Another "Check DPS" warning

[Stogeylink]

I have used this forum to correct every issue (or what I thought was an issue) on my 2008 GS. I thoroughly love this bike. I was riding and parked it in my shop and it sat for about 5 days before I was able to ride again. Started it up and it threw the orange engine light and "Check DPS" was flashing on the screen. When I pulled the codes I get PO551 and PO552 which I understand are indicating both a short and a ground. After looking through all of the threads I have made sure that all of my connections to the battery and to the terminals under the seat are tight. I also swapped out the R3 relay with the Duralast part number that LaMonster was indicating. I also made sure that the battery was connected to the tender and it is indicating full charge. Although, the battery took some charging before it got there. The steering is not affected as it is the same as before the error showed up and other than the code flashing across, runs the same as it did. Some of the threads indicated that they changed the battery even when it showed good and it fixed the problem. I disconnected my battery and left it disconnected for about 10 minutes and then reconnected the terminals just to see if it would reset. My question is, since the steering seems unaffected and its not in Limp Mode and the battery is showing full charge, should I change the battery anyway (only 2 years old) or take it to the dealer and have him put it on BUDS? I appreciate any advice.

Gary

[billybovine]

Sorry, you need to replace the DPS unit. You may get a bunch of advice about the battery. But that will be useless. When the torque sensor fails. As indicated by the P0551 and P0552 codes. DPS replacement is the only fix.

[Stogeylink]

Sorry, you need to replace the DPS unit. You may get a bunch of advice about the battery. But that will be useless. When the torque sensor fails. As indicated by the P0551 and P0552 codes. DPS replacement is the only fix.

I was kind of afraid of that. It will have to wait for a bit as I was laid off and not working regularly right now. Probably in Oct/Nov timeframe. It still handles the same so I may do some short rides until I can afford the repair. I appreciate the info sir and safe riding to you.

Gary

[flea]

same thing happened to the bloke i bought my 08 gs off , said everything was the same as before spending au$ 1750 for the new dps unit , no difference to the steering at all , unfortunitly the canam dealer the only one for a long long way) had almost no exsperience with spyders , said at first might have been something to do with the brakes then settled on the dps (using bubs) ,bloke had to sell it to pay for the repairs ,no dps warning now , starting to wonder if just a elect gremlin and if just turning off the warning might have fixed the prob, can you lets us know how you get on and the results of your efforts

[Stogeylink]

same thing happened to the bloke i bought my 08 gs off , said everything was the same as before spending au$ 1750 for the new dps unit , no difference to the steering at all , unfortunitly the canam dealer the only one for a long long way) had almost no exsperience with spyders , said at first might have been something to do with the brakes then settled on the dps (using bubs) ,bloke had to sell it to pay for the repairs ,no dps warning now , starting to wonder if just a elect gremlin and if just turning off the warning might have fixed the prob, can you lets us know how you get on and the results of your efforts

I will let you know what I find out. Spoke with the guys at Texas Adventure PowerSports in Richardson about it. One of the BRP Techs indicated that it could be the battery as well because it happens, even though its not supposed to cause that, but that could put it on the computer and find out for sure. They would even make sure the battery is good then reset the codes and ride it to find out if that was the issue before going through with the most costly repair. I will be making an appt to get it looked at as soon as I get back in town and will post the results here. This forum is one of the best bike forums for upgrades, fixes, etc and I would love to be able to assist.

[007james]

FWIW,...I had a 2012 RT Limited I bought new, and lost count of how many times I got that DPS orange alert on my dash screen. Every time I took it back to my Dealer, they would reset the Codes, on BUDS, and do a manual alignment using the Factory method. They didn’t have a Laser Alignment Tool. But no matter what tires I put on the front, OEM Kendas, or Car Tires, the insides of the tires always wore to the core, leaving lots of thread on the rest of the tire, and the more the inside wore, the more DPS Alerts I got. Finally, at around 41,000 miles, I caved in an got a Laser Alignment, as I saw my new front tires were already starting to wear on the insides. After the Laser Alignment, I never got any more DPS Alerts, but traded the Trike in at 55,300 miles, so don’t know if the Alert ever showed up again. But I never replaced the expensive DPS. The Dealer never suggested it should be replaced when I was getting those Alerts.
007James

I was kind of afraid of that. It will have to wait for a bit as I was laid off and not working regularly right now. Probably in Oct/Nov timeframe. It still handles the same so I may do some short rides until I can afford the repair. I appreciate the info sir and safe riding to you.

