VCFRONT a210 coolant Valve Calib

[akveluru]

Cooling valves that don't work and rear drive motor failure. 2018 Long range model 3 dual motor. 71k

VCFRONT a210 coolant Valve Calib

2 months ago a tech came out to replace the rear camera harness under warranty. In service mode I saw that the coolant was low, and he topped it off with water. For 12 months I've been getting worsening rear motor noise and have had three service appointments to diagnose it. We did not have a dealership in Hawaii so the tech came to my house. I'm starting to think it has to do with the coolant valve calibration error.

​

This error code populates 15 to 20 times a day everyday. I also cannot run the service mode coolant pump identification, or the test thermal performance..

The technician then came back and rode in the trunk, seats down while I drove. He told me my rear motor was fried. Car is just barely under warranty. I've asked the dealer for an appointment to replace the motor which they agreed to do, but they've been not following through with arranging to ship the car to the dealership.

Does anyone else suspect a connection between a coolant valve not operating and an electric motor overheating? Obviously I do. I also suspect that it is a pump failure not a valve failure. I believe this is why a calibration error is constantly pinging the system, and why I get a fail message when I try to test the pump function. The tech told me that he has heard of quite a few rear motors having to be replaced under warranty.

Anyone else lose a rear motor?

That is totally possible. This coolant valve controls whether the coolant loops are running in series (for preconditioning or defrost), or in parallel (for better cooling performance).

I saw a decrease in highway speed consumption from 340wh/mi to 300wh/mi after fixing the valve actuator which I think is motor temperature related. If the valve was stuck in a position where flow to the motor was shut off completely, it could have cooked itself over time.

 

[SWMONTY]

Took my 2018 LR Model 3 (80K miles) in for windshield replacement. Service then informed me of 2 error codes. Low Coolant and Colloant Valve Calibration. No warnings inside car and not adverse conditions noticed while driving.
Quoted $20 to add coolant and $205 to diagnose the Collant Valve. Diagnosis confirmed bad actuator, quoted $45 for the part and $105 labor to replace.
The total cost of repair for the coolant was $350.
I confirmed in service mode that the error was there when I brought in the vehicle and it has been cleared with multiple successful tests completed.

 

[Sdlg97]

Hey guys I have a 2018 Model 3LR RWD and the other night I was super charging and heard a clunk and it stopped charging and then restarted.. after this once I stopped supercharging my fan would not slow down or was like when a cars over heating and it was that way for like 20 min.. then today I went to supercharge and noticed that the cars fan was loud and took a long time to shut off.. I went into service mode and saw two alerts not noted in your regular notifications tab.. then I read every post here and I made a ServAppointment also got this when trying to do the thermal test

 

[MagnusMako]

Cooling valves that don't work and rear drive motor failure. 2018 Long range model 3 dual motor. 71k

VCFRONT a210 coolant Valve Calib

2 months ago a tech came out to replace the rear camera harness under warranty. In service mode I saw that the coolant was low, and he topped it off with water. For 12 months I've been getting worsening rear motor noise and have had three service appointments to diagnose it. We did not have a dealership in Hawaii so the tech came to my house. I'm starting to think it has to do with the coolant valve calibration error.

​

This error code populates 15 to 20 times a day everyday. I also cannot run the service mode coolant pump identification, or the test thermal performance..

The technician then came back and rode in the trunk, seats down while I drove. He told me my rear motor was fried. Car is just barely under warranty. I've asked the dealer for an appointment to replace the motor which they agreed to do, but they've been not following through with arranging to ship the car to the dealership.

Does anyone else suspect a connection between a coolant valve not operating and an electric motor overheating? Obviously I do. I also suspect that it is a pump failure not a valve failure. I believe this is why a calibration error is constantly pinging the system, and why I get a fail message when I try to test the pump function. The tech told me that he has heard of quite a few rear motors having to be replaced under warranty.

Anyone else lose a rear motor?

Today I went to do a health test on the battery and saw the "VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib" service alert in the list and on a previous day. I have an appointment scheduled on the 24th for a mobile tech to replace my trunk lid harness under the recall so I'm going to mention this issue to them and see if they can do a diagnostic onsite or if I need to visit a service center. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[DDMod3]

Today I went to do a health test on the battery and saw the "VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib" service alert in the list and on a previous day. I have an appointment scheduled on the 24th for a mobile tech to replace my trunk lid harness under the recall so I'm going to mention this issue to them and see if they can do a diagnostic onsite or if I need to visit a service center. I'll let you know how it goes.

I had my 5 way valve actuator replaced last week instead of the superbottle and was told everything cleared and works fine. I checked the service menu and now there are new errors. VCFront_a249_coolantvalveBadMode and VCRIGHT_a138_hvacRHBleedFault. Now they want to replace the superbottle. Not sure if the technician installed the actuator incorrectly.

