Dead Battery - Reading Key message

24540 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by garrett0123, Jun 8, 2021

f6noob

Discussion Starter · Jun 13, 2015

Hi,

2014 90 HP HO 3 seater.

Has a grand total of 7 hours on it. LOL. Great news, 1 year warranty expired 2 weeks ago. I just put it in the water 2 weeks ago and had it trickle charged. Attached battery, put on dongle. Fired right up and worked great. Had to cut the session short as my other older 2003 GSX had an issue with overheating.

Fast forward to this morning. Working on the GSX, looking for leak - etc. I decide to take the Spark for a rip. Put fob on, press start... NOTHING. Dead.

So I get my booster pack, attach it, have fob on, as soon as I turn on the booster pack the Spark starts up. Without pushing the START / STOP button. Whoa. There is a message on the console - Reading Key.... Reading Key.... Reading Key it cycles through that, meanwhile machine is running while at dock. I don't have IBR.

Then i get the Welcome message. I disconnect the charger, machine still running. I press start / stop - nothing. Pull the key. It stops.

But the display stays on, still says Reading Key... slowly fades away.

Not knowing I was out of my 1 year warranty. (actually 12 days out) I brought to the Dealer. Reproduced the problem in the lot.

Any ideas? I could have charged it up to see if there was an issue because of low battery, but i wanted to get it in, hoping that BRP will show good will and if it's an electrical issue fix it. (Lol -- not holding my breath, but you have to hope).

Waiting for Dealer to give me diagnostic code information.

Thanks in advance for any ideas... or next steps if I don't pursue the Dealer after initial diagnosis. They were confused.

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Patrick

· #2 · Jun 13, 2015

Make sure all cables are properly connected. Your main harness is probably loose as mine were... Sometimes it worked just fine, sometimes it would beep and the display would work, and other times it was completely dead. It would also start if i jump started it, but die as soon as i used the electrical stuff(like when i used the ibr)So, i would just check all cables and give them a push. About the "reading key" message, I'm not sure, maybe it's the connection to the key post thats loose?
If that ain't the problem, maybe the battery is?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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f6noob

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 13, 2015

Thanks - hope that's all it is. ON the 2014 when you put the key on - did it beep? I don't think so... Nothing until you hit the start button - is that right? Wait to see what they say, i suspect battery, bad connection can cause it, but why did it drain - the only reason I took it to them was to make sure.

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Patrick

· #4 · Jun 13, 2015

It's not going to beep by just putting the key on, usually i press the start button and let "the brain" start up before putting the key in.

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Brenton Fritz

· #5 · Jun 19, 2017

I am having the same issue with my spark and wanted to know if someone found what the poblem was. It looks like the gauge isn't talking to the ecu or it has forgot its memory and needs to be reprogrammed. The 2014 sparks don't have a D.E.S.S key, only a magnetic contact and all fuses and connections are ok so can someone tell me what is going on .

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SparkMeUp

· #6 · Jan 6, 2018 (Edited)

I'm having this same problem on my 15 spark. Except it's acting dead.

When I put an alligator clip from the battery positive to the accessory fuse the LCD guage will light up and say reading key. As noted we don't have dess.. if I press start the ski fires up. If I remove the clip from the batteery to the accessory fuse the skit turns off. If the ski is running and I pull the safety lanyard off the ski will turn off.

Once again this is all only if I attach a gator clip from the battery positive to the accessory fuse.

If I do not do that the ski does not respond to anything as if the battery is dead. The battery is new and the connections are tight.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

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SparkMeUp

· #7 · Jan 8, 2018

SparkMeUp said:
I'm having this same problem on my 15 spark. Except it's acting dead.

When I put an alligator clip from the battery positive to the accessory fuse the LCD guage will light up and say reading key. As noted we don't have dess.. if I press start the ski fires up. If I remove the clip from the batteery to the accessory fuse the skit turns off. If the ski is running and I pull the safety lanyard off the ski will turn off.

Once again this is all only if I attach a gator clip from the battery positive to the accessory fuse.

If I do not do that the ski does not respond to anything as if the battery is dead. The battery is new and the connections are tight.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

It was my relay.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

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xxyanmanxx

· #8 · May 31, 2021

f6noob said:
Hi,

2014 90 HP HO 3 seater.

Has a grand total of 7 hours on it. LOL. Great news, 1 year warranty expired 2 weeks ago. I just put it in the water 2 weeks ago and had it trickle charged. Attached battery, put on dongle. Fired right up and worked great. Had to cut the session short as my other older 2003 GSX had an issue with overheating.

Fast forward to this morning. Working on the GSX, looking for leak - etc. I decide to take the Spark for a rip. Put fob on, press start... NOTHING. Dead.

So I get my booster pack, attach it, have fob on, as soon as I turn on the booster pack the Spark starts up. Without pushing the START / STOP button. Whoa. There is a message on the console - Reading Key.... Reading Key.... Reading Key it cycles through that, meanwhile machine is running while at dock. I don't have IBR.

Then i get the Welcome message. I disconnect the charger, machine still running. I press start / stop - nothing. Pull the key. It stops.

But the display stays on, still says Reading Key... slowly fades away.

Not knowing I was out of my 1 year warranty. (actually 12 days out) I brought to the Dealer. Reproduced the problem in the lot.

Any ideas? I could have charged it up to see if there was an issue because of low battery, but i wanted to get it in, hoping that BRP will show good will and if it's an electrical issue fix it. (Lol -- not holding my breath, but you have to hope).

Waiting for Dealer to give me diagnostic code information.

Thanks in advance for any ideas... or next steps if I don't pursue the Dealer after initial diagnosis. They were confused.

Hey there so i am having the same problem and supposed to go out with a buddy tomorrow. Did you figure out what it was by chance??.

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garrett0123

· #9 · Jun 8, 2021

xxyanmanxx said:
Hey there so i am having the same problem and supposed to go out with a buddy tomorrow. Did you figure out what it was by chance??.

I am having the same issue. I bought a salvage spark and rebuilt it but get "reading key" whenever i put in my key. From what ive read, its either 1) relay 2) post 3) key 4) wires have bad connection. Its just frustrating because If I spend 50$ on a new post, it still may not work because it could be something else. Let me know if you fix it because im in the same boat...literally

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