Gary

[Oldtimer51]

This resoponse is helpfull to me. I got that dreaded "DPS" Code Today with a "limp mode" and lost of power today while ridding. I was able to pull over . Turned it off, waited a few seconds and restarted without any trouble and the ecodes were gone. And drove home without any more troubles. Is this a common situation on older Spyders? Mine is a 2011 RT with only 4500 miles / I noticed we rode on a a bumpy road with uneven pavement and I wonder if that can be a cause of the computer to set the Code? Is this a Mechanical Issue or a Sensor sending a faulty code to the computer? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Oldtimer51
Austin Texas

[Motorcycledave]

I have used this forum to correct every issue (or what I thought was an issue) on my 2008 GS. I thoroughly love this bike. I was riding and parked it in my shop and it sat for about 5 days before I was able to ride again. Started it up and it threw the orange engine light and "Check DPS" was flashing on the screen. When I pulled the codes I get PO551 and PO552 which I understand are indicating both a short and a ground. After looking through all of the threads I have made sure that all of my connections to the battery and to the terminals under the seat are tight. I also swapped out the R3 relay with the Duralast part number that LaMonster was indicating. I also made sure that the battery was connected to the tender and it is indicating full charge. Although, the battery took some charging before it got there. The steering is not affected as it is the same as before the error showed up and other than the code flashing across, runs the same as it did. Some of the threads indicated that they changed the battery even when it showed good and it fixed the problem. I disconnected my battery and left it disconnected for about 10 minutes and then reconnected the terminals just to see if it would reset. My question is, since the steering seems unaffected and its not in Limp Mode and the battery is showing full charge, should I change the battery anyway (only 2 years old) or take it to the dealer and have him put it on BUDS? I appreciate any advice.

Gary

I hate to be the one to tell you this but..... I also have a 2008 that did the same thing, never had any issues with it,
I was at the dealers having it serviced last year in the spring they came out and said everything is good your ready to go
I paid go on my Spyder, it has 20K on it... left the dealer and headed home I got about 3 blocks away from the dealer and
the steering went crazy, the steering at about 25 to 30 mph kept yanking the bars right and left it was hard to control so
right back to the dealer the screen was showing DPS They checked and found there was a recall on it but it had been changed
out before I got it, it had 600 miles on it when I got it in 2009.... Well long story short $1300.00 later it is now fine....
so your choice is scrap the Spyder and sell it for the parts or replace the DPS...
Spyder.jpg

[Freddy]

A curious thing about these DPS failures is that you don't seem to read/hear about them on the many small cars that have the same system - obviously a better quality system.

[Stogeylink]

Wanted to update this. Took it to Texas Adventure Powersports on/about May 20th. They were finally able to do the troubleshooting week of 5/27 and put it on BUDS and the DPS is the culprit...like I figured. Long story short, took about 2 weeks to get the part and finally am getting it installed. Talked to Grace and she has promised me that I'll have it back late Tues first thing Wed 6/24 as I have a trip to Lubbock planned for 6/26. I'll get to shake it down on the ride home as that's about 65 miles. The Lubbock trip is my shake down for the upcoming Sturgis trip at the end of July. Some friends and I are planning to be there the week before the rally and leave the day the rally starts. I'll update this after I pick up the bike. Thanks to all for the comments, recommendations, etc. This forum is still the best tool I've found for anything Spyder related. Ride Safe.

Gary/Stogeylink

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Wanted to update this. Took it to Texas Adventure Powersports on/about May 20th. They were finally able to do the troubleshooting week of 5/27 and put it on BUDS and the DPS is the culprit...like I figured. Long story short, took about 2 weeks to get the part and finally am getting it installed. Talked to Grace and she has promised me that I'll have it back late Tues first thing Wed 6/24 as I have a trip to Lubbock planned for 6/26. I'll get to shake it down on the ride home as that's about 65 miles. The Lubbock trip is my shake down for the upcoming Sturgis trip at the end of July. Some friends and I are planning to be there the week before the rally and leave the day the rally starts. I'll update this after I pick up the bike. Thanks to all for the comments, recommendations, etc. This forum is still the best tool I've found for anything Spyder related. Ride Safe.

Gary/Stogeylink

Mine was replaced under WARRANTY ..... this was a well known PART failure and I think BRP did a major RECALL on the DPS units ..... give it a shot ..... Mike

[Stogeylink]

Will do.

Mine was replaced under WARRANTY ..... this was a well known PART failure and I think BRP did a major RECALL on the DPS units ..... give it a shot ..... Mike

[Stogeylink]

Well further update.....Talked to Tx Adventure service dept and they had been on the phone with BRP for about 4 hours AFTER replacing the DPS with the "New" part from BRP. Apparently it was a bad part and they are having another part overnighted. Disappointed that my bike is delayed but, it is what it is. I am desperately wanting wind therapy but I also want a trouble free bike so, I will wait. Hoping to have it back by the weekend but, being realistic about it as well. Would rather have it right than hurried and be a continual problem.

Will keep you updated

Gary/Stogeylink

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Well further update.....Talked to Tx Adventure service dept and they had been on the phone with BRP for about 4 hours AFTER replacing the DPS with the "New" part from BRP. Apparently it was a bad part and they are having another part overnighted. Disappointed that my bike is delayed but, it is what it is. I am desperately wanting wind therapy but I also want a trouble free bike so, I will wait. Hoping to have it back by the weekend but, being realistic about it as well. Would rather have it right than hurried and be a continual problem.

Will keep you updated

Gary/Stogeylink

Worst case scenario .... your DPS isn't the problem ..... I know that they said it was checked via " BUDS " ... I had " paddle shifter issues ", for a year and the dealer said " BUDS " couldn't find it !!!! .... Lucky for me I met " Danny " a Can Am Tech for BRP , He found 247 code events about the shifter .... and contacted my dealer and explained how He did it ...... I hope it works out on this ..... Mike

[Stogeylink]

Well further update.....Talked to Tx Adventure service dept and they had been on the phone with BRP for about 4 hours AFTER replacing the DPS with the "New" part from BRP. Apparently it was a bad part and they are having another part overnighted. Disappointed that my bike is delayed but, it is what it is. I am desperately wanting wind therapy but I also want a trouble free bike so, I will wait. Hoping to have it back by the weekend but, being realistic about it as well. Would rather have it right than hurried and be a continual problem.

Will keep you updated

Gary/Stogeylink

7/3 Update—

So went to pick up my Spyder yesterday. Was excited as I hadn’t been in the saddle since before Memorial Day. Got about 5 miles from the shop and went into Limp mode so nurses it back to the dealer and they took it right back. They worked for another hour and then I had them ride it for at least 15 miles. The tech took it for 17.7 and was hitting Hiway speeds and above and then returned. Was satisfied and headed home. Was 20 miles away from the shop, same thing. “Check DPS” and “VSS Fault” and in Limp mode. At this point the shop is closed and I am in the middle of nowhere. Luckily my nephew is following me so we “limp” home, another 20 miles, at between 45-50 mph. However, bright spot, the tech, Tim, called me at home last night to make sure that everything was still good and that I was home. I explained what happened and that I am headed to SD on the 30th of the month and need to trust that the bike will make it. He is exasperated and says to bring it back and he is opening a case with BRP on the problem. So I am trailering it’s back today. Fingers crossed.

[CaptainScoundrel]

Oh man. Hope they got it fixed for ya.

I just got my 08 Spyder back from the dealer yesterday. Been in the shop since I bought it a month ago. They replaced the DPS, new front tires, tie rod and a couple recalls. I rode it for about an hour and then took it to work.
So far so good. It's my first Spyder and being one of the first made, I'm worried about any other hidden issues that may pop up.

[CaptainScoundrel]

Forgot to ask. What they charge you? My bill was just under $1,700 for the DPS replacement. Tech said it was leaking fluids.

[Peter Aawen]

Forgot to ask. What they charge you? My bill was just under $1,700 for the DPS replacement. Tech said it was leaking fluids.

