flashlight won't charge!

[heather]

'95 325i E36

i got another on ebay, figuring it was old, but the new one doesn't charge either...is this a fuse or potential short?

thanks for any suggestions!

[smuggler]

check the connections with a multimeter. I had to clean mine to get a good connection and get it to charge.

[96bmrdr]

what flashlight are we talking about?

[TheJakeR]

the little one that plugs into the left side of the glove box...

[882001]

mine doesnt work either :~(

[jamin325i]

i was going to open mine to test the battery but can't figure the easy way without chipping the case. any suggestions on opening?

[vadim321go]

mine works but after 11 years i cant say its very bright

[swmnbmw]

it wont charge back up if you let it go completely dead, it is too hard on the battery so if you let it die completely you need a new one, bavauto.com sells them i know

[Typlus5]

ah-ha...I took my glove box off to repair the face and was wondering what that plug was for...thanks.

[rocket859]

Just buy a cheaper maglite or Xenon Luxeon Light and call it a day. You might even be able to retrofit a charger to your glovebox ^_^

[heather]

now if only strad can get himself a nice bowel movement and a cup of decaf...

does it appear this flashlight issue is a common problem with 10+ year old e36's?

[Jontran8]

mine didn't come with one :(

[dieseldriver99]

Reverse the batteries to have them ready whe you need them. When you need them, reverse the batteries and voila!

Buy a frickin Maglite and put it in your trunk. You'll find that the additional candlepower is quite useful when you're trying to repair something at night.

[jamin325i]

.

[Daved]

A new BMW flashlight was 10 bucks or so last time I checked so just get a new one.

[heather]

hello daved-

that's just what i did, but it wouldn't charge up, hence, my post. should i simply use a multimeter to see if current is running to the charge posts? do they occassionally need cleaning with an emory cloth?

thanks, mod!

[Daved]

hello daved-

that's just what i did, but it wouldn't charge up, hence, my post. should i simply use a multimeter to see if current is running to the charge posts? do they occassionally need cleaning with an emory cloth?

thanks, mod!
Oh, I missed that you're using a new flashlight.

Yeah, try with a DMM and see if you get any voltage there.

If you do, then clean the pins. If it doesn't work, then I guess the flashlight you got is not working well.

[Sel The Don]

I'm missing my flashlight! Boo Hoo!

[RNeil]

I opened mine up by separating the two halves with a screwdriver. That seems to be the only way to change the light bulb. My bulb was good, but the battery had leaked. I was surprized by the cheap construction. This is what you expect from Yugo, not BMW.