Solved: p1a44 p1a45 isolation ac pump

[DCregulator]

Dear folks,

Just wanted to share a problem i solved wich can save a couple of 1000euros.
I got the exclemation point lamp while heavy braking and went to the dealer to read faults (cannot find ANY app that does that, tips are welcome)
P1A44 and p1a45 were stored faults.
I took the safety out and measured with a hv isolation meter and found a low resistance in the ac pump.
I took the plates and bolts off so i could open the lid and saw moisture in the ac print housing. I dried it and sealed the lid carefully with liquid sealant. One fuse was broken from the ac in the green fusebox under the tiny front hood. After that, ac and heater worked and didnt have any problems for over a month now. So ac pumps might not need replacement all the time.
Keep it up, and beware the rust!

 

[JoeS]

@DCregulator, thank you so much for the information. Delighted that it saved an unnecessary a/c replacement!

If I understood you correctly, there were actually two issues -

1. Moisture inside the air conditioner pump housing causing HV 'leakage' - cured by drying and sealing
2. A blown 12v(?) fuse

I was trying to identify this fuse, as the fuses inside the 'green" housing under the hood I thought were for the brake electric vacuum pump, but I haven't researched this. Could you perhaps identify this fuse a little more specifically? Thank you.

 

[DCregulator]

Hey JoeS,

It was 12v fuse number 16 under the brake booster, i have to correct myself for it being in the green box, it was in a black box with white.

When this fuse is broken, heating and ac doesnt work. I think it was a result of the moisture that it blew but i am not sure. Might also be i shorted a cable while disconnecting the pump.

Also i left the pressurelines connected to the pump wich safed me costly filling the system.

 

[mavix]

Dear folks,
I took the plates and bolts off so i could open the lid and saw moisture in the ac print housing. I dried it and sealed the lid carefully with liquid sealant.
Keep it up, and beware the rust!

Hi, I have the same problem. You can throw off a picture or diagram where you hit moisture.
P.s. sorry for my bad english

 

[Don]

Hi, I have the same problem. You can throw off a picture or diagram where you hit moisture.
P.s. sorry for my bad english

Welcome! Your English is just fine! I'm always tickled when someone who speaks 2 or 3 languages apologizes for their English skills . . . . in an American setting where few of us speak a second language - It's linda like the expert apologizing to the novice, if you get my drift

Don

 

[mavix]

At hybrids.ru, an engineer opened the lid of an AC compressor and found moisture and a short circuit. Cleaned. There are no errors now.
p.s. If you have no errors, but the AC has stopped working, you need to check the AC board.

 

[smueller99au]

Hi all. I just wanted to add that I’ve had the same issue on my iMiev, and worked on another car with the same. Both had water in the electronics compartment. However, with mine I had to pull the top board away and get to the second layer where the water was also. Not sure which layer had the effect on the Megger tester - I forgot to measure after I cleaned only the top layer.

One thing I’m unsure of is what the ‘goo’ is on the boards. Is it something I should replace to keep the refrigerant in the system? Any ideas what to use? It’s very sticky and semi flexible.

I took some extra photos while I was in there but it’s a bit hard to see the water. I also dismantled the mechanical side to see how it all worked. That wasn’t the best idea because the strength of the magnets is extreme - can’t get the bearing placed in the right spot again.

Compressor part:



Top cover with moisture indication:


Upper board with some of the goo removed. The water was around the connectors at the cable transit:


Lower board, water highlighted:




Cheers.
Stephen.

 

[etrac]

Wow, thank you all for sharing this information. Maybe it helps me as well.

 

[smueller99au]

Great! That’s what the forums are for.

The most useful information to start with is that the orange cables can remain disconnected without affecting the running of the car. This is not possible in many other electrical cars, like the Renault’s for example.

 

[Hornstudio]

My i-MiEV shows P1A44, P1A46 and P1A45 and says "shorted compressor" and goes on turtle mode when I go steep roads (and water flows from A to B in the compressor electronics).

I saw there is a video dripping water out of the compressor. And I saw you can dry it without removing everything. Just hang the compressor down.

But - there is a little sticker near the tag you can remove and dry the moisture - if you have time and summer or heat.

 

[tewharaunz]

Thanks for the thread.

I've got a 2012 NZ-new iMiev and started getting the exclamation point light and resulting turtling and a P1A44 code on Ready. A year ago, I had found standing water in the OBC/DCDC converter (lots of corrosion) so I mistakenly pulled the EMCU (inverter) and checked out the lower chamber. It was all good so that was my Saturday wasted. Saturday evening, I found this AEVA forum post and Sunday I started on the AC compressor:

https://forums.aeva.asn.au/viewtopic.php?p=85898&hilit=compressor#p85898

I pulled the compressor, hung it down, and tried to dry it out, but once the moisture migrates into the gooey stuff, it's a much more tedious Job. FWIW, the culprit was the hole in the lid, which has a round rubber sticker over it (for heat expansion I imagine) but the lid is a two-layer affair and once the thin steel rusts and separates from the alloy sheet, the hole is open to water driving or wicking in between the plates. (There is a lot of driving and wicking water in a NZ winter). Anyway I tried to dry it off and seal it up, but it was still giving the same error code, so I just disconnected the HV line, sealed up the ends and put it back together. After seeing some of the pics in this thread, I'll wait until it starts to warm up before having another go.

After putting everything back together, I thought maybe a heat gun around the exterior with the lid off might have been a good move, but maybe next time.

Hopefully this link works...
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RoKwzNjdX5VM4ydG9

 

[kiev]

The picture link works fine for me. Thanks for sharing.

Good job to find the culprit. So was the clear jelly acting like a sponge and soaked up with water? It does sound like you have lots of water to deal with there in NZ.

 

[tewharaunz]

Hi Kiev,

I don't think the jelly absorbs water, but if water gets in the chamber, I think think it sloshes around on top of the jelly.

Somehow (I'm not sure how) it works its way into the jelly. I couldn't see any cloudy spots from the top, but some of the other photos clearly show water trapped in the jelly between circuit boards.

Perhaps it works its way into holes next to contacts or screws near the surface or down the sides. I would imagine that turning and braking may be enough to shift the jelly while components remain stationary and once in place, winter freezing could further open up more crevices.

Luckily, it never gets hot enough in the South Island to need air conditioning so we'll see how it goes.

 

[jray3]

Warranty Voiders of the World United! Of course, most of us are out of warranty now, but this lEVel of resourcefulness to save a car with a hairdryer and some sealant is what the forums are all about. Congratulations and THANK YOU! :ugeek:

 

[Seth Mos]

Thank goodness for this thread, mine from 2010 is now allergic to right hand turns. Need to see if I can get access somehow.