not charging

I just looked up the Toyota OEM EVSE in an online parts store. Holy Cow, is it expensive. MSRP $844.69, sold at discount parts store at $644.91. Why is it so expensive? At that price, I can have an top of the line L2 EVSE from Clipper Creek, Charge Point, Juice Box, etc. with full WiFi app support. The Ultimate Buyer's Guide To Home EV Chargers: Plus Top 5 Picks

 

I was not aware of the resistor factor. I have not tested resistance, so I always assumed it was just an open or closed switch. I have had relay contacts stick closed, but I don't think I've ever seen a switch stuck closed. But it would be possible if it depends on a spring to open.

Anyway, we'll need to wait for more info from @prime2019a, I guess.

I'll bet they sell a ton of those!! LOL! When I got my PiP three years ago, Todd told me to take care of the cable because a new one from Toyota was about $900. He wasn't far off. But he also told me that there are plenty of others that are actually for sale.

 

I wonder if the OEM EVSE is covered under basic warranty? OP's @Jim Powell model is 2017. Depending on the miles on it, it may still be covered by the basic 3yr/36K. I would check that before attempting to repair on your own.

 

Yes, although just to fix my earlier error... now that I look at the schematics more closely, it appears that the switch is a normally closed one that opens when pushed. That doesn't change the basic troubleshooting logic, but I didn't want to leave that misunderstanding on my part unaddressed.

 

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I'm going to take apart the connector assembly (unplugged, of course) and see what is up inside. Since other chargers work, it seems like the problem has to be in the connector assembly of my charger. I'll have to order the 5 point torx drivers, as I don't have any of those. I'll post an update...

 

I'm only at 23K, but I can't really go to the dealer right now, as we are 'sheltering in place' because of the virus (I'm in Santa Cruz County in California). I previously had looked at my warranty, but couldn't figure out if this was covered or not. Thanks - I will check into this before I do anything else.

 

I finally had a chance to go to the dealer yesterday, and see what might be wrong with my charger. The first thing they tried to do was sell me a new charger, but I insisted they actually try to determine what the problem was. My charger plugged in and clicked with no problems on another Prius Prime, with no issues. The tech found that if he put a fair amount of downward torque on the end of my charger, he could get it to click into my car's receptacle, and then it would charge with no issues. They told me the problem was caused by wear on the little ramp on the charge receptacle that guides the hook on the charger plug to the latching position. To fix that would take an entire sub-assembly, which costs roughly $1500 (!). I have another post about a ChargePoint charger fusing itself to my car, so that's why I know how much it costs. Anyway, the dealer blamed the ChargePoint chargers at work for wearing out my car's receptacle, and they also blamed the dirtiness of my charger cable (I do use it outdoors, under a car port, but I never leave it on the ground when done, and I always put the cover on the plug when not in use - the 'business' part of the charger is NOT dirty). Not a very satisfying answer, to be sure! When I got home and looked closely at the ramp with a flashlight, I can definitely see wear marks on it, but I find it hard to believe that is causing the latch on the charger to not engage. So, at home, I can get my charger to charge, but the amount of downward force required worries me that before too long I'll break something. Not sure what I'll try next, but I wanted to update this thread with what I found out. I'm curious if anyone else has the wear marks on their receptacles - see the picture below. I really love this car, but the key selling point has been a bit frustrating, and expensive. Oh yes, and the dealer offered to let me trade in this car for something else. They definitely are interested in selling, not fixing.

 

Yes, I remember your post on the fusing charger. Did the dealer end up replacing the entire subassembly for that repair? If so, is there any reason to suspect that the repair was not done correctly, or the parts used were defective that is causing excessive wear on the receptacle?

Unfortunately, I traded in my previous 2017 PRIME, so I can't check the wear on 3 years old receptacle. Since you are not having any problem using the ChargePoint charger, one possible solution would be to use a ChargePoint EVSE instead of the OEM EVSE? Not sure if that is going to be less expensive.

