2012 Spyder RS SE5 showing P2545 and C0044 fault codes - help?

[Mabus]

Greetings all. I'm new to the forum so pardon if this thread is placed in the wrong subsection.
Recently me and my dads shop recieved a 2012 Spyder RS SE5 for cheap that we thought would be fun to try and fix.
Previous owners have done some bad work on it which included breaking the "nipple" for the brake fluid pipe to connect on the brake-fluid reservoir.

We have fixed the issues we have been able to find but we keep getting two error codes that won't go away.
P2545 and C0044.
On the display it says "ABS FAULT" and "VSS FAULT" when we turn the ignition on.
Currently we're at a loss what could be causing this issue and what we should do to resolve this.

Things we have done so far:
- Replaced the broken brake-fluid reservoir
- Aired out the brakes and made sure there is no air in the brake fluid pipes
- Checked all the fuses that they are whole
- Made sure all the lights on the bike works
- Made sure we have enough brake fluid
- Unplugged the battery over night and plugged it back in the next day
- Done the reset with the brake pedal (hold it down, turn of the bike and turn it on again with pedal down) but the codes just come back when the BLS gets pushed in.
- Changed oil and filters
- Driven the bike around the block while it's in limp mode to see if it resolves itself

The codes show up as soon as we let go of the brake pedal and the BLS gets pushed up.
We even tried to move the brake pedal so that the BLS never got pushed up and then the faults never showed up and we could drive the bike no problem. It runs amazingly when the faults are not there.
Like I said we're at a loss what to do right now. This is the first time any of us work on a Spyder as we normally work on Harley Davidson bikes.
There sadly is no dealer or authorized workshop close to us that we can bring it to for diagnosis.

Sorry for the long post and I do hope that there is some solution to this problem as we have been working on this for two weeks now. And the two error codes we get are the last issue we need to resolve to get this bike back on the road.

[NorwegianRT]

Hi Mabus and welcome to the forum!

If you put the codes in the search box top right, you will get some previous threads with the same issues. Reading those might help you out!
On my 2012 RT SE5 I did the pedal reset when I had a "low brake pressure" fault. But I literally stood on the pedal with all my weight when doing the reset.
That cleared my fault codes but might not do the same for you.

Anyhow, I hope you get help to fix yours.

[Mabus]

Hi Mabus and welcome to the forum!

If you put the codes in the search box top right, you will get some previous threads with the same issues. Reading those might help you out!
On my 2012 RT SE5 I did the pedal reset when I had a "low brake pressure" fault. But I literally stood on the pedal with all my weight when doing the reset.
That cleared my fault codes but might not do the same for you.

Anyhow, I hope you get help to fix yours.

Hello and thank you!

I'll look into the previous threads and see if they can hold anything that helps
I tried the reset again last night and held down the break until it couldnt go any lower. As I turn on the ignition the codes are gone but as soon as I let the pedal up again they return sadly.
If I remember right you are suppose to run the engine, press down the brake all the way, then turn of the engine and then turn it on again for the codes to be cleared right?

[NorwegianRT]

My pleasure Mabus hope you find stuff that can help you out.
When I did my reset I did not start the engine. Just did the routine and after that was done I started it up.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Hi Guys. Maybe we should take a minute and look at what we have. Yes, Mabus, you are performing the reset procedure a little incorrectly, but it doesn't matter. You're trying to reset the wrong code.

That reset procedure is for a brake system low pressure failure which sets code C1282. Norwegian, if you go back and look at your old posts, that is the code that you called up and reset, not C0044.

So, Mabus, your code - C0044 - comes back as either an electrical failure of the brake light switch, or a failure of the brake system pressure sensor that is inside of the VCM. You'll need BUDS to read what that pressure actually is in order to check on that pressure sensor.

However, You also have code P2545, which also points to an electrical issue with the brake light system and could be as simple as a burned out bulb (the RS uses a two-filament light bulb for the tail / brake light), incorrect bulb, or the fuse. (F7, I think)

Looking over your initial post, it seems clear that this is a brake light circuit problem, in that, when you defeated the brake light switch, the problem went away. So, maybe re-start your troubleshooting by looking at the brake light switch area, harness connections, general cleanliness and mechanical operation. Check out your brake light circuit for proper electrical operation, harness, fuse or bulb problems. Is the correct bulb installed? But, stop trying to reset it. It's the wrong code for that. Good Luck.

[Mabus]

Hello Doug and thank you for your reply!

When we first got the bike I theorized that there was an issue with one of the sensors. The lower one didnt click so we took it out cleaned it and made sure that it worked correctly. After that it worked flawlessly.
The upper one seems to be working as well because the brake lights turn off when it's pressed in.

I checked the light bulbs and they are both working. One of them have been replaced by the previous owner to a newer one but they have the same Wattage specification to what is stated in the manual.
We have gone over all the fuses and not found a single one that is blown. To make sure we have also OHM measured the fuses.
Today we also took out the battery and placed in a known good battery that was charged to 100% and nothing sadly changed.

I'll try and look over the cables for that are connected to the BLS and the brake light and see if I can find anything. But as far as we have looked everything surrounding the brake light and blinkers seems to work.

Thank you for letting me know about the reset! I'll stop doing that then.
Sadly I have no way to connect the BUDS software to the bike as I am missing the MPI-3 connector for it. And they are a bit pricey from what I have seen and not the easiest to get a hold of either.
Is there some good cheaper solution or is the official hardware the only way to go about it?

[NorwegianRT]

I was aware that it is not the same fault code Snowbelt and I stated that in my first reply : "On my 2012 RT SE5 I did the pedal reset when I had a "low brake pressure" fault. But I literally stood on the pedal with all my weight when doing the reset.
That cleared my fault codes but might not do the same for you."

I did not know that this method was just for the low preasure fault.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Hey Mabus. It’s come up on the forum before on this. C0044 is related to the interaction between the BLS and the actual pressure being sensed from the VCM. Obviously, with no BLS actuated, there should be no pressure, and vice versa. There’s a blurb in the shop manual of how P2545 could relate to bulbs or circuitry in the light circuit. However, there is reference in the BUDS fault code listing that P2545, together with C0044, relates to a failed pressure sensor inside the VCM. Mentioned that in my previous post. Probably failed high. Requires VCM replacement which would require you to have BUDS.

I’m beginning to think that, when you defeated the BLS and ran that test, that it prevented that code from activating. Once you returned the circuit to normal, the codes returned.

Without BUDS, you won’t know for sure. They have a sale on right now. Maybe the kit can pay for itself for you, because you will be able to expand the kind of BRP machines you can work on. Up to you.

https://www.powersports-diag.com/en/...erface_unit-no

PS. And to be clear, that pressure sensor in the VCM is NOT the same thing as that second micro switch on the brake linkage, which just happens to be called the Low Pressure Switch. Completely different function. And by the way, when you buy BUDS from that company, you also get access to a technical library.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

I was aware that it is not the same fault code Snowbelt and I stated that in my first reply : "On my 2012 RT SE5 I did the pedal reset when I had a "low brake pressure" fault. But I literally stood on the pedal with all my weight when doing the reset.
That cleared my fault codes but might not do the same for you."

I did not know that this method was just for the low preasure fault.

PM sent.