Battery Tender Issue

[theroadglide]

When I plugged in my Battery tender to the connector on the bike the red light kept blinking as if I didn't connect it. I then got a blinking red and green light which indicates a faulty connection or a bad battery. I am going to assume for now the 1 year old battery is good. I switched to another tender and I got the red blinking light. I hooked that one up direct to the battery with alligator clips and the red light burns steady as it should. When I test the pig tail connection on the bike, with a test light, it lights up bright. What am I missing here? It would appear that the plug on the bike is good and that plugging in to it should work. I recently used that plug for my heated jacket and it worked just fine.

Thanks, Stephen

[chaos901]

First off, easy check, is the pigtail connected to the battery correctly? 

The heated gear would still work if it was hooked up backwards.

[Jim Bronson]

  Not much else it can be. Bad or reversed battery connection.

[theroadglide]

I am going to check it all again, but I doubt it's a reversed connection as it's been that way since 2014 and the charger always worked. I think one of the tenders is toast. It's acting goofy when I plug it in. The one that is on now is working with the alligator clips like it should. I have another connector so if I dig in and disconnect all the crap to get to the battery, I will replace it and see what gives.

Thank you for the prompt responses.

Stephen

[chaos901]

The tender may be toast, but don't assume that the battery is good just because it is only a year old.  Stranger things have happened.

[Boe Cole]

double check the polarity of the pigtail.  The bare connector should not have any voltage - only the shrouded connector.

[Hossamania]

You may have to wiggle the plug, mine is old and a bit stretched out, it doesn't always connect unless I wiggle it and give it a good push together. You may have to squeeze the barrel connector inside the plugs to tighten up the fit.

[Big Cahuna]

One other thing to try is to make sure your fuse is in fully, and there's no corrosion on the blades of the fuse. Another check would be to use a multi-meter and measure the voltage of your battery, thru the pigtail coming off the battery. It should be 12.5-12-7 volts, before the tender is attached,,,

[Jim Bronson]

OK new info coming in. So it worked for years, and now it doesn't. Take your pick: battery, fuse, first tender. Second tender works without the pigtail in the line, so both the battery and second tender are good. You tested the pigtail, so it can't be the fuse. Did you connect the first tender directly to the battery using alligator clips?

[kd]

What is the make and model of this battery tender?

[aussie123]

One test you can do to check if the battery tender is working, (disregarding that the lights are not doing what they should)..

Hook up battery tender to pigtail of bike with the power OFF.
Check voltage with multi meter at Battery. (Should be 12.5 - 12.7)..
With multi meter still attached to battery, turn ON power to tender... Voltage should increase to approx 13 - 14 volts.... Then when optimal voltage is achieved , (depending on how low the battery is), revert to trickle charge mode of approx  13 volts....

[theroadglide]

I've got 12.7 volts at the bikes connection, none on the exposed negative post.  I think it's a deformed and I am going to replace it. It seems to be the common denominator with every thing I throw at it. The first battery tender which is model 021-0123, did not work when hooked up  to the alligator clips. I did not check voltage with it hooked up, but it's now flickering pale green all the time. It is probably toast, I'll check it before I pitch it. The second tender is some sort of HD branded tender. It is now solid green indicating the battery is fully charged. I also hooked up a marine Attwood tender and it won't charge unless I use the clips. The common part is the plug on the bike. I'll change it out tomorrow.

Thanks all,

Stephen

[Jim Bronson]

I'm glad you got it sorted out. Mine is a Harley branded 750ma version. I use it continuously, and it hasn't skipped a beat in 14 years and three bikes.

[Hossamania]

I'm on my second one in 25 years, this one about five or six years old now.

[Deye76]

Send that battery tender back to Deltran, they'll stand behind it if it's less than 10 years old.

[kd]

What is the make and model of this battery tender?

The reason I asked is many folks discard the paper in the box they come in.  I see you have a Delkron model 021-0123.  Here's the instruction sheet if you don't have it.

FWIW I have 3 of them on my bikes and have on occasion had the same warning flashes show up.  It has been the battery a couple of times and usually is the connection.  I think I have even had to unplug one and let it rest then restart it once.  In any event the trouble shooting section is pretty good if you don't have it.  It''s way better than shooting from the hip.

http://products.batterytender.com/021-0123-man.pdf

BTW.  As Deye76 says, there's a 10 year warranty on the Delkron tender you have.  I expect you may need proof of purchase though.   

[theroadglide]

Thank you Deye76, but this one is older than 10 years. Thank you kd for the online manual, always good to have on file.

So, the final fix was pretty easy and not so dramatic. I found another more recent model HD branded trickle charger that came with a used bike I bought in 2013. When I plugged it in it worked just fine. As I dug into the battery compartment I was reminded, by the lack of connections, that this bike (2014 FLHR) came with a charger plug. It likes the charger and the charger like it, so I am good again.

I never needed a charger because I rode enough to maintain a battery year round. My wife decided long ago that I need to use a charger, if you know what I mean.

Thanks to all, Stephen

[hardheaded]

Send it back even if out of warrenty. They will send you a new one for $20.  I've had to do this several times over the years.  I've had 3 or 4 go bad.

[Phu Cat]

Maybe you know this but it makes a difference in the order you hook the wires up?  If you plug the tender into the wall outlet before hooking the positive and negative cable to the battery, the charger won't work as expected.  My tender must "see" power at the pos and neg cables before I plug it into the wall outlet.

PC

[Hossamania]

Maybe you know this but it makes a difference in the order you hook the wires up?  If you plug the tender into the wall outlet before hooking the positive and negative cable to the battery, the charger won't work as expected.  My tender must "see" power at the pos and neg cables before I plug it into the wall outlet.

PC

Mine does not have that issue.

[fbn ent]

Maybe you know this but it makes a difference in the order you hook the wires up?  If you plug the tender into the wall outlet before hooking the positive and negative cable to the battery, the charger won't work as expected.  My tender must "see" power at the pos and neg cables before I plug it into the wall outlet.

PC

I treat all my chargers like that....no spark generated.

[Coyote]

It makes no difference which you hook up first. None at all. Spark is caused by sudden current/voltage shift, not how you connect it.

[fbn ent]

I bow to your knowledge Coyote but IIRC I have seen sparking (not a .75 amp charger) in my past. Could be mistaken...

[kd]

X2 and I witnessed an explosion when the charger was connected live directly to the battery.  It was not pretty and a real good safety lesson.

[Coyote]

I bow to your knowledge Coyote but IIRC I have seen sparking (not a .75 amp charger) in my past. Could be mistaken...

You misunderstand what I posted. Sparking occurs pretty much anytime you connect a charger but it's not due to the order of connection (plus/minus).

Anytime you have a sudden change in voltage or current, a spark may occur. Remember, a transient voltage spike is defined by dI/dt  (change in current/change in time). When you connect a charger, you have a charge current applied in a very small time (almost instantly). So a voltage spike will occur and you will get a voltage spike that is high enough to almost always cause a spark.