Using the accessory outlet to plug in the charger...

[HERRBAYEMVAY]

Hey, all....

Last year, I replaced my old battery with a BMW sealed gel battery and purchased a BMW trickle charger. For a Christmas present, I got a BMW accessory outlet and a pair of Gerbings heated gloves. One of the chores that the outlet is supposed to make simpler is charging the battery. The BMW charger comes with a plug adaptor that you can use to plug into the outlet that allows you to charge your battery, instead of using the clamps to attach to the terminals on the battery.

Yesterday, I decided to make sure my battery had a full charge before going to bed, since the forecast called for temps to dip down below 20 degrees (pretty damn cold for SC) and I intended to put my new heated gloves to use. I removed the clamps and attached the plug adaptor, and inserted it into my outlet.

According to the battery charger instructions, the little red light is supposed to glow after you attach the charger to your battery, indicating it is charging. When your battery reaches a level of 80% charged, the red light continues to glow steadily, and the green light begins to blink on and off. When your battery is fully charged, the red light turns off and the green light glows steadily.

When I plugged in my charger after putting in the adaptor in the accessory outlet, both the red and green light began blinking on and off, which I had not seen happen before. I took out my instructions and read them over, but there is no explanation for both lights blinking on and off. I disconnected the plug adaptor and used the clamps to attach to the battery terminals and charged the battery as normal.

Any ideas or thoughts to explain this blinking? I know my outlet works OK, since I’ve already used my heated gloves (and boy, are they great!). Does anyone out there have a BMW trickle charger system and an accessory outlet and charge their bike’s battery using the outlet instead of the clamps?

Thanks! ;)

[kioolt]

You may have the polarity of the outlet wrong. Your gloves would still work because they are not polarity sensitive but the charger is polarity sensitive. If you hook the charger up to the battery with the polarity wrong do the light react the same way?

[riderR1150GSAdv]

You may have the polarity of the outlet wrong. Your gloves would still work because they are not polarity sensitive but the charger is polarity sensitive. If you hook the charger up to the battery with the polarity wrong do the light react the same way?

What he said :thumb

[boofer]

OR, the state of charge on your battery has fallen below the point where a "tender" can charge. Just connect it to a regular trickle charger or other around 3 to 6 amps or so for about a hour, then plug in your tender. Should work normal then .

[pmdave]

When all else fails, dig that charger instruction sheet out of the can and read it. It probably explains what the indications are for reversed polarity.

There are also differences between chargers and batteries. If you bought an AGM sealed battery, a "normal" charger will function correctly. If the battery you bought was actually a BMW sealed "gel" battery, you need a different charger designed specifically for gel batteries.

On the BMW accessory outlet, the inner connection should go to the positive (+)terminal of the battery. The outer connection can either be attached directly to the negative (-) side of the battery, or to any clean metal fastener on the engine or frame.

Those "trailer" style connectors with one exposed pin and one hidden pin should be wired with the hidden pin to + and the exposed pin to -, so that it's more difficult to touch the hot side to ground and make sparks.

BTW, I have used both "Battery Tender" and "Battery Doc" automatic chargers, and prefer the Battery Doc. Whitehorse Press now has a variety of different plugs, cables, and connectors. Battery Doc is available from www.soundrider.com.

pmdave :type

[Montana]

If you don't have a good connection, you get the light status you mention. It's usually one of three things:

1. The wires inside the plug (male piece) from the charger are only connected via set screws and often come disconnected. The barrel body of the plug unscrews from the base and reveals the connector lugs. You will be able to tell by the bend in the wire which gets connected to which, if they are both disconnected. There is no strain relief provided, so this happens often.

2. The pigtail that includes the plug (male piece) may not be fully connected to the cable from the charger, it's a two-pin connector and doesn't always fully seat. This connector allows you to plug in the male plug, the jumper clamps, the connector rings, or whatever end unit you need.

3. You didn't get the plug well seated into the accessory socket.

[Shadetree]

I would, just, add one thing to Montana's post, re: poor connections. The fuse, connected to the accessory outlet, may be a little crusty on it's ends. I found this to be a problem, for me, when charging with the Battery Doc.