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Model 3 Motors on the Tesla Parts Catalog

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My guess is that it's just acoustic noise from the magnetic fields vibrating the stator. I would imagine that minimizing these would be correlated (possibly not 100%) with good efficiency. For the preconditioning, they're presumably altering the field vectors to somehow produce lower efficiency, and it probably produces a bit more vibration as well.

That's extremely hand-wavy, but they have a lot of control over exactly how they excite the windings in these motors, and it does seem that they can produce a fair amount of excess heat with non-optimal waveforms. And those non-optimal waveforms probably produce some heat & noise & vibration.

Interesting. Thanks for the reply.
Since some units whine more than others, I hope that isn’t an indicator that some are more prone to fault down the line as a result.
 
Have a US bound 01/2019 AWD (non-P) and tried to take a quick picture of motor but failed to get anything visible from behind passenger side rear tire. How exactly should I position my phone to take the photo so the plate is visible?
 
Driver side.

Thanks for helping.

Non-P, US market, AWD built first (or second) week of January 2019. 1120980-00-D

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Reactions: AlanSubie4Life
I've all but "given up the ghost" that my 990 LR AWD will be eligible for a M3P- software only upgrade (for free, or for fee). Perhaps for the holiday's we might see another 5% bump. I'd be okay with that.

I’d rule out free. There would be uproar among 3P owners. For a fee has slightly more chance, though it’s still not clear if all LR AWD models are capable of 3P performance.
 
Ive got a 01/19 build LR AWD in US with a rear motor of 1120990-00-A

Thanks. Between you and @V__2 you’ve really narrowed it down.

You could email for your exact car birthday, but this evidence suggests the switchover was in January 2019, but maybe they waited for the New Year’s hangovers to subside before dragging out the new motors to ring in the new year.

Unless we hear something else from someone with a later than January 2019 AWD non-P car who had a 980 motor, you have settled the case here.
 
Unless we hear something else from someone with a later than January 2019 AWD non-P car who had a 980 motor, you have settled the case here.

@Knightshade pointed out that just above there is a 980 motor from an April 2019 build. So the post above is incorrect. I just lost track...

Summary as I understand it:

AWD non-P vehicles seem to have exclusively 990 motors after around April 2019.

The earliest AWD non-P vehicle reported with a 990 motor is the January 2019 build just above.

We may find more information expanding those dates (or it may already be above and I have forgotten), but it appears to have been a gradual transition.


Ive got a 01/19 build LR AWD in US with a rear motor of 1120990-00-A

For the record, would it be possible for you to take a picture (when convenient) of your motor, so we have the “evidence?” Thanks.
 
Wheres a good instructional about how to take the motor plate picture? Im picking up a new P next week that was just presumably built this week.

Supplemental light placed on cover behind left rear wheel (may not be necessary depending on your phone camera capabilities). Reach around left rear wheel above the composite cover and take a picture in the general direction of the motor. Sometimes it's possible to take pictures through the wheel depending on what wheels you have.