Hi- I have a Hymotion kit installed in my car. I went to unplug my extension cord from its receptor on the rear bumper. I could tell that the prongs were coming loose lately, and the ground prong finally came off today and is stuck in the female end of my extension cord. My problem is this plug receptacle on the bumper. I'm obviously going to have to replace it with a new one. This plug receptacle......is this a specialized Hymotion part that I am unlikely to be able to get, or is it something fairly "standard" that I can replace? I see that there are a couple of torx screwheads in there so it looks like it comes off that way. Where do I start with this? Has anyone else had this happen to them?
I don't have a Hymotion kit, but I do have an Enginer PHEV hit. The bumper plug for it (and other PHEV kits) is fairly generic. Here is a link to one you can order: 15A Power Inlet (black) | Marinco
Yes, the Enginer kit is a generic Marinco one. I just wanted to double check whether or not any of the Hymotion installs were done with a special connector.
If it is that plug, or similar, could you give me some general guidance on how I uninstall the old one and put in the one? I see there are a couple of torx screws on the receptacle. I'd like to have an idea, if possible, before I open it up.
Thanks if you can find out. I'll stand-by and wait for an answer for you before I order the one linked above. Again, thanks for your help.
See the last paragraph of this message for the simple solution that would have prevented your ground prong from breaking off. I had this problem a couple years ago. This is a common problem with the Hymotion systems. All I had to do was contact Hymotion. When I told them that I wasn't going to be able to get to a "green chip" dealer to have the plug repaired, anytime soon, they offered to send me the replacement cable (with the three prongs at the end). Shortly thereafter, I receive the repair kit (cable, instructions, etc.) in the mail. So, you can either GO to a green chip dealer for the repair, request the kit and do it yourself, or request the kit and have some other semi-experienced person do it for you. My stepson (25 years old), who likes to tinker with cars, installed mine for me, and it has been working fine, ever since. Keep in mind: It does involve replacing the whole cable, and it does involve removing the bumper and a couple other parts. If you're out-of-warranty, I'm sure they'll still SELL you the kit, for a modest price. Once the new cable/prongs are installed, here's my tip for avoiding the problem in the future: The problem seems to be that certain cable heads (the one that caused my problems: Amazon.com: Yellow Jacket 2806 10/3 Heavy-Duty 15-Amp SJTW Contractor Extension Cord with Lighted End, 100-Feet: Home Improvement) don't fit properly into the cylindrical socket, on the back of the car. It's a design flaw. (The prongs are offset from the center, with the ground prong being too close to the edge of the socket.) However, I still use the same cord, with the same plastic, cylindrical head. I just filed off enough plastic (on the ground-prong-side of the plastic plug head) so that the plug would still fit snugly, but not so tightly that it would put excessive stress on the ground prong.
OK, thanks. Do you happen to have the name or number of a contact person for Hymotion for warranty repairs? I think my pack is still under warranty, but I am not sure. As far as the plug not fitting, I am not sure it was that for me. The female end of my extension cord seemed to fit fine, but I am not sure. It just seems like a few years of plugging and unplugging almost every day just wore it out. The other two prongs seem a little loose, too. I will buy a new cord, though, and check the fit per your comments.
The female end of the cord is generally the problem in cases like this. I got a new 12 gage cord and the female end went bad in about 3 months. I took it back and had it replaced and the replacement went bad too. They put cheap ends onto the cords. I now always recomend getting a 20a female end and putting it onto your old cord because replacement ends normally have a better spring on the contact and that gives a better wipe during insertion. Thanks, Dan
