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PEM, motor gets too hot -- fans failed

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Eberhard

#421 Model S #S32
Oct 17, 2010
1,149
11
Germany
Does some other owner has problem with teh PEM, shuting down because fan does not work. I have my new roadster 3 weeks. one week ago after traveling through havy snowfall. I recharged my car through the night. text day, after driving for 10minutes i got the error message #1144. I was already on my way to Zürich. the message popped up serveral times until it got steady. 300m away from the Tesla Store, the System shuted down the entire system because of overheating of the drive drain". I managed to get the last distance to the Tesla store, whrer they replaced the PEm`s cooling fan, because of well known contact problems. But one week later, same happend again.
I could restart the fan by advice of the german service manager. I managed to reach home. After 2 hours, i managed to start to charge the batterie. The fan seemed to work again. Next day, i drove 80km but then again, error message #1144. But this time i didnt manage to restart the fan. i called my wife to pick me up and to wait until the PEM is cooled of.
anyone with same expirience?

Eberhard
#421
 
I opened the back cover and checked the fan. After knocking against the fan with a screwdriver, it started to turn. it seems he was clampted by the wet and icy driving condition in the winter cold.
I will get a new fan to replace this one.
 
I have had my fans replaced twice (first after 5000km and then after 12000km). Now I'm at 25000km, winter again and salty roads....
This is a known issue and Tesla is working on a permanent solution, I've been told.
 
If only IceCap made fans in that size...

(IceCap makes equipment for aquarium hobbyists, including salt-water hardened fans for ventilation - the ones in our tank in the sump area - think 80 degrees with salt crusting everywhere - lasted about 4 years before even starting to fail).
 
The new fan is working fine. The old one was quite rosty, but i didnt found something wich may block the rotor. it turns as easily like the new one. But i cannot understand, that all the rust could happen within one week only? Now my motor is getting quite hot. second yellow field but i was only running with 20-30kw. not enough cooling air?, will my motor-blower fail too? it is the same model like the blower for the PEM.
 
Hot Motor

Today i rode a little bit faster than usual, but within 30kW range not faster than 140km/h. the indicator went into the yellow zone. After leaving the autobahn i slowed down into the 200W/km range but even then the indicator rose to yellow 2. after having problems with the air-blower for the PEM I fear similar problems with the identical blower for the motor. Did someone have similar experience. OutsideTemperature was around zero celsius. Eberhard
 
http://www.teslamotors.com/enthusiasts/blog/3807
# Iz wrote on April 30th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
## Battery issues notwithstanding, EVs appear to have very little mechanical troubles.
{I replied}
...The AC induction motors used to drive many EVs seem to be highly reliable.
D/C motors used in pumps and fans do wear out after a while.
...
Overall reliability is only as good as the weakest link. It is a shame when the accessory items are the trouble spot.
At least they aren't too costly to fix, and don't require tearing much apart to replace.
The above was just a general comment about components in general. I have not heard of other owners running into multiple fan failures so soon after taking delivery.

By the way, slightly ironically, I notice that my "Tesla Fan" logo icon stops spinning on this forum sometimes.

(Local GIF animation playback issue with some browsers I guess.)



 
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Now i got the #1144 error-message again. I already received a new blower for the engine, maybe i will swap for the PEM instead. I only wonder, why those error only appear at temperature below -5° Celsius together with snow and salt-wet streets?. Is something wrong with those blowers in general?
I know: "it never rains (snows) in southern california!"
 
today I have to add : me too
nearly same conditions, A61, snow fall, wet, -2C°. After parking and charging the car for about 4 hours => ID1144 +
ID 269 and shut down while driving slowly.
I was able to drive my car to my hotel, for now the error vanished, but I'm sure it will come back
@eberhard : Is your problem finally solved ? what was the solution ?
 
i carry a spare blower with me. i left germany 2 weeks ago to see elon musk and JB Straubel in Milan. then i drove to Spain. Just before Valencia the same. on the autovia i have to push from underneath, where the blower sits and he started to spin again. was fine for 2000km but now i just passed Geneve and its raining and snowing now. think will not take long now.
on saturday i will charge my car in munic in the teslastore. hope they can check it.
 
Geez guys, we here in Canada drive in these conditions all of the time...I've never seen an error message.

Just curious, how far are you driving before you get these error mesages? (I'm only averaging about 40 kms / day).

My daily average is > 150 km and today 360 km, odometer about 16.500 km, my guess, Eberhard is in the same range or more

and yes I would fully understand if you as Canadian would call me a wimp :smile: