1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

not charging

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by prime2019a, Mar 13, 2019.

  1. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    Hello, when I plug in original charging cable provided from Toyota, there is no "click" sound. Therefore, no green light flashing. Do you know what happen? Thanks
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,799
    48,996
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!

    is this your first charge attempt, or has it been working up until now?

    first, make sure you don't have any scheduled charging.

    then look inside the charging port to make sure there is nothing blocking the plug.

    third, the click sound is simply the lock snapping over the hasp. is it going far enough in to complete the procedure?

    if yes, do you have power at the brick?
     
  3. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    1. charge now
    2. no block
    3. have power
    only thing I noticed is that there is no "click". yellow light in power connector doesn't turn green as well

    Thanks
     
  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,964
    8,840
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    When you say "no green light flashing", do you mean the green charging indicator located inside of the charge port? If so does it light up at all? How about the light on the CCID (charging circuit interrupting device, aka "brick") lights? Is the Power indicator ON? How about the error warning indicator?
    charge indicator.png
     
  5. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    I believe it is due to my charge port, somehow not compatible with the original charger. I can use ChargePoint to charge without any problem, with "click" sound.
     
  6. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    744
    234
    61
    Location:
    Central New York
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Sometimes the rubber o-ring in the bottom of plug receptacle on the prime is twisted or bunched up so the charging plug can’t fully be inserted to make the click sound and start charging. If I remember correctly Toyota (or was it just PriusChat members) said to take the o-ring out with no ill effects for the PiP. Could be the same problme on your Prime. Shine a light in where the charging plug goes in and tell us what you see.

    Here is some reference reading; https://priuschat.com/search/113213145/?q=O-ring+remove&o=relevance&c%5Bnode%5D=105
     
    john1701a likes this.
  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That lack of a click is your clue. Make sure the handle gets seated all the way. When that happens, the latch on the EVSE handle should have snapped down over the catch on the charging port. If that doesn't happen, something is interfering either with the handle going all the way home or the latch dropping all the way down and the car will not charge.

    Due to manufacturing tolerances, some handles can be more forgiving than others of debris behind the catch in the charging port.

    If the latch is snapping all the way into place then I'd suspect it's the contact inside the handle that tells the EVSE and the car that the handle is properly connected to the car. You could open up the handle (unplugged from wall and car, of course) and test that limit switch. Here's a thread that shows what the handle looks like inside. It also shows the resistance you should get in open and closed states while installed. Repair J1772 | PriusChat
     
    Andyprius1 likes this.
  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,964
    8,840
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sound like it's time to visit a dealer to get a new L1 EVSE under warranty.
     
  9. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    I brought my car to the dealer. Unfortunately, they have never seen similar problem before, although they experienced o-ring thing in other vehicles. Is it worth to test a charger from a third party, which may be compatible to my car charge port? Or just ask the dealer to change charge port under warranty? How difficult is this type of work? Original charger works fine for other cars tested.
     
  10. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,964
    8,840
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hummm, so did the dealer tried different OEM charger for PRIME on your car to see if it is really the charge port problem? It is strange that you can use ChargePoint charger without problem though. I have no idea how complicated the fix is, but it should be taken care of under warranty for sure. Let us know how it goes with the dealer.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  11. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    They tested one (not sure OEM or one from Toyota), but it didn't work. :( They said it is under the warranty for sure.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I agree with @Salamander_King. Since the ChargePoint EVSE works, the likely culprit is the EVSE cable that came with the car. Just have them try another one and see what happens. If they don't have one, there are no quantum mechanics involved in figuring out what's wrong with the one you have. This should be easy.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  13. prime2019a

    prime2019a New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2019
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    ----USA----
    1) My original EVSE cable works for 2 Prime Prius tested ("click").
    2) They tested one functional EVSE, but it didn't work in my car (no "click").
    3) more than 7 ChargePoints EVSE cable works for my car (with "click")

    I guess that it is due to some defects of charging port
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  14. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,964
    8,840
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    That seems to be conclusive, that there is something wrong with the charge port, but still strange that why then ChargePoint EVSE works on your port. In any case, it is taken care of under warranty. I hope it gets resolved quickly. Please keep us posted as to the outcome of the repair made. Good luck.
     
    jerrymildred likes this.
  15. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Very interesting!! Bottom line seems to be that the dealer needs to figure out how to make this right. Based on those tests, it sure does seem like it's the charging port. But very mysterious.
     
