Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Crissa]

Have you tried a different charger?

-Crissa

[DonTom]

I have the same probleme with a 2017 FXS - the charging stops at 87%, and the range is indeed reduced by 13%..
Seems like a generic problem. Anybody from Zero having an idea about what can be done with this ?

Sounds like the OBC won't go to the full battery voltage under load, so no matter how long you leave it charging it won't get above whatever voltage is at 87% SOC.

It should charge fine to 100% if you use a Delta Q-charger, even if the OBC is also being used.

I expect soon your OBC  will only charge to 85%, then 80%, etc. as the OBC will probably drop even more so as it ages. Or completely fail soon.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Moto7575]

So what is the solution ?

[Crissa]

Solution:  Charge with external charger.

If this works, the problem is the OBC, which can be replaced easily.

If this doesn't, the problem is either the BMS or MBB, and they are not easily replaced without support software from Zero,

-Crissa

[DonTom]

So what is the solution ?

The OBC usually  cannot be repaired internally, so the solution is to replace the OBC.

But for now, if you can get your hands on an external charger Delta-Q charger, page 20, the bike should then charge all the way up to 100%.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Moto7575]

Since this is clearly a defects that reduces the specs of the bike well under what is advertised, is there any recall on the way ? The bike is still under warranty...

[DonTom]

Since this is clearly a defects that reduces the specs of the bike well under what is advertised, is there any recall on the way ? The bike is still under warranty...

"Recalls" are for safety related things. Other issues, such as a charger not working correctly will be under a "TSB" (Technical Service Bulletin).

I don't think there are any TSBs on the charger, but it does seem to have a rather high failure rate, as it is small, uncooled and a lot of power.

If your bike is in warranty, you're going to have to get your bike to the shop and let a Zero dealer deal with it. I know that can be a big hassle, but it's the only reasonable answer.

-Don-   Auburn, CA

[Moto7575]

But if they change it and the part is defective, it will happen again. Do new OBC perform better / did they fix them ?

[Crissa]

They have changed the on board chargers over time.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

But if they change it and the part is defective, it will happen again. Do new OBC perform better / did they fix them ?

I don't consider them  "defective", they are just trying to make them small, light, uncooled and powerful and all that doesn't go together all that well so random failures are somewhat common. OTOH, I have more than 10K miles (16 KM) on each of my bikes with no OBC issues so far.  But I also try to avoid leaving them on for countless hours at a time, by adding in external chargers  even when I am not in a hurry.

They do make updates to the OBCs faily  often, but I have my doubts on how much it helps with reliability. It's still the same power in the same small uncooled size.

Compare to the external Delta Q-chargers. At least for my DS and SR, The Delta-Q's  are larger with better heat sinks, heavier  and less powerful than the OBC, so they have a much  lower failure rate.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Moto7575]

I get it. No problem for me if the defect is made clear, and the change fast.
And, again, this stresses how important it is:
  - to have a good & reliable dealer
  - to share with the community - thanks to you guys you are the reason why I bought a second Zero despite many dealer or quality related issues

I checked with my dealer - surprisingly he was able to reach 94% charge by plugging using the OBC, where I could never go beyond 84%. He will check with Zero if this is the OBC issue.

[Richard230]

I get it. No problem for me if the defect is made clear, and the change fast.
And, again, this stresses how important it is:
  - to have a good & reliable dealer
  - to share with the community - thanks to you guys you are the reason why I bought a second Zero despite many dealer or quality related issues

I checked with my dealer - surprisingly he was able to reach 94% charge by plugging using the OBC, where I could never go beyond 84%. He will check with Zero if this is the OBC issue.

I bet it is.   

[NoMoreIdeas]

FWIW my '18 FX is starting to have the same issue. I noticed when it would only charge to 97%, and it now maxes out at 95%. I can charge to 100% using an offboard charger, so it sounds like this is the typical on board charger failure.

[Gyro Chargeloose]

Hi there all,

i had similar issues with charging my 2014 Zero FX since i bought it one year ago, nearly always when it was cold and wet weather.

As initially Described:

1. Plug in
2. Charge light starts flashing green
3. Slightly audible clicks from minor relais and very audible click of the BMS contactors
4. No change in time to charge, stays at 0:00
5. Green flashing charge light turns off completely after a few more seconds

6. In my case in most of the times, it starts to charge after 10 minutes, but does not charge reliably to 100%

I changed the chargers and due to another issue also the charging control unit - but the problem was still there.

Finally, i got it solved and at least in my case the problem was a contact inside the fuse holder for the abc10a-fuse. Turned out, the contact on the top-lid has moved back over the years. i bent it back a little bit forward and cleaned all contact suraces includiing the outer contacts conneting to the cables.

This issue was not measurable - i put an ohm-meter on the contacts of the fuse holder and it showed almost no resistance, as it should.

There might be some measurements by the CCU (Charging Control Unit) as switches through initially. I had once tried to measure if it even switches through, with the fuse holder disconneted and instead the cable from the CCU connected a volt meter (the other pole to battery mass); there was a short burst to charging voltage and immediately afterwards 0V again, so i assume, the CCU makes some initial amp-checking and if that fails, it seems to switch off entirely to try again after 10 minutes. This might be triggered or enhanced by that bad contact inside the fuse holder.

Since then i had no issue anymore with the bike starting to charge - it charges as it should right away as soon as it gets power in all conditions.

I hope, this might help anyone who's having similar charging issues with his FX - it made me mad for months!!