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Have your service center check large rear drive unit for coolant leakage before warranty expires
- Thread starter Asummers
- Start date
Yes, it was in my opinion. I never went down the rabbit hole to figure what the normal whine sound was versus a "bad" whine. It had gotten louder over the 2 years I've owned the car. I specifically asked for the speed sensor to be pulled and got no pushback.
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
We are actually currently working on a solution to do just that. We are currently in the prototype phase, and plan to put it on a "test mule" soon. The setup we're using will only replace the water cooling for the rotor with oil (the rest of the drive unit will remain water cooled).
Got DU replaced back in April 2018, part #1025598-00-P with 33k miles, 3 visits reporting a whine around 85mph. Finally a tech and I went for a test ride and he heard the whine. DU was replaced but according to this post, it's a remanufactured DU. With warranty expired 4 months ago, I'm S.O.L. if it fails now. Time to periodically check the Speed Sensor. What will I be looking for besides coolant? Will the plugs' o-ring need to be replaced or can i re-use it?
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ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Coolant and/or brown rusty sludge. If you find the latter, your drive unit is likely on it's last legs before imminent failure... If you find some grease, don't worry too much about that, as that is fairly normal.
xAgyex
Member
Will you be able to apply this to lets say my 2014 S85 motor, or I/we would have to just buy your upgraded/updated motor and do a swap?
Great job by the way. Please keep at it.
Any update on the prototype?
Also, did you see the latest Rich Rebuilds video where they separated the inverter from a P85 motor in that Chevy truck build: wouldn't that also solve the coolant seal problem?
@ajbessinger posted an update on the prototype LDU coolant modification in a different thread:
teslamotorsclub.com
DIY Tesla Drive Unit Repair
An update for those seeking to rebuild their LDU @3k+ mile post rebuild. Found completely rusted and pitted shaft below the triple lip seal (first warning was rusty streak on speed sensor). Ouch... sorry buddy 😑 Sounds like best thing is to stay away from LDUs... Second best is to let Tesla...
teslamotorsclub.com
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Indeed, we expect to have production units ready for sale in January! Our newest version has a few changes from our initial idea, and has a couple of options.@ajbessinger posted an update on the prototype LDU coolant modification in a different thread:
DIY Tesla Drive Unit Repair
An update for those seeking to rebuild their LDU @3k+ mile post rebuild. Found completely rusted and pitted shaft below the triple lip seal (first warning was rusty streak on speed sensor). Ouch... sorry buddy 😑 Sounds like best thing is to stay away from LDUs... Second best is to let Tesla...
1. Rotor cooling delete (just like Tesla's new "U" revision LDUs).
2. Oil cooled rotor conversion (our initial idea).
The base version of the rotor coolant delete manifold will start at $599, and we expect the additional parts to add oil cooling to cost ~$500. We will be selling these both as "DIY" kits, and also have them with available with installation at one of our shop locations. Labor for install of the base manifold version in an S or X should be somewhere around 5 hours of labor (drive unit needs to be removed from the vehicle).
The original LDU one our 11/13 built S85 officially went kaput in December 2019 at 92K miles and was replaced under warranty along with the HV contactors, pyro fuse, and HVAC drain hose retrofit. I recall the original unit making the milling noise between 20mph-60mph around the 70K mile mark; I also got low coolant warning around that time too. It was on that December day that I got a whole slew of alerts and performance checks. Was warned the car may not restart, regenerative braking system was disabled, & top speed and acceleration was limited. Tesla Roadside told me to drive the car straight to the nearest Service Center just in case the car wouldn't restart...and it wouldn't. I'm thinking I had coolant migration to the DU. I currently have 40K miles and 4 years on the reman "Q" LDU and would love to do what I can to avoid an early failure. Thanks for developing this and I look forward to seeing a long-term evaluation. I can't understand how Tesla failed to fix their flaw and not consider your approach.
Will y’all have shops in Virginia or NC which can install the coolant delete manifold?
For the Tesla service request at the end of warranty, do I just ask for them to check the sensor for coolant intrusion? And does the service date have to be before warranty expiration, or can I just request before expiration?
For the Tesla service request at the end of warranty, do I just ask for them to check the sensor for coolant intrusion? And does the service date have to be before warranty expiration, or can I just request before expiration?
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ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
You can put in an order on our website, that way we can get in touch when they are available. DON'T PAY via the "Amazon Pay" option, just hit the "Cash, Check, Money Order" option, that way we can send you an invoice when we actually get them in stock.
COOLANT DELETE Tesla Large Drive Unit
Don’t let a leaking rotor seal in your Tesla motor cause expensive damage! All of the cars with the Tesla “Large Drive Unit” (formerly the “570A” motor) have the fatal flaw of leaking coolant (cars listed below). This leaking coolant issue will short out the stator (field windings), seize and...
qccharge.com
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Currently our only location is in the San Diego area, with more shops opening in the western U.S. over the next couple years (I myself am moving to Portland and will be opening a shop there early next year). If you can find another 3rd party shop that is willing to install the delete manifold (or you want to DIY), we will be selling them as standalone parts.
As far as the rotor encoder sensor check, most service centers won't do this, but you may be get lucky if you "know a guy" who works at a service center. I would recommend either checking it yourself, or having a 3rd party shop check it. If coolant is present, then you may want to start pressuring the service center about it... Under warranty though, most likely they won't do anything until the drive unit starts to fail.
DoneYou can put in an order on our website, that way we can get in touch when they are available. DON'T PAY via the "Amazon Pay" option, just hit the "Cash, Check, Money Order" option, that way we can send you an invoice when we actually get them in stock.
COOLANT DELETE Tesla Large Drive Unit
Don’t let a leaking rotor seal in your Tesla motor cause expensive damage! All of the cars with the Tesla “Large Drive Unit” (formerly the “570A” motor) have the fatal flaw of leaking coolant (cars listed below). This leaking coolant issue will short out the stator (field windings), seize and...
Copy. Failure is unlikely since it was put in 9 months ago and it only has 14k miles and change on it. It’s a bit complicated because the car will probably be in the body shop for deer strike when the warranty expires on January 6th. I’m just trying to get my ducks in a row. Already put in a pre-order for your manifold; just need to find a shop to install it.
BrokerDon
Active Member
I paid QC Charge to pull my LDU speed sensor 2 months before my 2015 MS P85D's warranty expired. Took pictures showing coolant and debris on the speed sensor and presented these pictures to our Tesla Costa Mesa CA Service Advisor and strongly suggested they replace it. They did replace my LDU under warranty in spite of it not making any unusual noises... but I'd also bought Tesla's 8-year extended warranty, Ludicrous and MCU 2.0 upgrades which probably justified this replacement.
