Check engine light

[Dib52]

Alright experts, got a check engine light 3 times this past weekend. Now for a little background... I went and took the Motorcycle Safety Course(wanted to get a break on insurance)and used the spyder. On day one, we started on the driving course in the heat of the day and temps were pushing 95 with a heat index close to 103. We were on concrete turning speeds no faster than 15mph. Everything was fine but I kept a close eye on the temp gague as it crept higher and higher. Fan was running a lot more the whole time. And then it came on, check engine. Shut her down, pulled key, walked away, and let it sit between exercises. Fired back up, light gone only to return about 20 minutes later during another exercise. Went to the same shutting down, walking away, blah, blah. This time, stayed on but the class was about complete so just pushed it through. Let it rest before heading home and voila, light gone. Ride home(20 miles) no problems, limps, lights, almost like it never happened. Onto day two, same hot conditions on the test course but not in the heat of the day(8-12pm). Toward the end of the class, it came on again. Shut down, blah, blah, blah and it vanished again. Drove it home again without any issues. Now, wanting to investigate further, I checked the coolant level and noticed it was a little low. Put about 12oz into the bottle.
My question, would the low coolant level cause the check engine without causing an engine overheat warning? Was it the slow speeds and lack of airflow? Was it the constant running in 1st gear? Or just a combination of all factors including mother nature and the hot concrete? I have run it hard the last 2 days and haven't had a problem and the light hasn't returned. Thoughts ?

 

[boborgera]

Any chance you might have been riding the brake [foot resting on the pedal during the slow maneuvers?]

 

[Dib52]

Any chance you might have been riding the brake [foot resting on the pedal during the slow maneuvers?]

Nope, very cautious about that from all the reading I have done. Furthermore, it never went into limp or check DPS fault commonly associated with riding the brake.

 

[NancysToy]

Without having pulled any active fault codes, we could only wildly guess about the cause. I doubt it is coolant or coolant level related. Your dealer can check for occurred codes via BUDS. Next time do the "three finger salute" and pull up the codes while the light is on. (Press MODE, SET, and turn signal cancel simultaneously on an RT)

 

[Arr MiHardies]

Without the codes, I'd wager it's just complaining about a hi air temperature at the air intake.

 

[Dib52]

Without having pulled any active fault codes, we could only wildly guess about the cause. I doubt it is coolant or coolant level related. Your dealer can check for occurred codes via BUDS. Next time do the "three finger salute" and pull up the codes while the light is on. (Press MODE, SET, and turn signal cancel simultaneously on an RT)

Can't get the light to come on again...then again, guess that's a good thing! I knew I should have done the 3 finger thing right away, just kinda slipped my mine with everything else going on. Then when I remembered, darn thing was gone.

 

[Dib52]

Without the codes, I'd wager it's just complaining about a hi air temperature at the air intake.

Being you're in Vegas, ever have something like that? I'm sure you've seen some extreme heat out your way, but then again, you're probably pushing some fresh air into the machine. I was puttering around on a parking lot for 4 hours.

 

[NancysToy]

Can't get the light to come on again...then again, guess that's a good thing! I knew I should have done the 3 finger thing right away, just kinda slipped my mine with everything else going on. Then when I remembered, darn thing was gone.

Transient check engine lights under extreme conditions wouldn't worry me. I wouldn't fret unless it continues to happen.

 

[Dib52]

Transient check engine lights under extreme conditions wouldn't worry me. I wouldn't fret unless it continues to happen.

I'd say it was an extreme condition, I had 6 hrs of run time on the trip meter with an average speed of 21 mph and burned the whole tank of gas during the class. All while having the heat index in the triple digits. Didn't get into second gear for any of the exercises. I'd hate to see what the ave speed would have been without the rides to and from class. Thanks Scotty, gives me some piece of mind when you put it this way!

 

[bikeguy]

I had the same problem several times last summer except mine only occurred on start up, never while driving. But, of course I wasn't driving slowly around a concrete parking lot like you were. It cleared every time by simply driving down the road and getting a little air flow. I never even thought about checking for codes but when I took it in for the next service I had the tech check the code history and he found High Air Temp codes. According to the tech, this happens at a temperature of 123 degrees which, as you're well aware, can easily happen when the weather is as hot as it was here last summer and looks like it's going to be again this summer.

Cotton

 

[Dib52]

I had the same problem several times last summer except mine only occurred on start up, never while driving. But, of course I wasn't driving slowly around a concrete parking lot like you were. It cleared every time by simply driving down the road and getting a little air flow. I never even thought about checking for codes but when I took it in for the next service I had the tech check the code history and he found High Air Temp codes. According to the tech, this happens at a temperature of 123 degrees which, as you're well aware, can easily happen when the weather is as hot as it was here last summer and looks like it's going to be again this summer.

Cotton

Makes sense, my outside temp read 128 degrees on the dash while in the parking lot. Yeah, expect it to be another hot one, just hope it's not a 70 days straight of triple figures like last year.

 

[bikeguy]

Makes sense, my outside temp read 128 degrees on the dash while in the parking lot. Yeah, expect it to be another hot one, just hope it's not a 70 days straight of triple figures like last year.

I'm a couple hundred miles west of you but we had the same thing last year. I wish it would cool down a little this year but it doesn't look like it. San Angelo has already had two days of record high temps in June. One day was 108, the other 109. My dealer's service manager was planning to talk to BRP about the possibility of changing the temperature required to throw that code since it was so easy to reach that temperature in our heat here in Texas. I don't know if he actually talked to them or not. I've had it happen once this year. It's not a serious problem but it can be a little aggravating.

Cotton

 

[Arr MiHardies]

Being you're in Vegas, ever have something like that? I'm sure you've seen some extreme heat out your way, but then again, you're probably pushing some fresh air into the machine. I was puttering around on a parking lot for 4 hours.

Yeah. One time... In the shop. Turn on the spyder to connect it to buds. It had been sitting outside in the heat for at least an hour. moved it inside,and I got a check engine light right in front of the mechanic (best time for it to happen) looked up the code and items the high air temperature intake.turned it off, went away. Hasn't come back.