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Access to the heater assembly?

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I found the answer to this in the repair manual (it circulates on this forum somewhere). Tip: In my case, LHD RWD , I didn't have to remove the center console, as was described in the manual, but not mentioned there, you do need to remove a part of the ducting. Anyway, it was fairly easy to figure out. Took me a only a few hours to find all the hidden clips and screws ;-) Next step is to actually disconnect it from the high voltage junction box and replace.
 
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I just replaced my broken PTC (6007385-00-G) in my 2014 Model S P85+ with a used one from a 2015 model (6007385-00-J). Tesla mentions that a 6007385-00-G should be replaced by a 1041265-00-E, but I was feeling lucky, and yes, it works fine!

It turned out to be quite simple. Sorry, no photo's as my camera just broke down. But here is a quick recap:

DISCLAIMER
- I am not a mechanic. Do this at your own peril. Really, there is the potential for some high voltage shockery.
- No idea if this will void your warranty.
- I just have my Tesla for a few months, so I basically know nothing about these cars.
- Do your research if you have a knee airbag installed, this requires extra precautions.

PREP
- Screwdrivers: Philips and Torx
- 10mm socket and/or spanner
- Plastic dash trim remover thingy's
- Multimeter (optional)
- Turn off car (I initially forgot and somehow it detected I was messing with it, going into some sort of safe mode, if this happens just do that "roll wheel button reset", also be careful with the doors, not sure if in this case they roll down the window before opening to avoid being shattered).
- You could do the high voltage disconnect routine as described in the workshop manual. I didn't do this though.
- High voltage gloves (I went without)

FRUNK (2nd gen. DC/DC)

* Remove rubber seal
* Remove lining
* Unbolt black plastic box
Pull it out, with a little force it will slide out over the black plastic floor.
* Disconnect PTC cable, the right most connector, from the junction box.

If you have the 1st gen DC/DC converter, the PTC connector will be behind the passenger side front wheel. Remove wheel and wheel lining (one bolt and a number of those split pen clips). If you're unsure check in the frunk first, this is the easiest to access (perhaps there are other/better ways to find out, search this forum if you want to know upfront).

INSIDE
* Remove dash panels under and around glovebox.
Use a plastic dash trim remover to avoid scratches, a little force is needed, but usually not too much.
These are also clipped to the small side panel between dash and door.
Best to remove them together.
There is one JST JWPF connector to that small side panel to disconnect.

* Remove glovebox.
Screwed in by a number of Torx screws.
Disconnect three connectors.

* Remove cover under where the glovebox is, it has a light, disconnect that.
It's held back by two 10mm bolts in the rear (which were missing the nut in my case).

* Remove lining next to center console. If you have a cubby box you may have to take it out first. I don't have that.

* Unbolt knee airbag / plastic panel (in case no airbag is installed).
Again two 10 mm nuts on a long bolt.

* Unbolt metal strut 3x 10mm

* Unbolt duct 2x philips
This creates space for the heater element to come out.

* Unbolt heater element: 3x Philips
Slide out heater element
Open the top lit, by putting a flatblade or blade of knife under the plastic clips. This gives access the PCB.
This would be a good moment to take out your multimeter to verify there is really no power on the unit.
Unbolt power+ground connectors 2x 10mm + 1x ground philips

Slide your replacement PTC in and reconnect the three wires.
No need to replace the wiring harness, this will save you a lot of hassle.

I hope I didn't forget anything. Use your common sense, it's not that hard, really.
 
I just replaced my broken PTC (6007385-00-G) in my 2014 Model S P85+ with a used one from a 2015 model (6007385-00-J). Tesla mentions that a 6007385-00-G should be replaced by a 1041265-00-E, but I was feeling lucky, and yes, it works fine!

It turned out to be quite simple. Sorry, no photo's as my camera just broke down. But here is a quick recap:

DISCLAIMER
- I am not a mechanic. Do this at your own peril. Really, there is the potential for some high voltage shockery.
- No idea if this will void your warranty.
- I just have my Tesla for a few months, so I basically know nothing about these cars.
- Do your research if you have a knee airbag installed, this requires extra precautions.

PREP
- Screwdrivers: Philips and Torx
- 10mm socket and/or spanner
- Plastic dash trim remover thingy's
- Multimeter (optional)
- Turn off car (I initially forgot and somehow it detected I was messing with it, going into some sort of safe mode, if this happens just do that "roll wheel button reset", also be careful with the doors, not sure if in this case they roll down the window before opening to avoid being shattered).
- You could do the high voltage disconnect routine as described in the workshop manual. I didn't do this though.
- High voltage gloves (I went without)

FRUNK (2nd gen. DC/DC)

* Remove rubber seal
* Remove lining
* Unbolt black plastic box
Pull it out, with a little force it will slide out over the black plastic floor.
* Disconnect PTC cable, the right most connector, from the junction box.

