Ford EVSE 240 dongle only works under stress - Should I use?

[roamtheworld]

Update after multi day stay at dealer (8/1 to 8/3).
Picked up the car Saturday morning when most of the service staff is out and was also a holiday weekend. My service advisor and the tech where both gone for weekend.
The person that brought my car up tried to help find an outlet to test my EVSE since I found it loose in my hatch and the "new" dongle was just laying around and not plugged into the adaptor.
We drove around to three buildings and visited the two locations where they have chargers outside to find a plug.
We gave up and I drove home to test. It failed with the same symptoms hanging down as designed and placed in the holder with no stress.

I know I can purchase another vendors product but we should receive a working device from Ford as it is included with the car when purchased.

Replacement saga continues

@Ford Motor Company please provide an option for customers to replace the EVSE easily and make sure the dealerships service departments have a way of testing the devices.

See video below of the issue in action.

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[Tbird]

I would suggest you find another 240v outlet to confirm that it is the charger or the outlet. Do you have an electric dryer with a similar outlet? Maybe another MACHE owner near you has an outlet you could try. A camp ground usually has 240v outlets so maybe that is an option.

 

[roamtheworld]

I would suggest you find another 240v outlet to confirm that it is the charger or the outlet. Do you have an electric dryer with a similar outlet? Maybe another MACHE owner near you has an outlet you could try. A camp ground usually has 240v outlets so maybe that is an option.

This outlet was installed specifically for our EV. The electrician verified power is reaching the plug and thought the dongle had a short or fault. It appears maybe it’s the adaptor since the dongle has been replaced.
The electrician used commercial grade parts and I know it’s not the issue.

 

[AKgrampy]

Did they replace the power cord. Also have you just let it hang and only twisted the plug slightly to see if it has the same effect? Finally I would try it in another socket as previously suggested.

Twisting as shown in your vid applies pressure to two areas. Let dongle hang and apply pressure/twist a bit away from plug only. See what happens. Do same thing near the device (do not allow cable to bend near plug.) At least that is what I would try.

 

[daemonic3]

Since the basic plug only has one hot leg, and the 240V plug has 2, then it may be a flakiness in the SECOND hot leg that is not used in the standard 120V plug. My wife has the car and I cannot go look but maybe you can find which pin is unused by the 120V dongle but used by the 240V and start investigating it on the unit itself (now that two 240V dongles have the same symptom).

EDIT: Of course the standard 120V dongle might bridge the 2 hots and the EVSE doesn't care but the 240V must keep them independent since they are out of phase and that's why it starts to be vulnerable to a bad contact/receptacle side on the unit.

 

[roamtheworld]

As the video shows slightly twisting the cord doesn't impact it but a sharp bend to the right enables function. Using 110 it works fine in normal position and even slightly twisting the adaptor.
The initial diagnosis was the wire in the dongle was bad so the dealership replaced only that part.
It is apparent now that it something else in the adaptor.
Nothing has been hot to touch on the EVSE. Only when it is the odd position to the right it functions normally. I have charged the cars for several weeks now since the outlet was installed.

 

[daemonic3]

As the video shows slightly twisting the cord doesn't impact it but a sharp bend to the right enables function. Using 110 it works fine in normal position and even slightly twisting the adaptor.
The initial diagnosis was the wire in the dongle was bad so the dealership replaced only that part.
It is apparent now that it something else in the adaptor.
Nothing has been hot to touch on the EVSE. Only when it is the odd position to the right it functions normally. I have charged the cars for several weeks now since the outlet was installed.

Man I really want to disassemble this thing and get my hands dirty debugging. Is it assembled with crazy security screws or can you open the box to inspect the receiving contacts? Maybe you don't want to so they replace it (understandable).

 

[roamtheworld]

Since the basic plug only has one hot leg, and the 240V plug has 2, then it may be a flakiness in the SECOND hot leg that is not used in the standard 120V plug. My wife has the car and I cannot go look but maybe you can find which pin is unused by the 120V dongle but used by the 240V and start investigating it on the unit itself (now that two 240V dongles have the same symptom).

EDIT: Of course the standard 120V dongle might bridge the 2 hots and the EVSE doesn't care but the 240V must keep them independent since they are out of phase and that's why it starts to be vulnerable to a bad contact/receptacle side on the unit.

You are definitely on to something here. The leg in the adaptor is very suspect to me since it has to be stressed to work. The Ford service rep told me the tech tested the dongle and the whole adaptor but I don't believe that now. I'm waiting for a callback from the dealership to get next actions. A whole replacement is what I'm going after at this point.

 

[dtbaker61]

This outlet was installed specifically for our EV. The electrician verified power is reaching the plug and thought the dongle had a short or fault. It appears maybe it’s the adaptor since the dongle has been replaced.
The electrician used commercial grade parts and I know it’s not the issue.

Your electrician should be able to verify continuity on both 'hot' legs thru the dongle when straight. If there IS continuity, then the problem has to be in the charger body pin/dongle connection or inside the charger.

