plug not making contact properly

I’ve been driving my 2013 Leaf for 5 ½ years and it is great.
But today, when I put the plug into the car, it beeped and blinked repeatedly, as if it did not make the connection. When I tried to remove the plug and seat it properly, it would not release. The plug was stuck in the car.
I worked at it for awhile, and it seems like the button on the top didn’t have as much play in it as usual. Finally, with some fiddling, I was able to get it out of the car. Upon further investigation, I discovered that the button on the top doesn’t move up and down freely, which seems to affect the latch on the part that goes into the car.
For the moment, I have the plug in the car, with some toothpicks in the loop on the outside of the plug that seems to hold the latching mechanism in the position that allows the plug to make contact and charge the car. Obviously this is a short term solution.
I have a thought about what my next step is, but I am curious to see if anyone else has had a similar problem and a solution.
Thanks!

Look for the rubber O-ring gasket inside the plug. It is likely crooked or even folded. It can be removed and fixed. IIRC you can also just leave it off if you don't plug in when it rains hard.

If it is not the O ring then the EVSE handle is likely defective. I've been told to not try and repair the handle because its water tight construction cannot be redone. At that point replace the handle/cable

There is a good chance that the little micro switch and spring in the EVSE handle latch finally failed. You may be able to carefully open the handle and fix it. Be careful to not damage any seals and make sure it goes back together tightly to maintain the water resistance rating.

Edited to add: Don't try repairing the handle or replacing the whole cable assembly if you are not qualified to make these types of repairs. The latch in the handle and the internal circuits in the EVSE provide critical safety functions so repair or replacement of components must be done correctly.

Gerry is disagreeing with the opinion of EE Phil Sadow aka 'ingineer' who is probably the best well known and respected EV hacker on the planet. I know which advice I will follow.

SageBrush said:

Gerry is disagreeing with the opinion of EE Phil Sadow aka 'ingineer' who is probably the best well known and respected EV hacker on the planet. I know which advice I will follow.

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Indoor or outdoor installation would probably predicate which advice I'd follow. Closely followed by my cash-flow situation.

mwalsh said:

SageBrush said:

Gerry is disagreeing with the opinion of EE Phil Sadow aka 'ingineer' who is probably the best well known and respected EV hacker on the planet. I know which advice I will follow.

Click to expand...

Indoor or outdoor installation would probably predicate which advice I'd follow. Closely followed by my cash-flow situation.

Click to expand...

You are forgetting to consider the risks involved in a short circuit. Hopefully the EVSE sacrifices itself for the house but I suspect that the car is vulnerable. Now if the EVSE is too slow, well then you get to deal with a house fire.

All for $100 .

SageBrush said:

mwalsh said:

SageBrush said:

Gerry is disagreeing with the opinion of EE Phil Sadow aka 'ingineer' who is probably the best well known and respected EV hacker on the planet. I know which advice I will follow.

Click to expand...

Indoor or outdoor installation would probably predicate which advice I'd follow. Closely followed by my cash-flow situation.

Click to expand...

You are forgetting to consider the risks involved in a short circuit. Hopefully the EVSE sacrifices itself for the house but I suspect that the car is vulnerable. Now if the EVSE is too slow, well then you get to deal with a house fire.

All for $100 .

Click to expand...

Reading EVDrivers explanation as to why the home enthusiast probably shouldn't try to repair this themselves makes more sense than what you've written. So I'll leave it at that and bid you adieu:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=21207&start=10

This discussion begs the question: Is there a prescribed method of lubricating the EVSE? After almost 3 years of ownership, our EVSE is harder and harder to install/remove. Ditto for our newly purchased 2017 Fusion Energi with 20k miles.
Thanks.

gncndad said:

This discussion begs the question: I
Thanks.

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Begging the question, sometimes known by its Latin name petitio principii (meaning assuming the initial point), is a logical fallacy in which the writer or speaker assumes the statement under examination to be true. In other words, begging the question involves using a premise to support itself.

