Hello every one! I’m glad to share BMW i3 repair techniques

[Stevick]

I also just checked my L2 EVSE with a voltmeter to determine if the charging handle was leaking voltage when not plugged into the charging port and read 0.0 volts. My check was not performed immediately after using it for a charge, since I had just fully charged with the L1 EVSE successfully without the 22287E "AC charging: Network voltage exists in spite of charging unreadiness" code being set. I'm not sure what to try next to determine if the L2 EVSE is the culprit for that fault, but now I at least know its not a safety hazard (though it may still potentially a hazard to the on-board charger).

 

[alohart]

Do you know if both on-board chargers are AC?

Yes

Is one for 120v (L1) with the other kicking in for the other 120v leg on a 240v L2 charge? or is one for DC and/or REX generator output?

In U.S. i3's (AC charging is only single-phase), both on-board chargers are AC chargers with a maximum charging power of 3.7 kW each. In early i3's, one charger was in the KLE and the other, in the EME. In later i3's, the charger in the EME was moved to the KLE.

I believe that an EV on-board charger always accept AC input and produces DC output to charge the battery pack. There must be some electronic circuitry involved with DC charging, but I don't believe that this circuitry is described as a charger.

I've never owned a REx and am not very familiar with how they operate.

 

[madasa fish]

Knocks from front suspension?
Could be piping running from front reservoirs down bulkhead and into channels running length of car. Stuff channels with insulation.

 

[AUTOMAN]

Greetings from reading your update I think you have found your problem which is your home charger,which is good .
Unfortunately an unforeseen issue has forced me to suspend my investigation for a few days but will not forget the quest . The information I posted was from the dongle I think you are reading the information from a fault code reader???
I will get the general information and post it up within a few days.
The road noise has been a feature of the vehicle from new I contacted a well thought of dealer in London who agreed with me with regards the level of road noise,, but I have nothing to compare it with on a smooth road fantastic but on average roads awful.

 

[AUTOMAN]

Hi Stevick. I did actually reply but it seems to have got lost , obviously you have found the fault which is good.
I will post up the dongle results in a few days I suspect you are reading your results from a code reader, hence the complex results. The reason I used the dongle was to find out how much running time was on the generator basically for servicing . The general road noise is a combination of hard tyres the chassis and the actual road surface.I would like to compare mine to another vehicle Regards

 

[Stevick]

AUTOMAN, I'm still unsure about the charging fault. I re-checked voltages on the unplugged L2 charging handle and there was 25 volts between the left large upper pin and the left center smaller pin (polarized). The L1 EVSE (which does not trigger the fault) was the same though. This still suggests that there may be no spurious voltage leakage from the L2 EVSE and the problem is on the car end - and perhaps even related to the problematic EME fault code. Given that Alohart has explained about the 2 on-board AC chargers, I'm beginning to wonder if one of the chargers (for 120v only) is fine and the other one (for the additional 120v @ L2) maybe potentially faulty, but I'm at an impasse now. I'm not quite ready to trash the L2 charger yet, which has served me well thus far. It came with a 120v outlet adapter to charge at L1, so I'll try that next to see if it throws a code using that. Unfortunately, I do not have another L2 EVSE to try, but if necessary, I may go a public L2 EVSE as the next step.

I am using a Creator C310+ hand scan tool. I got from Amazon. Despite being omitted in the listing, the scan tool does work with the I01 chassis and includes it in the vehicle selection menu. I also have a BT dongle that worked with BimmerCode, but never invested in BimmerLink as it doesn't seem to offer anything I can't already do with the Creator. The difference in the data available by our respective tools may make comparing difficult, but I'm hoping we can still get some insights.

 

[alohart]

I re-checked voltages on the unplugged L2 charging handle and there was 25 volts between the left large upper pin and the left center smaller pin (polarized). The L1 EVSE (which does not trigger the fault) was the same though.

This seems unusual to me because the center small pin should be at true ground potential. This means that there's a 25 V potential difference between the L1 pin and ground when either of your EVSE's is powered but not plugged into your i3. That doesn't seem right, but this is beyond my knowledge. Maybe this is due to a problem with your residence's electrical system. However, EVSE's generally detect such problems and refuse to charge.

Given that Alohart has explained about the 2 on-board AC chargers, I'm beginning to wonder if one of the chargers (for 120v only) is fine and the other one (for the additional 120v @ L2) maybe potentially faulty, but I'm at an impasse now.

I'm pretty certain that both on-board chargers function together whether the input voltage is 120 V or 208-240 V; i.e., one of them isn't dedicated to 120 V charging only with the other kicking in to handle 208-240 V charging. The AC input voltage is the voltage difference between the 2 AC power pins. For 120 V charging, one of these pins, L1, is 120 V vs. the ground potential with the other being the neutral line, L2/N, which should be close or equal to the ground potential. For 208 VAC charging, L2 is 120 V vs. ground potential but 120º out of phase with L1 (U.S. commercial power). For 230-240 VAC charging, L2 is 180º out of phase with L1 (U.S. or European single-phase residential power). Later European i3's could have a 3rd on-board charger to support 3-phase power at up to 11 kW.

