I had my 2014 Viper RTX reflashed this morning with the latest update. This sled has always run flawlessly from the time I got it 2 years ago once it was warmed up. However; when starting cold after the 2016 flash, it would let out a heart stopping backfire occasionally and would be very hard to start below about -15C. After it started from cold, the engine sounded very labored and idle rpm would continuously vary. (engine hot and cold). Most times when starting at operating temp, it would take 2 attempts to get it running.
I have not had it out on the snow since this mornings reflash but have these observations. It cranked several times at -18C (O f) and started without an issue. It idled well cold and rpm's only varied by 10 between 1490 and 1500. I let it warm up on the trailer until the fan ran and then shut it off. The fan now runs quite a bit longer after the engine is shut off than before the latest flash but that's not an issue at all. I started it and shut it off (engine warm) several times at the dealer with single start on the key every time. I then took it home and the engine was cold again when I got there. I went through the start and warmup process again and it performed flawlessly. I then tried restarting it warm several times (warm) and it started first time every time. This would not have been the case before the reflash. One other thing I noticed is when I increase the throttle to just below clutch engagement rpms and then quickly release it, the engine slowly returns to idle speed whereas before it would drop very quickly to idle speed. (not an issue; just an observation)
Overall, I'm very happy with how this turned out and look forward to getting it out on the snow. Hopefully it still performs well. If this problem has actually been solved, I may go and buy a new one someday as I really like these sleds. If this flash turns out to be a dud, I am going to change teams. 5 years is long enough to wait for a solution.
