2021 S2S motor blew up!

[Joel The Biker]

I tried to start my 2021 S2S tonight. Hit the start button. It fired for about a second, then stalled. Tried turning it over and it has no compression and wont start. I might have one of the first 1330s to implode. I have no idea what gave up. I am almost thinking the starter didnt engage long enough, and the engine fired backwards and wiped out the valves, if that is possible. I gave up and went to work. Will look at it again friday.

[Peter Aawen]

Bleedin' eck Joel!! That's not good news!

Not that it's great whatever way you look at it, but I wonder if it's something not massively drastic like a camshaft not turning for whatever reason?? Are the 1330's a non-interference engine??

Here's hoping it's a relatively painless fix?!

[UtahPete]

I tried to start my 2021 S2S tonight. Hit the start button. It fired for about a second, then stalled. Tried turning it over and it has no compression and wont start. I might have one of the first 1330s to implode. I have no idea what gave up. I am almost thinking the starter didnt engage long enough, and the engine fired backwards and wiped out the valves, if that is possible. I gave up and went to work. Will look at it again friday.

How do you know it has no compression?

[Joel The Biker]

It turns over very freely and can hear thump in exhaust. It could be camshaft related I guess, but it is terminal, whatever it is. Time to get a new motor under warranty.

[Piratezz]

OMG, Keep us posted, what the issue is please.... Hope you get-r-done before end of ryding-season

[Bfromla]

New stereo overpowered the system?! Sorry to hear, glad was not too far out on a trip or something. Know still sucks all the same, excuse the picking; trying add (home improvement)“grunt” MORE POWER crack a smile fun

[Little Blue]

Hopefully you can get it replaced with a new engine.

What a bummer.

This is a first.

[PMK]

While it certainly could be mechanical, and you being witness would know best. By chance did you pull codes and see if the cam sensor failed? Also, and I suspect you listened, can you hear the fuel pump operating.

[ARtraveler]

Sorry to hear. Please keep us posted as you get more information.

[JohnRuckus]

Wow. Sorry.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Sorry for your loss ..... I hope everything woks out ..... Mike

[Motogordo]

Sept 17, 2021
Hey Joel. This is not good news. You helped me a lot with info on my stereo problem. Never heard of a 1330 breaking down. I know you are not happy about that. I hope everything gets fixed quickly. I don't think the word QUICKLY is in BRP's vocabulary.


best of luck
Motogordo Spyderman

[Joel The Biker]

I took it to the dealer today. The mechanic said it was a first. When I say there is no compression, I mean the starter turns almost as if not connected, but you can feel some air from the exhaust. Best guess is, the camshaft chain tensioner failed and the timing chain came off. Another guess is, the crankshaft had a defect and broke and only one cylinder is going up and down and its on the opposite side of the timing chain, which is not turning. It turns over more freely than if you removed the spark plugs and hit the starter. Extremely free. The mechanic is going to check it next week and give an update. I wonder if there is a chance the starter shaft broke, and friction at the break is moving the crank just enough to feel it in the exhaust, but not actually turning over the motor. This would be best case scenario, but the mechanic says the engine would still need to come out to make the repair. The sprag clutch bearing(oneway bearing) may have failed.

[spyderdave]

Wow, that stinks! My service manual shows an intermediate timing gear that appears to be driven directly off the crank and has (what I refer to as) a step gear that the timing chain mounts to, then travels up to the camshafts. If the gear on the crank (that turns the intermediate gear) is keyed, that key may have sheared; the engine would spin freely and pump air out the open valves.
If something broke in that geartrain, it's not likely to be an easy fix.

I sincerely hope they put a new motor in it. It they opt to repair it, be sure to get compression readings off each cylinder, post repairs. The 1330's have 12:1 compression and DOHCs; if the crank is out of sync with those camshafts, it's real easy to bend valves. That might even be something to bring up as reason for a total replacement.

Best of luck.

[EdMat]

Seems like BRP would want to replace the motor just to get a good look at the old one.

[pidjones]

I'm afraid this may end up with a long, drawn-out dealing between BRP and Rotax.

[ARtraveler]

Let's hope that if there is interaction between BRP and Rotax, that it will take place behind the scenes. No fighting over which if either is to blame. Get the motor replaced for the customer, it is under warranty. The big boys can duke it out amongst themselves.

