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Model S Technical / Mechanical Issues
- Thread starter DrComputer
- Start date
Sances
Member
Interestingly, as it was being towed away it went over a slight bump on the curb and all the lights came on. I just assumed the driver had hooked it up somehow but he called me when he got to the service center and said the car was now working normally. He said he had seen the same thing happen one other time.
So we left the car there and we’ll see what they say tomorrow. Something loose?
Sances
Member
Well to follow up, they said one of the connectors to the “Body Electronic Connector” was loose. Believe it was connected in the other end to the 12v? Wasn’t completely clear from the text. Anyway it is tightened now and they said the 12v battery health was good. Got the car back today.
I've had a few glitches since owning the car (one time I was drying and touchscreen/hud went blank, it tried rebooting a few times but didn't work under I got home and did steering wheel reboot). I've had blips where the car would reboot randomly (usually when engaging park). Today, while I was out and about my 2020 Model S started wigging out - ABS disabled, Parking Assist Off, Traction Control Off, etc etc. I could still drive and the interfaces were on. When I parked, I tried reboot several ways - by steering wheel, by Safety & Security menu, with and without waiting 2 minutes before powering back on. I did this about 5 times but the messages won't go away and the features are indeed not working.
I've filed a service request via the app for now but has anyone else had this problem?
I've filed a service request via the app for now but has anyone else had this problem?
amiral_sub
Member
Since yesterday, my rear view camera on my 2013 P85+ gets sometimes black. A reboot did not change that. Does anyone knows what can cause the trouble?
Maybe the Ebay mirror has a heating element and you mirror doesn't? That's not too many combinations of pins to throw a meter across, what do you see?
amiral_sub
Member
rear camera replaced by the SC. A full afternoon of work and expensive... But now it works fine
Hi: I just started getting the rear camera unavailable issue as well, and am getting BS from the Tesla SC. Did you get the issue resolved finally? If so, can you tell me what was done to fix it? Thanks kindly, JS
amiral_sub
Member
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Thought this might be useful to post here for those with pre-2015 Model S. If it stops charging on AC power, but will still DC charge, there's a very good chance that the fix is simply replacing one of the internal fuses in the onboard vehicle charger.
We just repaired our first one in a Model S at the shop where I work a couple weeks ago, though we have also done the same repair countless times in the Tesla powered Toyota Rav4 EV (which uses the same Gen 1 OBVC). The service center wanted to charge $2,200 to replace the OBVC, and we were able to perform the repair for much cheaper.
While we had the car, we also removed the drive unit speed sensor to check for evidence of internal coolant leakage. I HIGHLY recommend doing this for anyone with a RWD or P car that has the large drive unit, ESPECIALLY if you are out of warranty. A bad rotor seal can leak coolant into the motor, and could destroy your drive unit if you don't catch it in time. It's pretty simple one to do, and only requires basic hand tools. For those in Southern California, we can check it for free at our shop in Vista.
We just repaired our first one in a Model S at the shop where I work a couple weeks ago, though we have also done the same repair countless times in the Tesla powered Toyota Rav4 EV (which uses the same Gen 1 OBVC). The service center wanted to charge $2,200 to replace the OBVC, and we were able to perform the repair for much cheaper.
While we had the car, we also removed the drive unit speed sensor to check for evidence of internal coolant leakage. I HIGHLY recommend doing this for anyone with a RWD or P car that has the large drive unit, ESPECIALLY if you are out of warranty. A bad rotor seal can leak coolant into the motor, and could destroy your drive unit if you don't catch it in time. It's pretty simple one to do, and only requires basic hand tools. For those in Southern California, we can check it for free at our shop in Vista.
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ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
We don't have a RWD/LDU Model S in our shop at the moment, otherwise I'd take some pics underneath to help guide you... I will attach some pics of a motor from a RAV4 EV (which is almost identical to the one in a Model S) that I have on a stand at the moment though. But essentially all you need to do is remove the lower splash shield/body panel in the rear. You will probably need to jack the car up to do this. Then find the speed sensor on the left hand side of the motor, just above and to the rear of the coolant inlet.
Next, unplug the little 4 pin connector (which may require a screwdriver to pry to locking tab up a bit), and then remove the bolt that holds the speed sensor in (which has a 10mm hex head). It's a bit tight in there, but you can get to it with a 10mm ratcheting box-end wrench, or a ratchet with a short 10mm socket. Once you've removed the bolt, the speed sensor should pop out fairly easily.
Then just inspect the speed sensor for any signs of coolant/liquid, and stick your finger in the hole where it goes to see if it feels wet at all in there as well. Once you're done, just reassemble it the same way you took it apart.
