USB port in rear topcase of F3 Ltd not connected! Anyone else?

[FIRECAT]

I took delivery of my 29 F3 limited couple months so try using rear USB port charging system in topcase did not work!? with the top case up there was no wiring to the plug whatsoever what is that about? have any of you had the same problem I contacted dealer and they are dumbfounded a friend of mine bought a brand new 2018 F3 limited in Illinois and same problem with him on last year‘s model!! please chime in and let me know if any of you got your ports wired or do you have to go purchase your own wiring? is this like getting your bathroom rough in on a house purchase WTF!

 

[Rog1541]

I had the very same issue , when they put it together at the dealer they did not wire it up.. Just get some wire and ends and make a set of wires and allow yourself a little extra and hook it up . Remember that the spyder needs to be running or it will not work. If you hook up your wires and the blue light in the socket does not come on, then change the contacts ( you have to switch them around ) and make sure it is running >

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

No wiring going to my trunk USB, contacted dealer earlier this week, no reply yet.

 

[billybovine]

Attached is a picture of the rear customer accessory circuit. That is what powers the top case usb plugs. Just remove the pillion seat and plug it in. It's just that easy. The rubber boot slips over the back of the plug.

Also please note. The usb plug is for power only not connected to the dash at all for data. There have been some confusion about that. Also the plug is only powered when the engine is running. So for charging helmet headset that is a problem. When helmet is in the top case. The engine is not running. I got around this problem by getting a simple usb power pack. Got mine from a neighbor who got it as a freeby in a case of beer. It's pluggeg in all the time and charges when the engine is running. When stopped I plug my helmet into the power pack and charge it. Works very well.

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

Attached is a picture of the rear customer accessory circuit. That is what powers the top case usb plugs. Just remove the pillion seat and plug it in. It's just that easy. The rubber boot slips over the back of the plug.

Also please note. The usb plug is for power only not connected to the dash at all for data. There have been some confusion about that. Also the plug is only powered when the engine is running. So for charging helmet headset that is a problem. When helmet is in the top case. The engine is not running. I got around this problem by getting a simple usb power pack. Got mine from a neighbor who got it as a freeby in a case of beer. It's pluggeg in all the time and charges when the engine is running. When stopped I plug my helmet into the power pack and charge it. Works very well.

Thanks for the info Billy, and perfect timing as right now I have quite a few body panels including the seats off of the machine, so all I have to do is find the the rubber boot.

 

[billybovine]

Remember to watch for the polarity. Easy to connect backward. Also give your selling dealer the heads up that your Spyder was not assembled by them correctly. What other assembly instructions did the not follow??

 

[LifeLongRider]

Attached is a picture of the rear customer accessory circuit. That is what powers the top case usb plugs. Just remove the pillion seat and plug it in. It's just that easy. The rubber boot slips over the back of the plug.

Just checked my 2019 F3 Ltd after reading this thread. Yep, bare spade terminals under the trunk and the customer accessory circuit laying there doing nothing. Additionally, these spade terminals are in a very hard to reach location, it may be easier to remove the trunk to connect them.

Here is a youtube video demonstrating how to remove/raise the trunk for easy access to those terminals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ihJHPQTbM Starts at the one minute mark in the video.

One last thought: USB outlets for charging smart phones, etc. are typically 5.0 volts. I'm sure the customer accessory wires are 12 V so I sure hope the USB device in the trunk reduces the voltage to 5.0 V. Better check it with a multi-meter before plugging your device in.

 

[FIRECAT]

I’ve been using my juice pack and charging phone in front truck until this gets fixed

 

[billybovine]

On the back of the usb plug. It will be molded into the plastic. Which spade connector is + or -. Likely cannot see it easily. Take picture of the back of the plug. Or if you can reach it. Unscrew the retaining nut and remove it to take a look.

The plug has circuitry in it that converts input 12V DC to output 5V DC. I have not tested it but I would guess it is 1 amp. max., 5 watts. That may not be enough for a tablet but enough to slowly charge a phone. I did consider changing out my usb socket for one that is Qualcomm Quick Charge compatible. That way it is 2 amp max and the voltage depends on the device plugged into it, is capable of. As it turns the 1 amp is just fine for charging the power pack.

