Spyder won't start.......it's dead Jim!!!!

[bscrive]

Hi Everyone,

My wife and I went for a ride today and when we stopped for gas her Spyder wouldn't start. She turned the key and there was nothing. The lights did not light up on the dash it was completely dead. We went home and got the trailer and brought it back home. I checked the battery and it is fully charged. It is brand a new Odessey battery bought this spring. When we got is home I tried it again and the bike lit up like it should. I pressed the Mode button and put on the brake but all that happened was a click and the bike went dead again. I pressed on the brake a few times and the lights came back on and I checked for codes but there were none. I checked to make sure that the kill switch was not on but it is good. Could the starter relay be bad? What else could it be?

Brian

[Chupaca]

hard to say. Starter selenoid would click but not kill all the systems. Sounds like a loose connectionto the battery or bike. Check all connections at the battery at the jumper points and the ground straps...double check the battery sometimes they show surface charge but have no amperage. Load test it. Good luck..!!

[bscrive]

Hi Chupaca,

Already did a load test with my battery tester and checked the connections at the battery, they are tight. I will check the ground cable.

Brian

[Chupaca]

but also check and wiggle all the fuses and relays something is cutting off your power...

[bscrive]

I removed and replaced all the fuses and relays up front. Are there some more some where else?

[Chupaca]

but the RS has a second box under the seat to one side of the jumpers. Don't know on yours. If you have the manual should show you...

[edmarino]

I would replace the battery or at the very least hook up a set of jumper cables and jump start . If it starts then the battery is toast

[Bob Denman]

How many seasons, has that Battery seen?
I would have guessed connections and/or the fuseboxes also... I can't really think of anything else...
other than a bad ignition switch!

[bscrive]

The battery is brand new. I just bought it a couple of months ago, it is an Odyssey battery. I load tested the battery and it is perfect. Now the bike doesn't even light up at all. I turn the key on and nothing happens.

[Craniac]

Start at the battery with a voltmeter and work your way farther from the battery until you find no voltage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SNOOPY]

I've heard talk around here of kill switches going bad.

I wonder if yours is bad and not contacting well, not sure how to test it...maybe taking apart and using a jumper wire.

Again, not sure how its put together inside or how to check it.

[Highwayman2013]

It's a good idea to check the kill switch, heard of them failing.

[Chupaca]

Now you have nothing means no power getting through. Kill switch only blocks starting the engine. Main fuse, ignition switch, battery, battery cables. Just for kicks try a jumper battery hooked to the jumper posts then the battery posts. Run a jumper cable from negative battery post to engine/bare frame. If nothing we are looking at the ignition switch or main fuse. Not sure about bypassing the ignition switch...do you have more than one key with you..?? Could the transponder chip in the key gone bad. Things to try hope your getting close... Hang in there you'll get it...

[bikeguy]

I'm surely no expert and I know you said that the battery connections were tight. My rule for troubleshooting has always been look at the simple things first. I would remove the battery connections and clean them, then replace and tighten them - dirty connections can be as bad as loose ones. Just being sure to touch every base here, I am referring to the connections at the battery itself, not the ground connection under the seat although it could be loose as well. You said you had checked all the fuses and relays so if they are good and the battery connections are clean and tight, I would look for an interlock problem. By that I mean that the transmission has to be in neutral or the clutch must be pulled on an SM5 in order to start the bike. There is an interlock switch for each of those conditions which might be bad although it is unlikely that they would both be bad. If you have not done so already, I would try starting it with the transmission in neutral AND the clutch pulled. I am assuming you have an SM5, if you have an SE5 I don't know what the starting procedure is.

Cotton

Sorry, I see that the dash isn't lighting up. That being the case, it's probably not an interlock switch.

[Highwayman2013]

Thinking about it, usually it's something simple. I would go back to the battery and go from there. Maybe a defective battery. Hope you get it figured out.

