I need to do what? Jiggle the plug like an old toaster?

[comanchepilot]

Been on hold for 40 minutes to speak with the customer support group.

No human interaction yet. No update - no nothing. Middle of the day on a Saturday.

Finally they answer.

We have J1772 chargers at home and work from older EVs. 40 Amp units - into a 40 amp circuit. jumpered to 32amp max continuous.

they were not pulling more than 16 into the car and we had the 'charger not plugged in correctly' error.

After I got through they told me to jiggle the connector to and fro, round and round.

I was incredulous. I have the connectors properly seated. They are secured connected.

"Oh, but Sir, the connector is not properly seated. please move it around.'

How much force should I use? You don't want to break anything - the unit is in the socket securely.

"Oh no, its just tight, its not properly making contact. Happens all the time - jiggle it around a little."

WTF? Jiggle it around? The main source of power for a $92000 vehicle? Jiggle it - like I'm trying to get a 40 year toaster to work?

Sure - it works - we're now charging at 32 amps. But the thought of having to do it? All this technology and I need to jiggle the plug back and forth until it properly seats? Seriously?

 

[gregd]

Connectors are mechanical devices, subject to manufacturing tolerances and normal wear. So, over time, things may not fit exactly as they did earlier, or exactly as you might desire in any particular instance.

So, yes, jiggle it around a bit. And smile as you do it. Seriously, it helps.

 

[comanchepilot]

Connectors are mechanical devices, subject to manufacturing tolerances and normal wear. So, over time, things may not fit exactly as they did earlier, or exactly as you might desire in any particular instance.

So, yes, jiggle it around a bit. And smile as you do it. Seriously, it helps.

on a brand new delivered vehicle? tolerances being what they are - they should be as good as they're ever going to get.

Can you just buy the Tesla connector? It would be easier to swap out the J1772 into the unit for the Tesla connector . . .

 

[S4WRXTTCS]

Ah, the joys of connectors.

Yes, you would expect a brand new connector to be tight but both sides are not brand new. Instead they are of different ages manufactured by different companies. Plus the public ones often get abused.

If you really want a treat try the Chademo adapter. That's a whole another ball of fun.

To be honest the only really reliable (almost everytime) connection is the HPWC at my house, but that's because I keep good care of it. From my observation it's contaminants that mess things up.

 

[bonnie]

Ah, the joys of connectors.

Yes, you would expect a brand new connector to be tight but both sides are not brand new. Instead they are of different ages manufactured by different companies. Plus the public ones often get abused.

If you really want a treat try the Chademo adapter. That's a whole another ball of fun.

To be honest the only really reliable (almost everytime) connection is the HPWC at my house, but that's because I keep good care of it. From my observation it's contaminants that mess things up.

Yep, this.

It's not likely your brand new car, @comanchepilot - you're connecting to some heavily used hardware that may not be seating correctly. I've even removed gunk from some of those connectors that has built up over repeated use. We've all had problems out in the wild with non-Tesla connectors. And so do other cars. At a Chademo station in Tacoma, WA, there were other people with Nissan Leafs struggling to get the juice flowing. I felt lucky when my X started charging there.

You can always check reviews on PlugShare.com to ensure a station has been relatively problem free. And please, when you find a station with problems, leave a review for the next EV'er who might want to stop there.

Do you have a problem connecting to a Destination charger or Supercharger? Now if THAT's not working right, you'd have an issue for the service center. But it sounds like you've just encountered old stuff in the field that is not maintained. Sounds like you received the proper advice.

 

[Electric700]

Just get Plugless Power and do away with the need to use the connector altogether! More here: PluglessPower.com

Unti you do, you could try cleaning your connector / charge port as well as lubricating the sides of your connector (not the electrical contact end) with a product such as WD-40.

 

[TMeister]

Been on hold for 40 minutes to speak with the customer support group.

No human interaction yet. No update - no nothing. Middle of the day on a Saturday.

<<snip, Snip>>

All this technology and I need to jiggle the plug back and forth until it properly seats? Seriously?

First point seems not the norm at all. When I've called I've gotten the let-us-put-you-in-the-queue and we'll call back message. And they have within 5 minutes or so. All those times it was the same guy in the Utah call center and he had already identified the issue and was ready to deal with it.

On the second point... I'd expect this and experience it with 75% of the superchargers I've used. Using my home J1772 EVSE and the Tesla J1772 adapter I've had no issues at all.

Since you just took delivery maybe you haven't learned the nuances involved. I've had to adjust angle and insert force to get this right. The car tells you when it's not with the yellow ring and you just need to try something different.

 

[comanchepilot]

Guys. These are the j1772 connectors in my home. and the j1772 we bought and installed at the office in my wife’s assigned parking space.

No one else uses them.

Where do you get the idea they’re heavily used and abused?

 

[SmartElectric]

I have a cleaning kit I store in the back of our Tesla.
Q-tip swabs, alcohol, dish towel.

I have routinely come across J1772 connectors that needed a bit of TLC.
After 12 months, I have needed to clean our own Tesla UMC charging cord that we use exclusively to charge our Model S.