I would:
- check continuity on both hot legs of dongle when straight, then when bent, to establish for sure whether the molded plug ends are at fault
- double check recepticle to be sure L1/L2 are landed and torqued correctly and plug blades are contacting tightly... not bent open or loose. plugging just the dongle in, and measuring voltage at L1/L2 pins on the charger side of the Dongle would tell you for sure whether the outlet/plug/dongle is good all the way to the dongle/charger connection
- check charger body pins/dongle for any signs of arcing or looseness....

I'd look for a campground that has 'hookups' if you can't find any other place with a 240v outlet. Hard to believe Dealers don't have any plain outlets to test with.... Any shop with a big compressor probably has a 240v outlet somewhere. But, if you've done the testing above, and have power at the charger end of the dongle, then you pretty much know that the Dealer can get you a whole new charger kit as yours has failed under warranty.

 

[daemonic3]

Your electrician should be able to verify continuity on both 'hot' legs thru the dongle when straight. If there IS continuity, then the problem has to be in the charger body pin/dongle connection or inside the charger.

I would:
- check continuity on both hot legs of dongle when straight, then when bent, to establish for sure whether the molded plug ends are at fault
- double check recepticle to be sure L1/L2 are landed and torqued correctly and plug blades are contacting tightly... not bent open or loose. plugging just the dongle in, and measuring voltage at L1/L2 pins on the charger side of the Dongle would tell you for sure whether the outlet/plug/dongle is good all the way to the dongle/charger connection
- check charger body pins/dongle for any signs of arcing or looseness....

I'd look for a campground that has 'hookups' if you can't find any other place with a 240v outlet. Hard to believe Dealers don't have any plain outlets to test with.... Any shop with a big compressor probably has a 240v outlet somewhere.

All the symptoms he's seeing, I think point to the *inside* the Ford EVSE the 2nd hot leg contact is not torqued properly. But we need to see the inside of that box. Of course if there are security screws or stickers that would prevent warranty replacement if he opened it, that kind of screws the chance of getting a new one. I don't think it is his 240V dongle continuity as 2 of them behave exactly the same.

I had a similar issue on a 50A surge guard used with my RV. The security screws could not be opened without a special tool so I couldn't inspect inside. I checked with the manufacturor and they said they will repair it free but if I f#*& with the screws I am responsible. That's why I'd guess Ford would say the same.

 

[dtbaker61]

All the symptoms he's seeing, I think point to the *inside* the Ford EVSE the 2nd hot leg contact is not torqued properly. But we need to see the inside of that box. Of course if there are security screws or stickers that would prevent warranty replacement if he opened it, that kind of screws the chance of getting a new one. I don't think it is his 240V dongle continuity as 2 of them behave exactly the same.

I had a similar issue on a 50A surge guard used with my RV. The security screws could not be opened without a special tool so I couldn't inspect inside. I checked with the manufacturor and they said they will repair it free but if I f#*& with the screws I am responsible. That's why I'd guess Ford would say the same.

I wouldn't screw with it....
Dealer *should* replace the whole mobile kit, no questions asked..... they return the defective kit to Ford, and Ford either refurbishes or scraps it.

 

[roamtheworld]

@dtbaker61 "check continuity on both hot legs of dongle when straight, then when bent, to establish for sure whether the molded plug ends are at fault" This is the only thing we haven't tested
The electrician tested power at the pug by pulling it out slightly but he did not pull out the dongle and test the adaptor end of the dongle.
The 240V dongle was in plastic until the electrician arrived at my house and finished the install of the new 240V receptacle.
We reseated the dongle multiple times and checked the legs for damage the any visually noticeable issues.
I am certain this is an issue on the adaptor side and not the dongle.

I'm not going to drive around to find an outlet to test this further. Ford has provided a defective EVSE and I want them to replace it as a whole unit dongles and all.

I will report back once I have the dealerships direction.

Thank you all for your feedback!

 

[Mach-Lee]

Man I really want to disassemble this thing and get my hands dirty debugging. Is it assembled with crazy security screws or can you open the box to inspect the receiving contacts? Maybe you don't want to so they replace it (understandable).

I think it’s completely potted, you’re going to be disappointed when you see it’s a block of epoxy inside.

 

[AKgrampy]

Reseated multiple times by both me and the electrician.
The bend in the dongle gets it working. Otherwise, it just goes off and on with various flashing blue, yellow, or red lights.

Edit - Bummer the dongle is an issue but now that I've confirmed that's not my issue (at least I hope) can I use it with a bend in the cord until it gets replaced?

Has your issue been resolved? Just curious.

 

[roamtheworld]

Has your issue been resolved? Just curious.

It has not.
I provided the service advisor the video and have been going back and forth ever since. I have called Ford and opened a case I have asked the dealership to order a complete replacement so I don’t have to make an additional trip and they have refused. Multiple messages over the past few days have gone with no reply.
Ford told me to try another dealership but that hasn’t gone anywhere since the service department has answered on the times I’ve called.
I have been able to use in stressed location. No heat on dongle or adaptor.
Bad Dealership service experience strikes again.

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