loud buzzing while supercharging, then white smoke in the cabin?

[mudfud]

it's really pretty lame. unfortunately, there was back lighting so it's hard to appreciate the smoke in the cabin. you just get a glimpse when I pan down toward the floor. if you go frame by frame you can see the dust lighting up in the smoke.

smoke - YouTube

 

[neroden]

OK. You don't have the "insulating blanket" retrofit yet... I do.

The compressor at full tilt not only made horrible jackhammer noises but was also shaking the car. Although Tesla seemed to think that the "insulating blanket" fix was merely cosmetic, I disagree: there is a problem if the compressor is banging against the other parts of the car. This could cause all kinds of weird damage. For instance, it could start grinding away electrical insulation or plastics -- that would give you something which smelled like burning electronics and looked like smoke.

Get the "insulating blanket" retrofit done for the compressor (it's free), and demand that the service shop check, while the car is disassembled, for any abrasions which may have been caused by the shaking of the compressor against other car parts.

For reference, you can induce the compressor to go on at full blast by running the AC during the summer at LO with the doors open (so that it can never actually get the car cooled).

 

[mudfud]

thanks for the info. did the insulating blanket come with later cars? mine is late september 2014.

I would be very happy if that is all it was. the sound was like a fan that was off axis, so a compressor rubbing could definitely have done it.

 

[efusco]

thanks for the info. did the insulating blanket come with later cars? mine is late september 2014.

I would be very happy if that is all it was. the sound was like a fan that was off axis, so a compressor rubbing could definitely have done it.

You should have the blanket if your car is that late of a model.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

There are two TSBs with regard to the AC compressor according to my service center. One is the sound insulating blanket. It does nothing but deaden the sound. The other TSB is with regard to steering wheel vibration. In that situation, Tesla replaces the bracket. The bracket TSB is not done unless they confirm vibration at the steering wheel. In my case there was no vibration, so only the sound blanket was installed. The blanket does not insulate the compressor from touching anything else - that is the bracket TSB, I believe.

 

[neroden]

Ah, thanks for the distinction. I believe they did both at once for me so I hadn't separated them out in my head. (In my case it wasn't the steering wheel vibrating, it was the whole damn car, but I mostly felt it in the pedals...)

 

[Odie]

Kick... just had this with my brand new model3, no mods whatsoever. Car starter to hiss and smoke violently after supercharging from the frunk area. To me it feels like a leaking cooling system where coolant hit something hot.

Tesla towed the car, now in a rental. We will see what the diagnose and damage is but this certainly scared the living daylights out of me. My first thought: fire.