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Repair/trouble shoot non heating heated BMW vest

tgberg16

New member
Not sure where to or how to start figuring out why my BMW heated vest is not heating up. I did buy it second hand so I have no history with it but it is in like new condition. Is there a fuse somewhere that I haven’t seen? Do these vests have a know problem of failure ? Thanks - Tim
 
Welcome to the forum!
I have to ask where are you plugging it into on the bike?
Gary
 
If you have access to a multimeter measure the resistance of the vest's heating elements at the power connector and report on what you find.
 
Thanks for the welcome! Plugging it into the power outlet by the dash (2019 GSA). I use that plug to charge my phone so I know it provides power.

I think you need a separate fused connection direct to the battery. I suspect the current draw of the heated garment will cause the outlet you are using to be shutdown.
 
I think you need a separate fused connection direct to the battery. I suspect the current draw of the heated garment will cause the outlet you are using to be shutdown.

Interesting. So the outlet would turn back on when the vest isn’t plugged in?
 
I think you need a separate fused connection direct to the battery. I suspect the current draw of the heated garment will cause the outlet you are using to be shutdown.

It’s what I was getting to. The easy test is to power it up to a car battery even if it’s just done carefully with a couple of wires being mindful of any polarity positions.
If there is a controller in line it can be tested with the controller in line and then without the controller in line.

There a number of adapters for the purposes of a direct to the battery connection. Most popular seems to be the “SAE” pigtails from Battery Tender.

Let us know how you make out.

OM
 
Ok my buddy has one I can borrow. What reading am I looking for?

In the first instance you want to know if there is continuity so as to eliminate the possibility that there is a broken wire in the vest.

If there is continuity the resistance value will tell us something about how much current the vest draws. While the nichrome wire's resistance does go up as the wires get hot it isn't by a huge amount as the temperature coefficient is pretty low.

As others have said it's more common to wire heated clothing to the battery since the BMW accessory port does not make much current available. If you do exceed the port's current threshold the ZFE will shut down the port but it will come back to life after and ignition off/on cycle.
 
In the first instance you want to know if there is continuity so as to eliminate the possibility that there is a broken wire in the vest.

If there is continuity the resistance value will tell us something about how much current the vest draws. While the nichrome wire's resistance does go up as the wires get hot it isn't by a huge amount as the temperature coefficient is pretty low.

As others have said it's more common to wire heated clothing to the battery since the BMW accessory port does not make much current available. If you do exceed the port's current threshold the ZFE will shut down the port but it will come back to life after and ignition off/on cycle.

The port must not have shut down because I unplugged the vest and there was power at the port without restarting the bike. I’ll try hooking it up to a 12 volt fused connection direct and see what I get. Thanks
 
The bike will shutdown the powerlet port if there is too much load. If so, the port will come back to life next time you start the bike. Things like heated gear and air compressors should be attached via fuse directly to the battery.
 
The bike will shutdown the powerlet port if there is too much load. If so, the port will come back to life next time you start the bike. Things like heated gear and air compressors should be attached via fuse directly to the battery.

Bingo!
The dash outlet won’t power the vest. Not enough amps for it.
 
Ohms

Ok my buddy has one I can borrow. What reading am I looking for?

I show 3.5 ohms on my sleeved vest; (And, if I hook heated gloves in parallel, 2.5 ohms.) So, P=VI=3.5x14= around 50 watts, which is plenty for me. I never have it turned all the way "up." I also use Wunderlich muffs, which are really helpful, I think are worth an equivalent to about 15 degrees warmer for the hands, as compared to not using muffs at all.
 
I show 3.5 ohms on my sleeved vest; (And, if I hook heated gloves in parallel, 2.5 ohms.) So, P=VI=3.5x14= around 50 watts, which is plenty for me. I never have it turned all the way "up." I also use Wunderlich muffs, which are really helpful, I think are worth an equivalent to about 15 degrees warmer for the hands, as compared to not using muffs at all.

For the sake of accuracy in case anybody else reading this is trying to figure out the power rating of their heated gear by measuring its resistance.

The equation P=VI is correct. But you multiplied V by R (resistance). 14 x 3.5 does give you about 50, so that happened to work out for you, but it was by accident.

If all you know is the resistance and the voltage, an easy way to figure power is P = V[SUP]2[/SUP] / R. So your 3.5 ohm vest is 14 x 14 / 3.5 = 56W. With the gloves connected, the total power is 14 x 14 / 2.5 = 78.4W.

The current draw will be I = V / R, so for the vest alone it will be 14 / 3.5 = 4A.
 
As we are rolling through the “finer” points of possible resistance, it is usually important to check the resistance on two pieces of heated gear of the same manufacturer and as close to the same vintage/condition as possible.
A direct connection to a known good battery seeing if the vest gets warm skips all the math.
OM
 
Phenix Flaming Hot Heated Motorcycle Gear

Not sure where to or how to start figuring out why my BMW heated vest is not heating up. I did buy it second hand so I have no history with it but it is in like new condition. Is there a fuse somewhere that I haven’t seen? Do these vests have a know problem of failure ? Thanks - Tim
Might check in with Ken Phenix. He does repairs, etc. See if he can help... https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/ask-me-about-heated-gear.1135/ , and https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/custom-heated-gear-diy-kits.1185251/ .
I recently purchase a jacket and gloves from Ken.
 
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I’ll try hooking it up to a 12 volt fused connection direct and see what I get. Thanks

Let us know if the vest still does not heat.
Does the vest have a coiled power cord with a on/off switch?
A long time ago I had a BMW west with the coiled cord.
I had to replace the coiled cord twice. The switch was ok but the wire in the cord would break.
 
Working

Thanks guys for all of the suggestions. I finally got around to hooking up a connector direct to the battery and low and behold I have heat. Thanks again
 
At least you didn't do what I did.
My non BMW vest wouldn't turn on.
Bought a new controller (not that expensive) and it didn't work.
Come to find out you had to push and hold the button for 3 seconds.
I now have a spare controller.
 
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