Nuvi 765T Power Cradle Issues

Note that on the 7x5 series, it does not show the lightening bolt. If the unit is receiving power and charging, the battery icon disappears. If it is running on battery, you see the battery icon with 0 to 4 bars indicating the remaining charge.

But Box Car is right. You have tried different cradles and cables, so you have eliminated those as the potential problem. Replace the battery and see if that fixes it. If not, you may have a bad connector or or bad internal components in the nuvi.

The battery icon comes and goes. As of today, the unit will not turn on at all. I charged it overnight and it worked for 30 minutes on my drive to work. I couldn't determine if it was really getting power or not. However, removing it from the cradle did nothing, so I presume that it was not getting power. The fuses in the cables test OK. The cigarette lighter plug is also powering my Droid Bionic running Google Nav (using a "Y" connector, so I do have power.

So both cables and both cradles act the same. Now the unit is dark. So the battery seems to hold a charge for a while (although I got several low battery warnings along the way).

I don't really understand why the 765 will not operate even with a bad battery if it is connected to power.

Also, I have been looking at the reviews online for various new models (specifically the ones with the smartphone link - 2475, 2495, 2595, 3490, and 3590) and I see many, many, disappointed owners. My experience with Garmin over the years has been that each new generation of device (StreetPilot III to Nuvi 680 to Nuvi 765T has resulted in a loss of major functionality. The 680 had no compass so there was no way to know what direction you were going without putting it in North Up mode. The 765T had a substantial loss of detail compared to the 680. (The high resolution setting is the same as medium.) There is no street detail unless you are on a fractional mile scale. As I mentioned previously, cities are not labeled. I can drive 2000 miles and never see a city name on the screen. Also, if I attempt to switch from North Up to Direction Up (or whatever it is called), the 765 refuses to do it. I need to repeat the instruction 3-8 times before it sticks. As I back out of the setting screen, the buttons reflect my setting, but when I return to the map, it has not changed. After numerous tries, it finally sticks. The speaker sound is "cracked." I went through 3 units before giving up on the speaker... all were terrible. So bottom line I have been very disappointed with the 765 and with Garmin's support and lack of interest in what (formerly) loyal customers are telling them. So I am very reluctant to consider purchasing another one.

Does anyone have any suggestions pro or con about the new models? I like to see detail in the map so if I need to detour, I can find streets names while still viewing a several block area around me.

Any assistance would be much appreciated. (Items of interest in summary are [1] why should a potentially bad battery - which will hold a charge for a while - prevent the unit from powering up when plugged in, and [2] suggestions on a recommended unit or another brand.

Thanks a bunch.

So we have pretty much eliminated everything except for the battery. Stating the battery only holds a charge for about 30 minutes is a real clue. You can get a new battery and the tools for around $20 - $25. It shouldn't take more than about 30 minutes to replace the old one.

You also didn't state if you checked the recall list. If your unit is on the list, Garmin will replace the battery/unit at no charge. They did have some bad units a while back. But in any event, batterys do go bad and need to be replaced. As to the unit not powering up with a dead battery, that is a known issue. If it charges for a minute or so and you then hit the switch, it will power up (at least it does so on my units).

The 765 is probably one of the best units Garmin made. It's worth replacing the battery because of all its features, most of which are not found on new ones.

No problems so far with my 750, 755, and 765. Good luck!

I just picked up a battery for my 755T on eBay for $6.65 with free shipping. I already have the needed tools, so there was no reason to pay extra for them.

Even if you decide to go with a new unit, it would be worth this small cost to see if it would fix your 765T. Even if it doesn't, you are not out much.

In many nuvis, if the battery is completly dead the unit will not turn on or operate even when plugged in to USB or cradle power. I have observed this problem many times on my 855. The battery needs to be charged up to a minimum level before the unit will turn on and operate

Thanks for the info. Here is the current status.

The unit will no longer power up using either power/traffic cable and using either of two cradles. I have not tried recharging the battery to see if it will run for a while using the cables.

