[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

I picked up my 22 Lariat ER mannequin this Saturday. I had an electrician run 240v to my garage to a sub-panel with a 100a breaker in preparation for the FCSP. I also had him wire a NEMA 14-50 from that panel so I could charge before my FCSP gets here.

When I plug the mobile charger into the 14-50 it blinks blue and red before setting on solid amber and won't charge. I used the mobile charger on a 120v outlet and it worked on that. I then found a charging station out in the wild with a NEMA 14-50 and that worked also.

The electrician is coming tomorrow. Do any of you know what could be wrong before he gets here?

 

[TechDaddy3x]

If it works on the 120 circuit and not on the 240 but your other charger works on the 240 then I would say most likely something wrong with the dongle adapter. Best bet would be to call Ford and have them replace it under warranty. No sense in messing with it, especially since you have other charging options.

In other news….you found a FCSP with a NEMA 14-50?

 

[btreece]

Is the circuit on a GFCI breaker? That will not work.

 

[KElkhorn]

I have had issues with mine where the unit will charge for a few seconds and then go into fault. I determined that if I plug it in and allow it to "hang" from the plug, as I would think most folks would in a temporary application, it unseats itself just enough to create a fault. Once I took the tension off of the adapter/mobile charger, faults went away. Seemed to be seated firmly to me in either case, but who knows.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

If it works on the 120 circuit and not on the 240 but your other charger works on the 240 then I would say most likely something wrong with the dongle adapter.

In other news….you found a FCSP with a NEMA 14-50?

I searched plugshare for any charge station that had a 14-50 so I could test the dongle. I found a free spot in a college parking garage and verified that both my dongle and mobile charger were working correctly.

Is the circuit on a GFCI breaker? That will not work.

No GFCI

I have had issues with mine where the unit will charge for a few seconds and then go into fault. I determined that if I plug it in and allow it to "hang" from the plug, as I would think most folks would in a temporary application, it unseats itself just enough to create a fault. Once I took the tension off of the adapter/mobile charger, faults went away. Seemed to be seated firmly to me in either case, but who knows.

I had the charger propped up horizontally but I will try other methods of making sure it's supported.

This is what the manual says, sorry for the all caps.

Amber Blue Red
ON OFF OFF

"USER TROUBLESHOOTING; THE MOBILE CHARGER HAS ENCOUNTERED A FAULT THAT REQUIRES TROUBLESHOOTING. ENSURE THE CONNECTOR AND CONTROL BOX ARE PROPERLY CONNECTED. UNPLUG AND REPLUG IN THE CONNECTOR. IF THE MOBILE CHARGER IS WARM OR IN A HOTENVIRONMENT, TRY CHARGING IN A COOLER AREA. TRY A DIFFERENT OUTLET. TRY A DIFFERENT CONNECTOR IF YOU HAVE ONE AVAILABLE. IF THE ERROR PERSISTS, CONTACT US."

I'll try getting a hold of ford again.
Thanks for all the help y'all!

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

SOLVED

The electrician had the NEMA 14-50 wired to a 100a breaker. Installed a 50a breaker and bob's your uncle.

 

[R.I.P.]

SOLVED

The electrician had the NEMA 14-50 wired to a 100a breaker. Installed a 50a breaker and bob's your uncle.

Well, no, Bob is my father-in-law.

But aside from that, I am am racking my brain on how an oversized breaker (yikes) could cause a wiring fault in the EVSE...? Can you elaborate?

 

[KElkhorn]

Well, no, Bob is my father-in-law.

But aside from that, I am am racking my brain on how an oversized breaker (yikes) could cause a wiring fault in the EVSE...? Can you elaborate?

I'm wondering if there was a neutral issue that got corrected at the same time. I'm not sure, but with the Ford Mobile adapter running on 120/240, it would be possible that the neutral is required for 240 operation to use a single 120V transformer for control circuit. If this neutral was open, it wouldn't be an issue for the CSP which doesn't have a neutral terminal, but could potentially be an issue for the mobile adapter. This might also be why the mobile adapter doesn't come with the 6-50 plug.

 

[Voltz]

I'm smelling a quick explanation out of the electrician's deep playbook. It's easier than saying "Ooops, my mistake" and the results are the same: it works now.

 

[KElkhorn]

In either case, never ever should have hooked up a 14-50 receptacle with a 100A breaker.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

In either case, never ever should have hooked up a 14-50 receptacle with a 100A breaker.

I was wondering about that. I'm not knowledgeable enough about electrical matters to really understand why. My understanding was that a 14-50 is rated for up to 50a, it's right there in the name. A 100a breaker would allow the outlet to pull more current than it is rated for correct? The electrician fixed it for $0 yesterday so I was assuming he felt responsible.

 

[KElkhorn]

Yes, as Sean mentioned there might have been something else there also, but the contacts on the 14-50 are only rated for 50A, so if something went wrong with something plugged into that receptacle, it could easily start a fire prior to breaker tripping. Glad nothing happened.