Ford Charge Station Pro FCSP steady amber error light when plugged in.

[cdherman]

OK, background.
-- Installed January 2024, 100A service, directly from 200A main. Outdoors. 100A breaker, correct wiring all per install instructions. Polaris splitters.
-- could not get the wifi to connect that day, but it charged fine at 16.8kw or so per the truck display. I was worried the local line feeds were 2 legs of 208 three phase, but I did not have my multimeter with me, so I could not verify.
-- worked fine for 18 months or so, no wifi and as all things are, I never made it back to figure out the 16.8kw charging rate.
-- It still charges fine on other EVSEs, just not the FCSP.

Now:
-- my brother calls me that he's getting a steady amber light and no charge. He finally gets a wifi extender and connects to Ford Pass. "Installation error, contact your installer" Guess that's me.
-- I go out today. Some moisture in bottom of box -- more like condensate. Dryed it out with blow dryer, GENTLY.
-- checked all voltages -- 250 at all points. At 200A breaker, at 100A breaker, and at the lugs in the FCSP
-- killed the current and check torques of lugs. All good. No discoloration or damage either.
-- derated it to "3" and tried to charge. Same error. Unit reverts to solid blues between attempts.
-- tried to charge with a finger on the relays -- both definitely are activating, and the error happens right then.
-- tried the "factory reset" button in the unit. Stayed white afterwards for a long while. We tried to plug in -- usual error, and then back to blue when we unplug.

Not yet tried:
-- I read later that his charge setting have gotten set too low in Ford Pass. We did not check that. BUT, I would think that a factory reset, where Ford Pass is no longer connected would have fixed that.
-- Read later about firmware update. He had the Ford Pass on his phone, and I did not look for that option at the time. Guess we need to reconnect the FCSP to the internet and Ford Pass and find out,

Still unexplained:
-- why was the vehicle reporting 16.8kw charging with a V of 250? Or did the utility fix this from an earlier 208 value? No idea. Anyone can explain? I *should* have went back to figured this out at the time, but you know the saying "Let a sleeping dog lay".....

Tomorrow we will reconnect to Ford Pass and explore the firmware thing. After that I fear its a call to Ford. Does this thing have a warranty? Installed by an un-licensed installer? Worried.....

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[The Weatherman]

That’s all I got ?‍

 

[Aminorjourney]

First, there is a *known* problem with these units that sounds familiar. You'll need Ford to do a remote diagnosis, or at least, escalate it up the chain. Hopefully @Ford Motor Company can help?
I'm on my... second or third board, I think.

If you'd prefer NOT to do that, and you're happy with a computer, using a tool like @ericpullen's fcsp-api might be a way to use python to interrogate the charger's data locally. I don't know if anyone has packaged that up as a web site yet, but actually, that might be a good idea!

As for the voltage, remember that US power can vary from the standard voltage of 240 V split (+ or -5%), so 250 V might be occasionally viewed.

Also, remember that what the truck reports internally and what the charger consumes will differ. The charging stations (or rather the on-board charger) aren't 100% efficient. 16.8-17 kW sounds *about right* per my experiences. Obviously, one way to check is to get a current clamp and measure the current on one of the legs (or if you can, both, one after the other).

I see you're in Kanas, which I'm going to assume is dealing with the extreme heat and humidity, which would tie in with your report of moisture. Maybe it's just too hot and humid? Last year, when one of my failures took place, it happened during hot weather. The unit just refused to charge, but was okay when it was cooler. Turns out it was something on its way out internally.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Is your wifi signal to the FCSP still a temporary situation, ideally that needs to be available overnight when the unit tries to phone home for any required firmware updates which might have been missed since original install, extreme heat might be worse than prior years when all was working flawlessly.

Ford Pass, "Charging Station" / Setup / Try to get that maximum rate set back to 80 amps, and power cycle the FCSP after making the change requests, hopefully the "Yellow" signal is more about the software derating than a heat induced derating.

 

[cdherman]

Well apparently wifi was up for last week or so. Till I hit the factory reset button today. If the updates are "automatic" then that bodes ill.....