    Salamander_King likes this.
  16. Jim Powell

    Jim Powell Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2019
    14
    11
    0
    Location:
    Boulder Creek, California
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I can see this post is a bit old now, but I'm curious if you ever resolved this issue? I have the same issue - I can charge on multiple charge stations (ChargePoint) at work, but my home charger (the one that came with my 2017 Prius Prime) no longer works. It plugs into the car smoothly as always, but now there is no click and the Prius doesn't recognize that I've plugged a charger in. My charger doesn't have a gasket (one common Prius charger problem), and there is no debris or anything mechanically obvious that would prevent my charger from fully mating with the car. Before I go the dealer, I was curious to find out if the mystery was ever solved.
    Thanks!
     
  17. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,964
    8,840
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The OP of this thread never reported back to us what happened to his car. He has not logged on to PC over 50 weeks. It is safe to assume he is gone. :(
     
    Jim Powell likes this.
  18. Jon Bloom

    Jon Bloom Member

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2020
    77
    78
    0
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    My guess, and that's all it is, is that the proximity pilot circuit is defective in your EVSE plug, possibly because the switch on the plug has failed. The symptom you are experiencing is what will happen if you plug a (working) EVSE in while holding down on the switch; only when you release the switch will the plug lock into the socket with an audible click.

    If that is in fact the problem, I shouldn't imagine it would be all that hard to repair if you can find someone willing to do so.
     
    Jim Powell and jerrymildred like this.
  19. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2016
    11,491
    14,100
    0
    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I think @Jon Bloom hit the mark. It must have to do with that little switch. I've had 2 or 3 of the handles apart and they are pretty simple. If you aren't getting a click it might be that the lever on top that you release with the button on top isn't dropping into place and closing that little switch. The click comes from the spring snapping the lever into position when it clears the back end of the ramp on top of the charging port. Or the switch might be bad. And, since the wires from the switch are very small, it's not inconceivable that one of them might have broken, but that's unlikely.

    Not to worry about the O-ring. That was only on the early PiPs. AFAIK, they removed it for good starting in 2013.

    The picture below is from a Czech website. It shows some sort of a relay at left, near the end of the cable. I don't think that is there in the Toyota EVSE, but it's otherwise like ours other than wire colors. It's not super clear in this picture, but there's a little metal switch lever at the end of the arrow leading from "if this." I haven't heard of it breaking off, but it would cause your problem if it did, so it's worth checking while you have the handle opened up.

    The most likely failures would be something behind the ramp preventing the lever from dropping down and closing the switch in the circle below or the switch itself.
    J1772 insides switch.jpg
     
  20. Jon Bloom

    Jon Bloom Member

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2020
    77
    78
    0
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    As I think about this some more, a broken wire actually seems like the more likely cause. The OP isn't having trouble unlocking the connector; he is having trouble getting it to lock. That suggests that either the switch is permanently closed, which strikes me as a somewhat unusual albeit not unknown failure mode for a switch, or the circuit is not connected at all, which suggests a broken wire. The receiver is supposed to detect the plug by sensing a particular resistance in the proximity pilot circuit. The two conditions which should cause the receiver to unlatch (or not latch in the first place) are a lower resistance that appears when the switch is depressed, or an infinite resistance because the plug isn't connected. It's hard to tell from the photo where the resistors are. Quite possibly they are in the switch module itself. If so, and if all of the wires are intact, replacing the switch module should solve the problem.

    Of course, my first instinct is to suspect the connector itself, but the OP says he inspected that and didn't see anything awry.

    Edited to say: I guess it is possible that something sticky got into the plug assembly and is holding the switch closed mechanically. So don't use the plug while you are eating your morning waffles and syrup!
     
    Jim Powell and jerrymildred like this.