I'm buying a non-runner MIEV here in Japan!

[Rational]

If I were you I’d try and get the car up and running before doing anything else. You’re right, the quickest way forward is to change the faulty IGBT (maybe all 3 for good measure), there is a good chance this will fix the issue.

Based on a recent case of temporarily swapping coded EV-ECUs between cars, chances are slim that a VIN conflict will brick it permanently, you’ll get a relevant DTC and the car won’t (?) go Ready.

MCU faults seem rare, the two instances with blown IGBTs seem to be caused by overloading the circuit.

My motto generally is ‘never to mess with a working system’ but if you’re willing to investigate further, wait until you have your Lexia/Diagbox setup ready and then try out the ‘cloning’ function of ECUs as @kiev mentioned.

Sage and sound advice. I'll first get the car up and running by swapping the IGBTs.

The family needs to see me succeed with this before possible failure from experimentation. Will do.

FULL CHIP Lexia cable incoming in the next week or two. In the meantime we will get a replacement MCU or two on order starting tonight.

Thank you guys.

By the way, I tested the MEIDEN ECU capacitor tonight when I got home. 150v on all four sets of leads on it. Not sure that that's gone down since yesterday as it's a 450v capacitor. I'll check it again tomorrow and see if it's draining on it's own. Have it protected now. Got lucky I didn't shock myself throwing it around like that. Also surprised it didn't dissipate when I threw it on the MCU cover a few times and let it sit there.

 

[kiev]

i don't know if you are an electrical guy or mechanical guy, or software, etc. so hard to know at what area to focus or advise, but

There is a slow bleed-off resistor visible on the HVDC input buss bars in the top plenum (white ceramic), and a fast bleed circuit in the bottom plenum.

Maybe with a fault code the MCU wasn't powered up enough to activate the fast bleed.

You could connect the leads of the slow bleed resistor across the input tabs of the capacitor to drain it the rest of the way, if desired.

 

[Rational]

i don't know if you are an electrical guy or mechanical guy, or software, etc. so hard to know at what area to focus or advise, but

There is a slow bleed-off resistor visible on the HVDC input buss bars in the top plenum (white ceramic), and a fast bleed circuit in the bottom plenum.

Maybe with a fault code the MCU wasn't powered up enough to activate the fast bleed.

You could connect the leads of the slow bleed resistor across the input tabs of the capacitor to drain it the rest of the way, if desired.

IT guy with mechanical nature. Just getting into electrical finally. Built a CNC last year and built the whole electrical box myself from scratch. Steep learning curve for me the first time but feel okay about most of it now. Still learning all the time though.

Yeah, I saw that white ceramic resistor last night. Was thinking about using it to drain the capacitor earlier today when testing the voltage. But want to see if it will drain on it's own a bit more and by how much by tomorrow before I do that. Always researching.

 

[Rational]

What's odd is that we have never seen a Japanese version of the FSM; surely something like that exists, but is it identical to the rest of the world version?

You mean like this one here on this Russian site? http://mmc-manuals.ru/Mitsubishi_i-MiEV:_Руководства_по_ремонту_и_обслуживанию

Second link down:

 

[kiev]

2010 Japanese version may have info on the earlier car that we haven't seen before.

i found the immobilizer writing of chassis number on the english version 2012, couldn't find it in the 2010 Japanese.

Writing chassis number for immobilizer

 

[MickeyS70]

Extract from link provided by @kiev :

“ If the Chassis No. to be stored in the EV-ECU, ETACS-ECU or EMCU is eliminated fraudulently, the electric motor warning lamp illuminates and Diagnostic Trouble Code (diagnosis code) No.P0630 (Chassisi No. not programmed) <EV-ECU, EMCU>, No.B1761 (Chassisi No. not programmed) <ETACS-ECU> is shown.”

To me above looks like the best way to re-use a VIN coded ECU is to actually erase the VIN information on eeprom level first, (unless there is an overwrite feature) and then use MUT3/Diagbox to program a ‘blank’ unit??

 

[Rational]

Oh, interesting details you've found. Nice.

I will eventually test out the programming method in time once the car is up and running as you suggest.

I expect to be able within a month I'll take a crack at it and see. Hopefully it's not that draconian and is fairly open to modification.

We got an MCU inbound within a week here.

Anyone know how to download that whole Japanese manual from their site for safekeeping?

My malwarebytes always blocks those russian manual sites citing malware as well.

 

[Rational]

Whoops. I closed the trunk while I have the MCU and aux battery disconnected. Now it doesn't open.

Welp. I guess I could connect up the aux batt and see if it opens with that. But I hesitate to throw DTC errors unnecessarily with everything disconnected.

I guess I could remove the trunk cowling and manually move the latch.

Well perhaps those DTCs aren't a big deal to clear anyway?

 

[Robert Rowe]

Whoops. I closed the trunk while I have the MCU and aux battery disconnected. Now it doesn't open.

Welp. I guess I could connect up the aux batt and see if it opens with that. But I hesitate to throw DTC errors unnecessarily with everything disconnected.

I guess I could remove the trunk cowling and manually move the latch.

Well perhaps those DTCs aren't a big deal to clear anyway?

Laughing in Fl.

 

[Rational]

Laughing in Fl.

First world problems...

 

[Rational]

Man... hasn't been much I can do while waiting for the replacement MCU to arrive.

Also been busy with work and stuff. But I hope to see the first MCU arrive perhaps today.