 

[vinnie97]

Cooling valves that don't work and rear drive motor failure. 2018 Long range model 3 dual motor. 71k

VCFRONT a210 coolant Valve Calib

2 months ago a tech came out to replace the rear camera harness under warranty. In service mode I saw that the coolant was low, and he topped it off with water. For 12 months I've been getting worsening rear motor noise and have had three service appointments to diagnose it. We did not have a dealership in Hawaii so the tech came to my house. I'm starting to think it has to do with the coolant valve calibration error.

​

This error code populates 15 to 20 times a day everyday. I also cannot run the service mode coolant pump identification, or the test thermal performance..

The technician then came back and rode in the trunk, seats down while I drove. He told me my rear motor was fried. Car is just barely under warranty. I've asked the dealer for an appointment to replace the motor which they agreed to do, but they've been not following through with arranging to ship the car to the dealership.

Does anyone else suspect a connection between a coolant valve not operating and an electric motor overheating? Obviously I do. I also suspect that it is a pump failure not a valve failure. I believe this is why a calibration error is constantly pinging the system, and why I get a fail message when I try to test the pump function. The tech told me that he has heard of quite a few rear motors having to be replaced under warranty.

Anyone else lose a rear motor?

Scary, I have an RWD and the same error. My appointment isn't until July 5th, and the service center is 2 hours away. My extended warranty may be coming in handy here soon.

 

[vinnie97]

Oh boy, getting the accompanying Vcfront_a159_coolantvalvefault on top of the one mentioned in the subject.

 

[vinnie97]

An update on my end, the service center replaced the five-way actuator and so far so good.

 

[vinnie97]

I have spoken too soon. Coolant valve bad mode is now getting triggered in the alerts post repair. Is there an overarching mechanism that may need to be replaced? I think I read earlier in this thread that it's called the superbottle?

 

[MagnusMako]

So circling back around here. Tesla quoted me $1,144.16 to fix the VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib service alert without even having looked at it. So I went ahead and passed on that one. Over $1k just to fix a valve calibration seems absurd to me.

 

[vinnie97]

So circling back around here. Tesla quoted me $1,144.16 to fix the VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib service alert without even having looked at it. So I went ahead and passed on that one. Over $1k just to fix a valve calibration seems absurd to me.

View attachment 955737View attachment 955738

Between the two visits, one for the actuator and the other for the superbottle, I'm just a hair under at a little over a 1000. The only saving grace is I have an extended warranty, but there is still a deductible of $100 per visit, so that's a little less reassuring.

 

[vinnie97]

Superbottle has now been replaced as of last Wednesday. So far so good. With a desert heat wave and temps reaching 114 in the interim, this is a good test and is why I was particularly alarmed to see these errors in the hottest season.

 

[PwrOutage]

Good afternoon everyone. I've had this error for some time now. I wanted to provide some observations.

• Scan my Tesla app valve position data is missing. This is one of the red flags to me that gave me incentive get this fixed. If SMT app can't read the degree angle the valve is at, then the car probably can't either.
• Running the thermal test in the Service menu failed. See image below.
• My 2x supercharge sessions with this error active caused the radiator fans to spin up much more than usual and I continued to hear the fans running 10min after leaving SC. This is rare for Model 3 which typically had exceptional passive cooling. (Not scientific, so take with a grain of salt).
• This is a 2018 first production Model 3 RWD, 100K miles.
• Service center fix for this is around $1,100

Being a Tesla geek, I can't handle not knowing if the heat/coolant if conditioning the battery to spec. And I will now be able to sell the car privately with a clear conscious when I'm ready, waiting to see what the Model 3 Highland will offer. I'll post once more after the fix is complete.

 

[gpbottari]

I had my 5 way valve actuator replaced last week instead of the superbottle and was told everything cleared and works fine. I checked the service menu and now there are new errors. VCFront_a249_coolantvalveBadMode and VCRIGHT_a138_hvacRHBleedFault. Now they want to replace the superbottle. Not sure if the technician installed the actuator incorrectly.

I am wondering .... your actuator was replaced and still got issue w/5-way valve; is it possible the valve was stuck ? either hard stuck or just too difficult for the actuator to move it ?
I have had VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib errors initially which rapidly developed into VCFRONT_a159_coolantValveFault. Car went in limp mode so brought it into service.
Tesla replaced the whole superbottle. I suspect the actuator change alone wouldn't have helped and issue was probably with the valve.

I have the old superbottle with me as I requested it to be kept for me for inspection. Need to find some time to put this guy on the workbench and dismantle it. I've read about possible small leaks of coolant past the valve as a possible cause.
I would like to find the nature of this premature failure; sounds like a fault on Tesla as my M3 (2020 delivered around xmas 2019) with the use of sub-par components just like the suspension control arms BJs.
But this time car is OOW which costed me $1K to get fixed with no details from the diagnostic phase other than "superbottle defective, needs replacement".
Very frustrating and unacceptable major component failure IMHO for a 2020 car w/50K miles.

 

[PwrOutage]

Good afternoon everyone. I've had this error for some time now. I wanted to provide some observations.

