#1146 DMC Motor Fan Problem?

[dpeilow]

While my car was in for the 3.0 battery health check, I also asked them to look again at the source of the 1146 errors. I was told:

I declined replacing the CIC board as it is 1700 GBP. I will look into replacing the current sensor separately.

 

[gregd]

While my car was in for the 3.0 battery health check, I also asked them to look again at the source of the 1146 errors. I was told:

View attachment 250639



I declined replacing the CIC board as it is 1700 GBP. I will look into replacing the current sensor separately.

Interesting. They may be surprised that 1146 errors may be diagnostic, but they do show up very clearly in the logs (which are customer accessible). Mine did. So they can't say you shouldn't have seen them.

Also, putting a couple of random threads together, I would ask them to verify the wiring of the PEM fan wiring harness Apparently mine wasn't done right at some point in its history, leading to less than expected cooling of the PEM. One very astute tech at the Rocklin SC figured this out, corrected it, and my PEM temps came down very noticeably. This is a wild guess, but it may be that the two PEM circuits drivers were wired in parallel instead of in series. I believe the upgraded motor is 24v, and from what I read they get that by wiring the original two separate 12v drivers in series. I could be all wrong in this - I have a hard time believing that the two PEM drivers had floating grounds - but that's what I concluded. Your data with one driver producing almost no current would be consistent with a parallel wiring, where the driver with the ever-so-slightly higher output would take all the load. If they were in series, the current would indeed be the same.

 

[hcsharp]

Interesting. They may be surprised that 1146 errors may be diagnostic, but they do show up very clearly in the logs (which are customer accessible). Mine did. So they can't say you shouldn't have seen them.

Also, putting a couple of random threads together, I would ask them to verify the wiring of the PEM fan wiring harness Apparently mine wasn't done right at some point in its history, leading to less than expected cooling of the PEM. One very astute tech at the Rocklin SC figured this out, corrected it, and my PEM temps came down very noticeably. This is a wild guess, but it may be that the two PEM circuits drivers were wired in parallel instead of in series. I believe the upgraded motor is 24v, and from what I read they get that by wiring the original two separate 12v drivers in series. I could be all wrong in this - I have a hard time believing that the two PEM drivers had floating grounds - but that's what I concluded. Your data with one driver producing almost no current would be consistent with a parallel wiring, where the driver with the ever-so-slightly higher output would take all the load. If they were in series, the current would indeed be the same.

I also have a hard time believing that the two 12v circuits have floating grounds but a lot of circuits are isolated due to having to keep the DC circuits separate from the AC circuits. i haven't measured to see if my fans are receiving 12 or 24v but I'm pretty sure they're not running on 6.6v. So I agree with your recommendation that somebody should check his fan wiring.

 

[dpeilow]

Been poking around under the PEM with an endoscope. Remind me please, which one is the PEM fan connector(s)?

EDIT just gone back up the thread and re-seen @MLAUTO 's post. It's closest to the camera.

 

[BartJ]

rewire and replace the pins inside the connector.
see my previous posts about this.

 

[Mark77a]

rewire and replace the pins inside the connector.
see my previous posts about this.

Here is the thread > #1146 DMC Motor Fan Problem?

The plug/socket can give same error code and is part of PEM removal/service .

 

[dpeilow]

Since unplugging and re-plugging this connector, I have not had the error once...

 

[R912]

Does anyone know where to source the Molex 0194200009 connector? Digi-key is out of stock and the lead time is 3 months!

 

[PV-EV]

That is the female terminal and DigiKey has them in stock. Recheck your search.

 

[Rotarypower]

Why are we losing images in this thread? On my iPad, about half the images don’t come through and are indicated by the name of the file. I am about to open up my car for the first time for a blower and PEM cleaning but not having all the reference images will handicap me!

This is concerning as we will lose important history that all of us will need in the future to continue to keep our roadsters running.

Mods.....any comments and what can be done to fix this issue? Is this happening on all threads? Is it just me? In particular, look at @Roadster ’s write up and posted images (missing).

