On-Board Charger (OBC) Warranty Extended!

[kiev]

The snubber capacitors are only in the OBC chargging section, not the DCDC, and not involved in DCQC either.

But i think the real culprit is the 20A fuse in the MCU, not the caps; the caps are just a by-product of the fuse failing during chargging.

The only purpose of the MCU fuse is to protect the short piece of wiring that runs between the OBC and the MCU.

There are separate 20A fuses in both the upper OBC and the lower DCDC which we have never seen fail. The OBC fuse is in the path between the snubber caps and the MCU--so how can it not fail if the caps are the culprit?

The 2014 OBC is likely of the newer design and i don't have the schematic for that yet.

[kiev]

Yay! The service dept called and i picked up my old unit yesterday. i'm going to replace the damaged waffle plate with a good one harvested out of a leaaf.

[JoeS]

Well, a buddy of mine with a 2012 SE Premium (far away from California) got the charging failure. Long story short, the dealer's service department, after poking around for a few weeks, told him that he has a Code 39 but the MMNA Tech Bulletin says that for the OBC failure to be covered by warranty he needs a Code 209. Anyone have any insight into this and suggestions on what to do next?

[kiev]

Any chance we could get to see a copy of the Tech Bulletin?

The internal OBC codes from the 2012 FSM are the last post on the first page of the troubleshooting thread. 39 is related to incorrect PFC voltage. 209 is not even on the list. Maybe they said P09, as in DTC P0A09?

He may have a different failure than the typical MCU fuse and snubbers. A blown fuse causes the P0A09 to be stored, DCDC failure.

A PFC failure wouldn't necessarily cause the snubbers to fail.

So it appears they are only warrantied for a certain type of failure, not all?

[DBMandrake]

Code 39 is not necessarily a fault with the car. It just means the AC voltage supplied to the car was too high, or too low in which case the OBC will refuse to charge to protect itself.

I’ve had failed charges and Code 39 set in the OBC when the AC voltage was above 247 volts. As soon as the voltage was lower it charged normally again.

Check the AC voltage and/or try charging at another location.

[JoeS]

Thanks for the inputs. The only charging my friend has done for 3-1/2 years is using the Mitsu (Panasonic) EVSE on 120vac and has never charged anywhere else. First thing I had asked him to do was try another outlet (after first checking the 12v). He travels a lot and the car is presently still sitting at the dealer's. There is a single CHAdeMO in the area but too far to drive to - he's presently unavailable to retrieve the car and flatbed it there. Presumably the dealer cleared the codes(?). Sounds like they've never worked on an i-MiEV before. Hope they tried a different EVSE. I'll try to get more details.

[jray3]

After only 40 days at my dealer, MR BEAN is finally back on the road with the new charger design. Serial #38 on that charger may indicate the overall pace of these repairs...
During that nearly 6 week interval, we kept two different loaner cars hostage. First was a brand new Outlander PHEV that we used for a week but kept within the maximum 250 miles of negotiated usage. It is a very nice ride that could fit some missions perfectly, and covered the entire 26 mile trip to the dealer on battery alone, a trip that normally consumes 7 bars on the i-MiEV. I do wonder how battery life is proving out due to the average deeper depth of discharge and higher C rates required to roll that heavy SUV. Also, it does not default to EV mode, requiring a button press with EVery restart.
The second was a well-used Outlander Sport. Definitely a let-down compared to both the PHEV and the i-MiEV. The "sportiness" of the paddle shifters was eventually appreciated by even my wife, though she made her first 5 mile solo trip solely in first gear, due to the unintuitive design of the PRND+- shifter. I got a call; "Why is this car so loud and jerky when I'm just driving 35 mph?"

Now, only a day later, I see a fresh brake recall pending. Oh well, I've been curious to try out the Mirage with a CVT...
https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj20191 ... YZnITVip4A

They refused to give me the old charger, but I was intending to take that up with the manager this week anyway...

[kiev]

They may give you the old chargger after they get word from corporate office on whether to ship it back to them, or scrap it. Takes about 2 months or more for the scrap list to cycle thru with updates about once a month.

[JiMiev]

I have a 2012 and no letter seen yet, thanks for the info though

[JoeS]

I have a 2012 and no letter seen yet, thanks for the info though

You might want to ensure that Mitsubishi has your current ownership and contact information.
https://www.mitsubishicars.com/owners