If I connect the unit using the Garmin supplied USB cable, it will power up and function. However, it appears to be running as though it is on battery, as the screen is somewhat dim (though still readable) and the volume level seems low.

I suppose that I'll need to get a replacement battery and see if that helps.

Regarding the feature set on the 765 vs newer units, what types of things are missing from the 2012 models? I was considering a 2595 or 3590 since they have the larger screen and the smartphone connectivity. I was really disappointed by the lack of resolution on the 765 compared to my older 680. So you are saying that they are getting worse?

Thanks!

The main features you will be giving up are the MP3 player, line out jack, FM transmitter, and you will be trading the legacy Custom Routes feature for the Trip Planner. That last one may be a plus or a minus depending on how you use your nuvi. For me, it is what has kept me from buying a new nuvi, because I like the way the older routing system works (with via points).

I have to agree with you about the 7x5 display. My main complaint about my 755T screen is the screen brightness (lack of). My 855 is much brighter than my 755T and is easier to see in bright sunlight. Most users have given high marks to the displays on the newer nuvi's.

A lady who bought my 765 was ecstatic that she saw my listing. The reason: it was one of the last models that supported... Audible books. Who knew. but apparently there are customers to whom Audible was the most important feature.

I've never used Audible Books but I use the MP3 player almost every time I put the GPS it in the car. I guess we're behind the times, our cell phone doesn't play MP3s, nether of our cars play them or have an external audio input. Heck, our 12 yr old Merc won't even play CDs. It looks like I'll go back to paper maps when my 750 quits.

Buy a new battery.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Li-ion-Battery-for-GPS-Garmin-Nuvi-7...

After everyone kept saying it was the battery (I had my doubts since it would no longer work even when plugged in - although it would work for a while if the battery was charged), I broke down and bought a battery. I was debating eBay for the battery and the iPad tools, which would have set me back about $10-$15 depending on shipping, or the local BatteriesPlus which installs for free.

Since I was getting pretty frustrated with the 765 and about ready to throw it at the wall, I decided that it would be better for the 765 (and my wall) if I just shelled out the $20 at BatteriesPlus. On Monday, I went in and they replaced the battery... said it was the 3rd similar looking model in as many days.

It powered up right away. I put it in the car and all was well. Later that evening I went back to the car and the battery meter was visible... no connection (the unit never moved). I though 'Oh great, I just wasted $20+.' I tried the other cable (my old MSN traffic cable) and no luck. I tried the other cradle and all was well again.

So I had a compound problem. The cradle (now I can't tell if it was the original one or the one I got on eBay last year) was intermittent AND the battery was bad.

So now I have a set of used-once tools (the BatteriesPlus battery came with tools), a new battery, a working (so far) cradle, a defective cradle, and thankfully, a working 765!

Thanks to all for the prodding to get a new battery. I marked the bad cradle with "X"s and may see if I can identify the intermittent connection if I have time, otherwise into the trash it goes.

Thanks again to all!

.

Yes- Mine went out , so I bought an aftermarket USB high amperage power adapter, which worked for a year, but unit kept cycling off and on - interrupting music and losing navigation paths.

Finally, after reading other responses that replacing the cradle might fix it, I bought another and sure enough - no more problems.

I took the old cradle apart and saw the mechanical socket is glued to the circuit board only in two small places and mine had come loose with cable wiggle and plugging-unplugging.

This is a poor design not regarding actual expected use.

For my new cradle, I took strong sewing thread, similar to fishing line, tied one end to the cable connector and wound it several times around the cradle width, each time circling the cable end to hold it tightly against the cradle, and tying the end again to the cable end, reducing movement of the cable end versus the cradle.

Thread has to be strong but thin, because thick wrappings will not allow the unit to snap onto the cradle, becauase the unit must lie on top of these strands.

I've never had a problem with mine. I've had it for at least 4 years. We have had to replace a number of them at my work because our drivers keep jerking the connections loose without pressing the release. This tears the guts out of the cradle. They cost around $50, with tax and freight, replace.

