Roadster Rear Blower Maintenance

[dpeilow]

Thanks Mark for the video. You're a braver man than me to attempt that for the first time but I think having seen the video I'll attempt it too, together with fitting a filter.

One tip I would have done is to stick some labels on the various cables to ensure they go back to the right places but as you say B+ and B- are different sizes perhaps it's not so important.

 

[Chillout]

Today I learned: A lot of the cool guys on TMC are called "Mark".

 

[m0rph]

Very nice Mark & Carlos!
I guess I'll try this myself one day.. Mine is in the SC now as apparently more is wrong than just some dust or leaves..

 

[hcsharp]

One tip I would have done is to stick some labels on the various cables to ensure they go back to the right places but as you say B+ and B- are different sizes perhaps it's not so important.

The card that flips up when you open the access cover shows where everything should be connected, but not the chokes. EU owners might want to take a picture. Keep the nuts and washers organized because they're not all interchangeable. They aren't normal washers or nuts and need to be torqued back on to the proper setting.

I don't recommend this job to anybody who is not a seasoned mechanic because it's easy to hurt yourself. One example is the residual voltage that can sit on the terminals. You need to test all the cables to ground to make sure they are not energized. Shutting down APS and pulling the ESS disconnect does not guarantee there is no electric shock hazard.

Also, the PEM is heavy. It's easy to pinch a finger while moving it around. Don't do this alone even though you may have seen Rangers lift it by themselves. I like working on my own car but this is one of those things that's probably worth paying Tesla to do.

 

[spaceballs]

... Shutting down APS and pulling the ESS disconnect does not guarantee there is no electric shock hazard. ...

Yeah personally I pull the ESS service disconnect and also disconnect the 12v battery just making safety #1.

 

[Habious]

I like working on my own car but this is one of those things that's probably worth paying Tesla to do.

I agree. I think it's awesome that we now know the exact service manual procedures on how to do this but, I don't think I'm going to (and I'm both mechanically and electrically inclined). I had my PEM blower serviced last week (not a full Annual, just the blower maintenance) and Tesla charged me $275. Considering what I saw mgemmel go through to get this done, it does not seem worth my time.

 

[m0rph]

My blower was replaced last week, but the PEM still overheats in town or during a charge (jumps between 27A and 44A). No problems on the highway. I guess I'll have to free up some time in my agenda and take the plunge.

I get errors immediately after connecting the charger (Phase A temp diff warning), and during charge (#1152 DMC: Warning: Charge Termal Limit). While driving the Power Limit kicks in when the PEM reaches 62°C.

 

[mgemmell]

I agree. I think it's awesome that we now know the exact service manual procedures on how to do this but, I don't think I'm going to (and I'm both mechanically and electrically inclined). I had my PEM blower serviced last week (not a full Annual, just the blower maintenance) and Tesla charged me $275. Considering what I saw mgemmel go through to get this done, it does not seem worth my time.

If it was going to cost me $275 I'd have them do it every time. but €2000 is what they quoted me.

My blower was replaced last week, but the PEM still overheats in town or during a charge (jumps between 27A and 44A). No problems on the highway. I guess I'll have to free up some time in my agenda and take the plunge.

I get errors immediately after connecting the charger (Phase A temp diff warning), and during charge (#1152 DMC: Warning: Charge Termal Limit). While driving the Power Limit kicks in when the PEM reaches 62°C.

Definitely sounds like it is dirty. It is nearly 40C outside here in Madrid but my PEM doesn't go above 50C without driving insanely hard, so clearly a clean PEM means the temperature can be kept within a tight band.

I remember 3 years ago when the PEM was first dirty and we were charging on a very hot July day. It would not charge at more than 16A so we put bags of ice on the PEM to encourage it to run faster! Not something I would recommend, but now that we know how to clean the PEM there should be no need for ice packs any more

One reason for doing the PEM clean yourself is that you can really clean it thoroughly. I am getting correct performance mode behaviour now thanks to fully cleaning the PEM. For the last few years "Performance" was always in red letters.

 

[hcsharp]

My blower was replaced last week, but the PEM still overheats in town or during a charge (jumps between 27A and 44A). No problems on the highway. I guess I'll have to free up some time in my agenda and take the plunge.

I get errors immediately after connecting the charger (Phase A temp diff warning), and during charge (#1152 DMC: Warning: Charge Termal Limit). While driving the Power Limit kicks in when the PEM reaches 62°C.

I agree with mgemmell they failed to clean out your PEM when they replaced your blowers. I don't know who worked on your car but most techs that came to Tesla after the Roadster don't have enough experience to know it needs to be done. I'm finding that most of them don't know you need to clean the motor cowling as well.

 

[smorgasbord]

Does anyone know if Tesla is still performing the upgrade from single to dual blowers? Was it covered under warranty? I'm trying to ask them to do it to my car, since it has the single blower setup and isn't really doing a good job of keeping the PEM cool in any weather above 75 degrees...

Just a warning that the dual blowers are quite noticeably louder than the original single blower setup.

 

[m0rph]

I agree with mgemmell they failed to clean out your PEM when they replaced your blowers. I don't know who worked on your car but most techs that came to Tesla after the Roadster don't have enough experience to know it needs to be done. I'm finding that most of them don't know you need to clean the motor cowling as well.

Well, they didn't "fail" to do the cleaning, as this was not what I asked them to do. The motor and fans were replaced under warranty, while the cleaning would have been a paying service. Now the PEM still needs cleaning urgently, but meanwhile I've found a way to make it run 10°C cooler, by removing the "snow dam". This helps while driving, but doesn't change much to the slow charging behaviour.

