Preventive eMMC replacement on MCU1

[Raechris]

When I took my car in for the annual maintenance, I asked and one of the SC people to check the eMMC and said that it still looked healthy. When I picked up my car, I asked again but this time I asked the percentage left and they said 81% so I got the information from 2 different Tesla people.

I was just in for annual too and asked them to check MCU1 on 17MS75D and was told memory was 98% full. They cleaned it out and reset LTE radio but no performance or noticeable improvements. Browser still useless, had a restart for no reason and not saving things to profile that older loaner was.

 

[Maarten]

2019.40.2.3 40ef2d4d1432

OK, then maybe someone here will be able to send you this firmware?
By the way, that is exactly the same firmware the SeC in Amsterdam uploaded to my car a few days ago.

 

[widodh]

Hi
I do not know.
that same day before dying the mcu was updated to v10.
For some reason, the only thing I could save without any mistake was p3.
The other three partitions I have a multitude of mistakes that I or one more expert person that I can save.

Start with this script: Tesla Model S/X MCU1 eMMC image creator

That will generate a new image for you which you can write on the eMMC.

On p1 and p2 you will need to write the firmware. You will need to fetch that from a other source.

p4 just needs a ext3 filesystem. And p3, you have it, so you can put that back on the new image.

 

[Christine69420]

Could I request a sticky to this thread with contact details and physical locations of those who do this as a service?

I'm not inclined at this point to take my car apart (no signs of failure that I know of) and FedEx a valuable part away, but if there were a list of reputable and experienced people to contact it would help reduce the panic if/when the time came, as opposed to searching vaguely through pages and pages of responses and multiple threads.

Though I've been noticing repair prices through the SC have been coming down and I'm personally holding out hope that mine lasts long enough to benefit from a modification that will make replacement easier in the future (like Gruber's socket idea).

In Oslo, Norway you can get this done at Bilexperten Bosch. Price as of dec 2019 is about €1100 for the preventive fix, about €1300 or more if the damage is already there.

Contact / order repair here: Tesla MCU rep skjema

More info here: Medlemsfordeler - Bilexperten (Bosch Car Service) - Tesla Owners Club Norway

 

[widodh]

I was just in for annual too and asked them to check MCU1 on 17MS75D and was told memory was 98% full. They cleaned it out and reset LTE radio but no performance or noticeable improvements. Browser still useless, had a restart for no reason and not saving things to profile that older loaner was.

98% memory usage is normal. That's what Linux (what runs on the MCU) does. It will use up all available memory.

This has nothing to do with the eMMC which is the permanent storage of the MCU.

My Linux laptop which I'm typing this on uses 95% of it's 16GB of memory. Mainly caches. Memory (DRAM) is much faster then the NVMe SSD in my laptop and therefor Linux caches as much as it can.

The wear level of the eMMC is something different. A SSD/eMMC has a finite number of writes it can accept. Usually there is a counter which keeps track of the health. Some other people report the SeC can read out this value.

 

[scaesare]

I had my first black screen without cause yesterday. I hadn't driven the car in a few days, and it was accessible via the app until yesterday morning. I went out to it a few minutes before I had to leave to reset it as I knew it was locked up. The dash came up, but the MCU was dead. I double thumbed it, and it took a really long time to show something besides a black screen, but it did eventually. It is a 2013 with 53K miles on it. Does the dash lighting up, but the MCU match the usual failure mode here?

On a positive note for me, it is still under CPO warranty until April 2021 so I am not going to be taking direct action but I am very interested in this thread because I may need to do this down the road for myself or others.

I'd suggest failure is imminent with a car of that vintage displaying those symptoms.

 

[S100D]

I was just in for annual too and asked them to check MCU1 on 17MS75D and was told memory was 98% full. They cleaned it out and reset LTE radio but no performance or noticeable improvements. Browser still useless, had a restart for no reason and not saving things to profile that older loaner was.

I need to go back to the SC and ask them if I am 81% full or 81% left. I know what they are going to say.

 

[EVTuning]

I think the guys from Rich Rebuilds in Boston can do this.

I'm in Europe, so there is a big pool of water in between I'm sourcing the parts and proper tools locally right now and will attempt this replacement later this summer.

Yes we can do this or it can be done through service at The Electrified Garage. eMMC Repair/Upgrade for Model S and X

 

[Target]

I'd suggest failure is imminent with a car of that vintage displaying those symptoms.

Lucky for me it is under Tesla CPO warranty for more than a year still!

 

[Bighorn]

If the eMMC fails and the screen goes dark, can one at least charge the car using the superchargers? What about charging via the HPWC?

No charging of any type with my current failure. Fortunately, the heater (which is stuck on) draw is being provided by the UMC and the SOC is fairly stable while I wait for a solution hundreds of miles from anyone who can help.

 

[EVTuning]

No charging of any type with my current failure. Fortunately, the heater (which is stuck on) draw is being provided by the UMC and the SOC is fairly stable while I wait for a solution hundreds of miles from anyone who can help.

Are you currently in wyoming or somewhere else in the country? If you're in the Northeast by some freak chance we can try to help you out.

 

[Bighorn]

Are you currently in wyoming or somewhere else in the country? If you're in the Northeast by some freak chance we can try to help you out.