I think the issue is probably either your power cord going to your power adapter or the cradle itself. And its at the connector. I have had the unlucky experience of having the cradle portion of the power adapter get ripped off accidentally because I accidentally pulled on the power cord (and didn't quite press the release buttons on the edges of the connector). But it is also likely given the construction of the connector and cable that you may have inadvertently crimped wires in the connector head or even within the cord. I'm alot more careful now that I have my replacement.

760 made for especially for VOLVO. When I connect it to the built in cradle, it gets dimmer, and the sound goes way down, and is almost inaudible when I drive even though it's set at 100%. When I had the cradle replaced initially, it was fine, the sound and brightness were very good. Would an older car battery effect this 760, I'm thinking that it might be getting too old and no longer powerful enough to run all the car's options and this too.?

I replaced the GPS battery about a year ago, and when it is not connected, all is fine.

I hope for any help anyone can give me.

I bought a new battery for the car!. I figured that the Volvo was four years old, and I have had it a year. Since I am a type "A" and the only one that I know that changes out my batteries every 3 years, shot or not, I knew that the previous owner had not done it. So, after plunking down $180.00, at Pep Boys, it worked, all is fine now.

I can't figure out why a old battery in a car would have any effect on the volume and brightness. The battery should be charging up to its full potential. I suspect that you should have had other problems also.

I have been isolating the problems of my 855 wanting to shut down during driving, and gps not charging whilst driving. Problems may stem from the connector between the powered cradle and the connector on the 855. A slight wiggle on the left side of the unit, causes unit to display "Do you want to shut down?" error, and causes battery to not charge. Very distracting whilst driving.
going to clean cradle connector with white eraser and q-tip.
I will keep you posted.
David

use saliva to stick the mount to the windscreen, stays in place for a few weeks.

I can't figure out why a old battery in a car would have any effect on the volume and brightness. The battery should be charging up to its full potential. I suspect that you should have had other problems also.
[/quote]

...it's back to doing it again...can't figure it out...

When mine failed I took it apart. Not to hard, watch out for the shooting spring.

The connector is surface mounted to the board. There is nothing to strengthen the mount. Extremely poor design. Any up and down stress will cause this to fail.

With skills you should be able to reflow the solder but it is not easy.

Poor design, shame on you Garmin! To make yours last longer tie the cable to the cradle some how. I used a twist tie, when I had it apart I added some epoxy to make it last longer.

Buy a spare it will fail.

Other than that pretty good gps. In the Seattle area the traffic feature is not accurate enough to justify using it. You can use a mini usb cable in a pinch(no traffic info). Good luck.

this thread is fairly "google prominent" when looking for cradle problems, and certainly helped me. i have pictures of the cradle repair i did -- is there a way to post pictures here? or do i need to refer to an external site?

The site does not accept pictures.

I have the same problem: no charging/power from the cradle. (My 765T charges fine with the mini-USB and the computer.)

Got out my ohm meter last night to check things out. Power cable (GTM-20) is fine. Positive power (from cable pin) is fine at the cradle/GPS connection), but no ground.

Some wiggling & closer inspection revealed bad solder connection at the side of the cradle, where the power cord connects. Too much strain on the connector, I'd guess. If I can fix it (doubtful), I'll remember to wrap the cord around the suction cup mount, in order to relieve strain from the cable.

You need to post a link to an external site for picture viewing.

Thanks for the update!

over 3 years, and no problems with the cradle. on 2 765T's

I have had this problem in the past and Garmin gave me a new cable. Now I have the same problem again. the cable should be able to sustain movement from one area to the other. This is totally unacceptable. I will probably have to buy a new cable and I hate to have to pay again for the same problem.

From reading all of the postings, I think that my problem is probably the cable since it is manipulated so much but when I look on line for the cable, I only see plain cables, not the ones with the traffic. Does anyone know where I can buy one? Thanks.

