Dead Spyder

[toota]

I have a 2014 RT Limited. I went to start it and got push mode button, then the screen went to startup, hit the starter button and everything went off.
I have checked the battery and the terminals, terminals OK, battery shows 12.8 volts. I have checked the fuses all OK.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Rob

[Peter Aawen]

Check the resting voltage of your battery, then try to see what that voltage does actually while you are trying to start the motor. Ideally, get the battery load tested; and check all the earth/ground connections you can find. Probably wouldn't hurt to pull, check, and re-seat all the relays & fuses too!

While what you've described is not strictly ALWAYS due to a dead/dying battery or poor terminal/ground connections, in the vast majority of instances it's usually caused by the starter loading up an electrical system that is already feeling a bit crook, so once the starter load amps up, the voltage drops & the ECU/Dash etc (that need a fair whack of clean, spike free voltage) simply drop out.... effectively killing everything!!

Sometimes, jump starting can get you going again, but if it does, don't go ryding off heading away from home/support & then stopping somewhere miles away & blithely expect it to fire up happily again. At least spend some time trying to track down & resolve the potential cause for this 'poor starting voltage' issue first!

Good Luck!

[Lew L]

Hi Toot,
Has the battery ever been replaced???? If not it's 6 years old. It's quite possible that one of the cell connectors in the battery has failed( cracked). Still possible to pass voltage but not the high amperage for starting. Don't ask me how I know this.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I say your battery is shot. A battery that has only one gasp left in it can show full voltage. It just doesn't have any current capacity. If the battery voltage drops below 10.5 when you hit the starter everything goes bonkers.

[PaladinLV]

Your battery most likely has a bad cell.
Just went thru the same experience 2 weeks ago.

AJ

[Mikey]

LOAD TEST!!!!!

[Pandy]

All good suggestions here, but like what happened to AJ, happened to me as well. Battery replaced, all is well,oh mine is a 2011.
David

[billybovine]

I say your battery is shot. A battery that has only one gasp left in it can show full voltage. It just doesn't have any current capacity. If the battery voltage drops below 10.5 when you hit the starter everything goes bonkers.

10V not 10.5V

[BajaRon]

Not 'Dead Spyder'...

Dead-Battery.jpg

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

10V not 10.5V

Is that in the manual? I think I've seen where others on here have reported screen blank outs between 10.0 and 10.5 but the few times I've had it happen, some deliberately to check it out, it seems to me like it's always been right at or just below 10.5 volts. Maybe it's actually not a hard threshold. You suppose? I have a Battery Bug monitor so that's what I've watched when I had the screen go bonkers.

But of course, the real number is immaterial. If the screen goes bonkers, it's time to check if you need a new battery!

[Mikey]

LOAD TEST!!!!

[billybovine]

Is that in the manual? I think I've seen where others on here have reported screen blank outs between 10.0 and 10.5 but the few times I've had it happen, some deliberately to check it out, it seems to me like it's always been right at or just below 10.5 volts. Maybe it's actually not a hard threshold. You suppose? I have a Battery Bug monitor so that's what I've watched when I had the screen go bonkers.

But of course, the real number is immaterial. If the screen goes bonkers, it's time to check if you need a new battery!

From the 2013 service manual in picture below.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Thanks, Billy.

I'm almost tempted to let my battery run down enough to test it just to see how close my real world experience matches the theoretical world! But my battery was new last spring and shows 12.4 volts after the bike has been sitting for three weeks without being run or connected to a battery tender. I don't want to unnecessarily abuse it!

[billybovine]

I seem to remember reading somewhere in the service manual that the cutoff voltage for the cluster was 10V. But can't find that and my memory is not what it used to be. If true there is no margin for error. The crank test and load test minimum voltage is also 10V.

[toota]

I have load tested the battery. I purchased a load tester from EBay "Digital Battery Analyzer 12V 100 -1100CCA Car Battery Load Tester ANCEL BST200". This is one of the better DIY tools I have bought. It showed that the battery is stuffed 10.4 volts under load. My multimeter showed a resting charge of 12.7 volts.
Thanks for your replies
Rob

[MSa1956]

Maybe make sure it’s not in gear, if so place your foot on the brake and try and start it, just in case

[Bottomline2000]

Maybe make sure it’s not in gear, if so place your foot on the brake and try and start it, just in case

doesn't explain the screen going blank. Bad battery more than likely.