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Renault Zoe – R240 milling sound

R240 is a newer generation drivetrain that many of us have been eagerly awaiting outside of the warranty period to see what fails on the air-cooled electric motor and the transmission differential. Two years ago, we received the first call from Varaždin regarding an EQ 453 Čmart, reporting that the motor had started milling and that the warranty claim was denied. The price of a new motor with replacement was around €4000, with only 90,000 km driven. At first, this seemed unusual for such a low mileage, but on the other hand, it wasn’t surprising considering it’s a French factory defect powertrain from the Renault Cléon factory, as if it was designed by some straight pipe, turbo diesel, DPF off, EGR off, EV-hating engineer, where not a single component was intended to be serviced or repaired (apparently, they haven’t heard of the Balkans). They even managed to fit brushes on the rotor of the three-phase motor for exciting the windings, so that there’s something to wear out. This is probably the only electric drivetrain on the planet that is both the worst and the most expensive.

For any operation on the drivetrain, the entire assembly must be removed from the vehicle. This is the first time we’re repairing the buzzing and turning defect in the drivetrain, and the restoration process is relatively straightforward. The procurement of parts, bearings, seals, and other materials is a slightly more complicated part, as one particular bearing on the jacksaft extension in the gearbox is produced by only one company in France. Fortunately, Lageros had one in stock specifically for this project.

In addition to the mentioned Smart from Varaždin and this Zoe from Slovenia, we have received several inquiries from Germany, Slovenia, and Norway on similar car mileage arround 100000km, but we haven’t had the opportunity to work on one yet. This particular case was successfully resolved at 1/4 of the cost of an authorized service at 118,000 km. The largest expense was the time required for disassembly and reassembly, followed by the cost of parts. In some cases, if there is turning and material wear in the differential, it may result in the wearing of the differential gears, where even after the complete drivetrain repair, a slight buzzing noise may remain, which is transmitted into the cabin. Gear replacement is not possible as they are not available, but in such cases, the entire restoration is still usable for the next 100,000 km until the next restoration.

It is strongly recommended to address any buzzing or turning sounds from the electric drivetrain immediately to prevent further damage.

HRVATSKI:

Renault Zoe – R240 pogon novije generacije koji već dugo iščekujemo izvan garancije da vidimo što to odlazi na zračno hladjenom elektromotoru a što na prijenosnom diferencijalu. Prije 2 godine prvi poziv smo dobili iz Varaždina za EQ 453 Čmart da je motor počeo zujati i da nisu prihvatili garanciju a cijena novog motora sa izmjenom je bila oko 4000€ na prijedjenih 90000km. Sto je na prvu čudno za tako malan broj kilometara ali na drugu i nije čudno jer to je francuski škart pogon iz Renault Cléon tvornice kojeg kao da je dizajnirao neki strejt pajp turbo dizel dpfoff egroff EV hejter inženjer gdje niti jedna komponenta nije osmišljena da se servisira i popravlja (valjda nisu čuli za balkan) gdje su na trofazni motor uspjeli uglaviti i četkice na rotoru za pobudu namotaja da se ima šta trošiti. Ovo je vjerovatno jedini električni pogon na kugli zemaljskoj koji najgori i najskuplji. Za svaku operaciju na pogonu, kompletan pogon se mora vaditi vani iz vozila. Na ovom prvi put repariramo defekt zujanja i tokarenja u pogonu i što se tiče same restaturacije proces je poprilično jednostavan. Nabava dijelova, lezajeva, brtvi i ostalog materijala je malo kompliciraniji dio jer na jacksaft produžetku rotora u mjenjaču jedan ležaj ne proizvodi nitko osim jedne firme u Francuskoj. Imali smo sreću da je Lageros imao na stanju jedan baš za ovaj projekat. Osim ovog spomenutog Smarta iz Varaždina i ovog Zoe iz Slovenije, imali smo nekoliko upita iz Njemačke, Slovenije, Norveške ali nismo imali priliku da i radimo na jednom. Ovaj je uspješno riješen za 1/4 troška ovlaštenog servisa na 118000km, najveci trosak je vrijeme demontaže i montaže a zatim trošak dijelova. U nekim slučajevima ako dodje do tokarenja i trosenja materijala u diferencijala, može se desiti da dodje do trošenja zubi diferencijala gdje i nakon reparacije cijelog pogona i dalje ostane manji zvuk zujanja zubi koji se prenosi u kabinu. Izmjena zubčanika nije moguća jer ih nema u nabavi, ali u tom slucaju kompletne restauracije cak iako ostane zujanje zubčanika cijeli sustav je realno upotrebljiv narednih 100000km do sledece restauracije. Svakako je preporuka da se svaki zvuk zujanja i tokarenja iz električnog pogona otkloni odmah kako nebi doslo do veće štete.