If you have the 1st gen DC/DC converter, the PTC connector will be behind the passenger side front wheel. Remove wheel and wheel lining (one bolt and a number of those split pen clips). If you're unsure check in the frunk first, this is the easiest to access (perhaps there are other/better ways to find out, search this forum if you want to know upfront).

INSIDE
* Remove dash panels under and around glovebox.
Use a plastic dash trim remover to avoid scratches, a little force is needed, but usually not too much.
These are also clipped to the small side panel between dash and door.
Best to remove them together.
There is one JST JWPF connector to that small side panel to disconnect.

* Remove glovebox.
Screwed in by a number of Torx screws.
Disconnect three connectors.

* Remove cover under where the glovebox is, it has a light, disconnect that.
It's held back by two 10mm bolts in the rear (which were missing the nut in my case).

* Remove lining next to center console. If you have a cubby box you may have to take it out first. I don't have that.

* Unbolt knee airbag / plastic panel (in case no airbag is installed).
Again two 10 mm nuts on a long bolt.

* Unbolt metal strut 3x 10mm

* Unbolt duct 2x philips
This creates space for the heater element to come out.

* Unbolt heater element: 3x Philips
Slide out heater element
Open the top lit, by putting a flatblade or blade of knife under the plastic clips. This gives access the PCB.
This would be a good moment to take out your multimeter to verify there is really no power on the unit.
Unbolt power+ground connectors 2x 10mm + 1x ground philips

Slide your replacement PTC in and reconnect the three wires.
No need to replace the wiring harness, this will save you a lot of hassle.

I hope I didn't forget anything. Use your common sense, it's not that hard, really.



THis is great, Thank you. Did you have any problems with the A/c? or just the heater?
 
I was able to replace the PTC heater with this guide but it turned out to be the DCDC fuse that was the culprit.

Part: FUSE,FAST,40A,700VAC/DC,14MM x 51MM(1019010-00-
A)
2

Costing $128 for 2 fuses + 3 hours of labor. $927 with tax. I hope replacing the PTC heater prevents another fuse blowing randomly. Shame I wasted time and money waiting for a used part. Lesson learned: don't put 100% faith into Tesla remote diagnostics. However, I wasn't down to pay $350 for minimum 2 hr diagnostic cost (I was able to talk them down to 1hr minimum). I am blessed to have heat for this upcoming Canadian winter!! I hope I have no more problems with my Model S so I can focus on fixing my leaky taillights and polish+ceramic coat. Cheers
20191023_204539.jpg
20191023_213333.jpg
 

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I'm considering in fixing thisone myself also.
Could it be there are no videos on youtube? (i couldn't find a single one)
Find the service manual online. You can find it for free or buy it/subscribe. Follow all the precautions and order the right parts. Make sure to seal it up good too afterwards. Maybe Rich Rebuilds has an old video of DCDC teardown? Or contact Electrified Garage.
 
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So I have a 2013 model s. My heater went out on me in 2016. Unfortunately I was already out of warranty because of miles driven so it cost me $2500 for Tesla to fix it. I don’t recall exactly what the issue was. Well it appears my heater is going out on me again. What I found interesting was that I set the heat to 80 with the fan on max and little heat was coming out of the driver vents and cold air out of the passenger vents. Any clue what that would be. Trying to figure out if I can fix this or I need to take it in.
Thanks
 
2013 Model S here. Had issues with heater working intermittently, blowing cold air most of the time. I just did the replacement using the info and pictures in this forum almost exactly as instructed by ElectricStu. Replaced with part 1041265-00-E. A few more things to add:

Need a deep socket 10mm
Need to remove the air duct - easy two screws
I did the high voltage disconnect with gloves - really easy once you figure out how to pop up the connector
I did not need to put it on jacks - I raised it to the highest air suspension setting and only removed the top part of the liner to reach into the DC DC converter and unplug the connector.
The knee airbag clip is tricky to remove... I used a push pin remover plier, which is a very useful too for other parts of this job too.

Everything else was not difficult to figure out, but it took me a while as I don't do this stuff often. About 8 or 9 hours total.

Thank you very much ElectricStu, Siphant, and everyone who contributed in this forum. Could not have done it without your help.
 
