Transmission Problems

I have a 2012 RSS SE-5 that gives me the "Check Transmission" error every time I ride. The error is most frequently seen in 1st and 2nd and at times I cannot shift in 3rd and have to stop. The dealer relates all this to my shifting habits which the computer says are to slow, however, I rode my Spyder for two years before I saw the error for the first time. It also appears most frequently when I first start my ride as thought I am not getting enough oil to the transmission. Reminds me of an old car that had a bad oil pump. Is it possible this problem is from a bad oil pump?

My Dealer says they cannot fix the problem because it on shows as a slow shifting error on the Shop Computer. :hun:

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Originally Posted by Victor121

I have a 2012 RSS SE-5 that gives me the "Check Transmission" error every time I ride. The error is most frequently seen in 1st and 2nd and at times I cannot shift in 3rd and have to stop. The dealer relates all this to my shifting habits which the computer says are to slow, however, I rode my Spyder for two years before I saw the error for the first time. It also appears most frequently when I first start my ride as thought I am not getting enough oil to the transmission. Reminds me of an old car that had a bad oil pump. Is it possible this problem is from a bad oil pump?

My Dealer says they cannot fix the problem because it on shows as a slow shifting error on the Shop Computer. :hun:

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Slow shifting? What does he mean by that? SE5, right? Mine shifts itself when I push the button. I can't control how fast it shifts, can I? :dontknow:

The first place to look is to check the oil level on your :spyder2:. Follow mfg. directions per the manual. The oil needs to be checked when the :ani29: is fully warmed up. A thirty minute ride or so should be sufficient. Check oil on a level surface. Maybe, you are just down in your oil level. :ani29: with the 998 Rotax will use a little oil between oil changes.

If the oil level is not the problem, it is sounding as though the dealer is blowing the proverbial smoke...you know where. They either do not know (which can happen) or they are trying to avoid dealing with the issue on your :spyder2:

Please keep us in the information loop. And :welcome: to the site.

I feel your pain.....my dealer kept giving me the same song and dance on this ......At Spyderfest 2014 a Tech ( Danny ) tore into my RSS SE and diagnosed the problem as " an intermittent signal to the paddle switch " ...He said it needs to be replaced ( under warranty ).....I brought this info to the Dealer and they Replaced the Paddle shifter ....UNDER WARRANTY ,....No more issues ...........You are going to have push on this ....Good Luck...PS this is not un-common........Mike :thumbup:.................PPS as stated before slow shift ?????......Just make sure the shift is firm ....no hesitation

Maybe the dealer means that you need to shift at higher rpm's ? Let her rip, see if it helps.

Good point about shifting RPM's. The 998 likes 5000 or better to be happy. The sweet spot on our 2011 is 5500. We always operate in that range. That usually means no higher than fourth gear until you reach 55 - 60 on the highway. In town driving could be first gear if your speeds are less than 30 mph.

It seems strange at first, but you get used to it.

after checking the above make sure the shift arm on the shift shaft is tight. If loose the hard shifts are R 1st and 2nd and the gear position sensor may be miss reading giving you that warning. Start with the oil...:thumbup:

Follow Blueknight's advice and go to your dealer. Tell them about what happened with his Spyder and tell them to contact Dany Davey at BRP. He is the chief technician at BRP and he will know about this issue and what they need to do to correct it for you.

It helps to have more knowledge than your dealer does and also to be persistent with them. Good luck.

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Originally Posted by akspyderman

The first place to look is to check the oil level on your :spyder2:. Follow mfg. directions per the manual. The oil needs to be checked when the :ani29: is fully warmed up. A thirty minute ride or so should be sufficient. Check oil on a level surface. Maybe, you are just down in your oil level. :ani29: with the 998 Rotax will use a little oil between oil changes.

If the oil level is not the problem, it is sounding as though the dealer is blowing the proverbial smoke...you know where. They either do not know (which can happen) or they are trying to avoid dealing with the issue on your :spyder2:

Please keep us in the information loop. And :welcome: to the site.

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Thanks for the reply. Not a low oil problem. Had the dealer do an oil change and checked the level when I got home.

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Originally Posted by akspyderman

Good point about shifting RPM's. The 998 likes 5000 or better to be happy. The sweet spot on our 2011 is 5500. We always operate in that range. That usually means no higher than fourth gear until you reach 55 - 60 on the highway. In town driving could be first gear if your speeds are less than 30 mph.

It seems strange at first, but you get used to it.

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I am aggressive with holding the RPM, but I can be at 6000 quickly and will not shift out 1st or 2nd. Especially 2nd going to 3rd.

