#1146 DMC Motor Fan Problem?

[wiztecy]

Might be helpful if you tie something like this in to see what current you're pulling. I'd buy the same connector as the fan connector, then split teeing the analyze off that instead of cutting into your stock harness.

DC Inline Watt Meter and Power Analyzer, Powerpole Ends | Powerwerx

 

[Botbldr45]

I got the message every time I drove this summer and the temp was over 95 degrees. It would pop up then go away. Sometimes it would pop up several times in a row but would disappear without hitting "dismiss". The weather in Sedona is cooler now and it just stopped popping up. Have not had the warning in about two months.

Go figure.

 

[gregd]

It seems to be an epidemic.

Yeah, you might be right. My car just started getting a bunch of 1146's while charging (not driving) after a 45 mile round-trip. No errors or beeps visible; just found them by looking in the logs. Charging was at a casual 240V / 24 amps late at night.

Calling the SC in the morning...

 

[Botbldr45]

Please let us know what they say.

 

[gregd]

Please let us know what they say.

Will do, but since posting I remembered an earlier post where their issue was fixed by re-seating the connector on the bottom of the PEM. Access is through the square door in the trunk area, with the connector at issue at the far end of the PEM. Mine appears to be quite firmly seated, but I tried giving it a good wiggle, and pushed the wires around to give a bit more slack.

The car seems to need a bit of a drive and immediate charge to exhibit the issue. The daily-ish topping off doesn't cause it, so it may be a few days (Thursday night, at worst) before I can see if the wiggling had any effect.

Given that's colder out, you might check your logs to see if a long (hour or so) charge right after a good drive shows the error. Again, I'm not seeing it while driving, though hmmm... Looking further back in the logs just now, I do see a few while running a few errands around town about a month ago. The issue I had over a year ago with the connector also caused some 1144 errors, and I'm not seeing them right now. So it might be that I really do have an issue with the fans themselves...

 

[NigelM]

Checked connectors and anything else I could reach but everything was secure, warnings were also random and seemed unrelated to outside temps. Eventually got the car into service and after cleaning out the fans the warnings have all disappeared.

 

[Botbldr45]

Seems to be a multifaceted problem coming up in the logs or on VDS when in debug mode. In summary it could be the connectors at the PEM end ( serious), could be the connectors at the fan end ( inconvient), could be leaves and various road debris n the fan, ( also gage sting a dirty PEM), could just be the "ghost in the machine"........... Did I miss anything?

Hate to take it to Scottsdale for a two week wait until a tech with some idea what a roadster is can look at it.

Sounds like I need to review the You Tube video on cleaning the PEM again!

 

[DeedWest]

Just started getting this alert in my Roadster 2.5...it arrives and disappears on its own. Never seems to stay there for more than 5 seconds. Weather in Dallas has been cooler lately, and this doesn't seem to correlate with spirited driving or anything. Seems purely random. However, my car IS overdue for its annual maintenance...could probably use a massive cleaning. If it persists before then, I'll likely request that they take a look at the connectors & fan motor for signs of issues.

 

[dpeilow]

I recommend you do that. I replaced the fan with the help of another owner and in the process cleared out a huge amount of grass and muck. It's been fine since.

 

[Botbldr45]

OK....... Just got car back from SC at Tempe. Nice place!! Two day service with loner.
They replaced one PEM fan and removed the protective "bracket" that they said was restricting airflow to fans! They said it was there to prevent snow and winter slush from getting into fans ....... They said it was not needed in the southwest due to weather ad indeed it was a problem in AZ heat. I remember my first Ranger in 2011 coming out and upgrading the fans plus adding a big metal piece that fit afound the fans but I'm not sure it was to prevent snow and slush from affecting the fans.

Any ideas on this?

The "fan motor" error has not come back

 

[PV-EV]

The upgraded fans did indeed come with a sheet metal shroud that was called a "snow dam" to prevent snow and slush from getting into the fans in cold climate regions. Works pretty good in Alaska!

 

[wiztecy]

I do believe that the snow-dam aids in keeping leaves and crap out of the 2.x PEM in non snowy areas, so be very cautious for that later on in the year you many find high PEM temps due to dirt and debris. its like a baffle before a vacuum cleaner nozzle.