 

Yes, they replaced the entire sub-assembly. It appears to be solely a mechanical issue between the charge plug and receptacle. I looked at my previous post picture of the receptacle and the ramp looked worn on that, too. Since I'm still working from home, and hardly driving anywhere, I won't have a chance to try out the chargers at work and verify they still work well. I have a colleague who has the same model of Prius Prime and once we are both back at work I'll have a look at his receptacle and see how our chargers work with each other's car. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

Jim, you can't see the problem without a flashlight and a small inspection mirror. I had a hard time getting this picture because I needed three hands, but I hope it shows well enough.

There's a pocket on the back side of the ramp. The hook on the end of the lever on your EVSE handle drops into that pocket and that closes a switch inside the handle allowing charging to begin. The condition of the front of the ramp is immaterial unless it makes it hard to insert the handle into the port. But if there is debris in that pocket, that will keep the lever from dropping enough to close the switch. Pressing down on the handle raises the other end of the handle in relation to the lever and it's just enough to close the switch.

This should be hyper-easy to fix by cleaning out that pocket behind the ramp.

Edit to add: It looks like I"m due for a little compressed air in the port area.

By the way, you're talking about your EVSE, not your charger. Your charger is under your back seat. Really hard to try it on a different car. LOL!

 

I don't understand the "worn down" part.

I have been using a vandalized ChargePoint handle at the grocery-store (a common morning stop for coffee and obviously groceries) that lacks the lever. Some %&@$# broke it off. So to start the charging, you have to manually lift up the front part. That has been working fine since last summer... which is really annoying (I wish the owner would finally just fix it), because some people don't know that and end up thinking the EVSE is out of service.

Wouldn't being worn down make it even easier for the lever to fall into place?

btw, both my Prime and my wife's are over 3 years old. We have been recharging at home & work throughout the duration... except during covid-19... and neither has any indication of aging. My 5-year old Prius PHV didn't when I sold it either.

 

Thank you for the picture and your post! I just had a look at the little pocket, and unfortunately, it is clean and free of any debris. After lunch I'm going back out with a flashlight and my dental mirror and plug in the EVSE - I should be able to see the problem, as it has to be a mechanical issue. And you are right - it would be very expensive to swap out chargers

 

I don't really understand why the dealer thought that was the problem, either. I agree - being worn down ought to make it easier. I'm going to play around with it some more, using mirrors and lights, to see what else might be causing the problem. Thanks!

 

Resolution: Having complete confidence that the Toyota dealer was not going to be of any assistance, warranty or otherwise, and that I had nothing to lose by figuring this out by myself, I purchased a set of 5 point drivers, so that I could take apart my EVSE at the plug end. I started by cleaning out a bit of spider web/bug debris that was preventing the EVSE latch from moving all the way up. That wasn't the problem. Next, I removed the latch from the plug assembly, reassembled the plug, and then plugged the EVSE into the car, before plugging the EVSE into the 120V socket. The car immediately started charging. Using an insulated tool, I pushed down on the exposed switch that the latch normally is pushing against and verified that the switch was working correctly. When I pressed the switch, charging stopped. When I stopped pressing the switch, charging resumed. This is exactly what I would expect: the EVSE latch presses down on the switch when plugging the EVSE into the car. Once the hook on the latch goes over the ramp and gets into position, the switch is released, which allows charging. So I had verified that this was truly a mechanical problem. The solution for my problem was to carefully file a small amount of plastic off of the edge of the hook, to allow it to fall into place. See the picture from @jerrymildred above - this shows exactly where the hook needs to be. Now I have a working charger, and I don't have to apply any extra force to get it to click into place. It seems like Toyota has a mechanical tolerance issue. Maybe I'll tell the dealer how to fix the problem, if they refund my money for my last visit

 

i had the broken microswitch problem in my L2, not the oem cable. what a pain, can't find one anywhere.
i wound up mickey mousing a solution, bypassing the switch.

 

Just found this thread - posted elsewhere on priuschat - but this looks like the groupwith possible answers.
I dont get a "click" or green light with Chargepoint or home charger. There does not seem to be anything blocking it from going in- since neither option is working - could it be the port instead of the charger? Port looks pushed in a little - at a loss - purchase car about 2.5 years ago - so not sure it will be under warranty. Thanks for any ideas!

 

Hmmm. I just responded to this in another thread.