my Miev will not charge

[olagon]

...I have it plugged into a ThinkEco Modlet (to track energy...also use a TED 5000). The Modlet gets hot...

The Modlet has a cutesy website http://themodlet.com/ but I could not readily find its specifications. :evil: I would not use it with our EVSEUpgraded EVSE, as any properly-sized wire/connector/appliance should barely get warm when running at 12A. Hot is not good.

It's rated for 15amps. I have to check if the plug got as warm without the Modlet. Cute device that is awesome for smaller loads like killing my entertainment center, wifi, dvr, etc. when I don't need them.

 

[olagon]

I think many of us have experienced an occasional failure to charge using the OEM EVSE - Pulling out the charge handle and reinserting it fully always solves the problem. It's happened to us two or three times over the past year

Not sure what causes it, but I make a point of checking to see if the charge light is still on several minutes after I begin charging - It would be a pain to go out expecting a fully charged car only to see it hasn't charged at all

Don

Now this is a tip anyone who got the upgrade should know! Would hate to wake up expecting a full charge and not getting one. Thanks

 

[DonDakin]

Well it's Wednesday and my car is still with mitsubishi 4 working days. I have the feeling that the people at the dealership have no idea what is wrong with it. Thankfully they have a helpline that is moving things along. I'm pretty much still in the dark but I'll post when I get an update...

Don......

 

[JoeS]

Don, your charging problem is very interesting, as the possibilities are endless but one would think that with all the onboard diagnostics that they'd be able to zero-in on the problem.

After they 'fix' it, be sure to grill Mitsubishi to tell you exactly what the problem was; I worry that they'll simply shotgun it and replace modules until it starts working again without understanding the root cause of the problem. Might help if you ask to talk with the technician who actually troubleshot the thing. All this simply aimed at building up our body of knowledge for the future...

 

[alohart]

I would be pleasantly surprised if the local Mitsubishi mechanics actually try to diagnose and fix the charging problem. Instead, I think that they will merely replace the entire battery pack and send the defective one back to Mitsubishi to examine so that we will never know what actually caused the charging problem.

 

[Don]

Except that it doesn't really sound like a battery pack problem to me . . . . changing out the pack for a new one might not resolve anything, so I'm pretty sure they would only do that if they knew for sure it would fix the problem - If it turns out to be something within the pack, we'll never know what exactly, because the pack isn't a dealer repairable item

I agree with Joe that the car's diagnostic features should pinpoint what needs to be changed - A week or ten days might be needed to get the repair part ordered and delivered and then installed

Don

 

[alohart]

I was confused by which thread I was responding to. I was thinking that this thread was tonymil's bad cells problem with Mitsubishi having already delivered a new battery pack. I agree with Don that a charging problem is most likely not a battery pack problem, so some other component would likely need replacing. It is surprising that no diagnostic trouble code appears to have been set unless the problem is related to the remote that's preventing charging.

 

[Kuuuurija]

Several iMievs, bought by the Estonian Government for social officials, had similar issues with charging. Some of them refused to charge at all, some interrupted way before full charge. Mitsubishi changed their battery packs free of charge.
You can use Google Translate to check the source:
http://www.epl.ee/news/eesti/sotsiaaltootajate-elektriautode-akud-osutusid-praagiks.d?id=65399904

 

[DonDakin]

Well hell has frozen over.....

I finally have my imiev back with a brand new charger. Seems to be working fine.

It was an ordeal in terms getting Mitsubishi to ok a rental for me while the car was looked at. It was also painfully slow to listen to the progress that they were making. Took forever to get authorization just to order the charger. Well almost a month to have them change the charger but its done and I am happy.

I have no idea why the charger failed. I came home one night plugged in went to sleep and in the morning no charge.....

I charge oem L1 most of the time.

Anyways all done under warranty. It would have been nice if they could have done this in a few days and gave me a rental car the first day I brought it in but at least it's done. I spent $55 on gas in the last week or so. I was traumatized.......

Don......

 

[sandange]

Great news DonDakin

I'm glad to hear it was not too serious and you're back on the road again.

I was at the Mitsu dealer on St Johns rd. last week looking for a car and thought I saw yours still there. I was wondering what was going on.
I feel your pain having to pay for gas after owning an BEV

 

[JoeS]

DonDakin, thank you for the update. Glad you finally got the problem resolved with the new charger, but sounds as though we're all none-the-wiser as to the underlying reason for the failure. Yes, going to petrol stations is a sickening experience…

 

[DonDakin]

Hi all,

Concerning my charger replacement saga, the people at the dealer really have no experiance with this car. They are completely dependant on the Mitsubishi tec line to toubleshoot and do the repair.

Consequently I can't really get anything meaningful from them in terms of what may have caused it. Not to blame anyone that is just the way things are.

They did mention a few causes that I would call "wild ass guesses" as to the cause but that's just what they were, not worth repeating.

I guess each repair will increase the experiance level and they will slowly come up to speed on repairing the car inhouse.

I would like to know what the root cause for the failure was also so I will try to follow up this issue with Mitsubishi corperate to see if I can get anything from them indicating what the problem was. I'm not holding my breath that I'll get any answers but I'll try.

Perhaps in the future when L3 charging is more abundant (we currently have zero in Quebec) Charger failures will be a little easier to handle because you could always L3 charge for a week or so while they order and install a charger for you.

Sandange,

Are you looking for another iMiev ?

Don....

 

[sandange]

Sandange,

Are you looking for another iMiev ?

No not an I miev
I sold my weekend toy (Motorcycle) and replaced it with another toy..
Just bought a used convertible Eclipse for several reasons..
It's year round availability
those rare trips that are beyond the Miev's range
Emergency back up vehicle (we have almost no public transportation here)
& the odd extended sunny Sunday country drive.

 

[DonDakin]

Hey sandage, was it the orange one I saw at the dealer this week ?

 

[sandange]

Orange - yes but not as nice as that one
More than I could afford
Mine has a 4 cyl & manuel shift & few bumps and bruises
I drove 350 km to Beauceville, past Quebec city, to save some $ & for the adventure

 

[Malm]

Today is the day I can't say no more that my car is free of problems.
Don´t charge from the EVSE. Everything is fine, no trouble codes found, just refuses to charge with the EVSE. It stands at Mitsubushi now. I suppose it needs a new charger. They will take several days to figure it out. Under the 5 years warranty.

I repeat, all works well. It charges in motion, MUT-III says everything is OK, no trouble signs, the 12V battery is ok.

Tried to charge with diferent EVSE, in diferent places, but it acts allways the same, like it is full, when there is no bars left.

 

[PV1]

Sorry to hear.

Have you tried a DC quick charger if your car has the port? A quick charger should have nothing to do with the on-board charger.

 

[Malm]

The nearest one stands at 90 km. No charge to do such a distance. Maybe I can go there on the top of a truck. The car is at 13% SoC now and I would be happier knowing that it is resting at an higher SoC.

 

[JoeS]

...It stands at Mitsubushi now...Under the 5 years warranty....

Malm, good to hear you've just made it under the five-year warranty. DO let us know what they find, as no error codes perhaps means lack of refinement in your (relatively early car) diagnostics.

 

[Malm]

Tried yesterday charging in Chademo. It charged without any problem. I could use the car if I had a chademo charger near my house. But i haven't. Drove it for 20 km and everything is fine. Stands now in Mitsubishi again, but now with 45% of SoC (it was with 13% when I left it in thuesday, so i fill more confortable now).