Spyder hard to start....

[AZ Desert Spyder]

I have an issue I haven't seen on a post yet (which of course doesn't mean there wasn't one). My Spyder (08 RS) runs great and I've never had any issues starting it. I had a major service done a couple of months ago and it's run fine after the service, until recently. But on 3 separate occasions over the past couple of weeks, I've had problems starting it. The engine turns over for a second and stops. I hit it again, and it does the same thing. I've had to try 8 to 10 times and suddenly it starts just fine. There's no gas smell, so I don't think it was flooded. And it's not a low battery because it stops suddenly each time rather than a slow turn. It probably won't do any good taking it to the shop because I can't duplicate the problem. I'm concerned that at some point it's just not going to start at all. And besides, it's a bit embarrassing when it happens ... especially since there are usually people checking out the Spyder when it happens! Any suggestions?

 

[Freddy]

And it's not a low battery = famous last words.

 

[Bob Denman]

I'd at least start with verifying that all of the connections are tight to the battery... :thumbup:
Please let us know what you find and good luck!

 

[NancysToy]

I think you should at least visit the shop to have them check for fault codes on BUDS. Off the top of my head, I'd suspect a bad kill switch, ignition switch, or security module. Does the display stay on, without change except for the oil pressure light, when it dies? If so, I might suspect a bad ECM, coil, or electrical connection. If the display changes or goes dead, look at the kill switch, ignition switch, and security module.

 

[AZ Desert Spyder]

No, the display doesn't go dead. I'm pretty sure it looks exactly the same. If it happens again, I'll be sure to take a closer look. Thanks for the advice. I'll check out all connections first. The more I think about it, the more I feel it might just be a bad connection somewhere. If/when I get it fixed, I'll definitely post the results.

Oh, and about BUDS, I've had another unrelated steering issue recently (discussed in a different post) and I had the dealer check it out on BUDS for that problem. They found a couple of fault codes and fixed them, but that didn't help either issue (steering or starting). Both of these issues showed up both before AND after the BUDS test, but I feel very confident they are unrelated.

 

[AZ Desert Spyder]

Maybe it's fixed...

I still can't understand why BRP thinks we should have to remove 2 body panels just to get to the battery posts! Anyway I did check the connections as suggested and sure enough, the negative post connection was only finger tight! So I tightened it up good (and the positive post too just to be safe) I've started it 8 or 10 times since and so far so good. But my problem didn't happen very often, so I'll have to start it at least another 20 or 30 times before I'll start to feel confident the problem is truly gone. Thanks to all for your advice. If you don't hear differently from me, it means it's a done deal!ray:

 

[Daisyjoe]

Not cranking

Just got mine out of the shop today. I have a 2010 RS. What did they say was the problem? Checked every obvious thing, so we really do not know what was causing the problem. When the dealer put it on the computer, it did not throw code. It is cranking now, but I am holding my breath. Good luck!