check DPS codes coming up in orange PO552 & PO551

[peterRT]

Hi all", I went for a short ride today then at about 30 mph I noticed it was hard to steer and the codes came up PO552 & PO551. I know what these codes mean and it may be an expensive fix. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated Dynamic Power Steering. Spyder is a 2010 RT SE5 model. This could be an ouch to the wallet.

Regards Peter

[Peter Aawen]

Not necessarily saying this will be the cause of your problems (cos the early DPS unit in particular were juuust a bit problematic... ) but I had similar issues & codes appearing after replacing the battery (which was then 7 years old & the OE unit) & in the process dislodging the earth lead where it bolted to the chassis near the DPS in the process - so the DPS was simply poorly earthed/not getting sufficient power...

Soooo, seeing as how the DPS is one of the most power hungry systems on your Spyder (& I believe, also in the currently known motoring world!! ) a tired battery &/or a dodgy earth somewhere could well be causing or at least contributing to those codes & your issues; so maybe you should make absolutely sure your battery is in top nick (replaced it recently??) & make sure all the earth leads are securely affixed onto clean, rust free metal?! This could well be resolve ALL your DPS issues, but even if it doesn't, you will have removed those potential causes and clearly identified exactly what you need to do to finally sort it!! And yeah, the DPS isn't really serviceable - if it's not doing its thing, your only real option is a 'repair by replacement' of the whole (expensive) DPS unit!!

Good Luck!

[peterRT]

Hi Peter", I will put a new battery in the spyder next week and see if that fixes the issue. Lately the Spyder has just barely started up and battery was replaced in May 2017, so maybe a battery might fix the issue.

Regards Peter

[timeless]

Hi all", I went for a short ride today then at about 30 mph I noticed it was hard to steer and the codes came up PO552 & PO551. I know what these codes mean and it may be an expensive fix. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated Dynamic Power Steering. Spyder is a 2010 RT SE5 model. This could be an ouch to the wallet.

Regards Peter

I had similar issues with my 2010 RT SE5 and a new battery plus cleaning ALL of the ground connections solved my problem. My battery was the OEM and 6 years old at the time.

[peterRT]

I charged the battery and cleaned all terminals today, but the codes are still popping up on the dash. These codes are PO552 and PO551 that is DPS ISSUE and I think a new DPS UNIT IS $2400.00 au without labour and my bike is only worth $3000.00 for anyone to buy it. I love mt Spyder but I got to think about what I am gonna do with it. It has done 73000 kms but I can’t afford to buy a new one so maybe I go ahead and get DPS unit replaced. It has orange screen with check DPS IN ORANGE and a flashing orange picture of a pair of orange handlebars at bottom of dash

Regards Peter

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I charged the battery and cleaned all terminals today, but the codes are still popping up on the dash. These codes are PO552 and PO551 that is DPS ISSUE and I think a new DPS UNIT IS $2400.00 au without labour and my bike is only worth $3000.00 for anyone to buy it. I love mt Spyder but I got to think about what I am gonna do with it. It has done 73000 kms but I can’t afford to buy a new one so maybe I go ahead and get DPS unit replaced. It has orange screen with check DPS IN ORANGE and a flashing orange picture of a pair of orange handlebars at bottom of dash

Regards Peter

This *ucks .... you might be able to locate a used one ???? .... I would consider replacing it yourself .... Go to cycleparts.com and look at the Fiche' that shows where the part is, remove the old one replace the new & plug it in. On my 08 GS I had mine done under warranty, I didn't trust the dealer who was going to do the work ( because mine wasn't broken yet ) .... so I make a very large/ deep scratch on it that I could see when they brought it out.... I think my nervousness was justified because they weren't very happy that I marked it ...... good luck .... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

I charged the battery and cleaned all terminals today, but the codes are still popping up on the dash.....

Even a brand new battery might not hold enough power under load to properly drive the DPS, cos it is so power hungry; so just 'charging' your old battery may not be enough - you really need to get it load tested to see if it's properly up to the job still.... and you still need to do that even if it IS brand new!!

And it's not usually the battery terminals that are the issue in this particular instance - while it can be the battery terminals themselves (so cleaning them & checking their tightness wasn't necessarily wasted ) it's more often a poor earth where the negative cable from the battery is bolted onto the chassis - the flange on the end of the cable needs to be checked to ensure it's clean, shiny, & has a tightly fitted soldered connection onto the end of the cable; and then the flange itself needs to be cleaned and firmly affixed to a clean bright spot of metal on the chassis!! If any one of those things isn't clean & tightly affixed with bright clean metal mating firmly to bright & clean metal, then current draw can be significantly restricted and the DPS may not work, giving you those codes!

