HPWC Red Light of Death Repair

[SDRick]

My Gen 2 HPWC is about five years old so outside of the warranty. I have read all the threads and videos attempting to repair the unit.

I have tried various solutions with limited success. Early on I would receive the red light once or twice per year. Currently there are times where I cannot get it to charge it all immediately going to red as soon as it is plugged into the car. Leaving the main breaker off between charges seems to help some.

Has anyone figured out what component(s) fails causing this condition?

 

[Vinny20040_0]

Typically it is the solenoid, Curtis Albright SW82-312. Unfortunately, most part numbers correlate to the entire contactor/solenoid assembly which equates to $60-$80 when it is normally just the solenoid (top half of the assembly) that is the issue.

 

[SDRick]

in my case, I do not believe it is the relay or solenoid at the top of the unit. Tesla diagnosis was some kind of ground fault but did not elaborate.

I have definitely noticed a correlation with ambient temperature. If the unit is under 65°F it seems to work fine. Anything over 75° begins to be problematic. Cooling the unit down on warm days helps. The hottest spot on a warm day is only about 120° near the large capacitor on the left. I have tried spraying electronics Freon in various parts but does not seem to help for very long.

As I said, on cooler days under 65° I do not seem to get the red light of death. Anybody have ideas or suggestions on diagnosis of the solenoid or other component that could be causing this issue? I would hate to landfill the unit if it's just a intermittent component failure.