• Scan my Tesla app valve position data is missing. This is one of the red flags to me that gave me incentive get this fixed. If SMT app can't read the degree angle the valve is at, then the car probably can't either.
• Running the thermal test in the Service menu failed. See image below.
• My 2x supercharge sessions with this error active caused the radiator fans to spin up much more than usual and I continued to hear the fans running 10min after leaving SC. This is rare for Model 3 which typically had exceptional passive cooling. (Not scientific, so take with a grain of salt).
• This is a 2018 first production Model 3 RWD, 100K miles.
• Service center fix for this is around $1,100

Being a Tesla geek, I can't handle not knowing if the heat/coolant if conditioning the battery to spec. And I will now be able to sell the car privately with a clear conscious when I'm ready, waiting to see what the Model 3 Highland will offer. I'll post once more after the fix is complete.

Okay, reporting back.

• Tesla replaced only the actuator. Error code is clear.
• Scan my Tesla valve position data is back! Hooray for working coolant loops. Was fascinating to watch the degree data move back and forth on scan my Tesla.
• Service tech said these valves are a common issue.
• I am upset however this alert is hidden in the service menu.

"inspected and verified concern. tried performing calibration procedure. procedure failed. accessed coolant valve and inspected. removed connector and verified no damage or corrosion present and terminal tension nominal. tested and verified proper voltages present at connector. removed valve actuator and replaced actuator. performed self test calibration and flow test. verified proper operation and alert no longer present"

Now the bad news,
Ran that thermal test again. Still failing. I plan on ignoring it but it says "Refrigerant discharge pressure was too high. check airflow over condenser, check radiator fan performance, check louver position. the Refrigerant flow target through the chiller exv was greater then expected. Check for low refrigerant charge." I might start a new thread to learn more about this and if it's worth investigating further.

 

[JPWhite]

I had my 5 way valve actuator replaced last week instead of the superbottle and was told everything cleared and works fine. I checked the service menu and now there are new errors. VCFront_a249_coolantvalveBadMode and VCRIGHT_a138_hvacRHBleedFault. Now they want to replace the superbottle. Not sure if the technician installed the actuator incorrectly.

I just noticed that my vehicle is registering a VCRIGHT_a138_hvacRHBleedFault each time it is driven. This is in the service menu, nothing on the main display outside of the service menu. I will put a service issue in the app and will ask if this needs attention or not.

 

[DDMod3]

I am wondering .... your actuator was replaced and still got issue w/5-way valve; is it possible the valve was stuck ? either hard stuck or just too difficult for the actuator to move it ?
I have had VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib errors initially which rapidly developed into VCFRONT_a159_coolantValveFault. Car went in limp mode so brought it into service.
Tesla replaced the whole superbottle. I suspect the actuator change alone wouldn't have helped and issue was probably with the valve.

I have the old superbottle with me as I requested it to be kept for me for inspection. Need to find some time to put this guy on the workbench and dismantle it. I've read about possible small leaks of coolant past the valve as a possible cause.
I would like to find the nature of this premature failure; sounds like a fault on Tesla as my M3 (2020 delivered around xmas 2019) with the use of sub-par components just like the suspension control arms BJs.
But this time car is OOW which costed me $1K to get fixed with no details from the diagnostic phase other than "superbottle defective, needs replacement".
Very frustrating and unacceptable major component failure IMHO for a 2020 car w/50K miles.

Yea, I agree this is very frustrating. I also had around 50k miles on my 2018 Model 3 when the errors happened. I haven’t replaced the superbottle yet. I continue to get the VCFront_a249_Coolantvavlebadmode error from time to time. I am able to run the thermal performance test and pass it despite the error. Prior to replacing the 5 way actuator, the car would fail the thermal test.

 

[DDMod3]

I just noticed that my vehicle is registering a VCRIGHT_a138_hvacRHBleedFault each time it is driven. This is in the service menu, nothing on the main display outside of the service menu. I will put a service issue in the app and will ask if this needs attention or not.

View attachment 967367

Try running the Thermal performance test and see if it fails or pass.

 

[phsiao11]

I

So circling back around here. Tesla quoted me $1,144.16 to fix the VCFRONT_a210_coolantValveCalib service alert without even having looked at it. So I went ahead and passed on that one. Over $1k just to fix a valve calibration seems absurd to me.

View attachment 955737View attachment 955738

Got the same quote so they probably have a good idea what the problem is. For me they eventually just replaced the actuator and the diagnostic was 230 and the test drive after they replaced the actuator was 100. Total about 450.

 

[Joseph Sanders]

Hey, just read this entire thread and I'm torn on if I should take my (2018 LR Rwd 76K miles) in to get checked.

I opened the service menu a couple days ago and see the all-too-common a210_coolantValveCalib error. Car is performing fine, but fails the thermal performance test. I'm simply not comfortable knowing the system isn't functioning 100%, so I'd like to get them to take a closer look. Curious though, will they find anything, or is it a waste of $224?

Service advisor on chat says don't worry about it (basically). Easy for them to say when it's not their car! I have an appointment scheduled later this week. Any input is appreciated.