Battery going flat?

[Shep]

Just picked up the gs from my local dealer (they had it a week trying to find an intermittant missfire)

I was asked if I ever switch the ignition on, then off, without running the engine, it seems that there is the possibility of a relay or something being energised, then staying energised if the engine is not started (possibly something in the charging circuit) and so draining the battery.

Not sure what this had to do with the missfire but it might help people with battery problems!

Regards Shep

 

[Davel]

I'm sure that I was told that, when you switch the ignition off, everything shuts down except the alarm - if you've set it.

 

[Raindancer]

Battery Going Flat

Shep

Davel is right about everything shutting down when you remove key/turn off the ignition.

However sometimes it is easy to knock either of the indicator switches. This will trigger the parking light which unless you have noticed it, will remain on constantly until the next time you go to ride the bike.

If you have inadvertently hit the indicator swtches............just press it the cancellation switch and it will go out..


Hope that is of some help.


Regards

 

[Ottoman]

Re: Battery Going Flat

Shep

Davel is right about everything shutting down when you remove key/turn off the ignition.
<snip>

Raindancer,

Unfortunately, my experience does not concur with your statement.

I have GPS, and Autocom hardwired to the accessory socket under the seat and when the GPS is plugged in, the power in the socket stays on (and autocom is powered as well) but on its own, Autocom powers off (rather the power to the socket is turned off) after 30 second or so with the key switched off.

I am yet to get to the bottom of the reason why this happens.

Ottoman.

 

[nadeem]

my gps goes off after 30 secs too - I thought it was because the bike was powering down ...

A colleague of mine had no end of problems with his battery - was replaced three times...seems okay now...still a mystery as to what was wrong...

 

[Raindancer]

Re: Re: Battery Going Flat

Raindancer,

Unfortunately, my experience does not concur with your statement.

I have GPS, and Autocom hardwired to the accessory socket under the seat and when the GPS is plugged in, the power in the socket stays on (and autocom is powered as well) but on its own, Autocom powers off (rather the power to the socket is turned off) after 30 second or so with the key switched off.

I am yet to get to the bottom of the reason why this happens.

Ottoman.

Ottoman

I have my GPs and autocom wired in exactly the same way as you and they both shut down (including accessory socket) afer 30 seconds, when I turn off the ignition.

Do you mean that your GPS will still activate even after the ignition key is removed? I

Regards

 

[Ottoman]

Re: Re: Re: Battery Going Flat

Ottoman

Do you mean that your GPS will still activate even after the ignition key is removed? I

Regards

That is affirmative.

I have Garmin GPSMap 276C (most pleased with it btw) and GPS definately stays on (when I manually power it down, the display shows it as charging the GPS battery). As soon as I remove the power lead from the gps, the unit powers down (and I think the socket cuts the power out as well - 'thogh I will confirm this tomorrow just to make sure).

I know my electrickery and as a sub note, all the remaining leads from the gps are well isolated from each other and the bike.

Most peculiar. One theory is, if the current drain from the socket is over a certain value, somehow the socket remains powered on.

Omer.

 

[Raindancer]

Powering Down

Omer

Just a bit of info regarding the powering value of the accessory socket which you mentioned in your last paragraph.


If for example you plug in a battery charger to charge the battery, the socket will recognise this and power up.........However it will not charge the battery but will DRAIN it instead, unless you buy and use of BMW special battery chargers which recognises the Can Bus system.

I have experienced this myself and raised it with BMW, who provided me with the above information.

I use a 2610 and it powers down automatically because it has no battery to charge up. Perhaps that is why your GPs still works....i.e due to being hard wired to the accessory socket and the above BMW information. Namely the socket "thinks" there is a battery charger present or some device with a certain power value. If you had wired the GPS to the existing GPS socket (just in front) of the head stock, it may have worked differently on shut down. Don't know just thinking out load.

Hope that makes sense

Regards

 

[Ottoman]

Re: Powering Down

Omer

...
Namely the socket "thinks" there is a battery charger present or some device with a certain power value.
...

Hope that makes sense

Regards

Dan,

This makes sense. I will have to power the gps from a relay I think.

Many thanks for the info - my manual is in Dutch, so I didn't RTFM I am afraid

Omer.

 

[Raindancer]

Powering Down

Omer

No probs .........hope it works.

 

[GrinningGSer]

ignition on, then off

Noooooo- I believe that everyone has it wrong with thiss flat battery stuff and answer may lie in my earlier software update thread.

I have been told that there is a software issue- Bike should power down after 15 secs when ignition off.

But if you switch immediately back on (not sure if starting engine matters), then off again, then bike does not power down at all. I cannot test this cos I now have the software fix , but that is what I have been told by BMW. Please can someone with older software test this for us?

You may switch back on again to disable BMW alarm, or maybe to simply move the bike a little, perhaps lots of reasons, but if what I have been told is true, then it answers a lot. Never believed the parking light stuff cos I am sure that most of us would see that when we say goodnight to our loved one

So remedy- get the software update...

 

[Raindancer]

Re: ignition on, then off

. Never believed the parking light stuff cos I am sure that most of us would see that when we say goodnight to our loved one

So remedy- get the software update... [/B][/QUOTE]

Have had the software update..........my original statement on the indicator/parking light still stands.............Try it

 

[Barrie]

I am always amazed by all the electrical problems you 1200GS owners seem to have, why can't BMW sort this bike out.
Yamaha or Honda will tell them how to do it!
Barrie

 

[simonm]

ottoman

I dont have a 1200 but I do have a 276.
You can configure how the 276 behaves in power on\off situations.
I would check if yours is set to stay powered on when external power is removed ie yous witch off the ignition.