Help please. I am a (new to me) owner of a 2015 Spyder RT with a leak. It does not do it all the time. I have had it in the shop and they could not find it. I rode it on a two hour night ride and it did fine. Rode it 20 minutes to work, it sprayed out on right front (if I am on it). This has been ongoing since last summer when I got it. The most recent rides were in 50 degree to 70 degree weather. It uses the red antifreeze. I have not ridden it for longer rides due to the leak. IDK????
-
There were many reasons for the change of the site software, the biggest was security. The age of the old software also meant no server updates for certain programs. There are many benefits to the new software, one of the biggest is the mobile functionality. Ill fix up some stuff in the coming days, we'll also try to get some of the old addons back or the data imported back into the site like the garage. To create a thread or to reply with a post is basically the same as it was in the prior software. The default style of the site is light colored, but i temporarily added a darker colored style, to change you can find a link at the bottom of the site.
Leak comes and goes? Shop did not find it. Help???
- Thread starter MomaHulk
- Start date
The shop replaced the radiator cap and said the system was fine, but I will specifically ask them if it was pressure tested. Thank you. He mentioned it might be a thermostat leaking, which would be a whole water pump replacement. I do not know if that goes with the crazy off and on way it leaks or not. On the short ride, when it leaked the other day, it never showed hot.
I tried to upload two pics of the leak from the short ride yesterday. Did they show up? This is a new technology for me, haha! I am enjoying seeing what is on the site. I do have two sons who are handy, and if we can help figure it out, they may be able to fix it, so I avoid shop costs. This is a new machine to all of us, even though it is 2015, new to us.
I got it in late summer 2024, and we thought we had a leak, parked it on cardboard, watched it a lot, and never did it drip, BUT several times, not every time, it does this blow out thing on a trip, long or short, doesn't matter. Then, we check the coolant, and sure enough, it will be low. I put it in a shop with Spyder mechanics in February, about 3 hours from me, and they rode it, and it wouldn't leak. They changed the radiator cap and did fluids, but IDK if pressure tested. They couldn't find anything, but you see it is, so??
BajaRon
Well-known member
A little amazed that they were not able to find the leak. There is a system that we use which lights up antifreeze and makes it much easier to trace the source. Most shops have these.
The first place I would start would be check all hose connections. Especially if you find one that has a screw (aftermarket) clamp. We find these loose all the time.
Other sources are a split hose and also the plastic reservoir can crack and spray when pressure builds. Thermostats don't 'leak' to the exterior. But he is correct that it might be the water pump.
A pressure test would be a good move. I hope you can find it and get it fixed.
The first place I would start would be check all hose connections. Especially if you find one that has a screw (aftermarket) clamp. We find these loose all the time.
Other sources are a split hose and also the plastic reservoir can crack and spray when pressure builds. Thermostats don't 'leak' to the exterior. But he is correct that it might be the water pump.
A pressure test would be a good move. I hope you can find it and get it fixed.
Thank you. I am ready to get off and home and share all this information with my sons, and us try all of this. It helps so much!! Yes, it surprised me too. I do not have a shop near me, this one is several hours away, so hopefully this advice helps us find, fix, and save a trip, time, and money.
Last edited by a moderator:
JayBros
Well-known member
You say your sons are handy and if you find the problem they may be able to fix it. Therefore, the best thing you can do for the three of you is go to this site and purchase a repair and maintenance manual. It will be the best $24.50 you've spent since you bought the Spyder.
https://canammanuals.com/product/20...air-and-maintenance-manual-master-collection/
https://canammanuals.com/product/20...air-and-maintenance-manual-master-collection/
Pic only showed around post #8 for me...
But, when you say you check the coolant and it is low, how/where are you doing that?? Are you using a torch or other bright light to clearly see the 'Low' or 'Add' mark on the coolant reservoir?? It's bloody hard to see, but topping the coolant in that tank right up when everything is cold is a trap for young/inexperienced players, and getting the cap off then back on properly is bloody hard to do, but if not done properly, is often something that will lead to pretty much what you describe!! So are you SURE the cap on that tank is going back on properly, past the first 'hard bit' and on until it locks on??
