Frustrated!! Limp Home Mode & EC warning, Spyder at the dealers!

[oldguyinTX]

On the way home from the dentist this morning, stopped to get a bagel. Came out to start the Spyder, it cranked for far longer than normal before starting. Then, the dreaded LIMP HOME MODE pops up, along with a small green window that said "EC". Got it towed to the dealer, service writer said that "EC" was Electronic Communication. As we all know, there are probably dozens of reasons for Limp Mode, some not so bad, some really bad. And of course, my BEST warranty ran out last month. This dealer has a great relationship with BRP as their sales volume of BRP products (not Ski Doos) is huge. During the front sprocket recall they got a very large number of the new sprockets last November. They said that depending on what the severity of the problem turns out to be, they would open a "Goodwill Case" with BRP since the Spyder is only one month out of warranty. Wish Me luck!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

On the way home from the dentist this morning, stopped to get a bagel. Came out to start the Spyder, it cranked for far longer than normal before starting. Then, the dreaded LIMP HOME MODE pops up, along with a small green window that said "EC". Got it towed to the dealer, service writer said that "EC" was Electronic Communication. As we all know, there are probably dozens of reasons for Limp Mode, some not so bad, some really bad. And of course, my BEST warranty ran out last month. This dealer has a great relationship with BRP as their sales volume of BRP products (not Ski Doos) is huge. During the front sprocket recall they got a very large number of the new sprockets last November. They said that depending on what the severity of the problem turns out to be, they would open a "Goodwill Case" with BRP since the Spyder is only one month out of warranty. Wish Me luck!

IMHO " Limp Home " isn't necessarily the end of the world ..... Currently my 14 RT is flashing the orange Limp Home screen almost every time I ride. .... this began back in May, it's related to a P-0171 code, the interesting thing is my MPG's have gone up 2 gals. consistently.... I'm down right ANAL about the amount of gas I put in the tank. Oh PS the bike runs the same as it did before this was occurring. .... You said the bike didn't start as normal .... I would make sure all your connections are tight & add Star washers if you haven't already ..... Mike

[BajaRon]

IMHO " Limp Home " isn't necessarily the end of the world ..... Currently my 14 RT is flashing the orange Limp Home screen almost every time I ride. .... this began back in May, it's related to a P-1077 code, the interesting thing is my MPG's have gone up 2 gals. consistently.... I'm down right ANAL about the amount of gas I put in the tank. Oh PS the bike runs the same as it did before this was occurring. .... You said the bike didn't start as normal .... I would make sure all your connections are tight & add Star washers if you haven't already ..... Mike

I agree with Mike. Not that you should ride around with a Limp Home light flashing. But that your issue could very well be battery related. At least this is a very good place to start and one of the cheapest, easiest fixes on the list. Bad ground, dead or dying cell, etc. All more than able to send the ECU into orbit.

My initial question would be. And hopefully the dealership asked too. Is how did it crank? I know it took longer to start. But was it slower or less energetic than usual? If voltage drops below about 11v. (Much higher voltage than most machines will tolerate). Things can get ugly. The Spyder is extremely voltage sensitive. Not sure why BRP designed it this way. But it is always a Go To factor.

[oldguyinTX]

They were able to check it today - woohoo! - it's the camshaft positioning sensor. $80.00 for the sensor, $.79 cents for the gasket, $300.00 labor, plus tax, etc. BRP basically told the dealer that I should go **** myself as far as getting a goodwill repair. Seems that they have a long memory, as I tortured them for almost 5 years when I had the "White Elephant", a 2013 RTL, that would break down pretty much every time we would take off on a day trip. At one point , I looked through all of the service invoices, tallied up the days it spent at a dealer, and it totaled up to an astounding 345 days - almost 1 year out of the 5 years that I owned it. Anyway, this is the first significant money I will have spent on this bike as far as repairs go in 5 years (bought it in July 2018). So all in all, I'm really not unhappy. Could have been worse.

Mike - about the battery - I replaced the original about 6 months ago, and yes I did use star washers.

Ron - the bike cranked normally, not any faster or slower than usual. Just took a lot longer for it to start. And the dealer did ask that question. Also, the new swaybar is great.

Thanks for the help guys!!

[BajaRon]

They were able to check it today - woohoo! - it's the camshaft positioning sensor. $80.00 for the sensor, $.79 cents for the gasket, $300.00 labor, plus tax, etc. BRP basically told the dealer that I should go **** myself as far as getting a goodwill repair. Seems that they have a long memory, as I tortured them for almost 5 years when I had the "White Elephant", a 2013 RTL, that would break down pretty much every time we would take off on a day trip. At one point , I looked through all of the service invoices, tallied up the days it spent at a dealer, and it totaled up to an astounding 345 days - almost 1 year out of the 5 years that I owned it. Anyway, this is the first significant money I will have spent on this bike as far as repairs go in 5 years (bought it in July 2018). So all in all, I'm really not unhappy. Could have been worse.

Mike - about the battery - I replaced the original about 6 months ago, and yes I did use star washers.

Ron - the bike cranked normally, not any faster or slower than usual. Just took a lot longer for it to start. And the dealer did ask that question. Also, the new swaybar is great.

Thanks for the help guys!!

OK. so wrong diagnosis. But still very good news. Should be back on the road shortly.

[BertRemington]

I'm puzzled by the

small green window that said "EC"

symptom. I never read about this window before and it points more towards CANBUS than CAPS sensor. Curious...

[hypurone]

They were able to check it today - woohoo! - it's the camshaft positioning sensor. $80.00 for the sensor, $.79 cents for the gasket, $300.00 labor, plus tax, etc. BRP basically told the dealer that I should go **** myself as far as getting a goodwill repair. Seems that they have a long memory, as I tortured them for almost 5 years when I had the "White Elephant", a 2013 RTL, that would break down pretty much every time we would take off on a day trip. At one point , I looked through all of the service invoices, tallied up the days it spent at a dealer, and it totaled up to an astounding 345 days - almost 1 year out of the 5 years that I owned it. Anyway, this is the first significant money I will have spent on this bike as far as repairs go in 5 years (bought it in July 2018). So all in all, I'm really not unhappy. Could have been worse.

Mike - about the battery - I replaced the original about 6 months ago, and yes I did use star washers.

Ron - the bike cranked normally, not any faster or slower than usual. Just took a lot longer for it to start. And the dealer did ask that question. Also, the new swaybar is great.

Thanks for the help guys!!

Funny thing.... I had that part go bad on my 2015 F3S and had limp mode flashing when I looked at the dash to get the time (was running later than expected, detours ya know ;-) ) and the funny part is, I was doing 92mph at the time and the bike was running perfectly!! Go figure...

I did the R&R myself and was only out the 80.00 part... WHEW!!

[BertRemington]

I was doing 92mph at the time and the bike was running perfectly!! Go figure...

I figure the ECM was using a combination of CPS and MAPS signals to derive an adequate approximation of the camshaft position allowing continued engine operation. The BRP/Bosch ECM and TCM are very capable devices with very capable firmware.