I was looking around the PEM and tried to find the "exit" of the hot air. I couldn't find it though, very strange..

 

[hcsharp]

... Now the PEM still needs cleaning urgently, but meanwhile I've found a way to make it run 10°C cooler, by removing the "snow dam". This helps while driving, but doesn't change much to the slow charging behaviour...

Wow that's very interesting! 10C is a lot! That means the snow dam is creating a lot of air restriction. If your PEM wasn't clogged it would probably be even more restricting. It makes me wonder if the large filter I installed was such a good idea, or if I need to clean it more frequently than I thought I would.

 

[Chillout]

In addition to what m0rph said, I've read the following in a German Tesla forum:
source:
TFF Forum - Tesla Fahrer Performance Mode nach Enfernung Schneeschutz

Wie im Thread Tesla Roadster VIN 561 geschrieben, hat das Service Center Düsseldorf im Rahmen der Jahresinspektion bei meinem Roadster den Schneeschutz für PEM/Motor entfernt.

Heute habe ich bei 28 Grad Außentemperatur im Rahmen einer kurzen Ausfahrt den Performance Mode etwas ausgiebiger getestet. Nach meinem Gefühl hat die Entfernung des Schneeschutzes durchaus einen positiven Effekt. Auch nach X-facher Beschleunigung habe ich keinmal die rote Schrift für den Performance Mode (d.h. deaktiviert wg. zu hoher PEM-Temperatur) gesehen.

Summarised translation:

The Service Center took the snowdam off my PEM/Engine.
Right now it's 28 degrees Celcius outside and I tested Performance Mode. Removing the snowdam leads to a positive effect. Also, not even after multiple accelerations, I've never seen the red Performance mode during testing.

So we have these 3 situations:
Removing the snow dam increases speed, but also makes the car suck up more junk/snow/leaves, making it hotter again.
Having the snow dam in place, the car still sucks up junk/snow/leaves, but less. But the car's temperature will be higher, no matter if it's full of junk or not.
Having a filter in place, the car will suck up the least amount of junk. Do we know anything about the heat development when using a self-built filter?

To me it sounds like: remove the snow dam during hotter times. Cleaning out is preferred over overheating, I guess.

 

[hcsharp]

In addition to what m0rph said, I've read the following in a German Tesla forum:
source:
TFF Forum - Tesla Fahrer Performance Mode nach Enfernung Schneeschutz

So we have these 3 situations:
Removing the snow dam increases speed, but also makes the car suck up more junk/snow/leaves, making it hotter again.
Having the snow dam in place, the car still sucks up junk/snow/leaves, but less. But the car's temperature will be higher, no matter if it's full of junk or not.
Having a filter in place, the car will suck up the least amount of junk. Do we know anything about the heat development when using a self-built filter?

To me it sounds like: remove the snow dam during hotter times. Cleaning out is preferred over overheating, I guess.

Thanks for translating this. Not great choices but I think you're right. It's a pain to remove the snow dam. It's a pain to clean your PEM and motor cowling. Nothing like a car that's easy to maintain... NOT!
Maybe that's why they didn't install the snow dam in places that didn't have snow.

 

[Chillout]

Is removing the dam a pain? Hmm.. according to the German forum, it's a matter of unbolting some bolts on the underside. I'd think that would mean lifting the car, removing the rear underpanel, unscrew the dam, screw panel back on again. Cleaning PEM and motor cowling looks like it will cost me at least 2 fingers

 

[m0rph]

Is removing the dam a pain? Hmm.. according to the German forum, it's a matter of unbolting some bolts on the underside. I'd think that would mean lifting the car, removing the rear underpanel, unscrew the dam, screw panel back on again. Cleaning PEM and motor cowling looks like it will cost me at least 2 fingers

Well, basically you are right. But the snow dam uses the same 4 bolts as the antiroll bar. If you do this with "wheels in the air", the ARB jumps off and it's a pain to put those bolts back. I found out that putting the car partially back on the ground (not all weight) alligns the bolts perfectly and makes it an easy job.

 

[Chillout]

and what if you drive it onto a ramp?

 

[Habious]

and what if you drive it onto a ramp?

That's how I did it. Had no problems at all with the ARB moving around. (I was installing a trailer hitch, and the hitch and snow dam were mutually exclusive parts)

 

[m0rph]

Today I removed the PEM and cleaned it, just as Mark did. I also cleaned the motor while at it. There was a lot of dirt in both, but I was able to blow/suck it all out. Total working time was 5 hours, and the result is just great. Curvy roads through the fields with lots of acceleration/braking: PEM 43°C max, charging 63A afterwards not higher than 47°C. What a difference! I made enough pictures to make a step by step guide and will post that later. Thanks again to all around here for the info, I couldn't have done this without you

 

[m0rph]

I was looking around the PEM and tried to find the "exit" of the hot air. I couldn't find it though, very strange..

Today I was surprised to find out that the air blows out of the PEM at the back left side. It must have been blocked before, what easily explains the overheating. When looking closer, I was getting sand/dirt in my eyes. The car was already parked in a clean garage and charging for one hour! Then I started realizing that ALL the dust that is on our PEMs went through the PEM first! You can clearly see the exit patern on the first picture. Now the need for a good filtering system is growing on me fast. Also thinking about routing the exit air to keep the PEM area clean(er). Bring on the ideas! :biggrin: