08 RS Electrical & fault issues

I've been searching through the forums all day, but nothing quite matches what I'm seeing on my 08 RS. I've owned it now for six months, and it has 38K miles.

I was driving home on the freeway when my instrument panel suddenly began showing four different fault codes, interspersed with a Check Engine solid light. The bike didn't go into limp-home mode, however; I was able to get home fine. I took it to the dealer, who diagnosed an open clutch circuit and another open circuit - don't remember what at the moment. The mechanic fixed those and also diagnosed a loose cluster connector, which he fixed.

The same day I picked it up, I got home (50 miles later) and it started the same behavior - fault codes and check engine light. On a hunch, I replaced the battery, which was almost three years old. It seemed fixed until about 30 miles into my commute this morning, when it started showing the check engine light, and a few miles later the fault codes. It still doesn't go into limp mode - the bike seems to ride fine.

My gauge is showing VSS Fault, EBD fault, DPS Fault, and ABS Fault warnings. These come and go, but for the most part they stay on. I also get a Check Engine message and a solid engine light. The battery reads 12.8V with the motor off, and it goes over 14V when it's running and I rev the engine. The ground strap under the seat is tight. I haven't tried to pull the codes yet using the MODE button trick, but if/when the faults show up on my way home I'll pull over and check them.

Especially after all of my research, I'm really thinking this is an electrical problem somewhere, but I'm new to motorcycles in general and Spyders in particular, so I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Does anybody have any pointers or suggestions as to what to look for? Since the nearest dealer is 50 miles away, I'm kind of hoping to avoid that rigamarole again, especially since he didn't fix it in the first place. I can, however, take it to another dealer a bit further away...

Thanks in advance for any help!

Going to need the code(s). To have all those different things going on is really suspect!

One of the signs that the battery may be going bad. Electrical glitches seem to cascade. I change out batteries every three years, whether they need it or not.

Any idea how old the battery on board is?

It's one of the first things I replaced - brand new. I tried to pull the codes but the faults kept disappearing when I pulled over and nothing showed up with the MODE button trick. I'm thinking I'm going to take it back to the dealer after all and have them fix it.

Even tho you've just replaced the battery, or maybe that should especially because you've just replaced the battery, it will still pay to check the terminals & ground leads for clean, tight connections and check the battery charge state too, both resting & under load. Just cos a battery is new, doesn't mean it can't fail.... :dontknow: and it is one of the last things anyone's played with! :lecturef_smilie:

What you are describing really does sound like the battery isn't handling all the load when the bike's putting demands on it, so you get all those high power draw faults; but as soon as you pull over & stop using/needing to run all those devices, the charging system & battery is once again able to meet the power requirements, so the fault reports disappear.... I'd be re-checking the battery charge, terminals, and all the major ground connections before chasing anything else. :thumbup:

:agree: good double check of battery terminals is in order & ez enough before visiting dealer.
Tech already found one loose cluster connection, hope he checked them all & didn't stop at that one. :lecturef_smilie: only active codes will display with the mode button trick, otherwise they can be found in history with buds. Did you hit any particularly large bump or hole when they show:dontknow: jarring what ever is loose, hard to duplicate at standstill.

I'll double check the terminals tonight and all ground connections I can find when I get home. I tested the new battery voltage after the ride to work showed all the faults again - it reads 12.8V with the engine off, and it went up to 14.2V when I started it up and revved it (I'd had the thought that maybe the charging system wasn't able to keep the battery fully charged, but it seems fine.)

I wish I could say I went over a bump, but every time the faults appear (and disappear) it seems totally random - not even turning a corner or a curve on a highway.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. Man, I HATE diagnosing electrical problems! :banghead:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NoodleScrutinizer

I'll double check the terminals tonight and all ground connections I can find when I get home. I tested the new battery voltage after the ride to work showed all the faults again - it reads 12.8V with the engine off, and it went up to 14.2V when I started it up and revved it (I'd had the thought that maybe the charging system wasn't able to keep the battery fully charged, but it seems fine.)

I wish I could say I went over a bump, but every time the faults appear (and disappear) it seems totally random - not even turning a corner or a curve on a highway.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. Man, I HATE diagnosing electrical problems! :banghead:

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Called “Trouble” Shooting for a reason & computer programming just adds to the pain. Always good to step back & clear you head. If you got a bud a second set of eyes can be helpful might have different approach that fumbles straight to the culprit (beginners luck) & in checking electric terminals, surface area is a key item not just tight. CLEAN & TIGHT