That aside, and I apologise if this is teaching anyone to suck eggs, but just to make sure that everyone, including any other readers realise all this, you do understand that if you are checking the Reservoir/Expansion/Recovery/Overflow Tank (all are names that can be used!) when the engine/coolant is cold, the level is meant to be down somewhat, only still above the 'Add' line - and the lines on them are bloody hard to see!?! This is so the coolant can expand as everything gets warmer, fill the Expansion/Overflow Tank without necessarily overflowing, then once you stop and everything cools down again, it allows the now contracting coolant to be drawn back into the cooling system proper without any overflow while riding &/or need to be constantly adding coolant to top things up like we used to hafta do on non-recovery cooling system radiators.
So with that in mind, failing it actually being a leak or cracked tank, improperly seated cap, etc; there's 2 other possible issues that might be coming into play here...
The first is that if you are filling the Overflow tank to full while things are all cold and not yet hot & expanded, then there's a very high likelihood that your cooling system will force some excess coolant out once things do warm up, AS IT IS DESIGNED TO DO!! So if, as @Bfromla suggested, the overflow tube isn't terminated under the bike outside all the placcy & tupperware bits, you'll see signs of coolant that's been ejected, but that's (usually) perfectly normal as the Overflow tank sets it's correct level, just so long as the cold coolant level remains above the 'Add' line in the tank, you SHOULD NOT add any more coolant if it is, or it'll just overflow again next time things get hot enough!
The second thing is that if the cooling system has ever been opened & the coolant drained/replaced without properly purging all the air pockets out of the coolant in the radiator & block (did the mechanic purge the system in Feb??) then there's a good chance that there's air still trapped in the system somewhere and that'll expand more than the coolant as it gets hot. So it will be blowing some coolant out of the overflow pretty much every time you ride, and if you only ever top the coolant in the Overflow tank up once everything has cooled down again and the coolant level has dropped lower than the 'Add' line, you are just trapping more air in the wrong place and perpetrating the problem!!
If this is the case, you need to purge the system by raising the front of your Spyder and running it for at least a couple of fan turn on/off cycles (usually 20/30 mins, at least here in Oz!) with the Overflow cap OFF while you are watching and keeping the coolant level up towards the 'Full' mark all the time. You should watch for bubbles in the coolant in the tank while you do this - the occasional big-ish bubbles while you do this will be the air pockets/bubbles coming out, but really small and constant, sorta foamy bubbles while you do this is not a good sign. Once you've seen the fans cycle on/off a few times and there's no more bubbles coming out, make sure the coolant level is at least at the 'Full' or top mark, put the cap back ON, turning it past the first hard stop bit until it won't turn any more, and then shut the engine down.
You should be good to go from there, just so long as your overflow tube is venting outside the placcy trays & tupperware; and you shouldn't be concerned if it blows a little coolant out during your next ride, that's only the cooling system self-setting the correct level in the Overflow tank, just so long as level in that tank doesn't drop below the 'Add' mark when everything cools down again!
Any of that helpful?? Good Luck!
But, when you say you check the coolant and it is low, how/where are you doing that?? Are you using a torch or other bright light to clearly see the 'Low' or 'Add' mark on the coolant reservoir?? It's bloody hard to see, but topping the coolant in that tank right up when everything is cold is a trap for young/inexperienced players, and getting the cap off then back on properly is bloody hard to do, but if not done properly, is often something that will lead to pretty much what you describe!! So are you SURE the cap on that tank is going back on properly, past the first 'hard bit' and on until it locks on??
That aside, and I apologise if this is teaching anyone to suck eggs, but just to make sure that everyone, including any other readers realise all this, you do understand that if you are checking the Reservoir/Expansion/Recovery/Overflow Tank (all are names that can be used!) when the engine/coolant is cold, the level is meant to be down somewhat, only still above the 'Add' line - and the lines on them are bloody hard to see!?! This is so the coolant can expand as everything gets warmer, fill the Expansion/Overflow Tank without necessarily overflowing, then once you stop and everything cools down again, it allows the now contracting coolant to be drawn back into the cooling system proper without any overflow while riding &/or need to be constantly adding coolant to top things up like we used to hafta do on non-recovery cooling system radiators.
So with that in mind, failing it actually being a leak or cracked tank, improperly seated cap, etc; there's 2 other possible issues that might be coming into play here...
The first is that if you are filling the Overflow tank to full while things are all cold and not yet hot & expanded, then there's a very high likelihood that your cooling system will force some excess coolant out once things do warm up, AS IT IS DESIGNED TO DO!! So if, as @Bfromla suggested, the overflow tube isn't terminated under the bike outside all the placcy & tupperware bits, you'll see signs of coolant that's been ejected, but that's (usually) perfectly normal as the Overflow tank sets it's correct level, just so long as the cold coolant level remains above the 'Add' line in the tank, you SHOULD NOT add any more coolant if it is, or it'll just overflow again next time things get hot enough!
The second thing is that if the cooling system has ever been opened & the coolant drained/replaced without properly purging all the air pockets out of the coolant in the radiator & block (did the mechanic purge the system in Feb??) then there's a good chance that there's air still trapped in the system somewhere and that'll expand more than the coolant as it gets hot. So it will be blowing some coolant out of the overflow pretty much every time you ride, and if you only ever top the coolant in the Overflow tank up once everything has cooled down again and the coolant level has dropped lower than the 'Add' line, you are just trapping more air in the wrong place and perpetrating the problem!!
If this is the case, you need to purge the system by raising the front of your Spyder and running it for at least a couple of fan turn on/off cycles (usually 20/30 mins, at least here in Oz!) with the Overflow cap OFF while you are watching and keeping the coolant level up towards the 'Full' mark all the time. You should watch for bubbles in the coolant in the tank while you do this - the occasional big-ish bubbles while you do this will be the air pockets/bubbles coming out, but really small and constant, sorta foamy bubbles while you do this is not a good sign. Once you've seen the fans cycle on/off a few times and there's no more bubbles coming out, make sure the coolant level is at least at the 'Full' or top mark, put the cap back ON, turning it past the first hard stop bit until it won't turn any more, and then shut the engine down.
You should be good to go from there, just so long as your overflow tube is venting outside the placcy trays & tupperware; and you shouldn't be concerned if it blows a little coolant out during your next ride, that's only the cooling system self-setting the correct level in the Overflow tank, just so long as level in that tank doesn't drop below the 'Add' mark when everything cools down again!
Any of that helpful?? Good Luck!
Last edited:
Woodaddict
Active member
with a pic that high up, showing leaking. might be the crack in the coolant bottle, connecting hose not fully tight, top coolant cap not fitted tight, or one of the hose clamps loose
Gwolf
Well-known member
And buy a radiator pressure pump kit while you are at it. Get one with the many different fit caps. The hand pump kind are not expensive. The right pressue test kit will have everything you need to test the cooling system and to test the cap to see if it is releasing at the correct pressure. It is not something new. We had those at the service stations I worked at when I was in high school many decades ago. That was so long ago the stations that sold gasoline had several bays and one with a hydraulic lift, instead of the cash register being inside a store that sells junk food, beer, and lottery tickets. The real service stations had 3 or 4 pretty good mechnics working on cars with minor problems in the lube bays. They didn't take on any major jobs like anything involving pulling the heads or dropping the oil pan, bujt they could change alternators, belts, hoses, PCV valves, and many other minor jobs not requiring a fully equiped auto shop.
One of these kits listed here would probably be less expensive than a couple of trips to the far away dealer, and you could recover the cost if you wanted to by doing some testing on the neighborhood vehicles or maybe just loan it to you kids and never see it again.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=radiator+cooloing+sytem+and+cap+test+pump+kit&crid=2C3MZVAGSUM4F&sprefix=radiator+cooloing+sytem+and+cap+test+pump+kit,aps,118&ref=nb_sb_noss
Mikey
Well-known member
You know if I couldn't find that leak from looking in from the sides top, or bottom, I would take the nose right off of the thing! I know what your going to say, WTF is he saying, but I took my frunk off my bike to do the air box delete, and it was easy as all get out and gives you so much room and access to all kinds of things, and you will have unobstructed view of a lot of things where you are searching right now. You can you tube it and see what's involved! Good luck!!
Right front? Yep, that's exactly where my first and only leak occurred: a loose lower radiator hose clamp. Jack it up, or better yet, run it up on a couple of ramps and remove the front skid plate. That will give you a view to access the bottom of both redaitors and hoses. Take your radiator cap to a parts house and get a pressure test cap. They come with a small hand pump and pressure test your system. It should be easy to use and not expensive. Your cardboard trick was a good idea. I use news paper. Good luck, and let us know where and how you fixed the leak.
If you don't want to buy the pressure test kit many auto parts places allow you to rent the kit and you get your money back if you return it in a reasonalbe amount of time. Do take your cap in to make sure the kit has what you need.
This has helped me in the past finding leaks.
https://www.harborfreight.com/uv-leak-detector-black-light-led-flashlight-59279.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/uv-leak-detector-black-light-led-flashlight-59279.html
Similar threads