As for your question, it has nothing to do with this thread. Consider starting a new thread; I'd like to discuss it since I have the same problem.

gncndad said:

This discussion begs the question: Is there a prescribed method of lubricating the EVSE? After almost 3 years of ownership, our EVSE is harder and harder to install/remove. Ditto for our newly purchased 2017 Fusion Energi with 20k miles.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

There is no lubrication needed. Typically, and probably legally, the 1172 plug has a light green (on mine) rubber o-ring that makes a waterproof seal when you plug it into the car. over time, that gasket/ o ring starts to deteriorate, and does not allow the plug to either plug in or out....

Fix- RIP OFF THAT RUBBER O RING.... You don't need it, and the j plug will go in and out beautifully forever,,, Don't worry about the seal the plug is always facing down when you plug it in, and rain does not travel upwards.... I have been doing it this way for 3 years, with no trouble...

powersurge said:

gncndad said:

This discussion begs the question: Is there a prescribed method of lubricating the EVSE? After almost 3 years of ownership, our EVSE is harder and harder to install/remove. Ditto for our newly purchased 2017 Fusion Energi with 20k miles.
Thanks.

Click to expand...

There is no lubrication needed. Typically, and probably legally, the 1172 plug has a light green (on mine) rubber o-ring that makes a waterproof seal when you plug it into the car. over time, that gasket/ o ring starts to deteriorate, and does not allow the plug to either plug in or out....

Fix- RIP OFF THAT RUBBER O RING.... You don't need it, and the j plug will go in and out beautifully forever,,, Don't worry about the seal the plug is always facing down when you plug it in, and rain does not travel upwards.... I have been doing it this way for 3 years, with no trouble...

Click to expand...

In general, you're correct. However, moisture can indeed travel upwards, as anyone with a gutter/roof leak in their home can attest. I'm not sure your advice to remove a rubber o ring that is clearly intended to eliminate any water intrusion.

Sagebrush: "...assumes the statement under examination to be true. In other words, begging the question involves using a premise to support itself..." I won't question your understanding of Latin, but the OP stated that, "...the plug is stuck..." That is what I was addressing.

I think it is use GerryAZ who uses and recommends food grade silicone lubricant.

I've also noticed a slight plastic-on-plastic friction when inserting/removing the plug and think a little lube would help. Haven't pulled the trigger on it yet though and I'm not sure if the 'food grade' part of it is actually necessary although it appears that guarantees the lube won't degrade plastics.

Once that o ring starts kinking around, you cannot stop it. If you want to... Buy a new one for $25-30 on ebay. Otherwise, I recommend just forgetting it an just rip it off.

I do not want to argue with people about this because everyone can find some creative situation where science does not apply. when you plug in the 1772 plug, the entire area is covered by the "gas cap" cover. So rain is minimal.

All 3 of my EVSEs (Ford Fusion, Leaf, 240v Clipper Creek) feel like plastic on plastic friction, so in my case, I'm thinking the O-ring is NOT the issue.
Electrical contacts feel like they're binding, but it's hard to distinguish between that friction and the plastic-on-plastic friction.

gncndad said:

All 3 of my EVSEs (Ford Fusion, Leaf, 240v Clipper Creek) feel like plastic on plastic friction, so in my case, I'm thinking the O-ring is NOT the issue.
Electrical contacts feel like they're binding, but it's hard to distinguish between that friction and the plastic-on-plastic friction.

Click to expand...

There is a cleaner/lubricant/conductivity enhancing fluid called Deoxit that may help.

I have both the D (red) which I mainly use in cleaning contacts, and the G (gold) which I mainly use for improving conductivity:

https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/
https://caig.com/deoxit-gold-g-series/

I did not think about Deoxit gold, but I will try it on the CHAdeMO connector (communication lines). I have been having trouble with one EVgo unit that often gives an error message "turn off car" after communication failure during the handshaking process. EVgo claims there is no problem, but several users have reported it on Plug Share. I need to be able to charge there so I will try Deoxit to see if it helps.

I chose food grade silicone grease because I knew it would not hurt the plastic. Other silicone-based lubricants such as spark plug dielectric grease might be OK, but I am not going to recommend them (use at your own risk).