Hi all

I've been having this problem which I can see from other Crossfire owners is quite common and well documented

The rear spoiler on my Crossfire comes up randomly and stays up, the button inside to lower the spoiler is flashing red and only sometimes lets you put the spoiler down, it doesn't beep and then comes back up again. The spoiler does move up and down properly though.

I've tried replacing the fuse, had a battery health check which they said the battery was fine and then taken it to an automotive electrical center for an opinion and expensive quote.

Has anyone else had this issue or might know what to try to fix it?

Thanks

 

And why did you throw money away like that? There is no "mechanic" that understands even ohm's law in the entire USA. There WAS, years ago, but no one wants to learn anymore.
WHy not just take it to a dealer and pay them $1000 to not fix it - don't waste money unless you waste a TON of money.

Am I forgiven for laughing at that question? Almost ALL of us have dealt with this. Not a WEEK goes by that someone on one of the Fakebook pages goes thru this.
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Back to topic:
This is, again, about the OLDEST complaint with our cars there is. DO NOT pay anyone to "diagnose" it. Virtually NO ONE understands the communications between the Battery, Alternator, Brake controller, BCM, RCM, ECU and CLP/SSM - and all those components have a hand in the operation of the wing.

Here is what I do when someone brings me a car with this issue:

1) Do James' ground mod, cost is $20 or less. CLICK HERE and DO JAMES' MOD, not the mod I talk about in that thread.
1A) Inspect both battery posts/cable clamps. Remove clamps from posts and verify things are clean, use a wire brush on the posts and clamps.

2) Is the battery over four years old? If so replace it.
(If you say, "I had it tested and they say it's good", slap yourself REALLY HARD until you pass out. There is no 'test' for this, as the issue is lack of capacitive reactance in the old battery, not low capacity. Ask the guy to explain "capacitive reactance", if he can't, and we both know he cant, ask yourself what you expect him to do.)
"But Mark, I don't want to waste $150 on a battery that was not the issue". Fine, go pay some shop to "Test things" and get nowhere. $150 for a battery that is that old is not a waste of money anyway.

4) If you have a BAS/ESP light on the dash at times, THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM. Ignore the wing and fix the real issue and your wing will work fine.
4A) The brake controller relay on the RCM can cause odd issues, but if that is the issue, you usually will have a BAS/ESP light at least part time.

5) Put your spare RCM in and see if that solves the issue. If it does, send your 'bad' RCM to DJ for rebuilding, cost is $60 and you will then have a spare again.
5A) If you have no spare RCM and have been a member here more than six months, slap yourself really hard as in step 2) above. I DO NOT drive the car without a spare crank sensor and a spare RCM in the trunk. ANYTIME the RCM acts up, I put the spare in and send the bad one to DJ. (Actually, have only had an RCM failure twice in twelve years, and Iv'e owned three Roadsters in that time.)


The "wing goes up" issue is as common as low tire pressure or the car getting dirty. There are SO many causes but usually it's unstable voltage/spikes/surges in the 12 volt supply that (apparently) cause the brake controller to misinterpret wheel speed data and in turn, tell the BCM to raise the wing. This is not always the battery but it is very often the battery. As the cars age, the block to chassis to battery ground path degrades, hence why James came up with his mod in 1) above.

 

Turn the key to the ON position and check that both these relays remain closed. The traction relay, if failing (right circled relay) can cause the spoiler to stay up.
If it's bad I can refurbish your RCM. Email tighed1@hotmail.com for the details.

 

Hello there pizzaguy

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my question, I really do appreciate it.

I completely agree about the complexity and accuracy of the battery health check, luckily for me that came as a free perk so I didn't have to spend a penny on that, thought I immediately doubted how in depth it would be. The same goes for the visit to the automotive electrical center, it didn't cost me a penny, I was just given a rough estimate on what they would do if I sent my car in. Those two things were only helpful in gauging that they didn't have a clue. I'm in the UK and my car is right hand drive so you can imagine how scarce parts or even knowledge can be on these cars when dealing with bog standard garages and centers.

I'm aware that this issue is extremely well documented and frequent with crossfire owners, this car has been in the family for 10 years now and no one has had a single issue with it. I've only recently joined the Crossfire forum, I am completely new to fixing or repairing these cars.

My first port of call is definitely the battery, though it's not over four years old, I believe it's 2 or 3, it has previously had a known fault, which up until this issue now, had appeared to have cleared up by itself. I knew this going into having the battery "tested" so you can imagine how skeptical I was about the test when they came back saying the battery is in good order.

I shall follow your advice and make sure that the posts and clamps are cleaned with no ingress of dirt using a wire brush, thank you.

I do not currently have any BAS/ESP lights or warning lights appearing on my dash at any point (I'd like to keep it that way) only the flashing red light of the spoiler button.

 

You are 23 and have owned your Crossfire for over 10 years??????

 

I was going to ask the same question.

 

So now things fix themselves? I've, since 1983, been an electronics tech, shop manager, training supervisor, systems tech, R&D engineer and Solutions engineer - never once have I found an electrical or electro-mechanical issue that "cleared up by itself". They appear to... at times... for a time.

And the battery has a date of purchase on the label that tells you how old it is. If it has no such label, time for a new battery.

 

Of course not

I've just never had any issues until this one now with the rear spoiler.

The battery is two years and 2 months old (August 2021) and the only "fault" was when It went flat, I had to call the RAC (equivalent to AAA) and I was told that the battery "possibly" has a damaged cell. I didn't go and order a replacement at the time though.

I've ordered a new battery now and hopefully that resolves the problem with the spoiler.





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