Need help and your expertise

[spydernatic]

OK I need some help I recently had a problem with my rear air suspension on my 2012 RT Limited. The pump (compressor) would not come on and pump up the air suspension while I was riding (IT SHOWED A RED SCREEN AND SAID MANUAL) I sent the RT to the local dealer who found out that it was a bad relay which they replaced and the air suspension is working fine now. Now to my concern, the air in my suspension will not keep the air bladder pumped up hard and PRESSURIZED as it supposed to for more than four hours .... so I am calling on all the Spyder experts our there to tell if the air should stay in and keep the suspension pressurized at whatever setting has been set to or does the the air slowly leak out of the air bladder and the compressor will inflate it back up once the RT is started up. I went to a friend who has a red RT and has not ridden for a couple of weeks and the air suspension was rock hard so does that means I have a leak or a bad shradder valve, please let me know from experience or if you know if it should stay pressurized at the setting you set it even when the Spyder has not been ridden and standing for a while. THANKS

 

[Bob Denman]

This is interesting...:shocked:
The system is dependent on ride height; not pressure.
If it pumps back up once you fire the bike up and hit the road; I think that you might be okay...
How long does it take to bleed down?

 

[NancysToy]

What Bob said has merit. The system pressure is variable. The best way to troubleshoot is to check the air pressure at the Sschrader valve after you have shut down the Spyder for the day. Check again the next morning. You will lose a pound or two each time you check, and maybe another for temperature change, but that should be all. If it won't hold pressure, check for leaks at the Schrader valve first. If that's OK, it could be piping, a leaking release valve, or a bad air bag. The air system should never be operated at less than 10 pounds. To do so can damage the air bag prematurely. The old Delco air shocks had the same problem. Run them empty for long and they would never hold air again.

 

[spydernatic]

First off thanks goes to Bob and NancysToy for their replies this is what I have do so far, I went up to the workshop this morning and did a pressure test at the Schrader valve ....0 psi I then started the Spyder and got the compressor to run by following the recommendations, the pump started and I adjusted the level on the gauge on the screen to its highest point. I then read the pressure and it read 29 psi I turned the Spyder off and checked the pressure it was down to 25.5 psi I waited about 30 seconds rechecked and it was at 24.5 psi I then waited another 30 seconds and checked again it had dropped to 23 psi.
I started the Spyder again got the pump running and it stopped pumping when it reached 29 psi did not want to go to a higher pressure, according to the operators guide it should pump up to a maximum of 90 psi if you have 2 people and are fully loaded and set at the highest level, I then adjusted the level on the gauge to its lowest level to bleed off the air and read the pressure it was at 0 psi adjusted 1 level up still 0 psi adjusted up another level it pumped up to 13 psi up to the next level it went to 22 psi and the up to its highest level it went to 29 psi. this was at 9.00 am this morning. I went out at 2.00 pm and checked the pressure it was down to 8psi.
I then added pressure manually up to 47 psi and checked the pressure and every time I checked it dropped by 1 psi or more after 5 minutes it had dropped 47 to 33 psi. I did the spit test on the Schrader valve and did not see any bubbles showing that there was not air coming out of the valve so I can only suspect that there is a leak somewhere else.
What concerns me is if I am riding the compressor would have to be continually pumping up the air bag to compensate for the loss of air.
I have called the dealer and will be returning the Spyder to them on Monday to be checked ...I think it will be OK to ride this weekend any one out there have some thought about riding the Spyder with this existing problem.

 

[Bob Denman]

I'm not sure that you get a comparable reading at the valve when you've got the ACS system in place... :shocked:
And you MIGHT be losing some of that air during the pressure test... I think!

 

[BajaRon]

A spray bottle with a little soap in a lot of water is better than spit because you can get more where you want it.

If you're losing air that fast it may well be the shock bladder. As Scotty said, once you run that rear shock at zero or low enough so the system is bottoming it will never hold air again.

It is a very low volume, high pressure system so just checking pressure will lower it. If you can attach a gauge to the system that will work best for checking bleed down.

 

[M109Dreamer]

We had the same prob. I noticed that every time the wife would fire it up that it would give her a manual orange screen. and that it would not air up automatically based on the weight of the rider and or passenger. When we took ours in they replaced the the shock. I know they also replaced some other parts but it was when we first got the Spyder and I don't recall. This prob doesnt help much either. If your loosing air that quick I use a little squeeze bottle with soapy water and just hose down ALL of the connection and fittings. Loosing that much that fast you I would think you could see some bubbles somewhere. Might want to try and start with what the dealer has worked on first. Good luck!

