Is this safe to remove?

[DrivenByhim]

My J converter came apart tonight, and it appears that my only option is to have it towed. Is it not safe to be removed? Surely the current doesn't flow out in this way?

 

[Lloyd]

That is correct. But with any circuit it should be tested first!!

 

[boaterva]

So, who says the only option is to be towed?

It’s a bit hard to tell but is that a white ring? White means no current is flowing and the charging connection is safe to be removed. I’d personally take a pair of insulated pliers and pull with one hand.

But I’m an EE with experience in high voltage, your experience may vary. Seriously. A white ring should mean the power is off, but using third party connectors leads to just this sort of problem.

Good luck!

 

[DrivenByhim]

Well the connectors came with the car. They were provided to me.

The ring is the blinking light blue (I guess that's white). Not green.

 

[DrivenByhim]

I called Tesla and they don't have any mobile service people available (or it's a safety concern and won't do it on site - it wasn't clear).

Can't get a tow truck until tomorrow apparently, because all nearby centers are closed.

Tesla did bend over backwards and offered several Uber's.

 

[Snowstorm]

Do you have a volt meter? Test it to see if there is any voltage. Then get an insulated plier to pull it out.

Can you clasp or glue the part of the adapter that came apart back on? If so, use that to pull it out. If you have a white ring, then it is unlocked and disconnected. Do use a volt meter to check first, just in case.

 

[doubleohwhat]

Do you have a volt meter? Test it to see if there is any voltage. Then get an insulated plier to pull it out.

^^^ Do this and be on your way.

 

[David.85D]

I’m willing to jump into just about any DIY, but this seems real sketchy for someone without experience.

If Tesla is afraid to have their mobile guy work on it, i would take that as a sign.

It’s not a “dumb” circuit. It’s controlled by a computer, and none of us know how the car/charger/battery will react if he accidentally shorts those pins.

 

[ishareit]

^^^ Do this and be on your way.

^^^ this

 

[ElectricTundra]

Was your S part of the batch with the overly tight charge ports (E.G., impossible or extremely difficult to plug in @ supercharger)?

Given the arc'ing potential if for some reason the HV battery was accidentally reconnected by software and the pliers were provided minimal enough air gap I don't think I'd use a pair of pliers unless I was also wearing some lineman's gloves. Granted, it's only 400v which I don't think will normally gap in even fairly humid/polluted air (15kVA sticks in my head for minimum voltage to gap dry air) but I'm not sure I'd want to experiment.

Alternatively, how difficult would it be to disco the HV battery, remove the charger bit, and then reconnect the battery?

 

[EVSteve]

At your own risk:: wrap pliers with electrical tape or if you own isolated pliers use those. One at a time pull the pins out.

I would advise against testing pins with a voltmeter. If there is voltage present and you close the circuit damage may be done.

 

[Jashev]

I would advise against testing pins with a voltmeter. If there is voltage present and you close the circuit damage may be done.

How could you close the circuit by using a voltmeter? My understanding is that a voltmeter never completes a circuit connection and that it is actually an isolation circuit. Are you saying that's not correct?

 

[mongo]

If everything is working properly, the HV pins are not connected unless there is a pilot signal. So it 'should' be inactive (along with white ring indicator).
Probing the HV pins should not change any operating states. If you do, ensure the meter is rated for 400V DC.

Edit: Unless there is a wiring fault somewhere, the HV lines are isolated from earth/ chassis ground. So even if they were live, as long as you only grabbed one at a time, you could not be shocked.

OH! Open the frunk and disconnect the service loop, then you are guaranteed no HV.

 

[mongo]

My J converter came apart tonight, and it appears that my only option is to have it towed. Is it not safe to be removed? Surely the current doesn't flow out in this way?

Disconnect the frunk emergency loop (no need to cut). Then pull the pins out.

 

[DrivenByhim]

Welp, the joke was on me. I was able to drive it with it in.

The service center I called said it wouldn’t so I didn’t even try. Very stupid of me.

The tow truck they sent would not fit in the parking structure despite me providing exact dimensions.

The truck driver has a tool and just popped it out for me.

Went to Tesla and they provided me with a new J adapter (this one was clearly redesigned - solid body plastic).

 

[Retrospected]

My J converter came apart tonight, and it appears that my only option is to have it towed. Is it not safe to be removed? Surely the current doesn't flow out in this way?

Oh! This happened to me a few weeks ago! So I used needle nose pliers to pull out the pins, which do come out easily. Then grabbed the plastic while mashing Unlock on the app. Came out easily. Obviously I tested the current, which wasn’t there. Your current may vary! So test. I bought a new J adapter and it went fine after that.

 

[David.85D]

How could you close the circuit by using a voltmeter? My understanding is that a voltmeter never completes a circuit connection and that it is actually an isolation circuit. Are you saying that's not correct?

It's not very important here, but just to answer that question, voltmeters do have some large input resistance that is not infinite (an open circuit would be infinte). Often 1 mega-ohm or 10 mega-ohm. So, with 400 V, you would have between 0.04 mA and 0.4 mA current going through the meter.

 

[SMAlset]

I saw a post maybe in the last month or two of the exact same thing happening to someone else. Can't remember the details but you might try searching for their thread. Maybe it was Retrospected if he created a thread on it?

Oh just saw you got it fixed this morning.

 

[oktane]

No way 400V would cross an air gap. Glad it was resolved.

 

[K-MTG]

You should be fine with pulling it out. I once touched the pins at a defective charge point station and nothing happened.

But as a precautionary use your oven mits or something non-conductive.