2014 ST-S SE5 Oil Line Leak and brake fluid leak from the reservoir

[DVD]

Hello, new to the Spyder community. Read a lot of posts on here before we purchased. Just got a 2014 Spyder ST-S SE5 for my wife to enjoy some solo riding. Picked it up from a dealer on Tuesday with 3580 miles. Took her over to a parking lot to do some practice riding. Maybe put 10 miles on it. Brought it home and parked it in the garage. Went out 2 hours later and noticed a couple spots on the the floor one in the rear and 2 on the front right side. Really disappointed to see this on such a low mileage unit.

Well I disassembled the unit wow these things are tough to work on with no room not easy to get them up off the ground. There is a leak from the brake fluid tank under the seat for the spot in the rear. Haven't been able to determine exactly where it is come from but the tank was wet on top. Bad caps? Dealer overfill or spill and didn't clean up. Needless to say paint was stripped off the frame and swing arm from the fluid. Has there been an problems with the tanks or caps for the reservoir?

So I thought I would tackle the other spots. Noticed that the oil was coming from the oil line to the clutch on the right side. Assembly seemed tight so I started it up and ran awhile put it in gear and running the back tire. It appears that this is leaking from the crimp to the hose. Has anyone had this issue as well?

Dealer was suppose to have gone through it but appears they didn't do anything. With this much oil in the skidplate it had to have shown this after our test ride on Saturday. Also wet all the way on the frame to the nose. Looks like a pain it the aXX to repair since you have to remove panels from both sides. Thought these were pretty reliable but with only 3580 miles on it we are pretty disappointed and think maybe we made a mistake.

 

[2dogs]

Likely the cap on the reservoir wasn't on tight or it was x threaded. Replace the leaking hose clamp with a quality stainless steal one and use lacquer thinner to clean up the break fluid, then you should be golden. Use Dawn dish soap on the oil mess and it should clean most of it off. After you clean it up and fix the leaks it should be a good ride for a long time.

 

[DVD]

Likely the cap on the reservoir wasn't on tight or it was x threaded. Replace the leaking hose clamp with a quality stainless steal one and use lacquer thinner to clean up the break fluid, then you should be golden. Use Dawn dish soap on the oil mess and it should clean most of it off. After you clean it up and fix the leaks it should be a good ride for a long time.

Thanks. Caps were on tight and not cross threaded. Leak from the reservoir and not coming from the hoses. Coming from the tank itself or from the caps. Oil leak is from a manufactured oil line. No clamps but some type of assembly. Not the typical crimp style. The oil line is an assembled unit that will need to be replaced. Just curious if these are typical failures or just our luck?

 

[billybovine]

Hard to tell from the picture but it does look like brake fluid reservoir may be overfilled. Also the reward cap needs to be put on like the forward one. With the vent to the rear. Less chance of the brake fluid coming out the vent. The brake fluid level needs to be between the min and max. Below the min you will get "Brake Failure" warnings for low fluid. Over the max it will leak.

 

[oldguyinTX]

Dealer failure once again. Happens all too often. The brake fluid caps are not oriented correctly. I believe - but I am not positive about this - that the front cap is correct & the rear one is not. Improper cap orientation can cause a brake fluid leak, as can a damaged V slit or improperly positioned diaphragm. I bet billybovine knows the correct orientation of the caps. If you bought the bike "as is", you may have no leverage with the dealer. In any case, I would point these issues out to the dealer, and if they tell you to take a hike, I would then call BRP, politely explain the situation, ask if you can send them your pictures, and start a case with them. The dealer should then be responsible for correcting all issues, including a thorough cleaning, priming, and repainting of the frame and swing arm. Otherwise, you will develop rust problems. It would also help if you have a warranty, but that might not be necessary, as you might be able to make a case that the dealer misrepresented the condition of the bike to you. Good luck, and keep us posted.

I see that billy already confirmed the cap orientation.

 

[DVD]

Hard to tell from the picture but it does look like brake fluid reservoir may be overfilled. Also the reward cap needs to be put on like the forward one. With the vent to the rear. Less chance of the brake fluid coming out the vent. The brake fluid level needs to be between the min and max. Below the min you will get "Brake Failure" warnings for low fluid. Over the max it will leak.

Thanks. I'll make sure the vents are to the back. Gold dot on them is positioned about 10 oclock to the rear.

 

[DVD]

Dealer failure once again. Happens all too often. The brake fluid caps are not oriented correctly. I believe - but I am not positive about this - that the front cap is correct & the rear one is not. Improper cap orientation can cause a brake fluid leak, as can a damaged V slit or improperly positioned diaphragm. I bet billybovine knows the correct orientation of the caps. If you bought the bike "as is", you may have no leverage with the dealer. In any case, I would point these issues out to the dealer, and if they tell you to take a hike, I would then call BRP, politely explain the situation, ask if you can send them your pictures, and start a case with them. The dealer should then be responsible for correcting all issues, including a thorough cleaning, priming, and repainting of the frame and swing arm. Otherwise, you will develop rust problems. It would also help if you have a warranty, but that might not be necessary, as you might be able to make a case that the dealer misrepresented the condition of the bike to you. Good luck, and keep us posted.

