Repairing a Flooded Tesla Model S : HOW-TO

[Btr_ftw]

UPDATE

If you don't like mold and rust please skip this part as it may be too graphic for you

The car was sitting in a pool for water it seems for quite some time. There are lots of mold spores, everywhere.


Spores on the passenger seatbelt

Rusted seatbelt bracket and igniter box

Closeup of box

Passenger side spores

Insulation foam under the glovbox to isolate blower noise

Spores on drivers side

Drivers side belt, also proof that the car was submerged at an angle, this belt is nowhere near as rusty as the other side.

 

[AV-NUT]

How about that airbag module eh?

Very fortunate the airbags did not deploy. However, I will bet the inflaters are quite corroded.

 

[BigAirHarper]

Post of the day.

lol.

Hahaha I lol'd at btr's response too but I'm pretty sure I would have already bought Ingineer a round trip plan ticket to help tinker keep up the great work btr, love seeing this beauty pulled apart in an attempt to get it going again, something we see all the time with ICE vehicles but never with tesla so I'm finding it extremely intriguing. Pulling for ya from Florida!

 

[NOLA_Mike]

How about that airbag module eh?

as expected

I hear that's what the Takata Module looks like new from the factory...

 

[Btr_ftw]

Very fortunate the airbags did not deploy. However, I will bet the inflaters are quite corroded.

correct, I would rather not "repair" any of the SRS modules, especially in their current state.

Funny how the car was in water for who knows how long and the only thing it complained about was the heater

 

[tga]

Taking a break from heavy wrenching to post photos of the stuff I've seen so far... Soon the battery drop and disassembly is coming. If anyone has a good camera I can attach to my forehead to record the drop and opening of the battery feel free to throw out suggestions (cheaper than a go pro)

Want to borrow a GoPro? I have a bunch of mounts (although not sure about the head strap, I'll check). PM me and we can coordinate.

 

[Btr_ftw]

UPDATE

So yes, dropping the DU was actually a pleasure. No grease, no oil, no stains nothing. Its an absolute joy compared to a regular ICE. Only thing that sort of annoyed me was the fact that coolant kept burping out, but I didn't lose much. It made things much easier because I already removed the high voltage battery cables from the junction box. Its basically

1) removing the lower shock bolt from the suspension,
2) sliding the caliper out of the way
3) remove plastic shield under DU
4) remove shear plates near battery
5) unclip 4 connectors
6) remove and plug coolant lines
6.5) remove subframe bolts
7) drop DU

Of course I'm oversimplifying but those are the basics. I love to dilly dally so it probably took me 3 hours when it should have taken me 1.5. Keep in mind I am doing this in a narrow home garage with nothing but basic hand tools and jacks.

I SHOULD have had the car on the ground then raised it up off the drive unit but the car was already on jack stands and it is not quick by any means getting the car down (each corner has to go down incrementally and this car is pretty damn heavy)

This is likely how the battery will come down as well. Could I be the first person to remove a Tesla battery pack in their garage with no lift and basic hand tools? Who cares.


Tesla uses brembos, nice

Forcing jack up against DU

Lowering DU

LOWERRRRR

Right onto the dollies

There you have it

Calipers hung and seats having sex in the background

Seems like a refurb, the sticker is just thrown on there

I didn't break the seal so it looks like I'll be carrying my DU back to Tesla for warranty replacement!!

 

[AV-NUT]

I didn't break the seal so it looks like I'll be carrying my DU back to Tesla for warranty replacement!!

I would like you to video that exchange. :biggrin:

 

[Ingineer]

Did you pull off the orange cover? Water?

 

[tga]

Could I be the first person to remove a Tesla battery pack in their garage with no lift and basic hand tools?

I'd lend you my lift, too, but it's a bit bigger than the GoPro. :tongue:

(We could pull the pack in my garage, but I don't know how you'd transport the dead car and pack back and forth. Any ideas?).

 

[Btr_ftw]

I would like you to video that exchange. :biggrin:

I will wear the GoPro on my forehead

 

[beeeerock]

Could I be the first person to remove a Tesla battery pack in their garage with no lift and basic hand tools? Who cares.

Perhaps just invite this guy over for a beer (or twelve)...

 

[Btr_ftw]

Did you pull off the orange cover? Water?

not yet, soon though. My focus is picking up another MS. The higher priority for me is getting that pack off

 

[Btr_ftw]

Ok lets see about the air suspension controller (located right above the airbag module)

- - - Updated - - -

Actually with a gap this big in it, I won't even bother...

 

[GasKilla]

I enjoy reading your posts, but I wonder what your endgame is now that you have found so many parts ruined by the water damage?

 

[MP3Mike]

I enjoy reading your posts, but I wonder what your endgame is now that you have found so many parts ruined by the water damage?

It seemed pretty clear to me from the beginning that his plan was to buy two totaled cars, one flooded, the other wrecked. Especially with this post he made today:

not yet, soon though. My focus is picking up another MS. The higher priority for me is getting that pack off

So he will take the good electronics out of the wrecked car and put them in the one with a perfect body. And in the process he saves some money, learns a lot about the car, and either has a lot of spare parts left over or he can sell them to make his end cost lower.

The big problem I see with that is that it will probably require Tesla to reprogram everything to the same FW version before it will even turn on. (Unless he gets really lucky and both cars have the same revisions/FW versions.) And his second car needs to have the air suspension as well, which will make it slightly more difficult. (And have the same size battery since it sounds like Tesla won't allow battery upgrades/downgrades.)

 

[Quantum`]

Tesla will simply not reprogram it if they suspect that two cars have been made into one. The recert fee is lost.

But that's what usually keeps out the shoe salesmen. (and judges) Judges made things this way, after all.

 

[GasKilla]

It seemed pretty clear to me from the beginning that his plan was to buy two totaled cars, one flooded, the other wrecked. Especially with this post he made today:



So he will take the good electronics out of the wrecked car and put them in the one with a perfect body. And in the process he saves some money, learns a lot about the car, and either has a lot of spare parts left over or he can sell them to make his end cost lower.

The big problem I see with that is that it will probably require Tesla to reprogram everything to the same FW version before it will even turn on. (Unless he gets really lucky and both cars have the same revisions/FW versions.) And his second car needs to have the air suspension as well, which will make it slightly more difficult. (And have the same size battery since it sounds like Tesla won't allow battery upgrades/downgrades.)

I missed that part in this 34 page thread, although I've read almost every post and really like the pictures.

 

[pgiralt]

Tesla will simply not reprogram it if they suspect that two cars have been made into one. The recert fee is lost.

But that's what usually keeps out the shoe salesmen. (and judges) Judges made things this way, after all.

That's okay. wk can reprogram it

 

[MP3Mike]

Tesla will simply not reprogram it if they suspect that two cars have been made into one. The recert fee is lost.

Why would they care if the parts came from a different car vs. buying the part from Tesla?