RT HEAT ISSUE AND GAS SMELL

[bruiser]

Me to Bob.

 

[stewartj239]

They ALL have the problem, Its a design defect, not a bad part.

No they don't. They ALL got the recall, but not all of them had melted parts. The ones with melted parts have the problem. I routinely ride in the heat and yes, I do get stuck in traffic and everything was perfect under the hood as well as no excessive heat.

 

[AbNormy]

texas

I'm with JC, it might be ok in New York, but as has been said we ride all year here, and after May it's bad.:banghead::banghead: If I pull in my garage after riding home from work at 2 am, even, if the tanks not full, have to park a box fan in front of it or garage stinks. :yikes::yikes:I added 6' of fuel line in the line between the tank and the canister and routed it up over the airbox for now, and it seems to help, but it's been cool so far this spring. Just depends on your climate...

 

[stewartj239]

I'm with JC, it might be ok in New York, but as has been said we ride all year here, and after May it's bad.:banghead:

No doubt the southern states get more heat over the course of the summer, but in the northeast we get plenty of 90+ degrees days with high humidity. How long does the bike need to run in that environment before you feel the heat? I would say hours, not days or months. Certainly the problem should be seen everywhere if it was truly an "ALL" problem. Also, not all of the Spyders with melted parts were from the south. If so, then that theory would hold water.

 

[TWILBER]

I have a 2013 RT LTD. I have never smelled the gas as many of you have, but I certainly feel the heat around the seat and get the right side Hot Foot.

Here in good ole NC in the summer we routinely have 90+ temps and it is very uncomfortable riding let alone stopped in traffic.

I have to ride with my right food on the passenger footboard to tolerate the excessive heat from the lower vent hole and have gotten the upper vent blockoff from SpyderPops.
However, because of their suggestion to cut holes in the bottom panel, I hesitate.

How many of you have done this to your 13 RT and did it really work out or did it cause problems?

 

[Larry rt]

I never had the gas smell (over 22000 miles) 2013rt ltd .
I do not have a major right foot heat , issue , always ride with high boots. I road in California at 107 deg. Temp. , I have installed BRP's adjustable vents (I have discovered that open at half way it defects air down over my right foot) . Don't get me wrong , I do feel hot air , but not extreme heat.
I do agree that the )heat does build up by glove box and should be addressed , but not any more then my ATV's .

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

Are you talking about a hot foot or heat under the tupperware? My 2013 had melting parts and I never felt any excessive heat from it. They are two different things. Also, the gas smell can be caused by operator error, overfilling the Spyder, or as was the case with mine a bad purge valve that caused fuel to fill the evap canister. Eventually the heat under the tupperware caused the evap canister to melt and dump the fuel on the exhaust manifold.

BRP issued a recall on all 2013 RT and ST so they must have thought that the problem affected all of them.

I have to disagree with your statement about operators overfilling the tank! This is one of the things that have pushed me and the wife over the edge. When mine was in for the repair of fuel smell and small puddles of gas under the bike the dealer replaced the charcoal canister and told me that we overfilled the tank, I called BS on that and told him there are other issues causing this and overfilling the tank is a cop-out. I left the dealership with slightly less than half a tank of gas and a brand new canister, upon arriving home (42 miles) and parking the spyder in the garage we had excessive fumes in the garage and a small puddle of gas on the ground. Heat is the issue and they know it! My wife will never get back on the spyder regardless of what they do to fix it, they will never get her trust back in this bike!!

 

[jcthorne]

The fuel fumes are neither normal nor do they comply with federal emissions regs, perhaps one of our CA member with the problem could file a CARB complaint and get some BRP action. The EPA seems to turn a blind eye.

 

[Bob Denman]

I have to disagree with your statement about operators overfilling the tank! This is one of the things that have pushed me and the wife over the edge. When mine was in for the repair of fuel smell and small puddles of gas under the bike the dealer replaced the charcoal canister and told me that we overfilled the tank, I called BS on that and told him there are other issues causing this and overfilling the tank is a cop-out. I left the dealership with slightly less than half a tank of gas and a brand new canister, upon arriving home (42 miles) and parking the spyder in the garage we had excessive fumes in the garage and a small puddle of gas on the ground. Heat is the issue and they know it! My wife will never get back on the spyder regardless of what they do to fix it, they will never get her trust back in this bike!!