[Flanker]

I just replaced my RSS (manual tranny) battery as mine wouldn't start when I got it out of storage. Still wouldn't start with new batt! My dash powered up OK, but when I hit the starter button, I got nothing; looked like the juice wasn't getting to the starter relay, or starter solenoid. Vigorous cursing did not help! Trailered it to the dealership last week; the Service Manager and their Electronic Tech spent about an hour figuring out what the heck was going on.

Apparently my dashboard mode button is malfunctioning; when I press it, the "read the safety card" prompt disappears from the dash display OK, but the signal that's "supposed" to be sent to the starter motor enabling it, isn't getting there. So........................no starter motor. If I use the mode button on the left control cluster, it starts just fine (so far.......fingers crossed).

Also, the Electronic Tech told me he had an RSS in the shop the previous week, with a dead kill switch. Prevented ignition/operation no matter what position the kill switch was in..............after he replaced it, the customers Spyder started and ran fine.

[Red RT-S]

Hi Brian & Deb I had a similar situation with my sled last winter. The battery tested good (voltage and load test) but the starter relay wouldn't even click. A friend suggested trying a different battery, so I put the battery from my wife's sled into mine and everything was fine. A new battery solved everything and it was fine all winter. Good luck with it. Hope to see you at Spyderquest in Sept.

[bscrive]

Thanks for your replies guys. Right now the bike is dead. I turn the key and nothing comes on. I have tried the other key and still nothing. If I press on the brake a few times it will sometimes come to life for a little bit with all the lights flashing and then shuts down again. I was able to check for codes one time but there were none.

I am really thinking that Cupaca is right and the ignition switch might be bad. I still have to check the fuses under the seat to see if there is something bad there but it looks like I have to take off the tupperware to get at it and it is a pain because the bike has Givi bags on it.. Looks like it will need a trip to the dealer. If it is the ignition then they would have to reprogram the new keys anyways. I hope this doesn't get too expensive.

Anyone know how much a new ignition switch is?

By the way, I forgot to say that her bike is a 2009 GS SE.

[bscrive]

Well, I just finished talking to the tech at the dealer near my place and he says that he has not heard of a Spyder doing what my wife's is doing. He told me to check the stuff that was mentioned here but when I told him that I already did that he was at a loss for what it can be. I did mention to him that I see there was a voluntary recall for "IGNITION SWITCH CONNECTOR AND IGNITION SWITCH HARNESS ROUTING". He said that they have only seen one for this recall. This is what the recall is about: "The connector on the key switch harness may not be locked and the ignition switch harness may be routed too tight. In some situations, the connector may unplug. If this occurs, the vehicle may stall without warning and could potentially cause a crash."

Does anyone know where this connector is located?


Brian

[daveinva]

Apparently my dashboard mode button is malfunctioning; when I press it, the "read the safety card" prompt disappears from the dash display OK, but the signal that's "supposed" to be sent to the starter motor enabling it, isn't getting there.

So, YOU'RE the guy who uses the dash mode button versus the left grip mode button, I always thought you were a myth, but now I know the truth!

To the OP, I think Flanker's got the best theories, but I'll add another: a wiring short somewhere along the way. Been under the tupperware lately? Lighting mods? Any mice got cozy under there during the winter? Etc.

[bscrive]

The only thing I have done is put in a Juice Box about a month ago. The problem is that now there is no power what so ever.

I am going to check all the connectors to see if something is loose. The roads are horrible here and maybe something got shaken free.

It's my wife's bike and she always uses the mode button on the handle bar.

[spyryder]

Here's one more thing to try just to see if there's juice flowing....try the headlight override button on the front of the right handlebar. That should be live all the time even without the key.

[bscrive]

That is a really good suggestion, I will try try that when i get home tonight. You guys are great.

[bscrive]

I just tried the headlight override switch and I am getting power to the headlights. Now I am going to check all the connections.

[spyryder]

You can also switch the relays around in the front fuse box for some quick troubleshooting....I believe there are 4 of them which are all the same. You already know the headlight relay is ok since the override works, so try using that one in other locations?