If so I'll get right on swapping it out! Gotta get the trunk open first though...

I might just connect up the 12v aux batt and see if that's enough to open it. But I was hoping to not have any extra DTC codes thrown unnecessarily. For fear that it might throw one I can't clear. But I think that's unlikely.

It would also teach me exactly what codes it will throw with the MCU disconnected, so that might be instructive.

I've got a few other house projects I can work on anyway that I need to get done if the MCU doesn't arrive early today (Saturday).

Or I could open up the steering column cover in preparation for disconnecting the door beeper. I probably won't actually disconnect that until I have the car working though just to minimize changes until I can confirm the car is completely fixed and back on the road first.

 

[Rational]

The MCU has arrived. Time to get it installed. Muwahahahahahaha........

Sadly the threebody 1073f sealant is not here yet. Hmmm...

I don't want to install it without the sealant only to have to remove it again later to do the sealant.

Is there some other sealant I can use instead?

 

[kiev]

i like the Permatex 24-hour cure "Ultra Grey". It is a form in place gasket (FIPG) material that contains calcium carbonate as the binder agent and can be easily removed. It seems closest to the OEM to me.

It makes an oil and water tight seal on engine timing covers, oil pans, etc.

They also make a 1-minute cure (so you have to be quick to install that water pump) and a 5-minute set, 90-minute cure, but those are too quick for me

The black sealants use carbon to get the color, i'm not a fan of the black.

i wrote up my research notes on this in another forum, FIPG Reference Notes

 

[Rational]

The MCU has arrived. Time to get it installed. Muwahahahahahaha........

i like the Permatex 24-hour cure "Ultra Grey". It is a form in place gasket (FIPG) material that contains calcium carbonate as the binder agent and can be easily removed. It seems closest to the OEM to me.

It makes an oil and water tight seal on engine timing covers, oil pans, etc.

They also make a 1-minute cure (so you have to be quick to install that water pump) and a 5-minute set, 90-minute cure, but those are too quick for me

The black sealants use carbon to get the color, i'm not a fan of the black.

i wrote up my research notes on this in another forum, FIPG Reference Notes

Thank you for that.

Looks like all I can get right now today is threebond 1215 gray. I’m about to apply it now. This work in a pinch?

I’ll get some of the stuff you recommended above though on order right away. Thank you.

 

[Rational]

Well, it’s on now.

By the way, Dont over tighten the bolts. I sheared one off very easily with just moderate force.

Now to figure out how to open the hatchback…

Later edit:
I just connected the 12v aux battery and it opened right up. I don't think it really threw any new DTCs when I finally connected up the main traction battery fuse again, turned it on and scanned for codes for the first time after the MCU change. All that were showing were inactive.

 

[Rational]

Well, it’s on now.

By the way, Dont over tighten the bolts. I sheared one off very easily with just moderate force.

Now to figure out how to open the hatchback…

This a good battery model?

Label says 16 kWh 9498D531.

Is this all the info I need to determine the battery info or is there a better label somewhere?

 

[MickeyS70]

This a good battery model?

What do you mean by ‘good’?

16 kWh 9498D531.
Is this all the info I need to determine the battery info or is there a better label somewhere?

OBD data has already determined that it’s a 88 cell 16kWh battery, what would be interesting to know is when it was built.

I gather you couldn’t find the label mentioned in post #14 but based on indicated range and current capacity it could well be the original pack, manufactured in 2010/11 with 1st gen LEV50 cells.

 

[Rational]

Well, it didn't fix it.

It's doing exactly the same thing as before.

So I guess it's one of three potential causes:
1. The new MCU has blown IGBTs as well. (Unlikely. But I'll check).
2. The original controller board is also damaged. So the problem followed it into the new MCU.
3. The motor or reduction gear is damaged causing the engine light to go on and throw the P1A2A error.

So my plan is to take the MCU back out and check the IGBTs in the new one.

If undamaged based on visual inspection then it's likely the be the controller board next to assume is the cause.

So I can test the controller board that came with the spare MCU next. But I'll need my FULL CHIP Lexia 3 cable to be able to reprogram the chassis number on it.

If I can succeed with reprogramming it and the issue is still present then I'll assume it's the motor and/or reduction gear and place a unit on order next.

If I can't reprogram it, then perhaps I'll have to take a chance and order a motor/reduction gear set and just swap it out and see.

 

[Rational]

What do you mean by ‘good’?

I'll have to raise my diction I see. I should have said, "Is the 16kWh model seen in my picture here one of the 'better' chemistry formulations that comes with the miev?"

E.g. I thought it was standard that these came with 10kwh batteries, not 16kWh as seen on the label, right? So I was wondering if that meant this may have been replaced at some point with a newer, larger and 'better' perhaps battery cell formulation than the earlier ones. No?

I gather you couldn’t find the label mentioned in post #14

Correct. No one ever provided a video that made more sense and had enough info for me to be able to succeed in finding it.

but based on indicated range and current capacity it could well be the original pack, manufactured in 2010/11 with 1st gen LEV50 cells.

Okay. Thanks for that. Good to know.

I'd love to find that other label if it will help nail things down better on which pack this is.

 

[MickeyS70]

So I can test the controller board that came with the spare MCU next. But I'll need my FULL CHIP Lexia 3 cable to be able to reprogram the chassis number on it.

You could still swap it, your original DTCs should be replaced with VIN mismatch errors if the original contoller board is also defective