 

[Botbldr45]

Oh too bad ..... That does make sense. Guess I didn't think fast enough on that one. Wonder if hey still have it at the SC. Once again I guess I need to keep the YouTube on PEM and fan cleaning handy.

Without "snow dam" can you access fans from the underside easier ( without taking PEM off) for cleaning?

 

[Habious]

Oh too bad ..... That does make sense. Guess I didn't think fast enough on that one. Wonder if hey still have it at the SC. Once again I guess I need to keep the YouTube on PEM and fan cleaning handy.

Without "snow dam" can you access fans from the underside easier ( without taking PEM off) for cleaning?

If you decide you need one, let me know. I think I still have mine sitting on the carport from when I installed the trailer hitch (the hitch and snow dam were mutually exclusive, taking up the same space at the same time.)

It's a 3-sided metal thingy, right?

 

[Stefan T]

You can do pem cleaning from underside but it not so good as removing the pem

Lift the car on a car lift and remove the ballypan under the pem
Remove the hose from the pem and them use comprssed air blow the pem from all directions that are posilbe to do
It works but not so good as normal cleaning it can leave som debrith and other stuff in left in the pem

 

[PV-EV]

It's a 3-sided metal thingy, right?

That's it. Kinda flimsy.

 

[Botbldr45]

Thanks for information. Seems like PEM removal is way to go......... Now I just have to get my nerve up....

 

[gregd]

Hi folks,

Finally took the car into the SC yesterday, to figure out what was going on. They suspected either debris blocking the air flow (it's been 9 months since the last cleaning), or the fan motor maybe needing replacement. Turns out neither was the case!

Quoting from the repair report (bold added for emphasis):

Removed PEM and Dual Fan to clean area of debris and verify no obstruction. Inspected
and verified Motor fan wiring has correct installation. Tested and operated fan to verify no
grinding is present and fans rotate freely.
Tested Dual Fans and verified fans are operating. Inspected Roadster Fan configuration
and verified incorrect. Updated vehicle with correct configuration and performed 20+ mile
validation drive. No alerts. No further action needed. Customer to monitor and advise if
alert re-appears. REPAIRS DONE AS A ONE TIME GOODWILL.​

The service manager says that he didn't know when the change was made, or how the wiring got to be incorrect (i.e. whether it was just wired wrong, or if the factory decided a different wiring was better), but the change appears to definitely make a difference. According to the VDS, I see the PEM running at least a full "bar" cooler than before. It doesn't zoom right up to just below the yellow, but now stays a segment or two below that. MUCH better.

The car is charging now, and I'll pull the logs after it's done to verify, but so far things are looking good. THANK YOU to the Rocklin SC for the troubleshooting work, and a really nice Christmas present!

 

[slcasner]

I wish the Rocklin SC were closer to my home. (But not the other way around.) Randy has always been helpful before in Meno Park and now in Rocklin when we stop to charge while driving through.

 

[gregd]

I like the Rocklin SC just where it is... We are definitely fortunate to have him and his team here.

So, an update: The charge completed normally (it used to stop a few miles short, then finish during the next day's top-off), but it looks like there was a (one) 1146 error recorded at the 2:51:29 mark into a 3:24:12 charge. Prior, I'd have gotten a dozen errors by this time, so a significant improvement. But it's apparently not perfect.

I'll let the SC know on Monday, maybe after another drive / charge over the weekend. I'm not inclined to panic and replace the fan motor at this point, given the significantly lower PEM operating temperature, unless they advise otherwise. Will continue to keep a watch on the logs, especially as the weather warms in the spring.

Looking back in the logs to try to frame up some of the history, it looks like there were a bazillion of the errors up until May of last year when the SC installed some weather stripping around the fan ducting. That fixed a bunch of issues related to power train alerts, and no further 1146 errors were recorded until July of this year. There were a couple here and there, until late August when they picked up sharply in frequency. No servicing of the car was done at that time (the last service was in March, the yearly PEM cleaning), so there's no event I can find that might have been the trigger, and nothing where wires could have been changed. {shrug}