Since you need to use the J1772 adapter, you should absolutely use a goodly amount of force when plugging in.

 

[Moonwick]

Does being rather firm when you insert each piece into the next help at all? This is a habit I notice I've developed over time that seems to help, especially when the J1772 connector is involved.

 

[jjh1234]

Guys. These are the j1772 connectors in my home. and the j1772 we bought and installed at the office in my wife’s assigned parking space.

No one else uses them.

Where do you get the idea they’re heavily used and abused?

The opposite of used and abused can be true too. When everything is new, the connectors can fit very snugly and need a little extra push or wiggle. If this is the case, you will find things loosen up after a little break in time. The first time I used my new Wall Charger in my new MS 75D, the ring went orange and I almost had a heart attack that the wall charger was wired wrong. It just needed a little persuasion to seat correctly. After a while, it slips right in no problem.

 

[arcus]

To second what others said, we don't experience issues as such when we charge at home because WE take care of the equipment and most of us have the charging ports in the garage where they are protected from elements. Public charging stations (including superchargers) are both neglected and abused, as well as exposed to elements (moisture, extreme temperatures, dust, dirt). Even if they are not frequently in use the weather and environment they are in continues to play a part. Heck, even a lawn care crew spewing dust and dirt around it will leave its mark. Careless people leaving the cable and plug on the ground (or dropping it carelessly causing scuffs, dings, deformation and breakage) will have an effect too.

So, don't put it on the car. it's a price of a convenience we pay, since we rely on public stations that are hardly ever maintained properly and never protected from wear and tear or negligence.

 

[Max*]

Where do you get the idea they’re heavily used and abused?

No one's judging what you do at your own house behind your own closed garage door.

 

[kiwiguy]

I have a brand new X and trying to get it to plug in correctly is an absolute nightmare.
The J1772 connection to my RAV4 EV was flawless and smooth.
At first I thought it was because I was using a J1772-to-Tesla converter, but tried to SuperCharge yesterday and had the same problem.

Brute force does not work! At first the plug turns blue, then orange a second later.

The trick seems to be to push the plug in, then lift the charger handle up, then push in, then push down (or vice versa).
Somehow that catches the lock.

And trying to unplug is almost as bad, as the lock doesn't seem to release.

I told my DS and they were going to order a new charging port (something about a supplier change).
In the meantime still need to charge. I also got a service message about the charge port needing replacing.

Anyone know how to plug in and out reliably? Thanks!

 

[Rocky_H]

I told my DS and they were going to order a new charging port (something about a supplier change).
In the meantime still need to charge. I also got a service message about the charge port needing replacing.

There are several threads about this on both forums. Recent shipments of the charge ports have the opening too small, and it's making plugging and unplugging really difficult. You can do a couple of things, like wiping around the opening with WD-40 or maybe rubbing around the inside opening with some very fine grain sand paper to open it up a little bit so it's not so tight.

 

[SMAlset]

When we first got our new car we initially had a plug or outlet seating issue as well at home when we plugged our UMC into our 14-50 adapter and into the outlet. Chocked it up to new rubber and metal parts. Probably giggled it as well to get it to work but got it working and no problems since. Not a big deal although the thought you just got a new car and might not be able to charge it if you've got a bad plug or wiring issue isn't fun starting off. Not sure who makes these for Tesla.

So I've seen you posting here a few times. Since the car is your wife's does she post too? Curious how she's doing getting acquainted with her new S.

 

[kiwiguy]

There are several threads about this on both forums. Recent shipments of the charge ports have the opening too small, and it's making plugging and unplugging really difficult. You can do a couple of things, like wiping around the opening with WD-40 or maybe rubbing around the inside opening with some very fine grain sand paper to open it up a little bit so it's not so tight.

I went to the Tesla Rocklin service center today and they sorted out the problem in about an hour. Basically they hollowed out the port opening and now the connection is so much easier. They were very familiar with the problem, and the service provided was excellent!

 

[kvandivo]

The trick seems to be to push the plug in, then lift the charger handle up, then push in, then push down (or vice versa).
Somehow that catches the lock.
Thanks!

I tried this today and it might be coincidence, but it started charging right off. First time since car delivery (and over 1k miles of road trip) where I didn't have to stand there 5-10 minutes getting it to charge.

Pushed the charger in all the way, got yellow. Lifted the handle up, pushed in, and pushed the handle back down.. Green for the gold!

 

[Stiction]

There are several threads about this on both forums. Recent shipments of the charge ports have the opening too small, and it's making plugging and unplugging really difficult. You can do a couple of things, like wiping around the opening with WD-40 or maybe rubbing around the inside opening with some very fine grain sand paper to open it up a little bit so it's not so tight.

I recommend silicon spray, not WD40 for things like this.

 

[Snowstorm]

In the recent cold snap, I have seen the not connected properly issue in my garage HPWC a couple of times. Limited to 16amp, till I unplug and rammed it again and again. I dont want to be rough with it but that’s the only way I got it to work that night.

Maybe the cold temp made parts contract at different rates and made it to tight.

Never had such an issue before till now.