It's a GTM-20 cable and you can find them at several locations. Use the search function in your browser to find them. 3 definite sources are Garmin, Amazon and Flea Bay.

Are you able to find someone with a 765 cradle who would let you see whether your traffic cable would work in it? If so, you should do that before ordering a new cable.

So many of us have determined that the strain on the side connection of the cradle is what causes the problem. The vehicle bouncing up and down as well as the the user just moving the cradle puts up and down strain on the internal connection. Thus, a broken solder connection in the cradle itself is almost always the issue.

Many of us have gotten a new cradle and then wrapped the traffic cable around the cradle at least once to minimize movement.

Good luck.

Do you use the same cable on your Nuvi 650?
The cable is the same for both 650 and 765, only the cradle is different.

The GTM20 is the power cable for the 765T and Nuvi 650. They are available online in excess of 80.00 that come with lifetime traffic. Far too expensive and not worth the cost for the unreliable traffic reports I receive in the NY area.

1- You do have options though. You can purchase the one WITHOUT traffic but is compatible with the 765T as you saw online and live without the traffic feature.
2- Or you can purchase a GTM20 without Traffic on Ebay for under 20.00 and do a cable swap in less than 10 minutes.

The Traffic Subscription is within the receiver (electronics portion), the cable is merely a conduit to the GPS. Most times the problem with the cable is where it attaches to the connector where it plugs into the CRADLE MOUNT, not where the wire enters the receiver (cigarette lighter). The damage is caused by a poorly designed cable not being able to withstand the presure of movement that sometimes occurs.
Inspect your cable and see if the wires are loose or frayed at the connector to the cradle mount, although they may have pulled apart from the soldered points within the connector itself.

You would need a little mechanical ability, but it can easily be done to replace the problem cable itself and still retain your traffic subscription.

The cheapest solution would be to first buy an original GTM20 without traffic on Ebay.

Once you receive it unscrew the tip that plugs into the cigarette lighter and remove the fuse and the clip that holds the receiver together. Once that's done, You may be able to separate the two halves apart with your fingers, if not use a razor blade to pry open the two halves. You will now find the cable plugs into the receiver with a electrical connector that can be pulled out. Pull the connector out and do the same procedure on your GTM20 with the defective cable.
Plug in the new cable into your receiver, snap it back together, put the fuse back in with the metal retaining ring and screw the tip back in.

What you now have is your original receiver with its Traffic Subscription(s) and a functioning cable.

As a footnote, the connector that gets attached to the GPS has small wires that are soldered and not easily repaired, this is the area where problems usually happen.

Edited: I forgot to mention there are two versions of the GTM20, if you have the one the picture in the link displsys then the procedure above mentioned.
If the GTM20 you have does NOT have the led lights then disregard the procedure since the connector at the cigarette lighter is different and does not have the two lights in it.

Old GTM20 (with lights)
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GTM-FM-Band-Traffic-Receiver/dp...

Newer GTM20 (without lights)
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-GTM-20-Lifetime-Traffic/dp/B001...

Since you've had so many replies that indicate no problem with the cradle, I thought I'd let you know my experience is identical to yours. I am on the third cradle and need another one. The female plug in the cradle is fragile and eventually fails depending on how much vibration occurs and probably the force used to plug and unplug the cord from the cradle.

The power cord uses locking tabs, and I think a lot of wear and tear occurs when the cord is attached and detached with the GPS on the cradle, and you may flex the connector more.

Of course you can power the unit with a USB adapter directly to the Nuvi 765T, but you will lose traffic.

You will also lose considerable screen brightness if you power the 7x5 nuvi through USB.

When the side female connector on my 765T cradle went out on vacation earlier this year, I had to use the USB connector approach and was surprised to see the dimness of the display.

You should't lose brightness using available cheap power chords that DON'T have traffic. They don't use USB but rather the same connector that attaches to the cradle.

http://www.amazon.com/CHARGERCITY%C2%AE-010-10747-03-CHARGER...

