2021 csc rx4

[duck9191]

the line might have a misformed flair or they were bent wrong and damaged in installations. Hopefully, it's an easy fix when they get it figured out. The only issue I can see is purging the abs module, not sure if they have an easy to trigger a purge cycle or if you would have to put it on a stand and trick it.

[tknj99]

Gotcha.. ive never dealt with abs before so its all new to me.. i have no issues doing a bleed/fill using my oil extractor under suction pressure at the bleed nipple while adding new fluid at the resevoir... hopefully that would be adequate once the abs piece is fixed

[duck9191]

If any air entered the abs module it needs to be bled too, normally you can do it either with a programmer/pc to cycle it a few times, or put it on a stand and try to trick it by spinning one wheel but not the other to make it think it's locked. Maybe that module has another way to cycle, but I'm sure CSC will tell you once they have it figured out.

The last time I had to do an abs bleed was in my jeep. Didn't want to pay the Chrysler dealer $200+ so I just found a snow cover parking lot and kept jamming on the brakes lol. It worked, it was fun, and it was free.

[tknj99]

While i await next steps on the ABS leak, i decided to add another layer of 1" foam to my seat to increase comfort further and smooth out the appearance.. now its 1" foam + 1/2" gel pad + 1" foam on top and then a 1" foam piece folded and sandwiched under the stock foam towards the front and this levels the seat out better.

[JerryHawk250]

More cush for the tush.

[tknj99]

Took a nice long ride yesterday and got to test out the updates i made to the seat.. so much better.. i now can ride longer and am no longer as distracted by the uncomfort of the seat as before.. but, with that said, i guess i like to push the envelope sometimes.. i ordered another 1/2" gel pad and plan to attach to the one i have now and use a single 1" foam over them so that the creases dont show. This will most certainly make it as comfortable as possible for long distance, all-day riding..
Found a nice side road and explored during the ride, and it was a beautiful hill and windy road that later turned into a winding gravel road with hills.. well, if you recall, my rear brake is out, so i rode with front brake only.. its not an issue on paved road but becomes much more interesting when the road turns to gravel.. i had to go extra slow, in first gear and even in neutral, on a few of the gravel declines so as not to roll too fast but it was manageable..
What a fun ride.. just broke 1000 miles and other than the ABS issue, the bike is riding great! On my way back, i stopped for gas and ran across another rider who was on a Ural with a sidecar that had a fake machine gun affixed to it, so cool..had no idea that it wasnt an old bike, he informed me it was a 2015 and that they just keep making new bikes with the old design, although with fuel injection these days.
I look forward to reading some of the other reviews that will most certainly arise when others receive their bikes..

[tknj99]

Spoke with CSC today and they are still diagnosing the issue but it seems to be affecting more bikes now.. in addition to the one they previously mentioned there is now another one in there shop that came from AZ that has a bunch of miles on it, so perhaps an older batch, same exact symptoms.. So it may wind up being something that potentially affects many or all '21 models as a recall type issue.

[tknj99]

Update: received word back from CSC and they have determined the issue to be a bad flare fitting on the line from the ABS to the rear master cylinder and are shipping me a new line. In speaking with them about how to accomplish the bleed after replacing the line, i was told that suction on the rear nipple while adding fluid to the reservoir will accomplish the task without needing to cycle the ABS module. I should be able to do all of this fairly easily and will report back when complete. I also asked about the other lines in case they fail later down the line and was told i'd be covered as it may have been shoddy assembly/defect to blame.
I have attached a pic of the line i was told will be sent to me and a pic of a specialized tool i can get if needed, although i plan to use my open ended 12mm wrench and oil extractor for this job.

[duck9191]

Harbor freight has those flair nut wrenchs and crows feet pretty cheap if you end up needing it.

[tknj99]

Originally Posted by duck9191

Harbor freight has those flair nut wrenchs and crows feet pretty cheap if you end up needing it.

Thanks, yep, just saw them for $15.. ill plan on picking up a metric set.

[tknj99]

Add flare nut repairer to my resume lol:

I received the part today and was able to remove the old assembly and install the new one. Two things I noticed during the install:

The sensor with 2 wires that attached at the rear brake to the banjo bolt starts twisting as I loosened the nut. I did my best to protect the wires so as not to get damaged but it was a bit hairy
The old flare nut was super tight. I did manage to finally remove it and then installed and snugged down the new flare nut to what I thought was tight enough and connected the rear banjo bolt section. Sadly the flare nut wrenches i bought were too thick (except for the rear banjo nut) and did not work so i had to use a regular 12mm open end wrench and was careful and it worked with no issues. Afterwards I bled the brakes via the suction method with my oil extractor while adding new fluid to the rear reservoir (alot of air came out). I then completed the install and took her for a ride and the rear brake worked perfectly and I did several panic stops to where the rear ABS engaged. I later checked the flare area and there was some fresh fluid. I dried it up and pumped the rear brake a few times and it was a bit wet again. So it tightened the flare further and since then it does appear to be staying dry after I went for another ride but I will keep an eye on it. On a side note, it was nice that even though I felt fresh fluid before the last tightening, no air entered the system and the brake still works perfectly.
Very happy to have my rear brakes back

[zjbowman]

Thanks for all of the updates! I put a deposit on my RX4 a couple of weeks ago. My biggest question I have yet to receive an answer on is how fast can this thing really cruise at? Here in AZ, the average speed is about 85, and goes up from there. I don't need to go much more than 90 but I want to know it can, safely. Can anyone tell me what they've had their RX4 up to and how it felt at that speed? Thank you!

[tknj99]

I had it up to 90 today and it was i think around 7k or so rpm.. I was close to an off ramp so didn't push more that., but sustained cruising at 80 is fine and it will sit around 6500. At 80 and up the biggest factors that will make you want to slow a bit will be wind buffeting and exhaust/intake noise. I like to stay around 75 on the highway leaving enough leftover to accelerate and pass fairly easily.. Hope that helps

[tknj99]

Final tweak to the seat.. end result: 2 - 14x14 (1cm each) gel pads with plastic wrap removed on each edge so they stick together and stick to the stock cushion to prevent movement plus 2 - (1" each) foam pieces. I also loaded a few foam pieces under the front portion of the seat between the plastic tray and the stock foam to raise and level the seat. It's now as good as it can get and very comfortable.

[srsmith]

Thanks for the excellent information everyone. Please keep it coming.