[Joel The Biker]

I decided to pick my spyder up from the dealer today and do the repairs myself. After studying schematics, I have determined that either a starter gear or the sprag clutch has failed. I can do the repair myself in 2 hours or so. No need for engine removal. The mechanic wants to remove the engine. Service manual says that is not necessary. Repair appears easy and straight forward. Cost for parts is $160 depending what is wrong. Small price to pay for peace of mind that it is done correctly. I am extremely picky about who works on my stuff and the quality of the work. This also explains the burning odor I reported a few months ago. The sprag gear was probably hanging up, spinning the starter most of the time while riding. Not good.

[PMK]

I decided to pick my spyder up from the dealer today and do the repairs myself. After studying schematics, I have determined that either a starter gear or the sprag clutch has failed. I can do the repair myself in 2 hours or so. No need for engine removal. The mechanic wants to remove the engine. Service manual says that is not necessary. Repair appears easy and straight forward. Cost for parts is $160 depending what is wrong. Small price to pay for peace of mind that it is done correctly. I am extremely picky about who works on my stuff and the quality of the work. This also explains the burning odor I reported a few months ago. The sprag gear was probably hanging up, spinning the starter most of the time while riding. Not good.

Quick look at the illustrated parts catalog. Agree with you, the sprag would be a viable cause. Appears the sprag and housing is fastened to the crank trigger wheel, which indicates the sprags inner race is on the large gear. What you say makes sense, time will tell. Yes, agree you remove the engine side cover to access the items you mentioned. Being an RT, the frame clearance should not be an issue.

[Pooch]

At what mileage did this occur… and …. did you notice the burning smell from the very beginning of purchase or after some miles were racked up?

Just curious…. so I can stay aware with my 2021 RTL… I now have 3700’sh miles on the odo and did the first maintenance at the 3000 mark…tech said everything appeared fine except the lower tire pressures I was running… he aired them up..I let them back down when I got home from his shop.

Many thanks…

[Mikey]

I decided to pick my spyder up from the dealer today and do the repairs myself. After studying schematics, I have determined that either a starter gear or the sprag clutch has failed. I can do the repair myself in 2 hours or so. No need for engine removal. The mechanic wants to remove the engine. Service manual says that is not necessary. Repair appears easy and straight forward. Cost for parts is $160 depending what is wrong. Small price to pay for peace of mind that it is done correctly. I am extremely picky about who works on my stuff and the quality of the work. This also explains the burning odor I reported a few months ago. The sprag gear was probably hanging up, spinning the starter most of the time while riding. Not good.

Let me see, this is a new bike under full warrantee, and you sucked it back from the dealer and going to fix it yourself? As Peter would say, What the bloody hell!! Good Luck big guy!!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I decided to pick my spyder up from the dealer today and do the repairs myself. After studying schematics, I have determined that either a starter gear or the sprag clutch has failed. I can do the repair myself in 2 hours or so. No need for engine removal. The mechanic wants to remove the engine. Service manual says that is not necessary. Repair appears easy and straight forward. Cost for parts is $160 depending what is wrong. Small price to pay for peace of mind that it is done correctly. I am extremely picky about who works on my stuff and the quality of the work. This also explains the burning odor I reported a few months ago. The sprag gear was probably hanging up, spinning the starter most of the time while riding. Not good.

IMHO if you open that engine up and can't fix it or it turns out that's not the issue and a NEW engine is needed ....BRP may VOID your warranty. ..... just a thought .... good luck .... Mike

[MrMagicFingers]

IMHO if you open that engine up and can't fix it or it turns out that's not the issue and a NEW engine is needed ....BRP may VOID your warranty. ..... just a thought .... good luck .... Mike

EXACTLY what I was thinking. A repair (or potential repair) of this magnitude... These machines cost to much to mess around with. I can see why you want to this yourself with the ridicules times it takes to get work done and the quality of work with a lot of dealers, but that's a roll of the dice to say the least. You may be opening the door to voiding your engine warranty permanently. You got guts!!!

Tim

[ARtraveler]

Some good "counter" advise above. Engine warranty could be voided if things go south on the repair.

[WisconsinDavid]

I wouldn't settle for a new engine... time to invoke lemon law and require a new spyder to replace. Replaced engines can go okay or be a setup for huge problems down the line. I had a replaced engine by GM due to failed bearings that resulted in a truck fire a few years later when something let go ... not a great experience. Just sayin' from experience. Hope things resolve well for you without a lot of hassle.