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2013 Model S here. Had issues with heater working intermittently, blowing cold air most of the time. I just did the replacement using the info and pictures in this forum almost exactly as instructed by ElectricStu. Replaced with part 1041265-00-E. A few more things to add:

Need a deep socket 10mm
Need to remove the air duct - easy two screws
I did the high voltage disconnect with gloves - really easy once you figure out how to pop up the connector
I did not need to put it on jacks - I raised it to the highest air suspension setting and only removed the top part of the liner to reach into the DC DC converter and unplug the connector.
The knee airbag clip is tricky to remove... I used a push pin remover plier, which is a very useful too for other parts of this job too.

Everything else was not difficult to figure out, but it took me a while as I don't do this stuff often. About 8 or 9 hours total.

Thank you very much ElectricStu, Siphant, and everyone who contributed in this forum. Could not have done it without your help.
Did you get the part from eBay?
 
Thanks a lot guys for the instructions and comments! Heating also went out on our MS 2013.

I understand the two main suspects are one of the fuses in the DC-DC converter, the heating module (as described above), or both (if a defect in the heating module blown the related fuse).

What do you think is the easiest way to diagnose which one it is? Is there a cable easily accessible somewhere were I can check voltages? Or the only way is to open wheel lining to access the DC-DC converter plug?
 
Thanks a lot guys for the instructions and comments! Heating also went out on our MS 2013.

I understand the two main suspects are one of the fuses in the DC-DC converter, the heating module (as described above), or both (if a defect in the heating module blown the related fuse).

What do you think is the easiest way to diagnose which one it is? Is there a cable easily accessible somewhere were I can check voltages? Or the only way is to open wheel lining to access the DC-DC converter plug?
If your heat works some of the time, like in my case, then it is likely the heater core. Try blasting it on high for 5 minutes to let it cycle through to the banks and maybe some of the banks will still be working.
 
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In my case, the problem was a short-circuit PTC heater which burned a fuse in the DC/DC module. These fuses are 50$ in North America currently, but only 9€ in Europe, so I had some sent to my sister in Spain, who then ship them to me. But then, I was not willing to play with the cooling hoses of DC/DC module, so I ended up asking a EV repair shop in Montreal, VE-MTL, to replace the fuse. They are the ones who diagnosed that the PTC was short-circuit, but they were not willing to replace it with a used one. (Still, I recommend them strongly for servicing your out-of-warranty Tesla if you're in the Montreal area, they are very qualified and professional.) So, in order to save a few hundred dollars (and also because I like to fix my car myself when I can) I ended up ordering a used PTC heater off e-bay and replacing it myself. @ElectricStu instructions were very useful, but I though a few pictures might help.

I have a 1st generation DC/DC converter located behind the passenger side front wheel, with the PTC wire going through a path difficult to reach. Perhaps the single most important advice I have to add: when you remove the old PTC heater cable, attach a string to the end of the cable that was connected to the DC/DC module BEFORE pulling out that cable, so you can use that string to pass the cable of the replacement unit. I didn't, and I lost nearly an hour trying to have the cable make it's way back to the DC-DC module.

Here are the steps described by @ElectricStu with some pictures:

DISCLAIMER
- I am not a mechanic. Do this at your own peril. Really, there is the potential for some high voltage shockery.
- No idea if this will void your warranty.
- I just have my Tesla for a few months, so I basically know nothing about these cars.
- Do your research if you have a knee airbag installed, this requires extra precautions.

That also applies (except that I have the car for 6 years).

PREP
- Screwdrivers: Philips and Torx
- 10mm socket and/or spanner
- Plastic dash trim remover thingy's
- Multimeter (optional)
- Turn off car (I initially forgot and somehow it detected I was messing with it, going into some sort of safe mode, if this happens just do that "roll wheel button reset", also be careful with the doors, not sure if in this case they roll down the window before opening to avoid being shattered).
- You could do the high voltage disconnect routine as described in the workshop manual. I didn't do this though.
- High voltage gloves (I went without)

- Torx: T-15
- I managed without the 10 mm deep socket but it was a pain in the butt.

This is my case:
If you have the 1st gen DC/DC converter, the PTC connector will be behind the passenger side front wheel. Remove wheel and wheel lining (one bolt and a number of those split pen clips). If you're unsure check in the frunk first, this is the easiest to access (perhaps there are other/better ways to find out, search this forum if you want to know upfront).

INSIDE
* Remove dash panels under and around glovebox.
Use a plastic dash trim remover to avoid scratches, a little force is needed, but usually not too much.
These are also clipped to the small side panel between dash and door.
Best to remove them together.
There is one JST JWPF connector to that small side panel to disconnect.
1637467917247.png

Just to make sure: no need to remove the upper dash panels.