A puddle of fuel on the garage floor points to a separate issue...
the heat in the tank could NOT get high enough to expand a half-tankful of fuel enough for any overflow to occur... :shocked:
I'm just guessing; but it might have to do with a fuel return line that has sprung a leak...
Take a picture of the puddle, and go back to the dealer...
Good lUck! :thumbup:

 

[Magdave]

A puddle of fuel on the garage floor points to a separate issue...
the heat in the tank could NOT get high enough to expand a half-tankful of fuel enough for any overflow to occur... :shocked:
I'm just guessing; but it might have to do with a fuel return line that has sprung a leak...
Take a picture of the puddle, and go back to the dealer...
Good lUck! :thumbup:

It is not overflow Bob it is condensation of the fumes out the vent hose. I have seen the "mirage" effect after a ride from fumes spewing out the hose followed by some drips. The fumes condense in the hose and eventually drip. I rode in 95 ambient temps in traffic today and stopped for gas. I was barely able to get the cap off it kept clicking but after pushing down I got it to turn slowly. Cap was pretty hot ( it has been hotter before I added insulation). When I put the nozzle in and started fueling I could see gas fumes (a lot) condensing on the nozzle and dripping back into the tank and it kept shutting off till I went very slow on the fill. Obviously boiling and the tank only took 3.4 gal to fill 3mi ride home and no fumes but I know if I had come home before filling I would have gotten them. I am now trying 93 "Pure Gas" but my mileage was only 26.5 mpg. That may have been biased by the stop and go traffic and I was darting in and out of traffic twisting the go lever a lot.

 

[jwulf74]

I echo the above statements. The dripping fuel is from the fumes condensing in the line. I took my canister out and left my wife's in and they both drip. It evaporates pretty readily, but they both do it. I got curious one day and put a pop bottle on my vent hose after a ride and it collected an astounding amount of liquid.

I plan on making a catch can out of a glass bottle for after rides and video it.

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

It is not overflow Bob it is condensation of the fumes out the vent hose. I have seen the "mirage" effect after a ride from fumes spewing out the hose followed by some drips. The fumes condense in the hose and eventually drip. I rode in 95 ambient temps in traffic today and stopped for gas. I was barely able to get the cap off it kept clicking but after pushing down I got it to turn slowly. Cap was pretty hot ( it has been hotter before I added insulation). When I put the nozzle in and started fueling I could see gas fumes (a lot) condensing on the nozzle and dripping back into the tank and it kept shutting off till I went very slow on the fill. Obviously boiling and the tank only took 3.4 gal to fill 3mi ride home and no fumes but I know if I had come home before filling I would have gotten them. I am now trying 93 "Pure Gas" but my mileage was only 26.5 mpg. That may have been biased by the stop and go traffic and I was darting in and out of traffic twisting the go lever a lot.

Exactly!! Dealer can not get it fixed and we are done fighting it and feel it's not safe to be on or in our garage that's why it's put away!

 

[AbNormy]

I added a few feet of line between tank & canister with a clear filter just for grins while it helps its not totally fixed.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

 

[Ben Burped]

Welcome to Spyder World.

:bdh:

 

[jaherbst]

how many bikes out their really have this problem i wonder i have a 2013 RTS SM5 we rode yesterday for about 100 mile temps where 76-80 never smelled fuel and no heat issue so my ?? is out of the 10000 of RT's out there how many have this problem i imagine if it was all 2013 RT BRP would have to do something their has to be a fix for it

You need to ride in heat, not 76-80 degrees. Here in the SW, South and SE our world is a little different say like 90-110 degrees. You will then discover what it is really like. After two recalls for heat related issues and volunteering for a third try to solve this problem with BRP through yet more changes, I can assure you it it real.

Jack

 

[jaherbst]

FWIW when I spoke to the guy who posts here under BRPcare he said a fix for the 13’s is in the works and almost ready to implement.
I don’t know what that fix is but the way he talked it was a lot more than tinfoil.