As for hot/humid. Yes and yes. Though this time of year in western KS its mostly hot. But I think some water had egress to the lower case via the AC connection . I drilled a new entry exactly where the install manual suggested and used water tight flex fittings. Back in Jan of 24. They seemed a tad loose today, to be honest.

We shall see. Good to hear comments that the trucks report of 16.6kw (cannot remember for exact) might be within normal.. Yes, USA grid tends to be in the 247 - 249 range in Kansas City. Could be they are running even hotter in western KS. I don't really think the 250v thing is the cause, only that it seemed really weird that the truck was not seeing 19.2kw........

Edit: The truck is halfway to Denver in rural mid/western KS. Not Kansas City. It started in KC, but has since moved. I should just change my sig, but anyhow.......

 

[TaxmanHog]

Well apparently wifi was up for last week or so. Till I hit the factory reset button today. If the updates are "automatic" then that bodes ill.....

No worries, RESET does not undo any potential firmware revisions, it only resets the network configuration details.

 

[chl]

"Installation error, contact your installer" seems like you need a new FCSP to me with no charging happening, if wire size is correct and torque is correct, and the dial inside the FCSP is set for the max current,

Your original 84% of the 19.2kW seems a bit low to be "normal," I generally see more like 94% efficiency, but I charge at 48A x 240VAC (11.52kW) and my garage does not get as hot as the outdoors when I charge (overnight).

But ambient temperature will definitely have an effect on the sensed temperature leading to a current reduction.

So maybe 84% was normal for the ambient temperature in your area as previous post noted?

The truck could also reduce charge rate if the battery and charging circuitry are warmer than its threshold setting. I always let let my truck cool down for a few hours before starting charging.

I always see the blue and amber lights because I charge at 48A (SR battery system) although wired and dial set for 80A.

 

[cdherman]

Thanks for all the insights. We cannot seem to see any options to have the firmware updated. My brother reconnected to the wifi last night. I found the Ford LCSP warranty webpage. Says it has a 2 year warranty. Of course the small print says it has to be installed by a licensed electrician too. But perhaps if I sound competent, they will work with me. I am not sure there is a licensed electrician within 60 miles of where the Lightning in now.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Thanks for all the insights. We cannot seem to see any options to have the firmware updated. My brother reconnected to the wifi last night. I found the Ford LCSP warranty webpage. Says it has a 2 year warranty. Of course the small print says it has to be installed by a licensed electrician too. But perhaps if I sound competent, they will work with me. I am not sure there is a licensed electrician within 60 miles of where the Lightning in now.

Hello, The Charging team would like to help investigate this, can you send me a DM with your Charge Station ID. Make sure to keep your Charge Station Pro online for it to receive updates and for the team to help with diagnosing it.

 

[cdherman]

I got ahold of someone at the BEV and they took the information. Case is pending decision regarding replacement of the unit.

 

[chl]

Thanks for all the insights. We cannot seem to see any options to have the firmware updated. My brother reconnected to the wifi last night. I found the Ford LCSP warranty webpage. Says it has a 2 year warranty. Of course the small print says it has to be installed by a licensed electrician too. But perhaps if I sound competent, they will work with me. I am not sure there is a licensed electrician within 60 miles of where the Lightning in now.

I bought mine (new in box on eBay) in Jan 2024, installed in June 2024, had old software and firmware, no way to update it manually as far as I could tell, setup app was a pain, finally got it to connect to wifi but would not add the FCSP to FordPass (last step) but it charged the truck so I stopped trying for a while.

Then months later out of the blue one day for the heck of it I tried the set-up app again and it completed the adding to FordPass - I checked the software and firmware versions and it had silently updated them.

I noticed the licensed electrician language too.
When I had the software issue and called the customer help line, they did ask about that.

Maybe if it passes a local inspection that would suffice/satisfy the warranty requirement since that will confirm it was installed correctly with the correct breaker, wire, conduit, torquing etc. which is all the electrician would do in essence?

That warranty language's intent is intended to inform you that it would not cover damage due to an incorrect installation using undersized breaker, wire, or mis-torquing, etc. (my interpretation anyway).

Good luck.

