2015 F3 SM6 with Fault Code P0512 & trying to start itself - anyone else experiencing this?

[ZombieWoof]

According to everything I've researched, this error shows up when the trike has issues starting.
I have the opposite problem - if the secondary starter wire relay is connected, the bike tries to start itself, no matter what gear it's in.

With the wire disconnected, the "auto start" doesn't occur.

It doesn't require the mode button to be pushed or the brakes applied to start or be in Neutral.

The original issue was the gear position sensor, replaced that, and now I'm getting this code. The starter relay has been replaced with a generic, LIFEPO battery starts the bike almost immediately. Diode tested good across the relay terminals.

Anyone else experienced this?

 

[Mikey]

What mods have you done to the bike? Up graded tune, ect, that type of stuff?

 

[Cobranut]

Does this happen immediately when the battery is connected?
Does it only occur when the key is turned on?
Does the starter motor continue to run once the engine starts?

More information is needed to offer any real advice.
It could be a defective component in the ECU, as the starter is not triggered by the button directly.

 

[ZombieWoof]

As soon as the key is turned to the On position it tries to start itself and lurches forward if in gear. If the engine starts, the starter motor is still engaged. Removing the diode wire disables the self starting issue, but also disables all safeties.

What mods have you done to the bike? Up graded tune, ect, that type of stuff?

Well, it's set up as a "Ghostbuster" trike, so a lot of LED lights. But, after battery issues, all accessories are on a separate remote controlled relay, all out of the battery circuit until activated.

Besides that, Cat Delete is the only major engine change.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Hey Zombie. You'll benefit from a shop manual, if you don't have one. Troubleshooting electrical glitches on the internet is not that effective. To have the problem that you've described, you need to have two failures, or some circuit compromise, either by damage or by installation of all of those electrical mods.

When you turn on the ignition, what's supposed to happen is the Main Relay energizes, sending power throughout the system. Power comes down to the upstream side of the Pre-Start Relay and stops there. It will pass through to the starter solenoid only when you depress the Start PB, energizing the relay and closing its contact. That's problem number 1. Power is passing through to the solenoid immediately without you pushing the button. Check for relay failure, Start PB failure. OR...power is going around the relay due to some circuit compromise.

To Cobra's point - the downstream side of the starter solenoid must go to ground through the ECM. This is where the ECM gives it the Go/No Go decision for a start after looking at the start permissives, such as Neutral, clutch switch, etc, etc. The ECM also turns off the starter solenoid once the engine reaches a predetermined RPM to indicate that it is running. Problem number 2. That's not happening either. It’s trying to start regardless. Again, either because the ECM has an internal failure or the circuit is again being bypassed due to some compromise.

So, you know the drill - process of elimination. The quickest thing to do is pull the Pre-Start Relay, turn on the key and see what happens. Unless you have a short that bypasses the relay, the starter should not run. If it still runs as soon as you turn on the key, you need to track down where the fault lies that is bypassing that relay. If it doesn't run, you can determine if it's the relay or the Start PB that has failed. The PB is a physical switch, not CANBUS, so you can go in there and operate on it. That doesn't solve the ECM issue - which may require replacement - but at least you get control back. But, please keep an open mind that this may be mod related. Good Luck.

2015 Can-Am Spyder F3 Series Repair and Maintenance Manual Master Collection

Professional High Definition Keyword Searchable Factory OEM Manual - 1090 Pages Covers 2015 Can-Am Spyder F3 series models (Auto & Manual) including: 2015 Spyder F3 SM6 Manual Shift 2015 Spyder F3 SE6 Electric Shift This is NOT a scan, this manual is from the original digital source. This...

brpmanuals.com