Mach-Lee
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- Lee
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There is no official guidance from Ford yet on cleaning or inspecting your charge port. I recommend cleaning it a couple times per year. A dirty charge port could potentially cause a poor connection, resulting in charging issues such as failure to start, dropouts, or overheating.
Please note, you must be careful when cleaning the port so as not to cause damage. Heed all Warnings here.
Step 1 - Blow Out Port
Use compressed air or a gas duster to blow out any dust in the port:
Don't forget the DC pins:
Step 2 - Inspect for Damage
Inspect the pins carefully with a flashlight for any signs of damage or melting. The left pin in this port is melted:
There should be a black thermoplastic tip on the top two AC pins, and the two large DC pins. Damaged pins can severely impact charge rate. Contact your dealer for charge port replacement if you have damaged pins. The charge port is covered by the 8yr/100k EV warranty.
Step 3 - Clean Pins With a Swab
You may use a Q-tip dry, or with a zero residue solvent like 91% isopropyl alcohol or MAF cleaner to wipe the sides of the pins clean.
Warning — Do not spray anything into the charge port! Wet the Q-tip first.
Warning — Do not force the Q-tip into the port, you may bend the pins! If it won't fit without resistance, pull the cotton up off the tip to fluff it up and loosen it. Pull and twist the cotton until it's thin enough to fit past the pins with no resistance.
Your main focus should be on the top two AC pins, and the bottom two large DC pins which carry all the current for charging. Be especially careful with the small two signal pins, they probably don't need much cleaning.
Also clean the DC pins:
Dirt/grease removed:
Step 4 - Clean Border
Clean the border channel where the plug body inserts, both around the circle at the top (AC) and the oval at the bottom (DC). Make sure there is no sand or small stones in here, which can interfere with plug insertion.
Step 5 - Clean Your J1772 Plug
Carefully clean inside your J1772 pin sockets. Again, focus on the top two, skip the small ones since they are too small to clean.
Warning — Make sure no cotton gets stuck inside the sockets, this could cause a fire!
Step 6 – Final Blow and Inspection
Give the charge port a final blow, and inspect it carefully with a flashlight for any remaining cotton fragments or detritus.
Warning — Make sure there is no cotton left in the charge port, this could cause a fire!
Warning — Wait at least 30 minutes for solvents to dry before plugging in to charge.
Warning — Do not apply anything to the charge pins, they are meant to be DRY. Do not apply any grease, including dielectric grease!
J1772 pins are designed to be a dry wiping contact. They are silver coated and don't need anything else. Grease will attract dirt.
Please note, you must be careful when cleaning the port so as not to cause damage. Heed all Warnings here.
Step 1 - Blow Out Port
Use compressed air or a gas duster to blow out any dust in the port:
Don't forget the DC pins:
Step 2 - Inspect for Damage
Inspect the pins carefully with a flashlight for any signs of damage or melting. The left pin in this port is melted:
There should be a black thermoplastic tip on the top two AC pins, and the two large DC pins. Damaged pins can severely impact charge rate. Contact your dealer for charge port replacement if you have damaged pins. The charge port is covered by the 8yr/100k EV warranty.
Step 3 - Clean Pins With a Swab
You may use a Q-tip dry, or with a zero residue solvent like 91% isopropyl alcohol or MAF cleaner to wipe the sides of the pins clean.
Warning — Do not spray anything into the charge port! Wet the Q-tip first.
Warning — Do not force the Q-tip into the port, you may bend the pins! If it won't fit without resistance, pull the cotton up off the tip to fluff it up and loosen it. Pull and twist the cotton until it's thin enough to fit past the pins with no resistance.
Your main focus should be on the top two AC pins, and the bottom two large DC pins which carry all the current for charging. Be especially careful with the small two signal pins, they probably don't need much cleaning.
Also clean the DC pins:
Dirt/grease removed:
Step 4 - Clean Border
Clean the border channel where the plug body inserts, both around the circle at the top (AC) and the oval at the bottom (DC). Make sure there is no sand or small stones in here, which can interfere with plug insertion.
Step 5 - Clean Your J1772 Plug
Carefully clean inside your J1772 pin sockets. Again, focus on the top two, skip the small ones since they are too small to clean.
Warning — Make sure no cotton gets stuck inside the sockets, this could cause a fire!
Step 6 – Final Blow and Inspection
Give the charge port a final blow, and inspect it carefully with a flashlight for any remaining cotton fragments or detritus.
Warning — Make sure there is no cotton left in the charge port, this could cause a fire!
Warning — Wait at least 30 minutes for solvents to dry before plugging in to charge.
Warning — Do not apply anything to the charge pins, they are meant to be DRY. Do not apply any grease, including dielectric grease!
J1772 pins are designed to be a dry wiping contact. They are silver coated and don't need anything else. Grease will attract dirt.
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