Limp Mode

[SpydeeBite2]

Changed the oil in our RT-S today and when I started it I had a check engine lite and then limp home mode. Shut it off waited a few minutes, started again and still have limp mode. Stopped and started a few more times hopping it woild reset itself. No such luck. Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

 

[Lamonster]

Take a little ride on it. Mine did this on my first RT and it reset itself after a ride but wouldn't in my shop.

 

[SpydeeBite2]

Take a little ride on it. Mine did this on my first RT and it reset itself after a ride but wouldn't in my shop.

Thanks Lamont. I'll give it a try in the morning.

 

[boborgera]

Changed the oil in our RT-S today and when I started it I had a check engine lite and then limp home mode. Shut it off waited a few minutes, started again and still have limp mode. Stopped and started a few more times hopping it woild reset itself. No such luck. Any thoughts and/or suggestions?

The only suggestion i can give you is to go back to the last thing you did very carefully. You never know might have hit /moved something that doesn't like to be hit / moved. Wish i could be more helpful.

 

[SpydeeBite2]

As per Lamonts suggestion I took the RT for a ride this morning and before I had gone a half a block it reset the check engine light:yes: So all is well with the RT-S

 

[Lamonster]

:2thumbs:
Not sure why it does that sometimes. :dontknow:

 

[BHawksworth]

You sure no other idiot lights came on? My Sypder RT-S went into limp home mode yesterday for the second time, with 238 miles on the clock (picked it up weekend before last). First time, DPS and engine light. This time, DPS, engine and VSS light. The first time it cleared and didn't come back for 140 miles after letting it sit overnight. My experience is that when a code is thrown by any machine and then goes away, the problem is still there and will eventually bite you. They don't just correct themselves.

As per Lamonts suggestion I took the RT for a ride this morning and before I had gone a half a block it reset the check engine light:yes: So all is well with the RT-S

 

[Lamonster]

You sure no other idiot lights came on? My Sypder RT-S went into limp home mode yesterday for the second time, with 238 miles on the clock (picked it up weekend before last). First time, DPS and engine light. This time, DPS, engine and VSS light. The first time it cleared and didn't come back for 140 miles after letting it sit overnight. My experience is that when a code is thrown by any machine and then goes away, the problem is still there and will eventually bite you. They don't just correct themselves.

You can check "active" codes on your RT.
There are times when the codes will correct themselves like when you change oil and get a low oil pressure code or you have a low battery and you get a check engine-vss-dps code.

Not sure what your issue is but it could be a bad cluster.

 

[BHawksworth]

My steering got noticeably stiffer, so I think there's actually something wrong with the DPS unit. Odd that the VSS light also lit up. Agree with your comments, but specific codes in the absence of maintenance or letting the thing sit around till the battery goes flat usually spell trouble.

You can check "active" codes on your RT.
There are times when the codes will correct themselves like when you change oil and get a low oil pressure code or you have a low battery and you get a check engine-vss-dps code.

Not sure what your issue is but it could be a bad cluster.

 

[Lamonster]

My steering got noticeably stiffer, so I think there's actually something wrong with the DPS unit. Odd that the VSS light also lit up. Agree with your comments, but specific codes in the absence of maintenance or letting the thing sit around till the battery goes flat usually spell trouble.

I just read your post on the DPS and you said "I didn't experience an actual steering problem" So did that change?
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showpost.php?p=187982&postcount=10

 

[SC_DOC]

I have a 1 week old RTS SE with 300 miles. Had limp mode come on today while going 30 mph in town. I was afraid to kill the engine, and I limped home 8 miles with a line of traffic pissed off at me as I couldn't go more than about 25, with the engine coughing and sputtering the whole time. When I got home and killed the engine, I turned the key and got an ABS fault, then a low oil fault. I had it trailered back to the dealer, and after hooking to the computer, they could find nothing wrong, other than the retained information of the limp mode. They think it is a computer glitch. I guess if it happens again, I will try to just re-start, hoping that it will re-set things.

