[Al Skierkiewicz]

Ok,
I am going to state this as it is not entirely obvious. The input to a spike uses the same cable (PWM style) but does not feed a PWM signal to the spike. If the spike is not changing state as the LEDs next to the relay outputs on the DSC, then the likely culprit is the PWM style cable. Unlike the PWM outputs that feed a Victor, the center pin is used for the relay outputs.
Theoretically, the spike should not lock to an output when the cable is pulled. So as you have found, the spike operated normally when replaced.