Tesla Wall Connector Gen 2 Overheating-What's wrong?

[chudiddy]

I've had my Gen 2 Wall connector hooked up since 2018 and haven't had any issues until recently (past 3-4 mos). I keep getting this error "Charge rate reduced-Wall connection hot. Outlet or Wall connector wiring must be checked" It's happening a lot more frequently as of late and its starting to worry me.

I had it installed by a certified electrician. All I know is that its hooked up to a dedicated 100 amp circuit. I took some pics and was wondering if anyone here can identify if there's anything wrong. The only thing I can notice is that the red AWG Wire is turning black. I don't know what that means but it can't be good.

I was going to order a gen 3 wall connector and replace it myself but i'm afraid it will do the same thing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Pics:

You can see the red wire turning black.

 

[mcirish]

Most likely the silver screws holding down the wires aren't as tight as they used to be. Weak connections get hot.
Go to the circuit breaker and turn it off.
Get yourself the appropriate insulated screw driver and tighten down hard on the screws holding red and black wire.
Get some insulated pliers and gently grab hold of each wire and wiggle. It should not slide out. Repeat
Use screw driver and tighten down both screws again. Sometimes the wiggle will loosen it a bit.
If you were able to tighten the screw at all on the first try then good chance this was your problem.
And while the power is off, might be smart to tighten down any other screw down wire terminals you see.
Then go back and turn on breaker and see if it stops over heating.
Hope it helps.

 

[Sophias_dad]

I see your dial indicator is set to D, meaning this HPWC is set to potentially deliver 80A continuously on that 100A circuit. What is your tesla actually charging at?

That conductor absolutely needs to be 3 gauge or larger, and it might not be.

If you switch to a Gen3 HPWC, the maximum charge rate will be 48A, and those conductors should be fine(the breaker should be reduced to 60A anyway)

 

[chudiddy]

I see your dial indicator is set to D, meaning this HPWC is set to potentially deliver 80A continuously on that 100A circuit. What is your tesla actually charging at?

That conductor absolutely needs to be 3 gauge or larger, and it might not be.

If you switch to a Gen3 HPWC, the maximum charge rate will be 48A, and those conductors should be fine(the breaker should be reduced to 60A anyway)

My car charges at 48A. It lowers itself to 40A then sometimes faults out and stops charging all together. I currently have it set to 35A and while slower, it doesnt interrupt as often.

Should i move the dial to a different setting? The red and black wires say 6AWG on them, is that sufficient?

Thanks for all the help

 

[chudiddy]

Most likely the silver screws holding down the wires aren't as tight as they used to be. Weak connections get hot.
Go to the circuit breaker and turn it off.
Get yourself the appropriate insulated screw driver and tighten down hard on the screws holding red and black wire.
Get some insulated pliers and gently grab hold of each wire and wiggle. It should not slide out. Repeat
Use screw driver and tighten down both screws again. Sometimes the wiggle will loosen it a bit.
If you were able to tighten the screw at all on the first try then good chance this was your problem.
And while the power is off, might be smart to tighten down any other screw down wire terminals you see.
Then go back and turn on breaker and see if it stops over heating.
Hope it helps.

Will def try this. By insulated screwdriver, you just mean one with a rubber handle correct? Thank you

 

[Sophias_dad]

My car charges at 48A. It lowers itself to 40A then sometimes faults out and stops charging all together. I currently have it set to 35A and while slower, it doesnt interrupt as often.

Should i move the dial to a different setting? The red and black wires say 6AWG on them, is that sufficient?

Thanks for all the help

Did you ever have a Tesla that charged at 80 amps continuous? If there's really a 100A breaker on the other end of those wires that's a horrendous fire hazard, apparently installed by your electrician. In addition to that, right below the "Use copper conductors only" I see a stranded aluminum ground line. That leads me to believe those two (red and black) lines are probably also aluminum, and are therefore only rated to have a 50 amp breaker(40 amp continuous charge!)

If those conductors are aluminum you should consider having the electrician come and properly install the HPWC, for free.

 

[mcirish]

Will def try this. By insulated screwdriver, you just mean one with a rubber handle correct? Thank you

Yes. I skipped over the parts where you should verify power is off with a volt meter, where rubber gloves and shoes, use the one hand rule, safety glasses etc...

Also, when I say tighten down hard on the screw terminal, it doesn't mean so hard that it breaks the terminal. They do get brittle with age.

#2 wire is not easy to work with so you may not be able to wiggle it around too much if at all.

Report back on the results. GL.

 

[mcirish]

I see your dial indicator is set to D, meaning this HPWC is set to potentially deliver 80A continuously on that 100A circuit. What is your tesla actually charging at?

That conductor absolutely needs to be 3 gauge or larger, and it might not be.

If you switch to a Gen3 HPWC, the maximum charge rate will be 48A, and those conductors should be fine(the breaker should be reduced to 60A anyway)

When I zoomed into the photo it looked like THWN-2 on the wire but perspective wise it looks like thinner wire. Correctness is assumed if installed by a licensed electrician but one never knows.

 

[mcirish]

My car charges at 48A. It lowers itself to 40A then sometimes faults out and stops charging all together. I currently have it set to 35A and while slower, it doesnt interrupt as often.

Should i move the dial to a different setting? The red and black wires say 6AWG on them, is that sufficient?

Thanks for all the help

Stop everything! A licensed electrician would never put 6AWG wire on a 100 amp breaker. Double check what is written on the two fattest wires. If it is actually 6AWG then consult a different electrician before you do anything else.

 

[Xd85]

had the same thing happen! did that exact thing. There was some black residue on one of the lugs securing one of the hot legs but they were definitely both loose after ~2 years installed. Fingers crossed. Edit: charging 40A with #6 wire