 

[cdherman]

I bought mine (new in box on eBay) in Jan 2024, installed in June 2024, had old software and firmware, no way to update it manually as far as I could tell, setup app was a pain, finally got it to connect to wifi but would not add the FCSP to FordPass (last step) but it charged the truck so I stopped trying for a while.

Then months later out of the blue one day for the heck of it I tried the set-up app again and it completed the adding to FordPass - I checked the software and firmware versions and it had silently updated them.

I noticed the licensed electrician language too.
When I had the software issue and called the customer help line, they did ask about that.

Maybe if it passes a local inspection that would suffice/satisfy the warranty requirement since that will confirm it was installed correctly with the correct breaker, wire, conduit, torquing etc. which is all the electrician would do in essence?

That warranty language's intent is intended to inform you that it would not cover damage due to an incorrect installation using undersized breaker, wire, or mis-torquing, etc. (my interpretation anyway).

Good luck.

The person I spoke with at Ford, who filled out some "form" and promised they would get back to me did not seem to dwell on "licensed electrician". I informed her that my brother had me do the installation since I am "experienced". Which is very much the truth. The form asked questions about wiring and amperage of the breaker, and since I copied the Ford installation recommendations verbatim, I would hope we are OK.

She was able to report back to me that firmware was up to date. So the automatic update seems to have happened. Otherwise it would have had 2023 firmware.

In the meantime, the lightning charges at an Emporia 48A and a Juicebox 40A without problems. I cannot test the FCSP since I know of no other vehicle in the area with a CCS connector. I *HAD* been tempted to saw off DC pins on the FCSP. Thus making it J1772 only. We will never do the vehicle to home backup for sure. Darn glad I didn't do that now in retrospect. Firgure that would have voided the warranty!!!!

I drive a RAV4 PHEV out there so I can test J1772 charging......

 

[chl]

The person I spoke with at Ford, who filled out some "form" and promised they would get back to me did not seem to dwell on "licensed electrician". I informed her that my brother had me do the installation since I am "experienced". Which is very much the truth. The form asked questions about wiring and amperage of the breaker, and since I copied the Ford installation recommendations verbatim, I would hope we are OK.

She was able to report back to me that firmware was up to date. So the automatic update seems to have happened. Otherwise it would have had 2023 firmware.

In the meantime, the lightning charges at an Emporia 48A and a Juicebox 40A without problems. I cannot test the FCSP since I know of no other vehicle in the area with a CCS connector. I *HAD* been tempted to saw off DC pins on the FCSP. Thus making it J1772 only. We will never do the vehicle to home backup for sure. Darn glad I didn't do that now in retrospect. Firgure that would have voided the warranty!!!!

I drive a RAV4 PHEV out there so I can test J1772 charging......

Well I hope they figure it out, but my guess is a warranty replacement on the FCSP since the truck seems to be working fine.

I would guess that the moisture inside the FCSP damaged some part of the communication components so that even though you have power to the FCSP from your house. If the communication between the truck and the FCSP is wrong, the FCSP will not start the charging.

Did you check the wires to the circuit board from the CCS cord? That would be the easiest thing to fix. If the moisture fried some integrated circuit, not easy to repair.

As for the J1772 only, some folks have used a J1772 extension cable (for correct amperage) and trimmed a bit of plastic off it so it fits the CCS, Works fine with the Lightning, with some Tesla's it won't.

 

[chl]

Maybe you already did these but....

If you can, check the wires to the circuit board from the CCS cord and plug pins for continuity and a good connection at the FCSP board terminals, with power off of course.

If the torquing on the CCS wires at the board is loose, that could have been the reason for a reduction in current because that would generate heat.

Check the CCS cord and plug for an damage as well - a continuity check of each of the wires should show that if not visible on the outside.

Check the CCS plug pins for corrosion. If in a moist environment, that could happen. There are contact cleaners you could buy to fix that (WD40 makes one).

 

[TaxmanHog]

Reminder, CCS circuits on the FCSP are only actively carrying current when the HIS is configured into the system and Home Backup energy is flowing from the battery.

Otherwise, the AC current conductors are only active while in charging mode, of course, the issue of heat on the PC board or at the head of the CC1/J1772 combo could be an issue due to ages/worn poor connection to truck port or the PC board.

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