SLOVENSKI:


Renault Zoe – R240 je pogon nove generacije, ki smo ga že dolgo čakali, a je zunaj garancije, da vidimo, kaj odpove na zračno hlajenem elektromotorju in kaj na prenosnem diferencialu. Pred 2 letoma smo prejeli prvi klic iz Varaždina za EQ 453 Čmart, da se je motor začel ropotati, vendar garancije niso sprejeli, cena novega motorja z zamenjavo pa je bila približno 4000 € pri prevoženih 90000 km. Na prvi pogled je to nenavadno za tako majhno število prevoženih kilometrov, vendar pa na drugi strani tudi ni presenetljivo, saj je to francoski slabo narejen pogon iz Renaultove tovarne Cléon, ki ga je oblikoval nek strejt pajp turbo dizel dpfoff egroff EV sovražni inženir, pri čemer nobena komponenta ni bila zasnovana za servisiranje in popravilo (verjetno niso slišali za Balkan), kjer so uspeli v trifazni motor vgraditi še ščetke na rotorju za vzbujevalno navijanje, da se ima kaj za obrabiti. To je verjetno edini električni pogon na svetu, ki je najslabši in najdražji. Za vsak poseg na pogonu je treba celoten pogon odstraniti iz vozila. Tokrat prvič popravljamo okvaro ropotanja in vibriranja pogona, kar se tiče same restavracije, je postopek precej preprost. Težje je pridobiti dele, ležaje, tesnila in drugi material, ker nihče ne proizvaja enega ležaja, ki ga potrebujemo za ta projekt, razen enega podjetja v Franciji. Imeli smo srečo, da je Lageros imel na zalogi enega ravno za ta projekt. Poleg omenjenega Smarta iz Varaždina in tega Zoeja iz Slovenije smo prejeli nekaj povpraševanj iz Nemčije, Slovenije, Norveške, vendar nismo imeli priložnosti delati na nobenem od njih. Ta primer smo uspešno rešili za 1/4 stroška pooblaščenega servisa pri 118000 km, največji strošek je čas demontaže in montaže, nato pa strošek delov. V nekaterih primerih, če pride do vibriranja in obrabe materiala v diferencialu, se lahko zgodi, da pride do obrabe zobnikov diferenciala, pri čemer kljub popravilu celotnega pogona še vedno ostane manjši zvok ropotanja zobnikov, ki se prenaša v kabino. Zamenjava zobnikov ni mogoča, saj jih ni na voljo, vendar je v tem primeru celoten sistem dejansko uporaben še naslednjih 100000 km do naslednje restavracije. Vsekakor je priporočljivo, da se vsak zvok ropotanja in vibriranja v električnem pogonu odpravi takoj, da ne pride do večje škode.

Fault: Grinding, milling, buzzing
Part numbers: R290106596R, 290H88657R, 290H20130R, 290628587R, 290103231R, 296053480R,
OEM Renault: 3500€ + Tax
EV Clinic: 1100€ + Tax

