Blank screen after turn on key

[spyderherb]

About a week ago got on Spyder turned on key to start and.....blank screen! Had an appt. so got in car. Had no time to check out. Next day tools and testers in hand got on and turned key and screen lit! Hasn't happened again. Another mystery? Anyone else have this happen? 2015 RT LTD

 

[Revalden]

Hasn't happened to my 2015 RT-S yet but they can be very fickle bitches, but you can't deny the awesome engineering in these machines. Try a little di-electric grease on the key/in the slot or silicone spray. Do you have a Gremlin Bell under the rig? If not get one. I installed one on my Spydie just today.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

How old is your battery? Check the battery cable connections to make sure they are clean and tight. Blank screens are a common symptom of a dying battery. If the battery voltage drops below 10.5 when you hit the starter the computer pukes and dies.

Do you connect a battery tender to it when you don't ride it for a week or so? A new battery will hold a good charge for several weeks but an old one won't.

 

[PMK]

Herb, be suspect of the battery starting to fail. As mentioned check that the connections are clean and snug. Be careful using the wrench while checking / tightening the positive terminal, best to wrap the wrench with a rag to prevent accidental shorts.

Realize too, possibly just an electrical glitch, or could even be possibly, but I would need to check a wiring diagram, a main relay loosening or acting up.

 

[Little Blue]

Check the Battery and connections. Voltage should be 12.8 volts. Load testing the battery is a good idea. Cranking voltage needs to be 10.5 volts or greater. Good Luck on your Mission. .... :thumbup:

 

[spyderherb]

Actually replaced battery 3 months ago and ryde 5-6 times a week. Thanks for ideas though.

 

[Arion]

Oooh, I know just how that feels. I decided to take advantage of a pleasant day and ride to volunteer work yesterday. When I poked the start button I was confronted with the (almost) blank screen. On the second try it started so I decided to press onward. When I reached my destination I tried again after "de-gearing" and as I suspected nothing happened. Cleverly, I had my mini jump pack aboard and at the end of the day, with a little disassembly work, coaxed it into life and enjoyed a very pleasant ride home.

I dutifully ordered a replacement battery which should be here in a few days. I'm not displeased with the performance of the original Yuasa battery that came with my 2015 RT-S. It lasted five years, and five months of each of those five years it sat in the garage unused but lovingly connected to a Battery Minder. Each fall when we returned to Texas it fired up and ran without issues and that's reasonable as far as I'm concerned.

And I'm not concerned that my Spyder will be out of commission for a few days 'cause I can always ride my wife's! And it has a battery that's only a year old. Lucky me.

 

[spyderherb]

Thanks Paul, Probably just a glitch. Hasn't happened again and battery is new, will check conns. again.

 

[Checy40342]

Mine did that too and is still not working after a new battery.
The radio stopped working, the center dash stopped working, and it won’t start
Change fuses and it's still not working!
Last night it started and worked fine for 1 minute, but after I shut it off it did it again.
I'll order new relays to see if that helps.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Mine did that too and is still not working after a new battery.
The radio stopped working, the center dash stopped working, and it won’t start
Change fuses and it's still not working!
Last night it started and worked fine for 1 minute, but after I shut it off it did it again.
I'll order new relays to see if that helps.

Lotsa good info in this thread, but Nothing in your post above changes the reply I posted in the other thread you asked about this issue in.... in fact, this bit just makes it all the more likely!

Are you sure your new battery was properly charged before it was installed? And have you checked the battery terminals are tight, as well as the other end of the ground cable?? :dontknow: . Even a new battery can have a poor connection, be a dud, or not get charged properly....

It might help tho, if you give us some idea of what year your Spyder might be, and confirm which model it is? :dontknow: Their charging systems changed with the advent of the 1330 motor on the 2014 RT's & the F3's

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Fascinates (frustrates?) me how owners just don't want to accept the only known reason for the cluster going blank and the engine not starting - low voltage to the system from the battery. As Peter has said, search out the possible reasons why the voltage from the battery is below 10.5. There is NO known other reason for the symptoms you are seeing.