We have been told by a number of people not to miss seeing Bisbee, so going to do that as my birthday gift.

[gweneb1961]

Glad to read that the issue was identified and fixed.

We will be heading to Bisbee on the 17th and stay at a B&B for two nights. We have been told by a number of people not to miss seeing Bisbee, so going to do that as my birthday gift.

Take the Silver Mine tour - very cool, kinda spooky 😉
Explore the numerous shops and if you're both able - walk around. Parking can get a but interesting, but it's doable. Enjoy your trip and Happy Birthday to you!
Gwen