 

[SC_DOC]

Well, it happened again. The dreaded limp mode. This time I learned a few things by trial and error. These may have already been known by others and posted, but I will re-cap my experience. I got a DPS fault while steering aggressively around a curve at about 65 mph. It threw it into limp mode and I pulled over and killed the engine without removing the key. Upon restarting the limp mode didn't clear, so I drove 20 miles in limp mode, but found that the bike will cough and sputter in 1st through 4th gears, but when it hits 5th gear things sooth out and you can get up to about 45-50 mph at the low rpms that limp mode holds you to. It seems counterintuitive that a higher gear should run better at low rpms than a lower gear, but it works. Went back to the dealer who was clueless and called Can Am who made all sorts of suggestions, thinking it was possibly related to a brake light switch, but all that checked out OK. I was having some squeal in the brakes and they sprayed down the rotors with the ant-squeal spray. That fixed the noise, and I have driven another 120 miles with no further problems. (Knock on wood). I am now up to 600 miles and ready for the post break-in service. Hopefully my problems are behind me.
While I am thinking about it, after I got home in limp mode I cut the engine and removed the key. I then went through the normal sequence and started, and was out of limp mode, running normally. If anyone can explain what might be going on I would appreciate the info. I have an RTS SE.

 

[BHawksworth]

Sounds like your problem is identical to mine. Mine's in the shop. We'll see what happens there. Sorry to say, mine went 120 miles with no problems before going into limp mode the second time. Mine also happened at highway speed when changing lanes, both times. I think you may need to resign yourself that it will happen again.

Well, it happened again. The dreaded limp mode. This time I learned a few things by trial and error. These may have already been known by others and posted, but I will re-cap my experience. I got a DPS fault while steering aggressively around a curve at about 65 mph. It threw it into limp mode and I pulled over and killed the engine without removing the key. Upon restarting the limp mode didn't clear, so I drove 20 miles in limp mode, but found that the bike will cough and sputter in 1st through 4th gears, but when it hits 5th gear things sooth out and you can get up to about 45-50 mph at the low rpms that limp mode holds you to. It seems counterintuitive that a higher gear should run better at low rpms than a lower gear, but it works. Went back to the dealer who was clueless and called Can Am who made all sorts of suggestions, thinking it was possibly related to a brake light switch, but all that checked out OK. I was having some squeal in the brakes and they sprayed down the rotors with the ant-squeal spray. That fixed the noise, and I have driven another 120 miles with no further problems. (Knock on wood). I am now up to 600 miles and ready for the post break-in service. Hopefully my problems are behind me.
While I am thinking about it, after I got home in limp mode I cut the engine and removed the key. I then went through the normal sequence and started, and was out of limp mode, running normally. If anyone can explain what might be going on I would appreciate the info. I have an RTS SE.

 

[jima1153]

Me too

I just picked up my RT-S yesterday. Love it - but Limp Mode. First time was about 20 miles into the trip. I stopped shut it down started back up and it did fine all the way home (70 mi). About an hr later we went out riding and it did it 3 times in a 15 mi trip. stopped for an hr. It was fine all the way home, (All of these were DPS limp modes btw). :dontknow:

 

[NancysToy]

I just picked up my RT-S yesterday. Love it - but Limp Mode. First time was about 20 miles into the trip. I stopped shut it down started back up and it did fine all the way home (70 mi). About an hr later we went out riding and it did it 3 times in a 15 mi trip. stopped for an hr. It was fine all the way home, (All of these were DPS limp modes btw). :dontknow:

That may be a good thing, although it will require a trip back to the dealer. There have been some incidents of limp mode with no fault message, and they are hard to solve. One of the most common causes for an intermittent DPS fault is the sensors being out of calibration. That's easy to fix. Could also be a bad sensor, or a bad DPS, but at least the tech will have something to go on.

Sorry about the difficulties, but :congrats:. Best of luck on a speedy repair.

 

[jima1153]

Thanks Scotty. Here is a little bit more of my self diagnosis. It only happens when I'm going East and a strong wind coming out of the Southeast whiping me around. Yaw sensor? I did call my dealer with 2 active codes. I'm waiting on their return call.

 

[krb1945]

Just had a problem with one of...

my 08 units. This is probably unrelated to your situation but it is something to ponder and remember. It started blinking the main instrument panel then scrolling messages and then just quit. Tried switching the small relays around... found the original main relay 2, a tyco, had failed. Replaced it with a new BW and everything went back to normal. /Ken

 

[NancysToy]

Thanks Scotty. Here is a little bit more of my self diagnosis. It only happens when I'm going East and a strong wind coming out of the Southeast whiping me around. Yaw sensor? I did call my dealer with 2 active codes. I'm waiting on their return call.

What are the codes?

 

[BHawksworth]

My problem appears to have been a bad sensor.