I see that billy already confirmed the cap orientation.

Thanks and yes it is "as is" but they charged me $300 to go through it to make sure it was ready to go. No way a trained mechanic went through this with oil leak especially. There had to be evidence of this oil lie leaking. I had done a bunch of research and it doesn't seem to be a widespread issue. So hoping once these issues are taken care of it will be a good ride.

 

[stmike 1800]

I would take it back ,any good dealer or shop would fix these problems . ( at no charge )

 

[Highwayman2013]

How much oil is in it? Is it overfull? Make sure it is up to operating temperature when you check the oil level. Brake fluid caps are to be oriented vents to the rear.

 

[DVD]

How much oil is in it? Is it overfull? Make sure it is up to operating temperature when you check the oil level. Brake fluid caps are to be oriented vents to the rear.

Oil leak is opposite side from the oil tank side. It is coming from the oil line that goes into the clutch release housing. I have never even checked the oil since I just picked it up and they were suppose to service it. It is quite a bit of oil in the skid plate and left on the ground after a short ride.

 

[mavrik]

DVD, on the years with a duel cap on the brake fluid reservoir there is a certain cleaning process that is suggested to ensure a seal and no leak. you have to take off the gasket and clean thoroughly with water and clean them good, dry fully and the top of the reservoir then put the caps with seals back on. No doing that leads to leaks like you have. Or it was over filled. Also if the dealer check the brakes or put new pads on then they pushed the pistons back in the calipers which if done incorrect or overfilled would make it leak out. Looks like it has been leaking a while...BRAKE FLUID IS VERY HARSH ON PAINT AND PLASTIC. clean bike very well.

 

[DVD]

DVD, on the years with a duel cap on the brake fluid reservoir there is a certain cleaning process that is suggested to ensure a seal and no leak. you have to take off the gasket and clean thoroughly with water and clean them good, dry fully and the top of the reservoir then put the caps with seals back on. No doing that leads to leaks like you have. Or it was over filled. Also if the dealer check the brakes or put new pads on then they pushed the pistons back in the calipers which if done incorrect or overfilled would make it leak out. Looks like it has been leaking a while...BRAKE FLUID IS VERY HARSH ON PAINT AND PLASTIC. clean bike very well.

Thanks. I cleaned the fluid off the best that I could do. I know brake fluid is horrible stuff on paint and plastic. I finally got them to take it back to look at both issues. Now they won't return our phone calls so I guess the next step is drive 45min over there and demand answers.

 

[ofdave]

Thanks. I cleaned the fluid off the best that I could do. I know brake fluid is horrible stuff on paint and plastic. I finally got them to take it back to look at both issues. Now they won't return our phone calls so I guess the next step is drive 45min over there and demand answers.

it's time to talk to someone else when you get there. Like the owner
Keep calm, voice low, let them know this is unacceptable behavior. Make no threats. Calm and cool
Take notes as they talk to you and ask questions, writing down their answers as they watch.
Don't threaten-if you don't get the results you deserve, thank him for his time and tell him you'll have to take another approach.
Then go home and with everything documented take the same calm approach in making your case to BRP.

 

[DVD]

it's time to talk to someone else when you get there. Like the owner
Keep calm, voice low, let them know this is unacceptable behavior. Make no threats. Calm and cool
Take notes as they talk to you and ask questions, writing down their answers as they watch.
Don't threaten-if you don't get the results you deserve, thank him for his time and tell him you'll have to take another approach.
Then go home and with everything documented take the same calm approach in making your case to BRP.

Yes I have been very calm but quickly losing patience. They are claiming that the oil leak is from the oil change since oil sprays all over. I said there is no way this is from the oil change since the leak is on the right side. Changing the oil happens on the left side and it would defy physics to show a leak on the right side. I have told them over and over that it is coming from the oil line that goes into the clutch cover but they refuse to believe me. I have attached a pic of the oil line and I highlighted where the leak is at the crimp. Has anyone else had this issue? So I said to run it and leave it over night and tell me you don't see some drips on the floor in the morning. So that is where we are at now and I am waiting to hear from them. If I don't hear from them soon I will be talking to the owner.

 

[DVD]

Well after many calls, visits, and emails we finally have the Spyder back. They finally conceded that the unit had an oil leak and replaced the oil line. But they forgot to secure the deflector panel and it blew off 2 miles down the road so now waiting for them to get the part in so I can replace it myself. I see many have commented that they remove these panels for air flow to the engine. Not sure if I will leave it off for awhile or replace it right away. At least my wife can finally enjoy it and start to learn to ride. She is having fun.