What does it feel like when the Nanny takes over?

[Snoking1127]

Well I am running out of time to address this steering issue, as I leave AZ on the 30th with the SxS on the trailer. My latest thought is to come back with the trailer and haul it back to Washington and maybe drop it off for Shawn Smoak at Pro Caliber in Vancouver, Wa to work on it or put a new DPS in myself and trailer it down for him to align.

I rode it about 150 yesterday across the Phoenix Valley without an issue. Still going to dig into it and check grounds, unplug the DPS and clean the contacts. Intermittent problems are the hardest to fix. Throwing a $1700 part at it??????

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Well I am running out of time to address this steering issue, as I leave AZ on the 30th with the SxS on the trailer. My latest thought is to come back with the trailer and haul it back to Washington and maybe drop it off for Shawn Smoak at Pro Caliber in Vancouver, Wa to work on it or put a new DPS in myself and trailer it down for him to align.

I rode it about 150 yesterday across the Phoenix Valley without an issue. Still going to dig into it and check grounds, unplug the DPS and clean the contacts. Intermittent problems are the hardest to fix. Throwing a $1700 part at it??????

I've been following this ..... If you haven't had a BUDS diagnosis of what is going on, spending $1700.00 dollars only to discover that the DPS is not the problem .... good luck ...Mike :thumbup:

 

[Snoking1127]

I've been following this ..... If you haven't had a BUDS diagnosis of what is going on .... spending $ 1700.00 dollars only to discover ....the DPS is not the problem .... good luck ...Mike :thumbup:

Just did at another 100 mile ride and did not have an issue. What is BUDS going to tell? No error codes logged. I know that a new DPS has to be aligned when installed. What would cause this to start happening and be very intermittent? What does BUDS diagnosis that would account for this?

 

[Snoking1127]

So the single electrical connection to the new Spyder is a 10 conductor double locking plug in a really hard area to reach. I watch an automotive connector type video on how to unplug them, and there it was the same style connector. So you take a small flat blade screwdriver and start the off white lock piece moving off the black plug and pull it off and drop into never never land below. You are now able to push down on the lock tap and the plug comes right off the DPS. I sprayed in with contact cleaner and sprayed the DPS side and put the plug on and then spent 40 minutes looking for and retrieving the secondary white locking piece.

To review: three pins are combined for +12V to the DPS and three are combined for ground. 1 is from fuse F7L(wake up TCM, DPS, Cluster, and DLC) and 2 are can bus + and -.

Going to ride it again tomorrow.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Just did at another 100 mile ride and did not have an issue. What is BUDS going to tell? No error codes logged. I know that a new DPS has to be aligned when installed. What would cause this to start happening and be very intermittent? What does BUDS diagnosis that would account for this?

BUDS can do A LOT MORE than just show &/or clear codes! :lecturef_smilie:

 

[Snoking1127]

Did a 200 mile ride today without any steering issues!

 

[Snoking1127]

Just did a 93 mile ride pushing it hard in corners without issue! So I guess I will be riding it to Washington in late May or June!

 

[Snoking1127]

I went ahead and replaced the other lower ball joint when it arrived. Second one went much faster than the first one. Have not had another case of steering issues.

 

[Snoking1127]

OK, did another 150 mile test ride today, and all is well at this point.

So here is my conclusion, I guess... This started on the second ride after installing the H&R front springs on the OEM shocks. To understand the lower ball joints and how they handle the load on the two front tires, I have loaded the picture of the right front again. This lower ball joint does not carry the Spyder's weight in the cup of the ball joint. Think of it this way, the stock b/j is holding the lower A-frame down and provides resistance to stop the lower A-arm from moving up. The ball joint is pressed into the bottom of the A-arm with the inner part that mates with the steering knuckle at the bottom of the knuckle. Meaning that when the tires are on the ground holding the weight of the front of the machine, that weight is trying to pull the center piece out of the shouldered top hole in the ball joint. It's not a ball pushing into a cup, it is a ball trying to pull up through a hole in a cup.

I believe the addition of the new H&R stiff springs caused the ball to be hammered into the ball joint 'cup with a hole' to the point of causing the steering to bind up possibly. I may never know for sure, but I do know that for several rides now all seems well. I bought this 2018 in fall of 2020 with 5240 miles on it; a lot of those miles I believe were done by the original owner at Quartzite, Az, while camping out in the desert. The machine was nice and clean on the outside. However, when I removed the tupperware, the interior was packed with dust. He may have beat it across bumpy desert roads. He said he had just installed a new belt, which now leads me to believe that the original ball joint was damaged by gravel. First picture was from his 'for sale' Ad.