* Remove glovebox.
Screwed in by a number of Torx screws.
Disconnect three connectors.
1637468333696.png

Screws: 4 pictures on the left. Connectors: pictures on the right.

* Remove cover under where the glovebox is, it has a light, disconnect that.
It's held back by two 10mm bolts in the rear (which were missing the nut in my case).
1637469123616.png

In my case, it was also held back by a wire attached to a handle to open the frunk (lower right picture), which I didn't know I had! It was a bit tricky to detach.
* Remove lining next to center console. If you have a cubby box you may have to take it out first. I don't have that.
20211019_143018.jpg

Held by clips.
* Unbolt knee airbag / plastic panel (in case no airbag is installed).
Again two 10 mm nuts on a long bolt.
1637469831816.png

This is where the deep socket (10 mm) is really helpful. I managed without, but it was one of the most difficult parts.
* Unbolt metal strut 3x 10mm
20211019_152600.jpg

In my case, there were 4 screws. The picture above is that of the removed part. You see two holes on the left end, and two holes on the right end.

* Unbolt duct 2x philips
This creates space for the heater element to come out.
1637470318876.png
1637470446007.png

One of the screws is inside the air duct outlet.
* Unbolt heater element: 3x Philips
Slide out heater element
Open the top lit, by putting a flatblade or blade of knife under the plastic clips. This gives access the PCB.
This would be a good moment to take out your multimeter to verify there is really no power on the unit.
Unbolt power+ground connectors 2x 10mm + 1x ground philips
Before you can remove the heater, you need to remove a metal panel, the one on which the ratchet is suspended in this picture:
1637470605120.png

Then disconnect and slide out the PTC:

PXL_20211019_194713198.jpg


That's where you will need to pull the wire going to the DC/DC module: don't forget to attach a wire to the connector so you can pull back the wire of the replacement unit.

Thanks again for the advises!
 
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P.S. One extra picture: some of the main parts removed:
1637507361508.png

*Note that I removed the upper trim but this was useless.

At the right of the "cover under glovebox", you see the attachment place for the cable to open the frunck.

This picture misses all the trim panels removed, and the airbag that I didn't disconnect. You can see the latter at the right of the last two pictures in previous post.

I also forgot to mention that I didn't need to remove the wheel to access the DC/DC module connector. But you certainly need to if you want to remove the complete module. In my case, the shop who replaced the fuse in the DC/DC module (VE-MTL) left the old connector in place so a contact loop is closed. Otherwise the car doesn't start because of the possibility of a 400V cable disconnected. But they disconnected the cable from the connector because reconnecting it would have blown the fuse again.

Hope it helps.
 
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Wow, super helpful with pictures and instructions. Thanks very much! I just ordered a heat core for my 2014 MS. Hoping that I can replace the heat core without the fuse as my symptom is that the heat seems to be intermittent and anemic. I feel heat for 30 seconds or so, an then the air goes cold for another 30 seconds, and then warms up a little bit. So, I assume that some of the heating elements are burned out in the core. Looks a little intimidating, but doable and worth saving a couple thousand dollars.
 
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I installed the a replacement heater core in my 2014 MS RWD and is works great now!! I would say it was moderately difficult, mostly because of my lack of confidence working with high voltage electrical. A few comments I would add;

When shutting down the power to the car, disconnect the negative battery terminal, and then disconnect the emergency loop next to the battery. No need to cut the wire! There is a red clip on the side of the connector that slides out about 1.5 cm and then it disconnects. I felt safe knowing that there were two things disconnected that prevent the high voltage from flowing.

I have a gen-2 Dc/DC converter, which is located behind the frunk connected to the firewall of the car. It is actually much easier to access than the gen-1 DC/DC located in the passanger wheel well. I actually thought it was there and took most of the lining out around the wheel before realizing it wasn't there! To access 2nd-gen converter, you don't need to remove the whole frunk, just the rear section in the space were the 2nd electric motor would be located. The heater plug is on the far right side of the DC/DC converter and you will recognize the orange plug right in the top of the converter next to the other items.

However, I actually did not need to replace the orange high voltage wire or access the DC/DC converter at all. I also didn't need tether or re-run the high voltage wire...I simply left it in place and re-used it. This is the most efficient thing to do. This is because the high voltage wire is connected inside the heat core with two 10mm lock nuts and grounded with a small phillips screw. So, when removing the old heat core, simply remove the cover (held on by simple clips) unscrew high voltage cable, and re-attach it on the new heater core. This saves a lot of time of having to tear down the frunk and fish a new wire.