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Tesla S/X PTC Cabin Heater

A ceramic heater that warms the vehicle during winter, mostly used in older EVs while newer ones have a more efficient heat pump system. This heater operates at a maximum power of 2.5-3.5 kW and consumes an average of around 1 kW for maintenance while stationary, which means that during winter, an EV with a 70 kWh battery could run the heater and heat the cabin for a maximum of 70 hours, although in practice it’s around 48 hours. The heater consists of 6 IGBTs that, through gate drivers, supply 400V to the ceramic heater, which blows air through it and heats the cabin. Since IGBTs, like any other chip, have a limited lifespan, especially under extreme stress, they can simply fail after 4-5 years. Sometimes a short circuit to the chassis causes insulation breakdown in the HV system, and other times the fuse in the distribution box burns out (which requires breaking your hand in three places and losing a set of tools to replace it). One of the simpler repairs, if the components are available and genuine (not AliExpress clones). In Tesla service, this part is actually surprisingly inexpensive, around €750 when new, although Tesla has the cheapest parts compared to the global competition. For example, the PTC heater in a Mercedes Smart costs over €2000. Even some fossil fuel-powered vehicles have 12V Aux PTC heaters, like VW Audi TDI.

HRVATSKI:

Keramicki grijač koji zimi grije vozilo, većinom korišten na starijim EV dok novi imaju efikasniju dizalicu topline (heat pump system). Ovaj radi max na 2.5-3.5kw snage, dok na odrzavanje trosi u prosjeku u mjestu oko 1kw sto znaci da bi zimi EV od 70kwh baterijom mogao stajati u mjestu i grijati kabinu max 70 sati dok u praksi je to oko 48 sati. Grijač ima 6 IGBT-a koji preko gate drivera otvaraju 400V na keramicki grijac dok zrak upuhuje kroz njega i grije kabinu. S obzirom da IGBT ima broj radnih sati kao i svaki čip, pogotovo ovaj koji je pod ekstremnim stresom, jednostavno otkaže u odredjenom momentu nakon 4-5 godina. Nekad kratak spoj na sasiju napravi pa imaš proboj HV izolacije a nekad izgori i osigurač u razvodnoj kutiji (kojeg da bi zamjenuo moras slomiti ruku na 3 mjesta i izgubiti set gedori). Jedan od jednostavnijih reparacija ako su komponente dobavljive i original ( ne aliexpress cloneri ) . Dio je inače smješno jeftin u Tesla servisu i nov, cca 750€, mada Tesla ima najeftinije sve dijelove od cijele globalne konkurencije. Recimo Mercedes Smart PTC heater košta preko 2000€. Čak i neki fosilci imaju 12V PTC Heater kao VW Audi TDI.

Errors: THC_d0015, THC_w0112, THC_w0238, THC_w0220,

Tesla OEM: 750€

EV Clinic : 300€ + fuse 50€

Part number: 1060432-00-C, 6007385-00-F, 1028985-00-A,

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Opel Ampera 2013 – Neglected omission on coolant sensor

An electric vehicle with a built-in Range Extender or hybrid system, also known as the REX (Range Extender) system. Trolls mock it because it involves both electricity and an petrol generator. Although we’ve been “loving” hybrids for a long time and praising them every day because we live off sponsors (like most drivers and journalists, praising everything that’s flawed), we have to admit that the REX system is the only one that makes sense. You don’t have a gearbox, you don’t have a clutch, or 10 other unnecessary transmission components because you already have an electric drive; you just add a small 1.4-liter gasoline engine to work as a generator and recharge the battery only when necessary or when more power is needed. Opel, or rather GM, did this better than any “Made in EU” hybrid junk with a range of about 70 km. But GM, like any legacy manufacturer, has to complicate things, like the situation with the well-known coolant level sensor problem, which has two submerged electrodes and measures resistance through the glycol (24kOhm). The P0AA6 error is a generic insulation breakdown error that causes the system to deactivate charging on Type 1, which is not the primary problem (the car still drives) because it seems that the system checks if there is an insulation breakdown in the HV system through that sensor. No one predicted that the sensor would be faulty and that it would trigger a false positive insulation breakdown error. But that’s not the whole issue; it seems that consecutive insulation checks through that sensor activate either a bug or a feature, the P1FFF error, which permanently damages the firmware in the HPCM2 module, where the error remains permanently locked. You have an error indicating an insulation problem, and the system occasionally shows 0 and 240 kOhm in the parameters, which obviously confirms that there is something wrong with the wiring or component. So, we measure everything one by one for 15 working hours, almost even removing and opening the battery because we realized that it seems normal for it to throw 300V to the chassis on the service fuse. After a few days of measurement exorcism, we fail to clear the error and resolve the charging issue. Even parallel checks with the same functioning vehicle don’t help us figure out why. Then, lost in the depths of the internet, we found a recommendation to reprogram the HPCM2 module using the original GDS2 tis2web tool. And unbelievably, programming solved the problem that we’ve been struggling with for days. It’s a classic story well known to mechanic colleagues, where the carelessness of legacy manufacturers, who poorly solved the software, causes the module to throw an error that leads in the wrong direction. You end up replacing half the parts just to maybe figure out where the problem might be. You spend hours and hundreds of euros, and then some Socrates would say that the mechanic is not good or doesn’t know what he’s doing. There are more and more of these phantom errors and problems in diesel/benzin EU vehicles, with some cars having over 20 errors that lead to misguided repairs.

