Struggling with overheating…

67 Stang Convertible

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For piece of mind, you can have a licensed electrician come and "bless" the installation. Might be the best $200 bucks you spend.
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RidingwithScotty

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Ford Mustang Mach-E Struggling with overheating… IMG_0422
Ford Mustang Mach-E Struggling with overheating… IMG_0423
Ford Mustang Mach-E Struggling with overheating… IMG_0424
Ford Mustang Mach-E Struggling with overheating… IMG_0425

For folks who were asking about the outlet back; seems like there’s not a saddle clamp as described by @Maquis. Thank you to @Say Watt and @kodiakng for your links and research and everyone for chiming in on this thread. I will try to get the wiring information after work today and continue my research/share updates.
 
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Mach-Lee

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Could be a bad cord, see this for a similar story: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/a-warning-about-50a-range-cords.18389/

BTW never use dielectric grease on plugs, it could ruin the receptacle. Dielectric grease is an insulator.

When you say plug overheating everyone assumes you mean the wall plug not the J1772 handle. If the J1772 is overheating then you might have a bad charge port.
 

vortix

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Consider removing the outlet and hardwiring the EVSE. Consult a licensed electrician.
 

dtbaker61

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...and the best solution to avoid weak, overheating connection points is to hard-wire the EVSE.
First, slathering on dielectric grease on plug prongs is NOT a good thing. dielectric grease is an insulator and doesn't conduct electricity.

14-50 Plug/receptacles are FINE for carrying 32amps of charge current when using 6AWG copper for typical garage run length runs. Plug ends may get warm, and even hot to touch (120F) but shouldn't get hotter than that.

The added benefits of receptacle versus hard-wired EVSE are:

- you don't HAVE to buy a second charger, you can use your mobile
- you can use the receptacle for other 240v appliances/tools and for emergency generator backup if you have to.
 


RWG

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This subject has come up several times in the past and there are many great suggestions offered. As a retired high voltage electrical systems repair guy, here are my thoughts/suggestions.

First - Get a good infrared digital thermometer as suggested and I would also get a good amp probe, so you can measure amperage. ( When it comes to diagnosing problems like this, guessing is maybe not a good idea. I personally check my power cord & 1450 plug temps at least once a month, as preventive maintenance. Electrical connections can degrade over time, I have seen systems operate fine for years, and then succumb to the negative impact of thermal cycling and then things can get ugly fast. )
Second - Measure temps power cord, plug temps after the system has been charging for at least an hour or so at maximum charge rates. As I recall, the charge rate for this system varies and if you check temps at the wrong time, that could lead to some erroneous conclusions. The objective is to measure temps after maximum charging has occurred for a while so you can properly evaluate temp conditions on the components.
Third - What are the proper temps? you will probably get a lot of opinions on this but here are my thoughts: After a year of my own Mach E ownership, temp rises of 10 to 20 degrees above ambient seem to be just fine. In my view, "too hot" is anything over 140 degrees, which is considered scalding temp, i.e. too hot to touch. but consider this. If anything colored black is left in direct sunlight on a 100 degree day, the temp will easily rise to 140 degrees or more.

In general if excessive heat is generated it could be caused by the following:
  • Too much amperage/power draw for the size of the wires. Wire size and length are critical specifications.
  • Poor connections. You could have adequate wire size but bad connections could still still get hot. Also, bad connections can be seen or unseen. I had a molded 1450 plug with a bad internal crimp connection that over heated. The only resolution was replace the plug. You will get lots of opinions regarding the brand and quality of the 1450 plugs/receptacles etc. which is all valid. However, a bad connection ( loose) in a high quality system will still fail. The key factor is the installer and then preventative maintenance.
  • If you measure temps on a "coiled" cord or a cord that has been covered up so heat cannot escape, you will see higher than expected temps. Whenever the system is operating at peek charge, some heat is generated but if the heat cannot be radiated, ( escape) the heat energy will accumulate and temps will rise. Anytime 30 to 40 amps of power is carried by a circuit breaker, wires, power cord or receptacle, some heat will be generated. That is normal.
  • If you are not comfortable/competent with high voltage systems, seek competent professional help immediately. These high voltage charging systems can become very dangerous if they are are compromised. 140 degrees or more now could become a major electrical problem later. If a connection fully degrades and generates sparks the next step is a plasma ball fire, at several thousand degrees and that will cremate anything and everything within close proximity, and the circuit breaker may not even trip. A 50 amp breaker only trips if the current draw exceeds 50 amps. A plasma ball is not necessarily a circuit overload, although in most cases as everything is melting, sooner or later the hot wire shorts to ground, then the breaker will trip, but the damage is already done.
Good luck, stay safe and routinely check temps. A bad connection will tell you in advance that it is failing ( temperature) but the problem is cumulative and will not go away until corrected.
 