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Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911

I feel your pain.....my dealer kept giving me the same song and dance on this ......At Spyderfest 2014 a Tech ( Danny ) tore into my RSS SE and diagnosed the problem as " an intermittent signal to the paddle switch " ...He said it needs to be replaced ( under warranty ).....I brought this info to the Dealer and they Replaced the Paddle shifter ....UNDER WARRANTY ,....No more issues ...........You are going to have push on this ....Good Luck...PS this is not un-common........Mike :thumbup:.................PPS as stated before slow shift ?????......Just make sure the shift is firm ....no hesitation

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Your response may be directly related because I hard and seldom get out of 1st on town. When I leave town getting out of 2nd can be a real hassle.

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Originally Posted by SpyderAnn01

Follow Blueknight's advice and go to your dealer. Tell them about what happened with his Spyder and tell them to contact Dany Davey at BRP. He is the chief technician at BRP and he will know about this issue and what they need to do to correct it for you.

It helps to have more knowledge than your dealer does and also to be persistent with them. Good luck.

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Thanks for the response on the information. I hope it works with my dealer because they are stuck on "it doesn't show on the computer" so they cannot fix it.
Thanks Again

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Originally Posted by Victor121

Thanks for the response on the information. I hope it works with my dealer because they are stuck on "it doesn't show on the computer" so they cannot fix it.
Thanks Again

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:gaah:...I'm back, If you see it on your Dashboard !!!!....are they not running your Spyder ???.....and even so, anything that occurs should log into the COMPUTER......At Spyderfest..Danny told me I had 483 paddle shifter error codes in the Computer. A good is GOLD and a bad dealer is :helpsmilie: :banghead: :yikes: :cus:......if you get my drift.......................PS , my dealer also gave me the " it doesn't show on the computer BS ".....Until I told them to call Danny if they needed confirmation..............Then they magically saw what they needed to see :shocked:...............Mike :thumbup:

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Originally Posted by BLUEKNIGHT911

:gaah:...I'm back, If you see it on your Dashboard !!!!....are they not running your Spyder ???.....and even so, anything that occurs should log into the COMPUTER......At Spyderfest..Danny told me I had 483 paddle shifter error codes in the Computer. A good is GOLD and a bad dealer is :helpsmilie: :banghead: :yikes: :cus:......if you get my drift.......................PS , my dealer also gave me the " it doesn't show on the computer BS ".....Until I told them to call Danny if they needed confirmation..............Then they magically saw what they needed to see :shocked:...............Mike :thumbup:

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Came out of a stop on a left run across two lanes of traffic plus a center turn lane today and the it would not shift out of first. fortunately nobody hit me and I got to the far right and stopped. After I tried to restart I could not get above 1700 and killed the engine and pushed to a safer point. When restarted it would not even shift to 1st, so I turned off again, turned back on and shifted in an out of reverse and then was able to shift to 1st, RPMS's came back up rode it home. Just thought might want to here my about my ride today. Spyder is now covered in my garage rain and possible snow do tomorrow evening. Its kind of funny in a way, I spent time in Vietnam but never thought I might die on the road because of the Spyder. If that happens I'll have my wife put on my headstone: DIED BECAUSE THE COMPUTER SAID HE DID NOT SHIFT FAST ENOUGH. Its even funnier when u know that I was once a computer programmer. :ohyea:

Finally got a response from Bob. The only thing they asked for was the Vin and I haven't heard from in 12 hours. Can't /won't go to dealer because Service Manager already treated me like I didn't know what I was talking about. Plans are to rent trailer and take the Spyder to a dealer about an hours drive away. Hopefully they will recognize and fix the problem. Truthfully, I think my Spyder will never be fixed.
Thanks everyone for ur responses

Shift relay.

Victor121, which dealer are you taking it too? Fremont or RPM? I also would like to know what happens with this. I also have a 2012 SE5. No problems yet and have over 15k miles. I have had all the maintenance done during that time. I have seen the Check Transmission error twice but it was after I put in the HID head lights, doing this mod can cause errors during startup but not during the ride. However it could be a clue that its electrical in nature.

As stated earlier, it is probably the shift paddle that needs to be replaced. My wife's 2012 RS just started doing the same thing and the mechanic at our dealer diagnosed the problem. The part is on order.:yes:

Same here on 2010 RSS, had to have the paddle shifter switch replaced. Wouldn't shift at times and stuck in certain gears. Was all covered by BRP :agree:

. . . Only other thing I can think to check is that all your fuses are properly seated and not loose.

If you find everything is ok, then call BRP and see if thy can work with the dealer to get this worked out - you can also try another dealer, if that works for you.

Tom