Thanks--I'm in Wyoming and even contemplated an un-NAVed trip to Hickory, NC (to see Jason), which is an area I frequent in my travels, until I ran to the supercharger last night and confirmed that it would not charge. Fortunately, I'm holding steady at 60% despite burning off 11% in my SC experiment. My service center choices are 425 and 550 miles away (via tow truck), so I'm pressing for a Ranger. Can't stomach the cost of a flat bed on top of the already insulting replacement cost I'm anticipating. I figure they owe me that much since I drove 1000 SC miles to help deliver Model 3s last year in Denver.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Thanks--I'm in Wyoming and even contemplated an un-NAVed trip to Hickory, NC (to see Jason), which is an area I frequent in my travels, until I ran to the supercharger last night and confirmed that it would not charge. Fortunately, I'm holding steady at 60% despite burning off 11% in my SC experiment. My service center choices are 425 and 550 miles away (via tow truck), so I'm pressing for a Ranger. Can't stomach the cost of a flat bed on top of the already insulting replacement cost I'm anticipating. I figure they owe me that much since I drove 1000 SC miles to help deliver Model 3s last year in Denver.

My last flatbed was 300 miles across the mountains last March and the cost was picked up by my State Farm tow insurance because the Littleton Service Center was the nearest place the car could be serviced. They arranged for the flatbed and took care of everything; never even saw the bill. (Tesla roadside got me a quote of $1400 from a local tow company but suggested that I check with my insurance company first.) I presume that you've checked with your insurance company but, if not, you might want to give it a try. After my experience I'm REALLY happy with my State Farm insurance!

FWIW. I expect you have more experience with such things than I do. That said, Mobile Service can replace the MCU, if that's the problem, in the field if they have the replacement unit in stock or you are willing to wait until they can get one.

 

[Bighorn]

My last flatbed was 300 miles across the mountains last March and the cost was picked up by my State Farm tow insurance because the Littleton Service Center was the nearest place the car could be serviced. They arranged for the flatbed and took care of everything; never even saw the bill. (Tesla roadside got me a quote of $1400 from a local tow company but suggested that I check with my insurance company first.) I presume that you've checked with your insurance company but, if not, you might want to give it a try. After my experience I'm REALLY happy with my State Farm insurance!

FWIW. I expect you have more experience with such things than I do. That said, Mobile Service can replace the MCU, if that's the problem, in the field if they have the replacement unit in stock or you are willing to wait until they can get one.

Thanks. Surprised SF covered your tow—that’s encouraging. I have the same SF rider and they were very good about a flat tire tow. I haven’t looked into a tow yet as I wait to hear back from a ranger. Crazy that my territory is served by a Boise, ID-based ranger—over 740 miles. I’m feeling patient at this point since I have the 3 and SOC seems pretty stable.

 

[TonyT]

Thanks. Surprised SF covered your tow—that’s encouraging. I have the same SF rider and they were very good about a flat tire tow. I haven’t looked into a tow yet as I wait to hear back from a ranger. Crazy that my territory is served by a Boise, ID-based ranger—over 740 miles. I’m feeling patient at this point since I have the 3 and SOC seems pretty stable.

Are you willing to remove the Terga yourself and mail it? Recent failure is much higher chances of recovery. We generally have a 5 working day turn around, but can do it faster if desired.

Full disconnect of HV and 12V would keep your SOC at safe levels, but I'm guess there's danger of the coolant freezing?

I would imagine a ranger can also help if your looking for Tesla Replacement.

 

[EVTuning]

Are you willing to remove the Terga yourself and mail it? Recent failure is much higher chances of recovery. We generally have a 5 working day turn around, but can do it faster if desired.

Full disconnect of HV and 12V would keep your SOC at safe levels, but I'm guess there's danger of the coolant freezing?

I would imagine a ranger can also help if your looking for Tesla Replacement.

Coolant should be safe to -35*F. Its the same as BMW Coolant.

 

[TonyT]

Coolant should be safe to -35*F. Its the same as BMW Coolant.

True, but some areas get pretty cold.... Looks like Wyoming has hit -36 before so not too bad, but I've been in -46 my anti-freeze was slush... So cold!

 

[EVTuning]

True, but some areas get pretty cold.... Looks like Wyoming has hit -36 before so not too bad, but I've been in -46 my anti-freeze was slush... So cold!

yea that's no fun! way too cold for me and I'm in New England!

 

[Bighorn]

Are you willing to remove the Terga yourself and mail it? Recent failure is much higher chances of recovery. We generally have a 5 working day turn around, but can do it faster if desired.

Full disconnect of HV and 12V would keep your SOC at safe levels, but I'm guess there's danger of the coolant freezing?

I would imagine a ranger can also help if your looking for Tesla Replacement.

Yeah, no I don’t think I’d want to risk pulling it apart myself. Garage stays above freezing most days, though I threw a space heater next to the car to reduce the heat cycling. Don’t need another $3k heater/DC-DC converter added to the list. Thanks for the options though. At 283k miles, mostly free charging, I don’t feel terrible paying a couple % a year in maintenance out of warranty, though I appreciate the eMMC overwriting disgruntlement. Rangers only have so much latitude on good will. I will feel much better when I actually have established contact, though.

 

[TonyT]

Yeah, no I don’t think I’d want to risk pulling it apart myself. Garage stays above freezing most days, though I threw a space heater next to the car to reduce the heat cycling. Don’t need another $3k heater/DC-DC converter added to the list. Thanks for the options though. At 283k miles, mostly free charging, I don’t feel terrible paying a couple % a year in maintenance out of warranty, though I appreciate the eMMC overwriting disgruntlement. Rangers only have so much latitude on good will. I will feel much better when I actually have established contact, though.

Good luck and stay warm! There are a few options if you want to attempt. But yes, pulling the parts off so cold is not the best.