Engine smoking and burning lots of oil - anyone pulled an engine?

[wcntech]

Hello!

I have a friend who has a 2015 Spyder RT-S SM6 with about 20k miles. He was on a ride and did not notice any changes in power or responsiveness of the engine, but they stopped to eat and when they came out and started it back up, it was smoking really bad, especially at start up. There is still not any noticeable loss in power, it just uses oil at about a quart every 90-100 miles. Dealership suspects maybe one piston with a broken ring.

My question is, has anyone pulled the engine on their RT and if this job is covered in the service manual? Or would you take it to a dealer? Anyone else have or hear of this problem?

Thanks!
Andy

 

[PMK]

As a suggestion, before going into the top end, verify the clutch vacuum assist has not failed.

Even with broken ring(s), which is pretty rare in modern engines, it would take several broken rings on one piston to consume 1qt in 100 miles.

The manual clutch, vacuum assist can fail, and engine vacuum draws oil past the leak.

 

[ARtraveler]

Hello!

I have a friend who has a 2015 Spyder RT-S SM6 with about 20k miles. He was on a ride and did not notice any changes in power or responsiveness of the engine, but they stopped to eat and when they came out and started it back up, it was smoking really bad, especially at start up. There is still not any noticeable loss in power, it just uses oil at about a quart every 90-100 miles. Dealership suspects maybe one piston with a broken ring.

My question is, has anyone pulled the engine on their RT and if this job is covered in the service manual? Or would you take it to a dealer? Anyone else have or hear of this problem?

Thanks!
Andy

:welcome:

 

[wcntech]

As a suggestion, before going into the top end, verify the clutch vacuum assist has not failed.

Even with broken ring(s), which is pretty rare in modern engines, it would take several broken rings on one piston to consume 1qt in 100 miles.

The manual clutch, vacuum assist can fail, and engine vacuum draws oil past the leak.

Thanks PMK. To check for that, would I pull the plugs and look for oil in all 3 cylinders? Or is there a hose I could pull to check for oil where it shouldn't be? I figure if I pull the plugs and find one cylinder that is oily, that may be the culprit for bad rings, but if they all look the same, it could be leaking from somewhere else like the clutch assist or maybe a plugged crankcase vent or something.

Andy

 

[Woodaddict]

has the engine oil been OVERFILLED REPEATEDLY?? If you check the Spyder oil like your accustomed to do for an auto, then its wrong. It could be coming out the fill tube cause of an overfill situation, and running down engine and smoking. is the smoke coming out the EXHAUST? Oil level procedure is in the manual

 

[PMK]

Thanks PMK. To check for that, would I pull the plugs and look for oil in all 3 cylinders? Or is there a hose I could pull to check for oil where it shouldn't be? I figure if I pull the plugs and find one cylinder that is oily, that may be the culprit for bad rings, but if they all look the same, it could be leaking from somewhere else like the clutch assist or maybe a plugged crankcase vent or something.

Andy

As the other guy suggested, absolutely CORRECTLY check the oil level when hot. Your words tend to indicate it was fine to the restaurant, then acted up after the food. Also incorrectly checking the oil level could give odd dipstick readings.

As for removing spark plugs, you could, but that is no assurance of how to proceed. You should be able to accomplish a vacuum check on the clutch assist and watch for leakdown.

Years ago, a local rider had a very similar issue, repair was the clutch vacuum assist leaking. Not saying this is absolutely the cause, but far easier for the DIY mechanic to check.

 

[wcntech]

Yes, absolutely. I'm sure a lot of people check their oil incorrectly. This is not so in this case. He has owned the machine for 7 years and was meticulous on the maintenance. He hasn't abused it and most of the miles were touring with his wife. The smoke is coming out of the exhaust.

Going to check the easy things first. PCV, clogged vents, etc. PMK, you mentioned a fellow rider had a similar issue, was his the SM6 or SE6 with the clutch assist problem?

 

[EKB2to3Wheelz]

Hello!

I have a friend who has a 2015 Spyder RT-S SM6 with about 20k miles. He was on a ride and did not notice any changes in power or responsiveness of the engine, but they stopped to eat and when they came out and started it back up, it was smoking really bad, especially at start up. There is still not any noticeable loss in power, it just uses oil at about a quart every 90-100 miles. Dealership suspects maybe one piston with a broken ring.

My question is, has anyone pulled the engine on their RT and if this job is covered in the service manual? Or would you take it to a dealer? Anyone else have or hear of this problem?

Thanks!
Andy

What was the outcome of this?

 

[Mikey]

What was the outcome of this?

I would try to send the OP a DM if you want a Quick reply.

 

[wcntech]

What was the outcome of this?

I took it to the dealer, nothing wrong with any of the engine internals. They found a slit in the clutch diaphragm. This was leaking engine oil into the crankcase and the cause of the smoking. This is the SM6 model (manual transmission), not sure if the SE6 has a clutch diaphragm or not. First thing I would look for now in the future for anyone having excessive oil burn and engine smoking.

 

[Leaping1]

That sounds good. I am just amazed that you found a dealer to work on and actually fix it that quick.
Leon

 

[Mrwikaa]

Sounds good..

 

[Cobranut]

On a related note, has anyone tested the clutch lever pull with the engine not running, vs running?
My clutch lever is pretty stiff compared to most bikes I've owned.
Last time I took it out, I pulled in the clutch several times with the engine off, and couldn't tell any difference with the engine running.
Has anyone done this, and if so, did you notice a difference?

My bike runs fine, has only 11K miles, and has no signs of a vacuum leak or smoking.
Next time I have the side panel off, I plan to pull the line and test it with a Mityvac.

Thanks

 

[BCNewell]

My SM6 is stiff whether running or not. Probably the stiffest clutch pull on any cycle I have owned, as well.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

The RT SM6 clutches had a vacuum assist. Officially known as Pneumatic Assist. The F3 clutches did not. Oh, they still had the diagram, but it was simply vented to the engine air intake. There was no solenoid valve with the vacuum line to the engine manifold. Compare the two parts diagrams between the RT and F3 and you’ll see the parts that the F3 doesn’t have. There once was a retrofit kit that could be added to the F3, that gave it assist. Search the forum from back in the day and you'll see references to all of that.

 

[Cobranut]

The RT SM6 clutches had a vacuum assist. Officially known as Pneumatic Assist. The F3 clutches did not. Oh, they still had the diagram, but it was simply vented to the engine air intake. There was no solenoid valve with the vacuum line to the engine manifold. Compare the two parts diagrams between the RT and F3 and you’ll see the parts that the F3 doesn’t have. There once was a retrofit kit that could be added to the F3, that gave it assist. Search the forum from back in the day and you'll see references to all of that.

Thanks for that bit of info.
I'll have to check that out.
If the output is available to control the solenoid, I'll have to look into that.
A lighter clutch lever would make it more enjoyable to ride.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Thanks for that bit of info.
I'll have to check that out.
If the output is available to control the solenoid, I'll have to look into that.
A lighter clutch lever would make it more enjoyable to ride.

This thread should help. Good luck.

P

Thread 'Ordered the Clutch assist kit from BRP'

Dec 8, 2015

Just ordered all the parts today. (About $170). I'll post my impressions after the install.

• petegtsv10
• Replies: 48
• Forum: Spyder F3 - Sport & Cruiser Touring

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