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Loud pop, Model 3 died?

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by mlkmade, Mar 5, 2020.

  1. RIP->OPEC

    RIP->OPEC Member

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    I wonder if poor pre-delivery handling of the car (to you) contributed to the motor failure? Sometimes towing and transporting an EV, especially if the car's driveline is not placed into neutral before its pulled up and onto a transporter or flatbed can wreak havoc on the drive system / dif / and/or motor. (Especially onto rail cars and or large transport rigs.) (Sometimes cars are driven onto transporters, but not always.)
     
  2. mlkmade

    mlkmade Member

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    Hey guys, finally just got a text update around 1:30PM PST. (they got the car at 9am PST yesterday)


    "A quick update: My technician reports that we have determined that a replacement of the pyro-fuse (that blew) and replacement of the right body control module requires to be addressed. The pyro-fuse has been replaced. We are in repairs for install of a new body controller. Once all is done, we require to test drive and monitor the vehicle. Ill let you know if we can make it happen today, iof not it may require us to finish up all required repairs on Monday"​


    So pyro-fuse and right body control module...Good call to all of you who said Pyro.. Very interesting stuff.
     
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  3. More Cowbell

    More Cowbell Member

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    Same thing happened to me about 2 months ago with my Tesla 3. Same messages. Diagnosis: Rear drive unit failure. The good news is that Tesla paid for a rental and towed my car from Naples to Dania Beach, FL and all expenses were under warranty. The part was not in stock and had to be ordered so it was out of service for about 1 1/2 weeks. The Tesla 3 is a wonderful car, but it's a machine and *sugar* does happen. So if you get thoses messages take it seriously and take it in immediately.
     
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  4. mlkmade

    mlkmade Member

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    #44 mlkmade, Mar 6, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2020

    Yea I took it very seriously. Called roadside immediately and got it towed within 30 minutes. They gave me a Model X as a loaner, everything is covered under warranty, including the tow. So all is good.



    Hey I really appreciate your very candid and logical perspective. It definitely made me think why/what I was expecting. To be honest with you, I was just hoping for some free supercharger miles for a month or something..Something for my lost time. (I drive for uber/lyft about 15 hours over the weekend and typically make $400+ and now I cant do that with the loaner so despite everything being covered I'm losing money) But after reading your response I feel kinda silly..I'm just glad its covered.
     
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  5. RIP->OPEC

    RIP->OPEC Member

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    Although a hasstle for sure, I'm glad it wasn't more! BTW... Is there a picture, diagram etc of the Pyro-Fuse and/or it's location?
     
  6. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    So not a motor failure. Wonder whether it was related to the front fascia replacement in some way. Why did they have to replace the fascia? The VCRight (body controller right) is connected to the ultrasonics FWIW. Seems difficult to believe, but it's also a bit of a strange coincidence...
     
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  7. RIP->OPEC

    RIP->OPEC Member

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    #47 RIP->OPEC, Mar 6, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2020
    Found them:

    maxresdefault.jpg


    unnamed.jpg



    It's number 13... lol... NUMBER 13! ...talk about a bad luck number!

    Screen Shot 2020-03-06 at 5.35.04 PM.png
     
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  8. mlkmade

    mlkmade Member

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    Paint peeling where panels touched/rubbed on driver side. They replaced the whole thing because they didnt have the ability to just paint the spot? No idea why.


    So are you serious about the right body controller being connected to the ultrasonics of the front fascia? Is it probable they did some bad wiring and cause this short?
     
  9. Saghost

    Saghost Well-Known Member

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    Telsa drive units have no mechanical Neutral - the motor always turns with the wheels through a fixed set of gears at all times. The car is put into Park by engaging parking brakes on the rear disc brakes.

    I don't see how any handling would have odd effects on the drivetrain of a Tesla (unlike most other cars...)
     
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  10. RIP->OPEC

    RIP->OPEC Member

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    Yes, seems odd that the PF would blow soon after they messed around with the front facia replacement... Great point!
     
  11. RIP->OPEC

    RIP->OPEC Member

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    Thanks... Got it... my bad!
     
  12. mlkmade

    mlkmade Member

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    Not to make this convoluted, but the front fascia replacement was handled at a different service center (last Thursday) then the one my car got towed to for the current drive failure/pop incident (yesterday). It's funny they're only about 8 miles apart...

    Anyway I just called and talked to the original Service Advisor who did the front fascia and raised the concern of how they just repaired it andmy right body controller blew 7 days later. He said its very unlikely they're related but he would make note of it and reach out to the service team working on my car now and bring it to their attention to checking the wiring harness.

    He said if there was an issue with the wiring of the front fascia I would have got many warning and alerts in that 7 day period before the pyro fuse blew. He's a really stand-up guy and treated me well through the front fascia replacement, so I believe he's telling the truth.
     
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  13. camalaio

    camalaio Active Member

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    I very highly doubt that body controller is a high voltage component. The only high voltage you have up front is for the heater and AC compressor. I want to say very weird coincidence, but perhaps it is related.

    Tesla calls out very strongly in the manual that moving the car outside of tow mode can damage things (electrically, I assume) since the motors will spin. Even in tow mode, they recommend moving it only an incredibly short distance.
     
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  14. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    From the wiring diagram, yes, the ultrasonics (front and rear as far as I can tell) are connected to the Right Body Controller (VCRight).

    It's just a harness plug/unplug - I can't see why it would get screwed up, let alone blow the pyro fuse. I don't know whether any of the accelerometer (for airbag deployment, which would then trigger pyrofuse) sensors are connected in the fascia or in the same area. But obviously there was not any airbag deployment so other than some sort of detected fault I can't see why the pyrofuse would go. (It's also blown when a short circuit which could cause the HV battery to overheat/catch on fire is detected, presumably.)

    Anyway, no idea whether it is probable. It's just always something to think about if a car gets touched and then something fails right afterwards. Of course, it could also just be coincidence. I just haven't heard a lot of reports about VCRight failing so makes you go hmmm...
     
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  15. mlkmade

    mlkmade Member

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    Agreed 100%...Definitely makes you go hmm.

    I've taken my car in for service and every time they've fixed something, something has been screwed or breaks shortly after. 3 times now, 3 incidents after each. 3 for 3...I'm having a lot of coincidences with these service centers.
     
  16. mswlogo

    mswlogo Well-Known Member

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    I wonder if the "Body Control Module" is basically a sensor that senses impact (or is involved with it) and then disconnects the battery. If it was faulty then it triggered disconnecting the battery. I would not think a bad ultrasonic would, or a bad message from one would, but perhaps it could.

    Perhaps the extra level of effort to protect battery fires might lead to some false shutdowns like this until batteries themselves are safer or the sensors to disconnect them improve over time.

    There seems to be a fair share of shutdowns for various reasons like a faulty sensor in the motor trying to protect the motor from damaging itself. etc. Or in fact a real fault with the motor.
     
  17. AlanSubie4Life

    AlanSubie4Life Efficiency Obsessed Member

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    #57 AlanSubie4Life, Mar 6, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 6, 2020
    The right body control module (there is also a left and a front control module) is connected to a lot of things (I'm not sure what it does - maybe it is part of the solid state fuses in the vehicle??? - I think it also acts as a way to consolidate various electronic control modules into one area of the vehicle and reduce wiring - there are some tear down videos online). One of the things it is connected to is the RCM (Restraint Control Module), which is responsible for monitoring the vehicle dynamics, detecting deceleration, polling the impact sensors in that event, and triggering the pyrofuse if the RCM triggers an airbag or tensioner deployment. The pyrofuse is triggered by the RCM by the RCM talking to the HVC (HVP?), the High Voltage Controller, which sends a current to the pyrofuse to trigger the "squib."

    Anyway, it's all pure speculation about it being related to work done on the car, I just thought it was a funny coincidence and wondered whether there was a relationship.

    If there is, and the root cause is not addressed, they'll probably replace the controller and fuse, and it will just happen again, of course.
     
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  18. Target

    Target Supporting Member

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    If the high voltage is "unavailable" due to a blown fuse or dead motor you are coasting, not regen. There is no place for the current created by the motor to go if the fuse is blown. Even if the motor or it's controller caused the fuse to blow it will most likely still be free spinning allowing you to coast, not regen, to a stop. Agreed to losing power on the highway isn't a good thing, but it won't go full regen as that energy has to go someplace.
     
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  19. mswlogo

    mswlogo Well-Known Member

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    All good as long as you're not going up hill ;)
     
  20. Huskyfan

    Huskyfan Member

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    Every manmade device has a MTBE (mean time between failure) and also a calculated failure rate per item. It may be 1/100, or one in a million, depending on the device. I think I read that the space shuttle was predicted to have a 1/9 chance of a catastrophic failure; but it was a bit better than that.

    Nothing's perfect when it comes to man. Sometimes you get a lucky card. Sometimes it's good luck; sometimes bad luck. I'm sure the rate of failure is very, very low. You just happened to have pulled an unlucky card. Worse things in life could occur (ask the families of the lost shuttle crews).

    Bluntly, it sucks. But it could be something much more terrible than a very unlikely motor failing. Seriously, Elon and crew make the most reliable launch platforms in the aerospace industry. I bet the motors are pretty dang well engineered. Consider yourself lucky; I'd go buy a lottery ticket. this is coming from a guy that used up six of his seven lives while spending 20 years as a fire fighter in Seattle, and 20 years prior to that as an infantry officer in the US Army. Just saying. Life goes on; learn and live, live and learn.
     
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