Pro power onboard died on first use! (update: fixed by 12v reboot)

[HaroldCal]

So I went to rescue my son today, and it didn't go as planned.

He drives a 2015 BMW i3, and he let his battery get a little too low. I went to rescue him, and provide him some charge to get him a couple miles down the road. We plugged his L1 EVSE into the tailgate port. (yeah, I know, but I don't yet have an adapter for the 14-30 twist lock)

This worked for like 20 mins, but then errored out with this error. Now the rear won't turn back on. I CAN turn the frunk ProPower on, and it doesn't complain. So I'm guessing that the inverter that feeds the rear is toast.

Damn, that was almost cool. So here I sit, waiting for the tow truck to come get my sons car. ?

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[data003]

There is a possibility if you disconnect, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect the 12v battery it’ll work again.

 

[Maxx]

I thought there are two inverters. One for 240 and one 2.4 KW far all the 120s. Not sure about this but I think it is just a switch that does not want to turn on or a fuse somewhere. All just a guess. Please keep us posted when resolved what it was and how it was fixed.

 

[Blainestang]

I assume you tried pushing the fuse button, yes? I assume that's not it based on the wording of the notice on the screen, but worth a shot.

 

[biers]

I thought there are two inverters. One for 240 and one 2.4 KW far all the 120s. Not sure about this but I think it is just a switch that does not want to turn on or a fuse somewhere. All just a guess. Please keep us posted when resolved what it was and how it was fixed.

There are three inverters, all 120v. One 20A (2.4kW) for the frunk/cab and two 30A (7.2kW total) for the rear. The 30A 240 plug pulls from the two rear inverters. So if you are pulling a full 30A @240 charging someone else and still need to use something on 120, you’ll need to do it from the frunk/cab.

 

[HaroldCal]

I assume you tried pushing the fuse button, yes? I assume that's not it based on the wording of the notice on the screen, but worth a shot.

Yes, I did. No bueno.

 

[HaroldCal]

There is a possibility if you disconnect, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect the 12v battery it’ll work again.

Yeah, I was going to try that before I surrender it to the dealer, but not last night in the cold and wind.

I'll give that a whirl in the coming days and report back.

 

[HaroldCal]

Status update on this:

After a weekend trip where I seemed to lose all comms on the truck (as detailed in this other thread #20), I did the LVB disconnect tango. Not only did my comms come back, but my bed Pro Power will now at least turn on without errors (as we suspected). I haven't had a chance to try it with a load. Will do that possibly this evening. I just received the part necessary to do a proper test on the 240v L14-30 receptacle.

Parkworld 691944 Power Adapter 4-Prong Generator 30A Locking L14-30P Male to RV/EV 50 AMP 14-50R Female (apparently the one recommended by Ford for this exact application)

I also picked up a different EVSE to keep in the truck, for 2 reasons:
- Selectable output levels (the Ford EVSE is 32a, and since it is not selectable down to 24a, not suitable for plugging into the 30A adapter in the bed)
- 40A output capable, perfect for campground use
J+ Booster 2 Electric Vehicle EV Charger | Level 2 Portable 40A Fast Charging Station for All EV's Home Indoors or Outdoors (9.6 kW, 240V, EVSE, UL Certified, NEMA 14-50, Wall Bracket, Carrying Case)

When my son gets home from work tonight (if it's not past my bedtime), I will give it a whirl charging his i3. See how it goes. Report back.

I also just ordered this, to simplify the LVB disconnect tango in the future.
Ampper Top Post Knife Blade Master Switch, 12V / 24V Battery Disconnect Switch Isolator Power Cut Off for Marine Car Boat RV ATV (Negative)
I'm not saying that it's acceptable that this is required, but for the moment, it seems to be.

 

[HaroldCal]

Status update: got all the pieces together to do a proper rescue test, and so far, so good.

First use of the j+ evse. Selected down to 24a to match the 30a receptacle.

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