azerik

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Sadly anything in my garage for the next 5 months will be sitting at 130ish ambient. Yay AZ.. But it's a dry heat lol....

Lots of good advise here. I'm actually having kind of the same battle but not with the equipment, the car thinks the plug is too hot, which forces the EVSE down to 32amp. Which I kind of like because I don't have to think about playing the amp game to keep things at temp. (Which is actually a bad idea for me. :()
 

Blue highway

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FWIW - on my Grizzle, the source of heat is the pigtale on the Grizzle, not the outlet. Hard wiring would solve this.

I ran it at 40A for ~year, but for me there is no need to run it that hard and at 40A, even a strand of 6Ga wire will be perceptibly warm after a few hours, so will the the breakers in the box. (IR thermometer is a good idea)

I find that 24A more than meets my overnight charging requirements and at this level there is no perceptible heat anywhere.
 

azerik

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I have 5 whole feet of 6awg to my WallConnector. The wire hit 130 the other day at 32 amps for 5 hours, the MCU hit nearly 150, handle was at 125. I had bought it to deliver more power faster, I guess that's only a winter thing for me now.
 

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Also look here:
https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/car-randomly-stops-charging.27358/page-6

I've had a Grillz-E for almost 2 years and placed outside. It's been through 100+ degree temps and no issues. It's hard wired @ 40amps and starting around 4/28 stopped working reliably. I can plug it in, handle gets hot, and it stops anywhere from a couple minutes to an hour of charging.

Others are reporting similar issues. Sure feels like an update messed up the LVL2 protocols.
 

MachLovin

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Hi!

So I’ve run into a bit of a frustrating conundrum with Scotty. One of the reasons I felt comfortable getting him was the house my family lives in coming with a 14-50 outlet in the garage built in during new construction. However, I’m now wondering how great of a perk that was…

After encountering hot plugs while charging and overheating with the FMC, I’ve swapped it out for a classic Grizz EVSE and swapped out the builder grade outlet for a Bryant 14-50 from Grainger. Still had a hot plug while charging occasionally; changed the settings on the Grizz to 32 amps max out of an abundance of caution and have still run into a warmer than desired plug. Now this last time my dad had been charging his Tesla at the 32 amp max to allow me to charge later that evening, but should it still have been warm while charging Scotty after sitting for 40 minutes? Of course I get to hear a little bit of Tesla elitism with that app allowing you to adjust the amps whereas Ford doesn’t; I love how my my baby drives and looks so that’s that. But I am wondering what could be causing this aside from the scary Occam‘s razor answer of wiring not being adequate for the task at hand…

Any suggestions/advice would be gratefully welcomed.
The EV JuiceNet App for the Juice Box 40 Pro i have also allows you to change the amps to your desired level.
 

i8iridium

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I have 5 whole feet of 6awg to my WallConnector. The wire hit 130 the other day at 32 amps for 5 hours, the MCU hit nearly 150, handle was at 125. I had bought it to deliver more power faster, I guess that's only a winter thing for me now.
Which wire? The cable from the EVSE to the car? I hope you're not talking about the wire from the EVSE to the panel. I'm running hardwired 48 amps on 6awg THHN and it doesn't even get warm. The EVSE cable to the car, does for sure though.
 

azerik

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6awg THHN, according to the wall connector (I can't check the wire in the box with a gauge as the unit will power down and it's kind of a PITA to get off the wall so I'm just using what it's telling me from the app.) . It was 102 in the shade. Probably 105+ in the garage. My Breaker box is in west sun so the box was probably well over 120. The EVSE is on the wall on the other side of the box. It's an Arizona thing 🥵 97 outside, near 90 in the garage not charging.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Struggling with overheating… Screenshot 2023-05-15 at 12.00.04 PM
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