HRVATSKI:

Opel Ampera 2013 – Električno vozilo sa ugradjenim Agregatom ili hybrid a neki ga zovu REX sustav (Range extender) a trolovi sline jer se spominje struja i agregat. Iako “volimo” hybride odmilja i hvalimo ih svaki dan jer od sponzora zivimo (kao vecina automobilista i novinara, hvalis sve sto nevalja) moramo priznati da REX sustav jedini ima smisla, nemas mjenjaca, nemas lamele i 10 drugih nepotrebnih komponenti prijenosa jer vec imas elektropogon, samo stavis 1.4 mali benzinac da radi kao agregat i dopunjuje bateriju samo ako mora ili ako fali snage. Opel, tj GM je ovo bolje napravio nego bilo što od Made in EU hybrid škarta, sa dometom od oko 70km. Ali GM kao i svaki legacy mora zakomplicirati nešto kao situaciju sa vrlo poznatim problemom senzora nivoa antifriza u boci, koji ima utopljene dviie elektrode i mjeri otpor kroz glikol. Greška P0AA6 je genericka greska direktnog proboja izolacije zbog koje sustav deaktivira punjenje na Type1 što ne primarni problem (auto vozi), jer izgleda preko tog senzora sustav provjerava je li probija i HV sustav. Nitko nije predvidio da će senzor biti neispravan i da ce to opaliti false positive gresku proboja izolacije. Ali nije sav vrag u tome, izgleda uzastopne provjere izolacije preko tog senzora aktiviraju ili bug ili feature P1FFF grešku koja trajno osteti firmware u HPCM2 modulu gdje greška ostaje zaključana trajno. Imaš grešku koja kaže da je problem izolacije, cak sustav u parametrima pokazuje povremeno 0 i 240kOhm, sto naravno potvrdi da nesto ne valja na ožičenju ili komponenti pa onda kao mi sve redom mjerite 15 radnih sati, skoro smo i bateriju skidali i otvorili jer ona (skuzili da je to izgleda normalno) na service fuse baca na sasiju 300V.

Nakon par dana egzorcizma mjerenja ne uspjevamo izbrisati grešku i ne uspjevamo riješiti punjenje i paralelne provjere sa istim ispravnim drugim vozilom ne uspjevamo skužiti zašto, da bi u bespuću interneta našli preporuku da naprogramiramo HPCM2 modul original GDS2 tis2web alatom. I nevjerovatno, programiranje riješilo problem oko kojeg se vrtimo danima. Klasična priča vrlo poznata kolegama mehaničarima gdje šlampavost legacy proizvodjaca koji su nakaradno riješili software, modul izbaci gresku koja odvede u pogrešnom smjeru gdje moras mjenjati pola dijelova da bi skuzio uopce gdje bi mozda mogao biti problem, potrosis sati i stotine eura da bi jos neki sokrat rekao kako majstor nevalja ili nezna. Takvih fantomskih gresaka i problema na dizel/benzin EU vozilima je sve više i više, neka vozila imaju i preko 20 gresaka koje vode u pogresnom smjeru reparaciju.

Errors: P0AA6, P1FFF, P1E00, 24042130, 24042130,

Battery price: EOL , not possible to buy 30000€

OEM Workshop: unknown, not supported

EV Clinic: 600€ (mlada obitelj sa bebom, popust)