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
I don't want it to seem like I'm hijacking this thread, but here's one more post on the coolant leakage issue to just to help drive home the point of how important it is to check for coolant leakage, especially if you are out of warranty. Here's an example of what can happen when the coolant leaks into the motor:
This particular large drive unit (or LDU) is seized up solid; meaning the rotor is stuck and can no longer spin. It was a replacement drive unit, and only had about 20-30k miles on it. As you can see, there's lots of crud built up in there, which is a result of the rotor and copper windings corroding, and then grinding on one another until it got to a point where the rotor could no longer turn anymore. We can try to press the rotor out, but this motor is most likely going to be a total loss, and the customer will need a new one (which is of course quite expensive).
Based on my experience, later LDUs (typically those that were new or replaced in 2016-2018) are the most prone to this seizing issue when coolant leaks in. Earlier drive units (2012-2015) don't usually seem to seize like this, but the coolant will still cause plenty of damage, and eventually migrates all the way through to the inverter and destroys it (also a very expensive repair). I've been rebuilding these things in increasing numbers over the past 3 years, and I can tell you that these days I have usually at least one or two torn apart every week out of just the Toyota Rav4 EV and Mercedes B250e alone (both of which were built under partnerships with Tesla, and use the same LDU as the Model S), and only about 10k were built between them. There are a lot more Model S's out there...
If caught in time, the motor can be taken apart to replace the bearings and the coolant seal. We can do all this at the shop where I work, and we always use an upgraded PTFE triple lip seal, and new hybrid-ceramic bearings that should last much longer than the originals.
All that being said, a quick, simple check of the speed sensor could literally save you thousands of dollars, and a lot of headache. Also, like I said before in an earlier post, we can check your speed sensor for free at QC Charge in Vista California.
Note: Small drive units (front and rear) are not affected by this issue, only the large drive units are.
This particular large drive unit (or LDU) is seized up solid; meaning the rotor is stuck and can no longer spin. It was a replacement drive unit, and only had about 20-30k miles on it. As you can see, there's lots of crud built up in there, which is a result of the rotor and copper windings corroding, and then grinding on one another until it got to a point where the rotor could no longer turn anymore. We can try to press the rotor out, but this motor is most likely going to be a total loss, and the customer will need a new one (which is of course quite expensive).
Based on my experience, later LDUs (typically those that were new or replaced in 2016-2018) are the most prone to this seizing issue when coolant leaks in. Earlier drive units (2012-2015) don't usually seem to seize like this, but the coolant will still cause plenty of damage, and eventually migrates all the way through to the inverter and destroys it (also a very expensive repair). I've been rebuilding these things in increasing numbers over the past 3 years, and I can tell you that these days I have usually at least one or two torn apart every week out of just the Toyota Rav4 EV and Mercedes B250e alone (both of which were built under partnerships with Tesla, and use the same LDU as the Model S), and only about 10k were built between them. There are a lot more Model S's out there...
If caught in time, the motor can be taken apart to replace the bearings and the coolant seal. We can do all this at the shop where I work, and we always use an upgraded PTFE triple lip seal, and new hybrid-ceramic bearings that should last much longer than the originals.
All that being said, a quick, simple check of the speed sensor could literally save you thousands of dollars, and a lot of headache. Also, like I said before in an earlier post, we can check your speed sensor for free at QC Charge in Vista California.
Note: Small drive units (front and rear) are not affected by this issue, only the large drive units are.
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ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Yes, because yours is a "P" (performance) model it will have the large rear drive unit. I know for sure that they were used up until at least the "P90D"s in 2017.
I'm not 100% certain, but I believe they changed the rear drive unit with the introduction of the 100kwh battery. Regular, non-performance, dual motor cars, like my 2015 70D, have always used a small drive unit in the rear instead, which does not suffer from these issues. In fact, my 70D has over 415k miles on the original small rear drive unit!
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Thanks. I'll check it ASAP.
It would be nice if there was a website dedicated to keeping older, high mileage, out of warranty tesla cars on the road. This site is great but there's a lot to sort through in other to find really helpful stuff like this. I'd do it if I wasn't old and technically unqualified in the digital realm.
It would be nice if there was a website dedicated to keeping older, high mileage, out of warranty tesla cars on the road. This site is great but there's a lot to sort through in other to find really helpful stuff like this. I'd do it if I wasn't old and technically unqualified in the digital realm.
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
fixyourtesla.com has got all of the service manuals for Model S/X, although it's not the easiest to navigate, and doesn't really give super detailed info on the procedures.
It would be nice if there was a dedicated section in the forums here for how to maintain and/or repair your Tesla rather than just this one big long thread...
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