Roger< I was one of those who did the testing for BRP on the new experimental equipment. It consisted of drilling about 50 1/2 inch holes at the back part of the seat compartment, a small exhaust shield, and reversing the fan below 6 MPH. In my case here in Tucson AZ, I notice almost no difference. The equipment was not in stalled till the 25th of Sept. when temps are lower also. Do not expect this to solve the gas fumes and heat if they make it a recall.

Simply not enough air flow using the 14 frame with the 13 998 Rotax engine. For those not aware the frame on the 13's were designed to use the 1330 engine. The 1330 was not ready so they retrofitted back to the 998 engine for 2013. The exhaust is routed much different on the 998 than the 1330. Therein lies the problem. Not enough airflow for the 998 exhaust heat.

If they make it a recall, this will be the third recall for the heat/fumes issue. These have all been cheap band aid fixes that have had little or no effect in change. Until some money is spent for a real fix those of us with the 2013 RT's will be unhappy. For those in the Northern climes and states you will have much less problems in these regards.

Jack

 

[jaherbst]

but you have to understand most bike would not fair good in them conditions heck most Harley's would be on the side of the rode waiting to cool down LOL yes and some one would say the honda wing would do great and yes i do agree but i think if you took a wing and wrapped it in plastic is also would not fair so well

You obviously have never ridden a Harley. They are extremely reliable and have been since an ESOP buyout from AMF almost 30 years ago.

Goldwings are wrapped in plastic tupperware.

Before making these outrageous statements please take time to educate your self with the facts. Nothing personal but there is a tremendous difference between Maine temps and temps in the lower part of our great "48". Just because you have no heat problems in Maine you think the rest of us in Southern CA, TX, NM, and the SE should be suspect when complaining about Heat and Gas Fumes. Perhaps you should rethink your position on this.

Jack

 

[M109Dreamer]

I know the 13 RT's get alot of heat attention but I dont believe they are the only ones. I know our 11 RT will literally put burns on my wifes legs from the heat coming up from the seat in the summer here in Phoenix. I just hope that BRP fixes ALL year's with the heat issues and gas fumes.

What I dont understand is how the design has changed so much from 10-12's RT to where the 13's seem to be more problematic in numbers for heat issues?

 

[vtrider]

I don't seem to have the bad heat issues on my 2013 RT LTd like some folks have experienced. My temperature gauge is always below the half mark even in 90 temps. When stuck in traffic it may climb and the fans will certainly kick on, but I would expect that anyhow. The engine seems to run fine in all temps. In fact I think I had more heat related issues with my 2008 GS. The GS didn't run as smooth in hot temps and went into limp mode frequently. As far as the gas smell, I've experienced that on both of my spyders, but not that often, so it hasn't worried me much. One thing, I can add is, I always wear full protective vented gear (pants and jacket), riding boots and a full face helmet. I find the riding pants and boots keep me protected from the heat coming from the engine compartment and keeps me more comfortable, especially on those real hot summer days. I guess you can say the riding gear acts as it's own heat shield in some ways. I took a 2014 RT demo that my dealer had outfor a ride and liked how smooth it was, but didn't find the experience to be that much different than my 2013 as far as the fun factor goes. I will continue to enjoy my 2013 and hope it treats me well. To answer, the above question. I can say my 2013 seems normal as far as the heat and gas smell issues are concerned. It really hasn't been an issue for me.

 

[jcthorne]

Roger< I was one of those who did the testing for BRP on the new experimental equipment. It consisted of drilling about 50 1/2 inch holes at the back part of the seat compartment, a small exhaust shield, and reversing the fan below 6 MPH. In my case here in Tucson AZ, I notice almost no difference. The equipment was not in stalled till the 25th of Sept. when temps are lower also. Do not expect this to solve the gas fumes and heat if they make it a recall.


Jack

Interesting info, thanks for posting. Any chance you can post a pic or two on the vent holes they added. I cannot quite picture where they put them for air flow.

I would welcome the fan reversal retrofit for comfort sitting in traffic even if it does not help the gas fume issues. Would be a better solution than what I did sending the heat out the bottom.