kindofblue

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I did this mod (no problems) but mistakenly ordered a second pair of 2” caps. I offer them free to first person who asks for them. DM me separately with mailing instructions.
Thanks. Wilco.
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Mudholebill

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I did a little exploring under the panels in the Frunk, and decided to modify the panel covering the LVB terminal connection points... used for jump starting a dead, trickle charging or adding a heating blanket, or connecting an external load such as an inverter for 'external loads' when Camping or supplying (up to 2000 watts) AC power where ever needed.

The Frunk 'surround panels', are kind of a pain to snap off, and you are likely to break the connection snaps, or even the panel itself over time as it gets brittle with age, or in the cold.... I'd hate the idea of try to get access to the LVB if it dies outside some dark snowy cold night!

The simplest solution is to use a hole saw to make big enough holes to grab the approved Connection Points with jumper cables, and get some hole plugs if you really want to cover when not in use. This procedure takes literally no more than 5 minutes, and you won't have to pop the panels off to give, or get, a 12v 'jump'

View attachment 19132

02 locate hole centers.jpg


03 2in holes.jpg




04 complete.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MN6GQE8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

NylonPlug.JPG


View attachment 20939
Excellent post. Thank you.
 
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dtbaker61

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Excellent post. Thank you.

thanks, and if you are doing it.... I would suggest a third hole over the 'HV relay disconnect'. I keep meaning to go back and update this thread to put that right up front. This would be a BIG safety bonus for tow truck drivers, or any Service procedure that requires cutting power to the HV battery pack.
 

kennethjk

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thanks, and if you are doing it.... I would suggest a third hole over the 'HV relay disconnect'. I keep meaning to go back and update this thread to put that right up front. This would be a BIG safety bonus for tow truck drivers, or any Service procedure that requires cutting power to the HV battery pack.
Hi

Read this and did it a while ago, did anyone do a diagram of where the disconnect hole should go

I never removed the beauty cover when I drilled the first go around and it worked great

I would cut a hole for the disconnect without removing the cover if it was safe

Thanks
 
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dtbaker61

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Hi

Read this and did it a while ago, did anyone do a diagram of where the disconnect hole should go

I never removed the beauty cover when I drilled the first go around and it worked great

I would cut a hole for the disconnect without removing the cover if it was safe

Thanks
The top of the HV disconnect is much closer to the bottom of the beauty cover.... I would highly suggest unclipping at least the inside frunk-side clips, and tipping the cover up before cutting the third hole over the HV disconnect so there is no risk of the pilot drill hitting it.
 


Rpgonzalez

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Insufficient vertical clearance to use a step drill. A hole saw will get the job done more quickly with less of a chance to damage the stuff underneath.😊🐩

That said, I took everything apart multiple times in order to get good measurements for my jump point. 😎🐩
35DAFCDF-332C-4F3C-9FCB-3834C7034468.jpeg
4543F2FD-7192-4A42-BDDE-26BD603886DB.jpeg
How did you connect the positive lead to the car?
 

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dtbaker61

dtbaker61

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Fused lead on the battery + terminal, 50A fuse. 😊🐩
it is important to note that @HuntingPudel 's main reason for the terminal port was to trickle charge the battery, not export to external loads

to export big (up to 2000w) loads, it is probably best to bypass the LVB, and rely on the MME dcdc being 'on' to export the current before it even gets to the LVB. The export directly, you'd probably want 2AWG wire and a 150a breaker.... if you have an external buffer battery you can get by with far less since the export current would be limited by the voltage difference between the MME at 14.4 and the external battery sagging to maybe 12.4 under heavy load.... probably no more than 30amps
 

Rpgonzalez

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Fused lead on the battery + terminal, 50A fuse. 😊🐩
EDIT: @dtbaker61 just answered my question before I even asked it. Sorcery!

Anyway, what current were you using that fried the original trailer connector you were using?
 
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HuntingPudel

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EDIT: @dtbaker61 just answered my question before I even asked it. Sorcery!

Anyway, what current were you using that fried the original trailer connector you were using?
On the power supply we saw as high as 42A peak, with most sustained loads under 35A while doing FDRS updates. The trailer connector was advertised as a 50A safe unit. Sure it is, Maybe peak for 30mS LOL. The forklift charging connectors are rated to do 50A continuous. I am hoping they live up to their advertised rating. 😊🐩
 
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dtbaker61

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On the power supply we saw as high as 42A peak, with most sustained loads under 35A while doing FDRS updates. The trailer connector was advertised as a 50A safe unit. Sure it is, Maybe peak for 30mS LOL. The forklift charging connectors are rated to do 50A continuous. I am hoping they live up to their advertised rating. 😊🐩

oooohhhhh, that's more than I would have expected to support FDRS!

what gauge wire did you use to connect? Probably 8awg or 6awg ?
 

HuntingPudel

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oooohhhhh, that's more than I would have expected to support FDRS!

what gauge wire did you use to connect? Probably 8awg or 6awg ?
The forklift plugs came with 10. I previously used 10 THHN, so that’s what they’re spliced to. The fuse holder also came only with 10 (which is why I used 10, just to keep the size the same) In the future I will probably up the gauge to 8, but the current wire seems fine at the moment. I would have been a little freaked if I saw 40a continuous on the power supply, but I think low 30s are fine for 10 AWG. 😊🐩
 
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dtbaker61

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The forklift plugs came with 10. I previously used 10 THHN, so that’s what they’re spliced to. The fuse holder also came only with 10 (which is why I used 10, just to keep the size the same) In the future I will probably up the gauge to 8, but the current wire seems fine at the moment. I would have been a little freaked if I saw 40a continuous on the power supply, but I think low 30s are fine for 10 AWG. 😊🐩
yeah.... probably good with low 30s thru awg10 in open air.... they might get a little warm, but not hot.
 

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yeah.... probably good with low 30s thru awg10 in open air.... they might get a little warm, but not hot.
If you want to believe this chart, you’re good up to 100A for 2.5ft one way. 🤣

the trailer plugs tho…. I keep those 10 gauges to 20-30A
Ford Mustang Mach-E How to DIY - add access holes for LVB 12v battery connection points & HV Disconnect Relay for Safety 8769914A-98B0-4265-8BF3-7C237EC19B09
 

HuntingPudel

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the trailer plugs tho…. I keep those 10 gauges to 20-30A
<SNIP>
Yeah, that’s probably why they melted. LOL. 🤪🐩 Pretty sure the forklift plugs will do better since they are designed to be used continuously. 🤔🐩
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