J1772 Inlet Problem

[bobkart]

I tried to charge at a public L2 station today, and the plug would not insert fully. Same story on a nearby station. Both were ChargePoint stations.

Looking closely at the inlet, the bottom/left pin (CP) looks to be out of alignment (too close to center). I tried moving it over with a tool, but the pin seems loose and just comes back to the off position.

Fortunately my two home EVSEs can still be inserted fully (12A and 20A). Looking at the plugs on those, there's visibly more tolerance at the opening for the receptacle pin in question. So there may still be some public L2 stations I can use.

Questions: can this be repaired via DIY? And has anyone else run into this problem? If someone has had their J1772 inlet replaced, what kind of cost did you see?

Thanks for your help.

 

[alozzy]

FWIW, the J1772 charge port part number for your vehicle should be: 296B1-3NF0A

Looks like there are a couple of eBay listings for that part. Otherwise, it's over $400 USD new.

 

[bobkart]

Thanks Alozzy. I had been looking for that, but my keyword choices weren't panning out.

By the looks of that part, replacement involves opening up the PDM (to get the far end tied in). I hear that's a bit involved. Certainly more than I've done to date.

 

[alozzy]

The trick is to search for:

Nissan leaf parts

Then, on the Google results, visit one of the sites that has a good catalog and search function. I searched for "charge port" and then found the "standard port" part listing...

Perhaps there's some way to repair your existing control pilot pin. Hopefully one of the repair gurus will be able to help you out...

 

[bobkart]

Repairing just the pin would be ideal. Having a receptacle 'in my hand' would help me see how that might be do-able.

I looked under the hood and the far end of that part goes all the way around to the back side of the PDM. Could be tough to access (or maybe easy once the PDM has been opened up). I guess I can check the service manual.

Starting to consider a splice. Ugly, yes. But far less involved. Waterproof heatshrink could make the result nearly as good as new. Wondering though if whatever warranty I have left would be affected. I think all I have left (besides the seat belt) is 8 years on the battery itself. So this part not being part of the battery, maybe I'm okay there.

 

[bobkart]

Update: this problem started happening on my home EVSE a few weeks back. Being home, I was able to find a tool that I could use to bend the errant pin back into a better position. It's a little challenging because the pins are all somewhat loose in the socket, so you have to go way past where you think the pin should be to make it come back to rest in the right spot. But I was able to hit the target and now not only does my home EVSE work, but so far all of the public chargers I've tried work, including several that weren't working before the pin position adjustment.

Bullet Dodged.

 

[SageBrush]

This is why I have a fit anytime I see a person wiggling the plug to get it in or out.