2021 Spyder RT not starting - any ideas?

[Mikey]

I'd forget about those codes. When the battery is bad and the cluster goes bonkers you can get all kinds of meaningless codes.

X2:agree:

 

[5Wheels]

Yes, like everyone has said: battery. I started the Spyder (2020 F3L) 2 weeks ago and decided to get a jacket. Shut the Spyder off, got my jacket and turned the key on. Display started flashing, VSS code, exclamation mark and other weird displays. took the battery out and took it to my mechanic neighbor. He checked it out and said "it's got a dead short." Spyder only has 5K mi on it and is only a year old, I bought it as a left over. Got a Yuasa, $108 and 3 day delivery from amazon. Installed it and everything's back to normal.

 

[Mikey]

Glad you got it fixed!!!! So many people get all hung up on the age of a battery and don't want to get it load tested, they can be bad right out of the box, and at most auto parts stores they will check it for free!! Good job!!!

 

[PW2013STL]

The clicking sound got me thinking about what happened to my 2020 RT. Turned out to be a blown fuse. There are two fuses that tie to the starter not sure which one to was as the mechanic who fixed it was off the day I picked it up. If your battery tested ok I would check your fuses.

 

[cwhowardjr17]

Something came up and I couldn’t test the battery. I’ll take of that tomorrow and check the fuses

 

[cwhowardjr17]

Your battery is shot. When you hit the starter button the output voltage drops below 10.5. At that point all the computers go bonkers and the engine won't even turn over. Not like the good old days when a half-dead battery would still crank over the motor.

The battery test low 11’s, dealer said bring the battery in. Showed them a video and said 95% chance it’s the battery. Since we have a warranty, they have to test the battery

 

[cwhowardjr17]

Took it to the dealer, they tested it at 10.7 in front of me. Got a new battery and didn’t fix it. I’m gonna check fuses in the AM

 

[spyderdave]

Here's what my manual says regarding battery testing: hope it helps

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Took it to the dealer, they tested it at 10.7 in front of me. Got a new battery and didn’t fix it. I’m gonna check fuses in the AM

The only thing I can figure at this point it the new battery is also bad. Dealers have been known to not properly prepare a battery for use. In fact, some dealers take a battery out of a new Spyder and install one they have charged ahead of time. Maybe your "new" battery actually came out of a Spyder that sat in a crate for months and then was not properly prepped. Just to be "damn sure" I would get a load test done on your replacement battery.

 

[Peter Aawen]

:agree: with all that, especially if the 'new battery' wasn't put on a charger for at least 8-12 hours before installation... :thumbup: . Altho I would add that in my experience with quite a few Spyders now, even tho it would be considered OK for most other applications, because our Spyders are so Power Hungry on start-up, 10.7 volts is marginal at best! :shocked:

Due to the number of Spyders I've seen with these 'no start' issues even tho their batteries retain 10.7 volts WHILE CRANKING & trying to start, these days I look for & recommend that you use 12 volts as the minimum charge under Load/whilst cranking - anything LESS than 12 volts in your battery while cranking & your Spyder has a fairly high potential for this sort of failure to start &/or run. :lecturef_smilie:

Just Sayin'

 

[Saluda]

Good luck.

 

[cwhowardjr17]

Thanks for all the help. Going to my first Spyder Rider's meeting tomorrow, maybe ill get some answers then. Not gonna mess with it today, wife is off. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I'll just add that in the eight years I've been here on the forum no other cause has ever been discovered that causes the cluster to go bonkers and the bike not start other than a bad battery. And, the issue has come quite a number of times.

 

[cwhowardjr17]

Got the cam am to the shop yesterday. They told me that it’s not the battery. They are trying the find the reason for the VSS fault.

 

[WDAVEY]

This may have nothing to do with your problem, but ask the dealer if your Spyder is under a recall. my dealer just did an ECM flash on my 21 RTL under warranty for hard/no start problems. I was not experiencing any problems.

 

[cwhowardjr17]

They already did the ECM flash. They are gonna call BRP Tuesday. The guy overseeing the bike is a retired electronic engineer. He’s thinking it maybe the ECM. He wants to make sure before he gives out the only one in their inventory

 

[cwhowardjr17]

I forgot to put a status of this issue. The problem was part of the wiring harness that goes to the ECM. They repaired the wiring and Its all good now.