ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Yes, that's correct. One of the modifications when we rebuild them is we try to seal up that passage as well as possible, as well as add "drains" before and after the case split.
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Out of Warranty Drive Unit Replacement and Cost
- Thread starter Pres_Res
- Start date
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
It is a definite issue for sure, and unfortunately your plight is not at all uncommon. The problem is, short of changing to a completely different drive unit design, there's not much that can be done. In the case of a Performance Dual Motor car, it would theoretically be possible to swap the LDU out for an SDU, but then you would lose the performance aspects... For RWD cars, there's literally no other option other than the LDU, unless Tesla were to design a new motor basically from scratch.
The LDU was basically Tesla's first try at building a motor in house, and they didn't know what they didn't know. They clearly learned from their mistakes when they developed the SDUs and everything else since, as those have oil cooled motors that don't suffer from the same issues. What really makes me wonder is why Tesla continued to use the LDU for so long, when they clearly knew it had problems...
All that said, Tesla definitely isn't the first automaker to make a "dud" motor/engine/transmission that has common failures though. Toyota made the 3VZE 3.0 V6 that was famous for blowing headgaskets and burning exhaust valves on cylinders 5/6 (many call it the 3.blow). Or BMWs N20 and N26 engines that very commonly have catastrophic failures due to timing chain problems. Audi's 2.0 TFSI that wore out the rings and burned oil. Subaru 2.0 and 2.5 boxer engines with both burning oil and headgasket problems. Nissan and their infamously bad CVTs in Versas, and Ford with the disastrous dual clutch 6 speed used in the Focus. The list goes on and on... Some of those have had extended warranties or class actions, and some haven't. Basically, all automakers have some cars with problems (some more than others). I'm in no way saying that how Tesla has handled the LDU issues is OK, but I am pointing out that they are definitely not alone...
brainhouston
Active Member
Guess i should consider myself lucky
Have F10 with N20 and 147kmi on the clock n no issues. Fingers crossed!
Very informative post btw, i knew about some of those car issues but not all. Bookmarked for future.
Back to Tesla's... I feel relieved that my MX has SDU
Some day i'll get one with LDU n will def keep n eye on it
vanR
Member
Thanks. What silicone sealant do you guys use? I tried sealing that hole with MG Chemicals 832FX flexible epoxy potting compound. It was a bit of a mess, perhaps entertaining to watch:
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
We make a new silicone rubber gasket to replace the old paper one, and then we glue it in place and seal up the holes using permatex gasket maker.
mberrow
Member
Battery and Drive unit are under warranty for 8 years. Is your Model S older than that?
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Create a service request pointing out that you raised the issue earlier and see what they say.
If they say pound sand, which they very likely will, your only recourse is really to take them to arbitration and see what happens there.
ajbessinger
Owner of QC Charge #2 (Portland OR)
Has your drive unit ever been replaced (particularly after 2015)? If not, then the "milling" is a very common issue on older drive units. If it has been replaced, then there's a high likelihood that your coolant seal has started to go bad, and has washed the grease out of the rotor bearings. If it is indeed coolant leaking internally, then the drive unit is a ticking time bomb, which could develop and isolation fault, or even worse, short out the inverter electronics...
My advice, get in touch with Tesla, and see if they will good-will the drive unit (make sure to bring up that you brought the car in before with a similar complaint while it was still within the warranty period). In all likelihood, Tesla most likely won't be willing to replace your drive unit at no cost, but a few have been lucky, so maybe you will be too...
If Tesla says no, then you can try bringing the car in to a 3rd party shop (like the one where I work) to be looked at. We rebuild these Large Drive Units all the time (literally multiples every week), so we are very experienced and have learned the nuances and problems that are common to encounter. I can definitely tell you that waiting until the Drive Unit fails is a bad plan, and it gets much more expensive to repair if the inverter or something else gets permanently damaged...
I highly recommend that at a bare minimum, you should do a speed sensor check to see if there is coolant getting into the motor, as that will give you a clue as to what is causing you issue, and whether or not you should continue driving the car.
tmyl21
Member
Would you please elaborate on what exactly a ‘speed sensor check’ is and how to carry it out ?
Thanks
Thanks
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Auto007
Member
I have read numberous posts and discussions about LDU's going bad on Model S. I would think indivduals most likely would only post things going bad on forums and not so many would post something positive because there wouldn't want to spend the time posting it (nothing for them to gain other than sharing encourging news or positive assurance for indivduals having issues). With that said, I'm wondering how many Tesla model S's with LDU that is suppose to go bad (from all the reading) actually still going strong without any failures. I'm hoping at least there are some out there that haven't had any issues.
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
About to hit 150,000 miles on my late 2016 RWD. No issues, original drive unit.
I would like to bring my 2013 model S 85 to your shop. My car drive unit replaced by Tesla at 50k miles then after 80 k miles started making milling noise again. How much it will cost me to replaced or fix this drive unit? Please contact me at (949) 566-5044. Than you so much. Mark
They told me it was fine again, I would like to note that mine is incredibly bipolar. I took it out this morning for a nice drive. It made the sound. A light groan from 20-45 before you can’t hear it anymore. Only under acceleration. Then I washed the car. Now it’s gone… what a machine. I am not one to turn the radio up and pretend not to hear anything I am an over thinker for sure but come on. It’s playing games with me. I will let you know if it comes back again.
Best,
Aidan
Best,
Aidan
My 2013 p85 model s had the Du replaced in 2020 w/ 47k miles. Now have 62k miles and think this is probably a cheap investment since it's out of warranty. Biggest issue is getting the vehicle to you 400 miles away. Have you considered selling a kit w/ the drains for those willing to DIY out of the area? I have a shop and have access to a lift to perform the R&R of the DU.