 

[NancysToy]

First off thanks goes to Bob and NancysToy for their replies this is what I have do so far, I went up to the workshop this morning and did a pressure test at the Schrader valve ....0 psi I then started the Spyder and got the compressor to run by following the recommendations, the pump started and I adjusted the level on the gauge on the screen to its highest point. I then read the pressure and it read 29 psi I turned the Spyder off and checked the pressure it was down to 25.5 psi I waited about 30 seconds rechecked and it was at 24.5 psi I then waited another 30 seconds and checked again it had dropped to 23 psi.
I started the Spyder again got the pump running and it stopped pumping when it reached 29 psi did not want to go to a higher pressure, according to the operators guide it should pump up to a maximum of 90 psi if you have 2 people and are fully loaded and set at the highest level, I then adjusted the level on the gauge to its lowest level to bleed off the air and read the pressure it was at 0 psi adjusted 1 level up still 0 psi adjusted up another level it pumped up to 13 psi up to the next level it went to 22 psi and the up to its highest level it went to 29 psi. this was at 9.00 am this morning. I went out at 2.00 pm and checked the pressure it was down to 8psi.
I then added pressure manually up to 47 psi and checked the pressure and every time I checked it dropped by 1 psi or more after 5 minutes it had dropped 47 to 33 psi. I did the spit test on the Schrader valve and did not see any bubbles showing that there was not air coming out of the valve so I can only suspect that there is a leak somewhere else.
What concerns me is if I am riding the compressor would have to be continually pumping up the air bag to compensate for the loss of air.
I have called the dealer and will be returning the Spyder to them on Monday to be checked ...I think it will be OK to ride this weekend any one out there have some thought about riding the Spyder with this existing problem.

As you have proven, the system loses a pond or two each and every time you check it. It is best not to check too much. Measure oncew after shutting the Spyder off, and once the next day. Any loss of more than a few pounds indicates a leak. The loss of pressure you have described does indicate a leak. If a spit or soapy water test at the Schrader valve shows that it is tight, the leak lies in the air bladder or the piping. Manually filling the system with the Spyder turned off is a better way to set the pressure and test leak-down.

Please note that the pressure number on the automatic system is meaningless. While you may see 29 psi at max after you were aboard solo, it might read 70 psi with a passenger, and even more with cargo. The system will pump up or bleed whenever the Spyder is running, in gear, with the parking brake released. It changes frequently in use, adjusting when you hit a bump, move in the seat, go over a rise, hit a bump, and so forth. Standing on the pegs to see over the windshield when putting the Spyder in the garage bleeds mine off like crazy. It is controlled by ride height, and not air pressure, unlike the manual version.

At this point it sounds like it would be best for you to see your dealer. Just tell him "It won't hold air." and let him chase it.

 

[rcturner]

A question about the gage you are using. Is it a gage designed for checking low volume item like an air suspension ? If not, you will never get good readings. A standard air gage will drive you nuts if that is what you are using. I don't know for sure but I would guess that the gage included in the tools would be acceptable. If not, find a Goldwing owner and borrow theirs. (it would have to be an older Goldwing)

 

[spydernatic]

Rear suspension update

OK so here is the final update to what happened to resolve the problem with my rear air suspension. Thanks to you all for replying to me as I now have a better understanding of how the air suspension works, it is ride height pressurized so it has variable pressure settings according to the weight on the Spyder. But mine did have a leak as this was discovered the second time my Spyder went back a plastic part under the schrader valve was replaced and we thought that we had found the leak....ha ..ha it still lost pressure and overnight it lost all of the pressure so the Spyder went back for a 3rd time. This time BRP got involved and all the fittings hoses and everything was checked again and they replaced the air bag and as NancysToy said once the air bag stays deflated for to long it will never hold pressure again. So with all that done I am now a happy camper it's now WORKING as it should, after a ride I check the pressure and it is around 32 psi the next morning it is around 29 psi and it holds that pressure.
Thanks for your comments and help and a big thanks to my Dealership Mountain Motor sports for working with me and resolving this issue I know that, and they know that sometimes I am a pain ....but what is not working must be corrected no matter how long it takes or how difficult it is ....I JUST WANT IT DONE RIGHT.

 

[NancysToy]

Glad to hear you got it taken care of. :thumbup:

 

[jwulf74]

So if the system slowly loses pressure, what does everyone do when the :spyder2: is sleeping for the winter? We have the auto-airbags on ours. I would hate to have it fully deflate and find it ruined when we get them back out in the spring.:dontknow:

 

[Magdave]

I just had mine fixed 2 weeks ago it was losing 5lbs a week. I have an RT so no pump. They replaced the hoses and not the bag. I checked tonight I set it to 60lbs after the fix and it was 59lbs after 2 weeks :clap:. Yes it loses 1lb every check with my Accurite gauge :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

So if the system slowly loses pressure, what does everyone do when the :spyder2: is sleeping for the winter? We have the auto-airbags on ours. I would hate to have it fully deflate and find it ruined when we get them back out in the spring.:dontknow:

That's not likely to happen, although it conceivably could rot at the crease. It is the motion and chafing from riding without the bag inflated (and ballooned) that does the most damage.