Just got my 2nd quad. New Cannondale Speed and had it out today for it's first real ride. I did all the correct break in and now I took it out for a real ride. While riding I looked down and noticed oil coming out of the overflow tube by the battery. When I checked the oil it was down a lot. It doesn't happen when idling only when you rev it up. When you rev it, it starts to come right out of the overflow tube. Any ideas ????

 

No clue as to what might be the problem but obviously it's under warranty so take it back to the dealer and try to get some freebies from them due to the downtime you're going to experience. I'd also contact Cannondale and inform them how disappointed you are after spending over 8K on a quad, it's already in the shop and ask them what they are going to do for you to compensate.

 

Hey Chas, don't get all concerned about it. My cannibal dripped pretty steadily onto the battery for the first 4-5 rides and then quit! I haven't had a problem since. Nobody ever could explain it to me.
Unless it was shooting out, i bet you were low on oil to begin with.
Now I've go a new leak from the coolant resevoir. Has a pinhole leak but hasn't kept me from riding.
How do you like the SPEED, otherwise?

 

Ryanstones, Get a new coolant resevior! Mine started out as a pin hole also. After a few laps around the track I checked it and it had about a 1/2 crack in it. It was about middle ways so there was still some coolant in it. Any way I tried fixing it 3 times to get through the last few races of last season, it just kept getting worse. Ended up cracking all the way down the seam on the front of the resevior. I tried black silicon, I use this stuff on everything and it usualy works Not this time. I even tried a plastic tank repare kit the last time I tried to fix it, it only held up for a few miniutes! Nothing would work. Any way Cannondale had a recall on the FX's. Even though you have a Cannibal I figure they will give you a new one.

I was told the oil comming out of the overflow was from over reving the engine. Mine did it at first but after I quit reving the engine out alot it quit. After I put my 18" tires on and didnt change the gear ratio it started again (cant hardly help from reving it sky high with the stock gearing and 18" rears). I'm going to run the stock tires until I get a new rear sprocket.

 

I've never had any oil coming out of the overflow nor have I had any other leaks. Only problem I really have is the dang chain slide. Did C-dale cover any of yall when the chain slide wore down to quickly? I've heard people say that warranty covers it since it is premature wear but my dealership refuses to cover it. They said they called c-dale and that they wouldn't cover it either, and get this... they said that c-dale said they knew there was a problem w/ the chain slides wearing to quickly and that they changed to a stronger material but they wouldn't cover my chain slide that wore down in 10 hours! I'm wondering if Action Power Sports in Ennis TX even called c-dale. I typed the name down because I wanted all texas residents to know that they will only try to screw you over.

 

Your paying so much for these quads, yet having these kinds of problems ?? Why aint they through the dealers window yet? come on with it.
Thats rediculous to have all these problems.

 

You make it sound like everyone is having problems with their C'dales, most of us are not. And when we do have issues, Cannondale for the most part has bent over backwards to make situations right. If anyone is having issues with their C'dales and you are not getting proper resolution from your local dealer, I urge you to contact Cannondale.
I was in this situation with my local dealer on my FX400, they were incompetent so I contacted Cannondale, next thing I know I'm being given a new quad!!

 

What are you talking about PRS? Compared to all the stuff that has failed/broken on my yamaha's the 'dale is stone cold reliable!!!!! My family rides the h@ll out of our 4wheelers. Things break! No surprise there. Why have nearly every 400ex i've ever ridden with, blown fuses for no apparent reason? My 'dale cost me the same as a Raptor would've and we know what kind of serious problems they have had.What's the cost have to do with anything? What is "rediculous"? Keep buying the antiquated honda's and yamaha's and those companies will keep giving you the same old thing. Cannondale is forcing their hand, and after only 2 years have done an amazing job.





<< Your paying so much for these quads, yet having these kinds of problems ?? Why aint they through the dealers window yet? come on with it.
Thats rediculous to have all these problems. >>

 

I have yet to havea problem with my quad, except for not being able to get it started when its 2 degrees outside, but after posting my problem Brian and Ryan straightend me out and I havent had any starting problems. I even called my dealer and he is going to try to get me a GP1000 engine map/controlunit for free, he thinks he will be able too, so I think Cannondale has been great and the quads are totally reliable. I posted a longer version ofthis in the yamaha forum, but lets just think about this for a second.

These quads are hand built, in the USA
these quads have customer built Aluminum frames, Ohlin shocks, aluminum swingarms
braided stainless steel brake lines, dual over head cams, electronic fuel injuection, and skid plates to boot.
They are continuously being updated, thye dont set out a plan for a year and make &quot;X&quot; number o quads, then make another bathc for the next year. IT is a WORK IN PROGRESS, they are always updateing things and when they are updated they are put on the very next quadthey Hand make. One on Monday could be differnt than the one thye build on friday, and if the one they built on Monday is still in the factory they will update that one too. No other company is constantly makeing things better and updating the ones allready in production.
Not to mention that this is their second year!! Guys in two more years the Japs are seriously going to have to re-think their quad plans if they hope to keep up, mark my words, take a picture, write it down, cannondale will start a revolution in ATV technology, or the japs will sell no more quads.

 

I had mine spew oil out from the airbox, I checked for kinked lines, oil level, counldn't find a problem, I called the dealer from the dunes they had no answer so I took it into them, no problem found. They said they contacted C-dale and they didn't have an answer at the time, this was last June, but it stopped pumping oil from the airbox.

Well yesturday I decided I'd go out in the garage and start it up(havn't ridden it since summer), I run it every few weeks though. Anyway I noticed it smoked a bit the other times I ran it, but yesturday I couldn't get it to start, tore it down, pulled plug, it's getting spark. Fuel pumps working, but it act's like it's starving for fuel. Got tired put it away. Working on it today and I pull the airbox so I can see down the throttle body, my airbox was half full of OIL!! This tells me that the dealer probably didn't pull the airbox when they checked it out [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]
Anyway I still couldn't get it to start, I primed the cylinder( poured a little gas down the throttle body) and got it to fire. It'll start now for a few seconds then die, so it seems to be getting some fuel but not enough to keep it running but for a second or two.

Has anyone had trouble with the swelled O-rings in the gas tank, I've read there has been trouble with these cutting fuel supply. I removed the filter and blew through the line and was able to get air through it.