In my case, it was a brand new load tested & confirmed 'good & load capable' battery with new & bright terminals & securely fitted cables on those terminals that continued giving me DPS Issues & returning those codes; but it was actually the bolt holding the negative cable onto the chassis alongside the DPS in the 'tunnel' that the steering arms run thru that was the real culprit.... the bolt was juust a touch loose; the flange was juuust a little dirty & oxidised; and rust was juuuuuust beginning to form on the chassis where the flange was meant to be firmly seated! That was all that was causing the DPS failure issues & those codes; so it was only by checking, pulling, & cleaning the flange itself; cleaning the metal where it bolted onto the chassis; then firmly bolting the flange back in place that actually finally solved the problem. Yes, it was a right pain to reach in there and get it all done; but doing that was a helluva lot cheaper than replacing the DPS - and even if I HAD replaced the DPS, if I fitted the new unit without doing that 'clean everything & tightly fix it all back in place' job, there was a very good chance that the codes AND the DPS Failure wouldn't have been resolved anyway!

Still, maybe it IS just a dud DPS, but I'd hate to fork out the $$ for a new one only to find out the problem was really just an old & tired battery (that could still hold more than 12 volts, but had no load capacity in use?!? ) or that it was a loose &/or dirty flange connection on the chassis for the Earth cable all along tho!! Good Luck!

[Mikey]

Load test, it cheap insurance and it's free at most auto parts stores, and then you know what you are working with!!! Stop guessing, and most of all don't go by how old it is, it could be two years old and give up, a dead battery is a dead battery! Get it checked!!

[peterRT]

Hi Pete", I had better try these things you said that you did, and see what happens.

Regards Peter

[peterRT]

Hi Peter Aawen can you send me a picture of where this is the bolt holding the cable along side the DPS

[Peter Aawen]

I can try, PeterRT!

Turn your Spyder's handlebars hard RIGHT, as tho you were turning a tight Right hand turn; then from behind the LEFT front wheel, look forwards & into the middle of the Spyder. Just above & ahead of the steering arms (not in the pic - the placcy 'A' arm cover is hiding them! ) you should be able to see the rear of the battery; the red postive cable should be fairly obvious, while the black earth cable snakes across behind the battery from the negative terminal & then arcs upwards to where it is bolted to the chassis cross member above & slighty closer to you than the centre of the Spyder. The flange, cable end, and bolt you want to check should all be clearly visible - it's the shiny headed bolt I tried to 'spotlight' in the centre of the pic just above the placcy 'A' arm cover, to the right of the shock/coil, and to the left of the DPS.

[peterRT]

Thanks Peter I got a better idea now that you showed me. I tested the battery under load and it was 10.12 Volts with a multi meter and over 14.5 volts when running and my battery is under my seat though on the 2010 spyder

[Peter Aawen]

Sorry, forgot your Spyder was a 2010 RT So there's probably another chassis earth point or two that will need checking. The one up near the battery (under the seat) is bolted into a riv-nut style bolt that's pressed into the cross-member there, so simply tightening it up any more will likely either strip the nut or break it free of the chassis!! Still, at 10.12 volts under load, your battery is getting very close to being dead; just doesn't quite know it yet cos it hasn't quite stopped starting the engine yet, but it will, and it probably won't be too long!! However, it does sound like your charging system is working fairly well.

Anyhow, given that sort of voltage drop under load, I'd certainly be looking at replacing the battery BEFORE spending any (more?) money on the DPS!

[peterRT]

Hi all", checked the battery under load, and no load did a few things and I made a deciion to book the Spyder in to get it looked at. If it needs a new DPS unit I was quoted about $2000.00 AU for the job and as a writer said earlier it can happen to new or later models Spyders. I love the Spyder whthere its worth $30,000.00 AU or $3000.00 AU {I am a spyder Lover} and I will keep you all posted on the outcome . Spyder is booked in for 1st March because they are fully booked unil then. Thanks to all who post here for their ideas and experience,

Regards Peter

[peterRT]

Hi all", I checked all leads ground battery leads etc. I put a brand new battery in the Spyder and now at least I have eliminated all but the DPS codes. As I said in earlier post Spyder is booked in for March 1st and I am still riding the Spyder does not go into limp home mode soo I ride it until March 1st. I won't leave it sitting in the shed until March not being riden. I will have muscles in my arms like Pop-Eye the sailor man by then LOL,

Regards Peter

[peterRT]

Hi Guys", just an update on my RT Canam Spyder SE5", I will be riding it down to a dealer in Melbourne in early October to get DPS replaced, 2 new front tyres fitted, front brake pads fitted, brake fluid changed, wheel alignment done, oil and filters changed. high beam headlight adjusted because it is pointing down to low to the ground. I am still riding my spyder and will continue to ride it because it is only hard to steer at low speed. As most of you guys here love your Spyders", so do I and it is worth spending $3652.00 AU to get all the work done,

Well I went for the 3.5 hour ride to Essendon SeaDoo on the 13th Oct and got all the work completed on my Spyder, REPLACE DPS UNIT
REPLACE FRONT TYRES AND BALANCE
REPLACE FRONT BRAKE PADS AND FLUID
CHANGE OIL AND FILTERS and the spyder now rides like the power steering in a car beautiful to ride now. I rode it without DPS for a year and since getting it replaced I now clearly know that the DPS was not just kicking in at slow speed, it also works at high speed when going around corners. at first when I rode it I overcorrected the steering because I was so used to having to pull it around the corners. Next job will be rear tyre and replace rear brak pads. I reccomend Melbourne SeaDoo for any Spyder Riders here in Victoria to get work done

Regards Peter