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110 Volt plug reset button broken... Can't charge. Help fixing it questions...

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TOBASH

Member
Supporting Member
So, this morning I noticed my roadster was not charging. I assumed that it was because it automatically turned off when full.... Newbie error. I was wrong.

I tried to plug in today. Won't charge. Power to charger is fine as there is an LED in the wire from the outlet to the charger plug that glows yellow when plugged in.

I looked at the plug and the Tesla plug green LED light is not on. I pressed reset and click, but immediate green light off. Green LED light won't stay on.

I unplugged the Tesla from the Roadster side and re-tried the wall socket side... No go.

I noticed the plug was warm, but not hot.

I placed the plug in the freezer, and then retried when the plug was cold... No good. The reset button will not remain engaged. There is a click, a flash of green, then back to off/black.

I opened the plug and noticed there are only 3 wires corresponding to 3 A/C wires. Two hot wires and one green ground.

So can I replace the Tesla 110 volt end of the plug with an aftermarket 3 prong 110 Volt plug from say...Home Despot?

Has anyone else had this issue?

Real time issue. I hope I can get some quick responses.

Thanks in advance,

TOBASH
 
You can absolutely cut the GFCI end off the end and use a standard 3-prong outlet from a hardware store. Many of us have done that for the exact reason you describe (and also so the plug is smaller to fit into more outlets). No worries. It will work just fine.

And just to be precise there's only one hot wire since it's 120V. It's 1 hot, 1 neutral, and 1 ground. But yeah, just use the other plug as a template to connect the right wires to the new plug and bob's your uncle.
 
So, I didn't know Home Despot opened at 6AM. I got there early, swapped in a new 15 amp 110 Volt plug, and I bought a separate 15 amp GCFI.

Now my Roadster is back to charging like a champ. Cost was less than $20.

Thanks to STRIDER, and thanks to the BB.

Best,

T

EDIT - I will post pics later for documentation purposes for the next owner with the same problem
 
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Thank you for the info. We had the exact same problem today and swapped out the plug. The car is back to charging now.

We were panicking about what to do. We just moved, no 220, and Tesla is out of stock on the 110 charging cords. So thanks everyone!
 
Thank you for the info. We had the exact same problem today and swapped out the plug. The car is back to charging now.

We were panicking about what to do. We just moved, no 220, and Tesla is out of stock on the 110 charging cords. So thanks everyone!

Awesome that you were able to fix.

Such a stupid little piece causes such a huge amount of stress.

Best and good luck with the new digs.

T
 
My unit also died the other day, water entered the unit due to cracked plastic post (likely from dropping it).

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Like OP I just replaced the end with another plug (non GFCI), works fine also less heat generated at this point, confirmed with FLIR camera.
 
For added safety you would want a GFI plug. They are only a couple of dollars more and just as easy to install. My GFI went out and I replaced with a similar GFI plug.

I agree, but I've also heard that putting two GFI plugs in series can be a problem (false tripping). With everything accessible outdoors being GFI'd already (e.g. garage and patio plugs), putting one on the Roadster cord shouldn't really be needed.

What I did was to get a heavy duty 15' extension cord, and swapped the ends, so the Roadster has the standard plug, and the extension the GFI. If I need the extension cord, I'm more likely attaching to an unusual plug, and to also need the GFI. At least, that's the logic...
 
I agree, but I've also heard that putting two GFI plugs in series can be a problem (false tripping). With everything accessible outdoors being GFI'd already (e.g. garage and patio plugs), putting one on the Roadster cord shouldn't really be needed.

What I did was to get a heavy duty 15' extension cord, and swapped the ends, so the Roadster has the standard plug, and the extension the GFI. If I need the extension cord, I'm more likely attaching to an unusual plug, and to also need the GFI. At least, that's the logic...

To my surprise I have not had an issue with the Roadster GFI plugged into a GFI outlet. And while all outdoor plugs SHOULD be GFI I have found MANY out East that are not. But I can also say I have rarely had a problem with shocking either.
 
Just moved from my old place where I had the 220v. Never used the 120v. Moved to a place I don't know, so rented until I know it better, and don't want to waste good money giving the landlord an RV nema to use my UMC here.

Long story short, sold the car. And of course, per murphy's law, on the last charge before it hits closed transport, my 120v cable started futzing, and clearly, it's going to fail. Failing after less than six total uses. Good Lord.

Pretty much, thanks for the discussion and instructions for turning Tesla's obvious "design defect" cable into a superior cable with the same GCFI test and reset functionality.

FWLIW, I preferred amazon one day delivery to what I have local, so if parts arrive before transpo does, I'll fix it and give the new owner a "TMC improved" functional cable. If, however, the parts arrive after the car is gone, thereby depriving me the ability to test it, I'll pass the parts onto the new owner, with the great instructions from these threads. Easy fix, as you guys obviously know.

I wish Tesla's cable that costs 500% what it should, actually worked, but let's face it, they're design defective, and an #epicfail.

thanks, guys.

best,

sterling