Just noticed the exact same issue. Did you get it fixed?
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2018 Model 3 Heat Broken After Installing 2022.44
- Thread starter thelastdeadmouse
- Start date
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- Tags
- heater hvac hvac issues ptc ptc heater
Turns out my issue was the PTC heater. After getting a quote from Tesla of $860 to diagnose and replace the PTC heater I decided it would be worth trying to replace it myself with a salvage unit off ebay for $130. It took me quite a bit longer than I expected, about 5 hours, with the help of the Tesla service manual and this Youtube video, but it'd have taken me just as long to drive to my nearest service center and wait for them to do the fix.
The hardest part was getting the PTC heater unplugged from under the front of the car. I had mine on drive up ramps instead of a proper lift so there was little space under the car tow work, and if you have an AWD car you only have a very small gap between the drivetrain case and the firewall to access the PTC cables. Now I'm changing my appointment to just be a parts pickup for the heater service panel which patches the part of the center console you have to cut, and a new front aero tray since I discovered that mine was damaged.
The hardest part was getting the PTC heater unplugged from under the front of the car. I had mine on drive up ramps instead of a proper lift so there was little space under the car tow work, and if you have an AWD car you only have a very small gap between the drivetrain case and the firewall to access the PTC cables. Now I'm changing my appointment to just be a parts pickup for the heater service panel which patches the part of the center console you have to cut, and a new front aero tray since I discovered that mine was damaged.
Gtech
Active Member
Frankly I don't know where that is or how to test it so I'd assume no. I know there's some fuses of some kind in the battery penthouse, but my level of HV competence / risk tolerance means my DIY repairs will never involve opening the battery or penthouse.
android04
Active Member
There are 3 fuses in the Penthouse, one of which is for the PTC heater. However, like you said, it's not safe to poke around in there unless you have training with high voltages and have the equipment for it. The service manual has detailed info about the fuses and how to service them.
akidesir
Member
1107677-00-A - HVAC, PTC SERVICE ASSY, M3 (the new cover) part after cutting out.
So does anyone know if the update has a lower threshold regarding the coolant levels? If this was a software bug why are they replacing hardware? I have a model s 2016 that suddenly started an error within the last week and there is a coolant item and hardware on the quote. I’m curious if it is related.
So irritating… I received errors in service menu regarding coolant valv calibration failed. And made appointment Tesla quoted me 900$ for replacing superbootle. Two days later I have gotten the same message as you guys regarding ptc heater. I asked SC if it depends on them forgotten something or caused the damage to the cable but they refuse to think they could do any damage to the cables. And now it’s 900$ more and I’m out of warranty. So annoying. I would sell the car but they dropped the price and now our cars cost kind of nothing. How do they thing I will buy my next Tesla or not?
It’s ironic you mentioned the selling part. I put off going to a dealership by a week and my car lost 10k in value in that week because Tesla dropped their price. Now I’m pretty much stuck with mine.
Also my situation got very complicated in even after replacing the PTC it was still throwing errors and they had to escalate the problem. Now it’s a condenser core and some o-rings. Thankfully, and considering how many times the techs dropped the ball in keeping me in the loop and changing the completion time and date a day AFTER the previous one expired somewhat appropriately, they removed the charge for the PTC but kept the new one installed saying it wasn’t any fault of my own that it wasn’t the problem originally.
Now we’ll see if the condenser core is really the problem.
So for me it was related to a coolant leak, at least from my understanding, and despite their database suggesting it was a PFC issue (among others - see earlier posted quote) it turned out to be the condenser core.
My 2018 Model 3 heat is failing intermittently now also.
Stopped blowing warm air during a drive 2 weeks ago.
Next morning it was working fine.
A few days ago it quit during a drive again.
Short 20 minute stop at a pet store and it was working again when we drove off.
Kind of surprising if so many people's PTC is suddenly failing at the same time.
Stopped blowing warm air during a drive 2 weeks ago.
Next morning it was working fine.
A few days ago it quit during a drive again.
Short 20 minute stop at a pet store and it was working again when we drove off.
Kind of surprising if so many people's PTC is suddenly failing at the same time.
Checking in. Contributing one more data point.
2018 Model 3 LR RWD (RC/SOP) failed today as well.
Tesla Service recommend a Low Voltage Circuit Integrity Check ($210) which is odd, wasn't PTC belongs to the high voltage system.
Adding yet another data point.
2018 LR RWD PTC fault. I really do not want to pay for this *sugar*. All of us Canadians should report this to transport Canada. If this happens in -30 in rural areas (where I commute), this could be dangerous.
2018 LR RWD PTC fault. I really do not want to pay for this *sugar*. All of us Canadians should report this to transport Canada. If this happens in -30 in rural areas (where I commute), this could be dangerous.
I had the same issue come up. I followed the procedure for replacing PTC heater but instead of replacing it, I just disconnected one heating element that was causing the problem. Everything is working fine now and 5 out of 6 heating elements working.
For anyone else facing a Model 3 PTC heater problem, you have to take the PTC out and open the lid to access the control board. I’ve marked the location of the element to board connection where you can measure resistance. The problem element will be the one that shows a markedly different resistance to the others. These are the same tabs I pulled out to disconnect the problem element.
For anyone else facing a Model 3 PTC heater problem, you have to take the PTC out and open the lid to access the control board. I’ve marked the location of the element to board connection where you can measure resistance. The problem element will be the one that shows a markedly different resistance to the others. These are the same tabs I pulled out to disconnect the problem element.
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Sa
Same issue for me now 2019 M3 ~80,000miles
Can I ask how you checked the resistance and disconnected the element that was faulty. Will need to try and do this over weekend.
Thanks for posting.
Same issue for me now 2019 M3 ~80,000miles
Can I ask how you checked the resistance and disconnected the element that was faulty. Will need to try and do this over weekend.
Thanks for posting.
I just lost heat in my 2018 M3 lr awd at 125k miles. In service menu I ran test and it said the ptc failed the test. I'm considering taking the ptc out and testing resistance on each of the 6 heating elements. @latifimr did you desolder the tabs that you pulled out or just cut them? @GavWallace did you end up attempting this fix?
I got the same in my 2019 M3 perf. In the regular UI I don't get any error codes, but in the service menu I see
- VCRIGHT_a538_hvacSystemNotNominal and
- VCRIGHT_a262_PTCFaulted
I did have success, it takes a couple odd sockets to do the job, and I think I got somewhat lucky. Each of my elements all read pretty close together. If memory serves me the highest was around 1.4 and the lowest was 1.0. I ended up removing the lowest and it worked. I ended up just cutting / pulling the connection to the element off. I believe the socket for the cover to the test probe spot on the penthouse uses a pentalobe size 10 - CTA Tools 5064 5 Pc. 5 Pt Torx Plus Socket Set - 1/4" Dr. https://a.co/d/7F6s98w
You will also need a torx plus IPR 9 or maybe it was an 8 I don't remember but I used this kit Protorq TORX PLUS IPR, Torx Plus 5-Point Tamper-Proof Security Bits (IPR 7-IPR 40), 25mm, 10 -Pieces, High Grade S2 Steel Amazon.com
If you attempt the job just make sure you follow teslas high voltage disconnect procedure as the ptc uses the HV system.
Hope this helps.
I'm going to be attempting this soon as the ptc heater just died on my 2019sr+. Do you measure resistance across those two posts circled in post #35? Or do you measure somewhere else?
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