 

[LifeLongRider]

On the back of the usb plug. It will be molded into the plastic. Which spade connector is + or -
The plug has circuitry in it that converts input 12V DC to output 5V DC.

Billy - that's what I was hoping for. This is a tomorrow morning project. I've decided to follow the instructions in the youtube video and just pivot up the trunk from the rear to get better access to the terminals. Looks simple enough. Here's a close up of the USB connector showing polarity. I'll take pics and post them tomorrow for others who may want to do this.

 

[LifeLongRider]

If you have an F3 Ltd with the factory trunk you should definitely check to see if your USB ports are connected. I connected mine today. Simple, less than 30 minutes start to finish. Here's how. Qualifies as another dealer screw-up . . .

Remove passenger seat and locate the customer accessory harness with a black boot on the end. Extend the harness enough to reach under the trunk. There are two wires inside the black boot. The purple w/yellow strip is the hot side (positive) and the black wire is the ground (negative).

Open trunk, remove rubber mat and remove two #30 Torx bolts.

Pivot trunk up and support with a rod of some sort. There is no need to unplug anything as shown in the YouTube video unless you plan to totally remove the trunk. The USB connector is now exposed and plainly visible. Polarity is clearly marked on the connector. Use a mirror and light source to see the polarity markings.

Plug the customer accessory wires onto the spade connectors for the USB connector and put the boot in place. Lower the trunk, re-install the two #30 Torx bolts, the rubber mat and your rear seat. Done . . easy peezy

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

Remember to watch for the polarity. Easy to connect backward. Also give your selling dealer the heads up that your Spyder was not assembled by them correctly. What other assembly instructions did the not follow??

The reception for FM signal on my machine is terrible, now I'm wondering if the ground is attached to the antenna.

 

[billybovine]

The reception for FM signal on my machine is terrible, now I'm wondering if the ground is attached to the antenna.

My FM reception is terrible as well and I have looked at the antenna ground strap on mine. Everything looks to be connected just fine.

 

[grumpyoldretiredcop]

The reception for FM signal on my machine is terrible, now I'm wondering if the ground is attached to the antenna.

Same here, and I installed the trunk on my F3T. I'm sure that all connections were made properly.

 

[FIRECAT]

I was staring at the USB plug the whole time I unravelled it and plugged it into my USB port and yes Vince your ground on your antenna is probably not proper

 

[ChicagoSpyder]

I was staring at the USB plug the whole time I unravelled it and plugged it into my USB port and yes Vince your ground on your antenna is probably not proper

The connections are all good for the antenna, the good news is I have the Sirius app on my phone :yes:

 

[Macman]

I recently purchased a 2017 F3 limited and my trunk usb would not charge either. After reading this thread checked to see if it was connected. It was. Checked voltage going in, it was good. Found that who ever installed it reversed the wires. Now it works great. Thanks everyone for the inputs on this thread, steered me in the right direction to get it going.

 

[jbim]

Hello all,

Thanks for this post.

I have a 2018 F3L and have the same issue. I remember plugging my phone to it and noticing it didn't charge. I didn't pay to much attention to the issue and thought I would get to it eventually thinking I just had to read the OM. After reading this thread, I removed the trunk and found out as well that the USB outlet is not connected. Now, when I bought my F3L I had a cig power outlet installed under the seat. I thought I would use it to connect my heated jacket. I also ran a cable to it to power my GPS. I can't see a rubber housing as per the image above taken from the OM. I suspect the rubber housing and attached power supply was used to connect the additional cig power outlet I had installed. Anybody knows whether that is correct? Obviously, nobody told me so and I didn't find anything in the OM to that effect.

Feedback?

Thanks and regards,

J

 

[PoorBillWass]

Thanks to all of you for this thread. My 2019 F3-L had the same problem. When I mentioned it to the service manager at the dealer his response was “I didn’t know they had to be connected”.

 

[SpyderF3]

To bad they didn't use different size terminals so you couldn't reverse the polarity when they are hooked up.