If you read some of the reviews people complain it does not fit their Nuvi's, I'm certain they are trying to plug it into the Nuvi's USB connector rather than the cradle that it's designed for.

I wish I were handy to do all of these things. I am writing to Garmin again to see what they will do.
If not, I will get another cradle and if that doesn't work, I will check out the cable swap you talked about.

I really doubt Garmin will do anything for you since the 765T is quite old and discontinued, but you never know.

I was under the impression you knew it was the Traffic Receiver that was defective and made no mention of the cradle. Many people have had problems with the cradle so that may in fact be your problem and NOT the Traffic Receiver cable.

As jgermann suggested, "Are you able to find someone with a 765 cradle who would let you see whether your traffic cable would work in it?"

If you still have your Nuvi 650 and its cradle, simply plug the your GTM20 Traffic Receiver into that unit and see if it works. If it works, that should tell you the 765T's cradle is bad and needs replacing. If it doesn't work, then more than likely it's the cable, however, the remote possibility exists that both are bad.

You can get a cradle for 20.00 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Nuvi-755t-Mount-Cradle/dp/B009D...

Keep us posted what Garmin's response was and how you intend to rectify your problem.

In my hunble opinion, paying over 80.00 for a cable with traffic just makes no economical sense to me, but if you treasure your 765t that much it may be worth it to you.

I contacted Garmin and told them that the cable was bad. They think it is the cradle and are sending me a replacement cradle. I will see what happens with the new cradle. In the meantime, I am thinking of getting a new battery as it doesn't seem to hold a charge more than about 30 minutes. This is important now that my car cradle/cable are not working, but I may wait until I get the new cradle.

Garmin sent me a new cradle and it did the trick. My Nuvi is now working fine with the cable.
thanks for everyone's help.

I am pleased for you that Garmin sent you a new cradle.
Did they charge you anything?

No, they didn't charge me but I had the same problem last year when my NUVI was under warranty. They replaced the cradle then too. The funny part is that they said that this was not a known problem. Ha! They should read this forum.

I've bin reading these posts, wondering where all this came from. I remember when we first got our 765T, we had a touch screen issue..it was bad, immensely annoying. You had a 50% chance that the letter you hit on the keyboard would come up. It did some what get fixed. Never had a cradle issue. Dunno if Juggernaut still uses his. Mine ended up rendering itself useless because of an internal issue. You could charge it, use it, but it wouldn't update. Data wire broken inside the unit's usb connection. My 3790 wouldn't receive traffic after the warranty ran out. New traffic cable fixed that. Maybe because the cable's receiver sits over one of my vents. The heat and or the cold blowing on it killed it. What i've noticed in here, is that the more you use the removable parts, IE usb, cradle even suction cups the more they wear out. This unit came out in the middle of 2008. And this post started over a year ago. I would Not consider this an unusual problem, I'm sure in time my 3790 and 3590 will exhibit the same issues...its just normal wear and tear.

I personally feel that Garmin is a bit overpriced, especially relative to other options available these days. But having said that, it is nice to see that customers do get something for the extra coin they spend, in terms of replacement cables with relatively little fuss.

Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't look like those other options are hurting Garmin one bit. I'd like to know what those options are? I can't use my phone as a gps while i'm driving, so that's not an option. I've looked at Tomtom, Magellin and lowrance. I'll keep y Garmin's

I had problems in the past with traffic cable connector to the 765T cradle starting to separate from the cable itself.
I tried taping the cable and connector to the cradle but that didn't work for long (too much wiggle). What seems to be working is super gel gluing the cable to the connector and holding the pieces together until it set solid. So far, so good.

I replaced one & it seems like I need another new one . First one was a loose connection to the cradle. I tried a new cord but no go. It also is different than the original GTM 20 cord. I am not getting any charge to the unit. Like you, it has been 4 or 5 years since purchased.

I have garmin 670 and it works ok despite of the wire is coming apart. Sometimes are the contacts that need to be clean.