Well, that's a new one on me?!? An ELECTRIC Dynamic Power Steering Unit leaking FLUIDS?!?

I've heard of 'leaking Green Steam'; 'letting all the electric smoke out'; and even seen PCB contaminated oils leaking outta blown transformers, but a DPS unit leaking fluids.....

Altho I guess maybe it's just possible there was a little bit of melted grease, but I really think that just mighta been the Tech pegging the BS meter waay over onto the stops well past the end of the scale!

[Stogeylink]

Forgot to ask. What they charge you? My bill was just under $1,700 for the DPS replacement. Tech said it was leaking fluids.

Got a call yesterday from the shop. They had been dealing with BRP and they ended up changing the DPS and the magnet in the alignment sensor. I don’t pretend to know enough about the systems to explain them, but I will be learning. Long story short the parts manager rode my bike home last night and back this morning, 80+ miles round trip. He called this morning and it performed flawlessly. He wants to take it home and back one more time and I’m on board with that as I am getting ready for a trip to SD and don’t want to be stranded. Long story short if all goes well he will meet me at the shop on Monday and give me my bike back. WooHoo!! So, new DPS and over a month in the shop equals $2000. It’s like I’m addicted

[Big Arm]

Tech said it was leaking fluids.

You better find a new tech ! I changed my DPS unit myself several months ago, there is no fluid supplied to that unit. Changing the unit itself is not that hard.

[CaptainScoundrel]

You better find a new tech ! I changed my DPS unit myself several months ago, there is no fluid supplied to that unit. Changing the unit itself is not that hard.

I had looked up the procedure and true, it isn't hard. Just a PIA taking your front end apart. Right now I"m living with a friend and not really set up to do mechanical work. If I was back in my house I would have done it.
Don't think I"m taking it back to that shop for anything major.

[Stogeylink]

7/3 Update—

So went to pick up my Spyder yesterday. Was excited as I hadn’t been in the saddle since before Memorial Day. Got about 5 miles from the shop and went into Limp mode so nurses it back to the dealer and they took it right back. They worked for another hour and then I had them ride it for at least 15 miles. The tech took it for 17.7 and was hitting Hiway speeds and above and then returned. Was satisfied and headed home. Was 20 miles away from the shop, same thing. “Check DPS” and “VSS Fault” and in Limp mode. At this point the shop is closed and I am in the middle of nowhere. Luckily my nephew is following me so we “limp” home, another 20 miles, at between 45-50 mph. However, bright spot, the tech, Tim, called me at home last night to make sure that everything was still good and that I was home. I explained what happened and that I am headed to SD on the 30th of the month and need to trust that the bike will make it. He is exasperated and says to bring it back and he is opening a case with BRP on the problem. So I am trailering it’s back today. Fingers crossed.

11/25 Update - So I know its been a while since I updated but I have been in the wind since I got the bike back. I received a call from Tim and they finally found the source of the trouble. Apparently the steering position sensor was bad and since it was okay when I took it in, they replaced it with a known good one in the shop and tested it. Tim drove my bike home and back over the weekend and called me on Saturday to say it was ready but, he would prefer to take it home and back once more just to make sure. I agreed as this would put about 175 total miles on the bike after repairs and tell me if all was go. I told him I would pick it up on Tuesday since they were closed on Monday. He indicated that he was going to be working on Monday to clean up the shop area and would be happy to meet and turn it over. I readily agreed. Wife took me up and I rode it home another 60 miles. Left Waxahachie on Thursday 7/31 headed for Sturgis and a week of fun. Rolled back into Waxahachie on Sunday Aug 9th after 11 days and 3268 miles of riding and beautiful scenery. Not even a hiccup. Can't say enough good about TX Adventure on this. I was a bit disappointed at first but they rallied and came through when I needed them. They were a big part of my trip to South Dakota being successful. Just finished putting new rear tire and new brakes on the back. Got rid of the Kenda and put a Kuhmo Ecsta AST on and it looks and feels awesome on the road as well as some BajaRon brakes. Many thanks to this forum for all of the videos and threads about changing out both. Made all of the work seem effortless. Looking forward to many more Spyder myles.