Oil leak from transmission fixes?

[shayan]

And another..

[HadesOmega]

How hard is it to remove the motor from the bike?  Time to buy a Zero motor and install =P

[shayan]

How hard is it to remove the motor from the bike?  Time to buy a Zero motor and install =P

I guess the difficulties will be with changing the software with the new motor. I wonder if i need to change software if i just get rid of the gearbox and chain the wheel to a fixed gear with the same motor. Would get rid of a significant amount of weight i think 

[Leander]

Sorry, missed the new foto's.

looks the same as on the brammo empulse R.

just remove the 8 outer bolt and you can tap the motor out with no problem.
then you can disconnect the motor cables on the other side.

Do you have a service manual?

[Leander]

How hard is it to remove the motor from the bike?  Time to buy a Zero motor and install =P

just as easy or hard as any other motor with a gearbox

fitting the zero 75-7 will be a lot harder

[shayan]

Sorry, missed the new foto's.

looks the same as on the brammo empulse R.

just remove the 8 outer bolt and you can tap the motor out with no problem.
then you can disconnect the motor cables on the other side.

Do you have a service manual?

Cool. Hopefully it won’t be too difficult. I might have to get this done in a garage. So I will need to pass on the instructions to whoever will be working on this. And yes I do have a service manual. Does that have more instructions?

[Leander]

No, it's just that simple.

!Disconnect the big safety connector in front of the battery/ under the stearinghead before you do anything else on the electrical system!

just a side note, the system still works without the motor installed but it thinks it is charging.

[shayan]

Happy to report that that the leak got fixed. The local Polaris/Indian dealership in San Jose (Spirit Motorcycles) previously had refused to take in my bike for repairs, but recently had a change in staff and the new staff were kind enough to take in my bike for a repair and fix the transmission o-ring. I believe the o-ring and the seal were removed and redone (since the parts for replacement are not available) and put back into the casing. The cast was then allowed to cure for about 48 hours and all was good to go.

So maybe if someone faces a similar issue in the future, this would be a good solution.

-Shayan

[HadesOmega]

That's good to hear.  I did talk to a tech from Spirit at a demo ride event and they said they still work on Empulses.  He said they had to replace the batteries on one recently.   So the batteries can still be replaced under warranty.  I think it 5 years or 100,000 miles. 

[HadesOmega]

I just hit 6000 miles on my Empulse and I noticed it is starting to leak fluid from the left side of the gearbox assembly.  Specifically around the left side motor cover right behind the shift lever.  It looks like the same leak everyone else is getting. 

I've also been getting a B9 error also.  It used to flash every once in a while but it pretty much stays on all the time.  Might have something to do with this.

I think it is coolant because I see some of it has dried up and it kind of crusty like old dried up coolant.  When I rub it on my finger it feels kind of sticky like coolant.

Shayan how much was it to repair the leak when you took it to Spirit?

[jos velthoven]

This is the motor part on the photo. Maybe there's only a leak behind the bolt. But to be sure you have to take of the black cover of the sensor part. That's not so difficult, see fore the manual.
If it's only leaking from the hole of the bolt, then i would suggest that you put some liquid gasket in it and put the bolt in again.
See the pictures for more detail. Because the coolant is on the outside of the engine house, there's only a little space between the coolant area and the hole of the bolt.

Greetings from Holland.
Jos Velthoven

[jos velthoven]

more photo's

[shayan]

Hello, it did cost me around 400$-500$ including everything so it was not bad that way. They said that this problem is likely to reoccur since it was only a temporary fix that they could perform and ideally the unit should've been replaced under warranty if they were really available from Polaris. What do u plan to do now?
Honestly, i moved to the Zero camp now as i auctioned off the Empulse 

-Shayan

[HadesOmega]

Thanks jos velthoven for the pictures and info.  Would I be able to do this with the motor assembly on the bike or would I have to remove the whole unit?  Is there a gasket you can replace to fix this or the liquid gasket is the only way? 

I think I will attempt to fix this myself.  Maybe I will take it to Spirit and have them take a look at it and see what they think.  I think the warranty expired last year so I it'll be out of pocket =/

[HadesOmega]

I changed my oil today and took a sample of the coolant and oil on one tray.  It definitely looks like coolant that's coming out.  The oil is grey and oily, slick.  Where the coolant is orange colored and sticky.  You can see the two of them together in one of the pictures.  Is that the proper color of the coolant orange?   





I cleaned up the leak and I'll monitor it for now.  I'm not too worried about it as long as its not gushing coolant onto my tire.  Should probably check the coolant level.