Stock 12A/8A Charger Not Working?

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

My Dad's stock portable charger is not working at all. It is the new 12A/8A unit they got to replace the original 8A unit that my Dad broke by driving away with it still plugged in; and this one has the latch broken.

When we plug it in, it doesn't light up at all, and the GFI breaker is getting tripped often, but not always. Is there a way to test the charger other than plugging it in? It may have moisture inside the unit, so I'll get a Torx wrench and open it up.

Also, the car has ~1/2 a charge, but when I turn it on, and try to drive, the red (12V?) battery "idiot" light stays on - and I CANNOT get the car to move under power...

I thought there was an interlock that prevented the car from being taken out of Park if the charger was plugged in? If it comes unplugged, then maybe that can't stop you from getting it out of Park?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Don]

I thought the charging interlock just prevented you from getting the 'Ready' light, so I'm wondering how he drove off with the charge handle in the socket? That shouldn't have happened . . . . unless he just took it out of Park and coasted away with the car still plugged in - That CAN happen

Did he damage the socket on the car? That could be what's preventing you from charging now and also from getting the 'Ready' light now

Can you try charging a different EV with the new EVSE?

Don

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Okay, update: the charger is almost certainly not working, but the car is now operating correctly.

The charger has water inside it - you can see moisture on the inside of the lights, and water is dripping out through the 8 Torx screws on the bottom... We're off to see about getting it replaced/fixed.

 

[RobbW]

How did water get in it? Did your dad take it fishing? There have been a couple times that I forgot to unplug the charger and tried to drive my Meepster. While I was able to shift out of Park, the vehicle would not move when I pressed the GO pedal. That's pretty much the only indication I get that I had stupidly forgotten to unplug. And each time it happens, I get a momentary feeling of dread thinking that something was wrong with my car. And then I remember that I had not unplugged. Luckily, this only happens while the car is parked in the garage where the floor is level and the car cannot roll. I really wish Mitsu would build in some other means of alerting you that the car was still plugged in other than just the "Ready" light not coming on and the car not moving. I rarely ever pay attention to whether or not the "Ready" light is on. And if the car can still be shifted out of Park, there is always the potential of it rolling on uneven ground and damaging the EVSE or your charge port. Maybe a soft buzzing noise if you turn the key all the way to the "Start" position.

 

[jray3]

I really wish Mitsu would build in some other means of alerting you that the car was still plugged in other than just the "Ready" light not coming on and the car not moving. I rarely ever pay attention to whether or not the "Ready" light is on. And if the car can still be shifted out of Park, there is always the potential of it rolling on uneven ground and damaging the EVSE or your charge port. Maybe a soft buzzing noise if you turn the key all the way to the "Start" position.

Agreed Robb; After several flubbed starts, I now have to slow down and wait for the "Ready" signal before shifting out of Park, and with all the idiot-proofing done on this car, they missed one with that charging port interlock. At least this means that I can clown around and parade with a plug hanging out of the port if I want to.

 

[PV1]

I guess as far as rolling with the plug in, maybe they were thinking of rolling the car onto a flatbed or being able to recover it from the side of a road in case the car wouldn't go to "READY".

I really wish Mitsu would build in some other means of alerting you that the car was still plugged in other than just the "Ready" light not coming on and the car not moving.

I'm pretty sure the charging light blinks if the plug is still in the car, even if it's not powered.

 

[RobbW]

I'm pretty sure the charging light blinks if the plug is still in the car, even if it's not powered.

Not that I have noticed. Although, I will definitely pay attention tomorrow morning just to see what indicators you actually get to warn you that you're still plugged in. Obviously, even if there are small visual indicators on the dash, it is still very easy to miss those or not even notice them. A buzz when you try to start the car while plugged in would be a clear, concise, unmistakable, attention-getting indicator. Or at least make it so the car cannot be shifted out of park. In this day and age, everything has to be engineered to be completely idiot-proof, unfortunately.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

The water got in the charger in the rain - nothing more that that. It is supposed to be waterproof, but it is not. The dealer/Mitsubishi will be replacing it under warranty. It cost them over $1500, by the way! Which is crazy expensive.

I think my Dad is drifting out of his driveway - it is nearly flat, but it is sloped enough to roll out to the street. This is most likely what happened to break the first one.

So we (my brother and I) will be adding a 15A circuit and hanging up the box on the wall inside, and my Dad will have to back in to charge it. And we need to get a Level 2 with a longer cord. They had GFI issues and the circuits are 10A.

By the way, I drove it to an from the dealer (about 30 miles) and it doesn't coast nearly as well as my car; a Scion xA with aero mods. I need to check his tires (I think they are just at recommended pressure) but for the most part it is aero drag. My car probably has a Cd around 0.26-0.27.

 

[siai47]

If you need another "brick" I have a couple of them in good condition. PM me and make me an offer.

 

[Don]

If you need another "brick" I have a couple of them in good condition. PM me and make me an offer.

. . . . or, you might see what the guys at EVSE Upgrade would offer you for them. If they had a couple extras, they could offer us the 'exchange service' like they do for Leaf owners - They ship you an upgraded unit (charging your credit card for it) and then you send them back your original EVSE and that way there is no down time

Don

 

[siai47]

I bought a new EVSE from evseupgrade and asked them if they wanted the I-MiEV EVSE. They really weren't interested in it. The business in I-MiEV EVSE is very small compared to the LEAF. The cable size and the rating of the J1772 connector are too small to do anything with compared to the older and current LEAF units. I kept mine as a backup if some stole the one from the leased I-MiEV. However, I now have the one out of the wreck I bought in addition to the one from my new I-Miev that I replaced with a new LEAF unit from EVSE. And I still have the one from the leased car. I'm swimming in these things---but they would make good lease returns (if you had upgraded yours) or if you broke one that wasn't insured. I never figured out why Mitsubishi provided such a low output EVSE when the cost between the unit they provided and the one provided with a LEAF must be negligible.

 

[Don]

I never figured out why Mitsubishi provided such a low output EVSE when the cost between the unit they provided and the one provided with a LEAF must be negligible.

I don't know anything for fact either, but I assume they did it just to ensure no new owner would burn his/her house down - You can be pretty safe plugging an 8 amp load into any household outlet, even if your 100 year old house still has two wire, knob and tube wiring

Supposedly, we couldn't buy these cars until we had our house wiring inspected by an expert - I think we even signed a piece of paper agreeing to that, but in reality, many (if not most) of us bought the car, took it home and plugged it in without anyone looking at anything

Still, I wish they had used 14 gauge wiring in the cord running to the car like the Panasonic EVSE used with the Leaf has - Our 16 gauge wire is why we're limited to 12 or 12.5 amps . . . . and even then, the cord warms up noticeably when charging at that amperage

You're right - It wouldn't have cost them a dime more to supply us all with the 240 volt 14 amp EVSE that most European cars came with . . . . but then we couldn't charge until we had a dedicated 240 outlet installed in the garage. It probably would have required an electrician to come to the house for most buyers, which probably would be a good idea anyway

Don