Charging pin melt

[haloweenhamster]

Not everything fits into a neat category though - we can't be sure if the problem was charging socket, cable or something to do with the charger.

Out of curiosity how could a charger cause this?

 

[tsedge]

Out of curiosity how could a charger cause this?

It is unlikely if this damage is at the car end but poorly made chargers can experience strange electrical faults.

Ideally there would be resistance testing at both ends (car and charger) to verify good contact before the charge is initiated, but I don't believe this is part of the Type 2 spec.

 

[fnegroni]

Hi,

I've got an MG4 Trophy and left it on a 7kW charger or a couple of hours the other evening. Returned in the dark and noticed some resistance when I unplugged the charger. A closer look showed the base of one of the charging pins had melted and was coming out attached to the charging cable. Unsure if it's the charging port, charger or charging cable at fault. I think the charging cable looks intact and has picked up some melted plastic I've spoken to the dealer and taking it in but wondered if anyone else had seen something like this ? I've attached a few photos.

I tested (tentatively) with the three pin charger and that was ok but obviously I'm wary of pushing more current through it at the moment.


View attachment 30115View attachment 30117View attachment 30116

Your charging port looks rather dusty. The plug looks like it has seen better days too. Have you dropped the plug previously? I wonder if grit got in the charging port and caused the pin to not mate properly.

 

[kc1966]

I thought the charger is in the car. The wall box supplies the power but the actual charger is in the car. It of course does some checks so it’s not dumb but not a charger.

 

[muddyfun]

Just to follow up on this - the port was replaced under warranty and I ditched the charging cable on the grounds that too much heat had passed through it to be certain of correct function, even if it had been good in the first place. Now using an MG supplied Type2 cable and after the car passed all diagnostics, it's on its first long charge today since the malfunction.

Your charging port looks rather dusty. The plug looks like it has seen better days too. Have you dropped the plug previously? I wonder if grit got in the charging port and caused the pin to not mate properly.

The plug sits in the boot of the car mostly. It hadn't been dropped though has been used in all weathers. The charging port door is closed naturally when it isn't charging - don't want to invoke the bong demon !

 

[Coulomb]

I thought the charger is in the car.

Yes, there is an annoying use of the word "charger" when people are referring to an Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE). But many people, especially beginners, don't know the term EVSE.

I try to disambiguate by using "charger" in quotes when referring to an EVSE, and use the full term "on board charger" (without the quotes) when referring to the part of the car that does the actual charging.

Most of the time it's fairly obvious which meaning is intended, but there are cases when it's not so obvious.

 

[Edd Beesley]

Just to follow up on this - the port was replaced under warranty and I ditched the charging cable on the grounds that too much heat had passed through it to be certain of correct function, even if it had been good in the first place. Now using an MG supplied Type2 cable and after the car passed all diagnostics, it's on its first long charge today since the malfunction.


The plug sits in the boot of the car mostly. It hadn't been dropped though has been used in all weathers. The charging port door is closed naturally when it isn't charging - don't want to invoke the bong demon !

Any further drama...?

 

[fnegroni]

Glad you got it sorted, but that port looks rather dusty to me and I think if I were you I would clean it regularly and inspect the charging port for any debris. It’s s rare occurrence but maybe your drive through a dusty area and more likely for this to happen again.

I recently forgot to cover the bottom CCS2 holes and left car in the rain while charging on Type 2. There was a lot of water and although I could see at the back of the pins there was some sort of drainage, I grabbed some microfibre cloths, put some plastic gloves on, and went round all the pins to remove as much water as possible.

Chances are nothing would have happened. But I didn’t want to risk it.

 

[muddyfun]

Any further drama...?

No, all good - have charged three times on type 2 posts since.