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Odd Battery problem - does a get off affect the brain?

rapiddog

Barback King
2007 R1200R 15K miles

First off, would a tip-over or small crash affect the computer/charge system?
I had a an embarassing 'oopsie' recently where the left cylinder hit the ground and I slide about 5 feet. :whistle

I have a brand new battery, have had a Fuzebox since new, everything runs thru the box and is in switched mode.
Recently install a pair of PIAA 1100X 55W lights with a relay instead of going thru the Fuzebox and wiring + and - directly to the battery, but switched at the box.

Cold weather here but it's California cold.
I went to start it yesterday and it was kind of hard starting. It's never been hard starting. Took several RPMs to get up and running. Odd.
I'd had it on the hi-end trickle charger for the last 24 hours too.

So I go for a ride. I stop and talk to fellow about directions for 5 minutes with the kill switch off, but all the electronics are left on.
I go to leave and the bike does some odd starting things again, like low-ish battery, and the revs came up with the throttle shut.
I thought, man that is strange.

I ride a couple miles, stop for another 5 minutes, kill switched it, lights on.
Go to get back on...won't start, dead battery, 'click click'. The lights are still on, and bright...
Turned everything off and still no go. So I have to bump started it then off I went.
I rode about 50 miles home without a stop.

So, I get home, it starts fine like nothing ever happened...
I pull the battery, and take it down and have it tested, both by the shops tester and load tester.
It reads 450 amps, just fine.

I'm stuck...I'm wondering if the little get-off I had has something to do with all this. I know when I dumped my R11S the dealer reset the brain.
Not sure why or what that does.
Not sure where to start.

I have the Fuzebox.
V-1 radar detector
Freeway blaster horn with it's own relay
PIAA lights with relay
...everything is nicely wired.
GPS cradle.

I am all ears...
 
Anything can happen - but in this case - despite the tests, it sounds like a battery going bad, or a bad ground. You may want to check the battery connection terminals.. and the main feed wire going to the starter (disconnect the battery ground before trying to tighten that nut.)
 
I think it may have been loose terminals, using longer screws due to the amount of extra terminals didn't allow for a real tight connection though it appeared to be tight...

:whistle
 
Once when I had a get-off and banged my head on the ground my brain didn't work right for a while. Or maybe never did? :)

Anyway, glad you found the problem - and a cheap fix. Happy Holidays to all!

peter
2011 R1200RT
 
O.K., guess I spoke too soon.
Still odd stuff happening.
There's a slight drian on the battery still. Like .5V in 24 hours, get's down to about 12.8V and stops...
Screwiestthing I've ever seen.
I do have a Fuzebox with a Steble horn (on it's own relay), my V1 radar detector, GPS, and a pair of PIAA 1100X lights on their own relay.
But I'n not convinced any of the box is the problem.

Since by little get off things have been weird, and even maybe before.
I had it on the trickle charger for 12 hours. Disconnected it last night.
Go out this morning and it strats like a low battery again, and when it does catch it revs up by itself for a few seconds then drops to idle.
Perplexed.

I guess I need to take it in and have the codes read and cleared.
I know that the dealer did that when I dumped my R1100S years ago...
 
There's a slight drian on the battery still. Like .5V in 24 hours, get's down to about 12.8V and stops...
.

That - quoted above - I would consider normal. Charging the battery with either the bike's alternator or a charger might leave it showing 13.3 or more volts when the charging stops. But that would usually drop to 12.7 to 12.9 or so after several hours. Then I would expect it to show a voltage reduction only very slowly.

But the other issues do warrant having a dealer check it out compared to us guessing long distance.
 
+1 on the drop to 12.8V, but it should hold there.

Drop left side, headlights okay but the starter goes click, click but you can bump start it. Sounds like your starter is damaged (starter's on the left side). Check that out.
RB
 
...appreciate that. I was wondering about the starter before.
But actually it doesn't go 'click click'.
It just turns over real slow like the battery is dying, even have to gas it a bit to make it catch.
When it does it will rev to like 1500 rpm without my hand on the throttle, then settle into a normal idle...
 
...appreciate that. I was wondering about the starter before.
But actually it doesn't go 'click click'.
It just turns over real slow like the battery is dying, even have to gas it a bit to make it catch.
When it does it will rev to like 1500 rpm without my hand on the throttle, then settle into a normal idle...

You're in SoCal - so I assume temperatures aren't real cold. The symptom you describe is like what I'd expect if you had thick oil in a cold climate. Initial cold turnover would be slow - then the BMSK hikes the idle up for a few seconds to keep the engine running.

Just out of curiosity (hate to ask at the risk of starting an oil thread..) - what oil are you using?
 
socal

Yep, so cal, but high desert. We have gotten some cold mornings here.
Now using Rotella Full Synth 5/40W.

8120031_sll_5079769_pri_detl.jpg
 
...appreciate that. I was wondering about the starter before.
But actually it doesn't go 'click click'.
It just turns over real slow like the battery is dying, even have to gas it a bit to make it catch.
When it does it will rev to like 1500 rpm without my hand on the throttle, then settle into a normal idle...

I'm not sure whether you have a Bosch or Valeo starter but on my Valeo the internal planetary gear cover dropped onto the armature and caused really slow labored cranking. Could be that, something else in your starter or cable connections.
 
Yeah. I checked the connections, all tight.
It seemed to start when I put the too long of screws in the battery due to my accessory ground/positive the first time. They felt tightened down but weren't.
Addressed that already plus the new battery.

I'm just wondering if I'm stuck in some sort of ECU loop. I had a similar thing happen with my Prius due to a loose battery cable.
Weird stuff happened, started throwing codes. Then I had all the codes completely cleared by a mechanic with a sophisticated OBD scanner.
It's fine now.

Guess I won't know til I take it in and find out.
I did drop the bike too, so who knows.
 
Yep, so cal, but high desert. We have gotten some cold mornings here.
Now using Rotella Full Synth 5/40W.

8120031_sll_5079769_pri_detl.jpg

Any correlation between temp and slow cranking? Cold will reduce the capacity of the battery, and cold will make the engine harder to turn over. Combine both with a possibly not up to snuff battery and you might get the symptoms you've described. Your oil certainly looks suitable for cold mornings.

Also - the BMSK does "adapt" - and it's possible something is Kevorked in the adaptation. The GS-911 has a function to clear adaptations - it's fixed some odd ball problems like hard starting and high idle on start.. but I don't think it can cause the starter to turn the engine over slower than normal.
 
Yep, so cal, but high desert. We have gotten some cold mornings here.
Now using Rotella Full Synth 5/40W.

I lived in Alaska for 16 years, but one of the coldest nights I ever spent was in the high desert of southern California. Fort Irwin, February, 28 degrees, snowing, soaking wet and hiding in the rocks like a lizard. We medivaced 60 soldiers and had one cardiac arrest from hypothermia.

Good luck resolving the hard starting issue.
 
Your experiences are about the same as mine. (2012 R1200R) When the bike was almost new and had less than 2K on it, I took it to New Mexico for the Sipapu rally. In Taos, where it was probably 50+ at night, I though at times my bike would not start. I pulled the battery when I got back and took it to BMW for testing, it tested just fine. The bike always starts, but it also takes a bit of gas to get it going. Each few years BMW bumps the displacement up and the battery size down, so I think this is what we have to live with. I have my battery on the BMW canbus charger all the time that I am not riding.

Wayne
 
I keep mine on the OPTIMATE 4 if I don't ride it for more than a week. My battery is new, 230+CCA, so I doubt that's a issue.

ls1208.jpg
 
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