 

[Stefan T]

Does anyone know where to source the Molex 0194200009 connector? Digi-key is out of stock and the lead time is 3 months!

Mouser have it
I bought one to day
but the shiping were ner 10x the price

 

[Stefan T]

The conector(19420-0004) from mouser was without
"MX150L Female Terminal for 14-16 AWG Wire, Tin Plated"(19420-0009)
The home page did't say thay was missing or not the art# of them
So i need to order them from someone else
I hope that not will take 12 days to get them
In best case i have them on monday

 

[X.l.r.8]

I too cant see images either home or at work. I assume its bandwidth limited, possibley due to all the new tesla owners out there with the model 3 being so widly adopted

 

[dpeilow]

So looking at the datasheet for what I believe to be the PEM side connector, it is clear that the SPAL fan can pull more than enough to get a pair of pins in the connector extremely hot if there is an open circuit on the other pair (with this parallel bodge that Tesla did when they installed the dual blower model of the SPAL fan).

Does anyone know the AWG of the wires in the harness?

Mouser says the 18-22 AWG part has a maximum current per pin of 18A.

It's also not clear to me why the service report I posted above talks about 5.6A when the SPAL datasheet starts at 13A and goes to 27A.

 

[Kerios]

You know what is really interesting in that data sheet is the the mechanical durability specification - it states “ Mate connectors up to {25 cycles for tin (non- noble) plating OR 100 cycles for gold (noble) plating} at a maximum rate of 10 cycles per minute without environmental tests.”

That in mechanical terms for durability is pretty low, it translates to an potential failure could be be achieved in as little as 100 cycles for the non gold version, which we know is the type fitted in the Roadster. I don’t know if is the actual one fitted to the car, but if it is, then it isn’t surprisingly that combined with environmental conditions, frequent connection breaks and makes plus excessive current loading, that connection failure is going to be apparent rapidly. There may be more data else where, but I’d be really interested to see an accelerated trial using similar components and loading to see if the failure can be manifested in experimental conditions.

Food for thought.

 

[dpeilow]

Do you mean as little as 25 cycles?

It's been stated before these connector have a low mating/demating life.

 

[dpeilow]

So I am sure these are the tin version (not gold plated) and hence only suitable for 25 mating cycles.

The specification sheet also clearly specifies the following:

OTHER INFORMATION The MX150L™ Industrial Sealed Connector System is IPX7 rated and conforms to UL 1977, but it is NOT suitable for automotive applications with requirements such as USCAR-2, USCAR-25, GMW3191, AK Testing, J2030, Volvo Technology Requirements, and Toyota Connector Spec (TCS)

It is also clearly stated in big red text on the first page of the product brochure.

This connector sees a lot of heat and vibration. Heat comes up from the motor at that point, such that the PEM case and boot/truck tub are warm to touch after a hard drive. I wonder if the action of the heat loosens the plug and the vibration causes the high resistance which leads to the errors?

 

[PV-EV]

Contact fretting of electronic connectors

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.29.8048&rep=rep1&type=pdf

An article for the truly nerdy among us. My Molex right angle connector at the PEM and the mating female half failed a couple years ago and the connectors were thoroughly discussed on this forum at that time. I believe the above referenced article describes what we are seeing and is why the connector is only rated for 25 matings and not recommended for automotive uses by the manufacturer. Note also that connector life can be improved with the use of a lubricant made for electrical connections.

The PEM side connector is not too hard to replace but requires disassembly of a part of the PEM and a little soldering iron work.

 

[gregd]

Note also that connector life can be improved with the use of a lubricant made for electrical connections.

Is this "lubricant" DeOxit, or something else? Any written specs from the connector's manufacturer that I can print and show to the SC?

 

[PV-EV]

The article I linked to is a research paper and is not specific to a manufacturer. I used a dielectric grease like you would use on your spark plugs in an ICE. I think any lubricant/antioxidant made for electric connections would be fine. Time will tell if it helps but it might be hard to quantify the results. If you want to show the SC something, show them where the Molex connectors say “not suitable for automotive applications”. I bet dozens of PEMs have been replaced due to the failed fan connector.