If one of the on-board chargers isn't functioning in an i3 equipped for single-phase charging, charging would still proceed but at a maximum power of 3.7 kW (16 A @ 230 V) instead of 7.4 kW (32 A @ 230 V) when both chargers are functioning.

 

[AUTOMAN]

Stevick I must admit I am getting confused . Suggest you simply clear your fault code and use the commercial charger and see what is the outcome. If possible try the low rate charge first if you have that option in your area and then the high rate obviously at a later point. What you are trying to do is eliminate the fault code which I suspect is being produced potentially by your house charger . As Alohart mentioned you may have a fault with you home electrical system..
I have the technicans manuals for the i3 Rex and will look though the section you are concerned with .
The fact you are able to recharge your batteries indicates it could be a relatively minor issue.

 

[AUTOMAN]

Stevick I had look at the manual which was interesting as the American i3 has different charging ports to the uk version ,
reading the various notes on the leads ect it is important the lead and chargers are correct. By using the commercial chargers it will give you the answer. Think on how long it takes to recharge the batteries on slow charge and fast charge that will indicate what is happening.
,

 

[Stevick]

Okay all, here's the situation once again:
- L1 BMW EVSE works fine and charging to 100% does not trigger the 22287E "AC charging: Network voltage exists in spite of charging unreadiness" code.
- L2 home EVSE works fine (charges at set 24A or ~5.7KW), but when charging to 100% it does trigger the code (which can be successfully cleared).
- Despite the L2 charging seemingly being fine, the concerns are (1) that the condition giving rise to the fault may be hazardous to the on-board chargers, and (2) may be involved in the symptomless permanent EME 222A0C internal fault code that is plaguing me.
So here's my diagnostic plan:
- First, use the 120V outlet adapter on the L2 EVSE, charge at L1 (set to 8A) to 100% and see if the code is triggered - if it is, the EVSE is the cause. If not I still can't rule out that (1) there is some issue with the car on all L2 charges, or (2) the EVSE is only faulty performing L2 charges. I'm doing this test as I write this.
- Next, I'll try a public L2 charge to 100%, if no code is triggered, then my home EVSE is the culprit. If the code is triggered, then it's instead likely on the car side (maybe a communication error to the EVSE to terminate charging?)
- Lastly, if it is on the car side, I will continue to research how it may be responsible for the EME internal fault.

Alohart Your guidance continues to be helpful. My apologies though, as I made two mistakes. First, I misidentified the pins with the 25V, and secondly, I was measuring AC voltage (ignorantly thinking that's what the EVSE would output). Here's a diagram of the EVSE handle pin arrangement:

View attachment 1979
On my home L2 EVSE, the 25vac was measured between the PE (-) and CP (+) pins only, with the EVSE disconnected from the car but plugged in the wall. No other voltage was measured between any other pair of pins, nor between the PE and CP pins with polarity reversed. The BMW EVSE reading were identical. I read this in-depth article: https://docs.powerflex.com/reference/how-it-works-l2-ev-chargers/?v=1.1.0 (picture above clipped from it). I learned that the voltage between the PE and CP pins when the EVSE is in standby status should be 12V (and apparently, that is 12vdc). That is what I now measure when I switch to vdc measurement with the EVSE plugged in the wall (i.e., standby). So it now seems the existence of "network voltage in spite of charging unreadiness" is unrelated to those EVSE readings, but to something else. Sorry for the misdirection caused by my ignorance and senility. Undeterred though, the chase will continue...

 

[Stevick]

Geez, the diagram didn't go through, here's another try

 

[AUTOMAN]

Stevick I think you are on the right line now obviously post your results hopefully with the answer. The can / bus system may be throwing up a fault code which related a very minor issue. I did mention early on technicians struggling with a charging issue, the only way was to substitute the two items both related to the charging port??? .it was a costly method and finally it was narrowed down to corrosion at the port actually on the earth pin as I recall. Your problem hopefully solved,if it was a charger / rectification problem I suspect it would not allow you to recharge or simply switch off .
Unfortunately I can not perform the dongle tests for you at the moment but will . 1 General test vehicle at rest 2 Charging on 7 kw wall box ( home charger) test 3 On road test which you have 4 Generator on road test . If you do need the final rapid rapid charge test I can do it if needed. If you compare our results it may throw up a potential culprit.
The interesting one for me is the run time for the extender giving actual running time in minutes and drive time.miles.
The service time can be decided and rather than depend on the service run time which is relatively short giving the engine a good run using up fuel to be replaced with fresh which I add a stableizer ( fuel goes stale quite quickly) Regards

 

[Stevick]

Well results for the first test are in for the home EVSE charge at L1 with the 120v adapter - it was a FAIL. It charged the car to 100%, but set the AC charging fault code. That pretty much tells me the culprit for that code is indeed the home EVSE. I'm going to try to contact the manufacturer, as it's less than a year old and may be a defect of some kind. Here's a listing for the unit: https://www.amazon.com/Deco-Home-Portable-Compatible-Waterproof/dp/B0CDHQV7ZH?th=1 , which states that it has "leakage current" protection. The manual says it flashes 7 times in red on a continuous loop when such a fault is detected. Needless to say, I'm getting no such warning from the unit, nor for other faults it detects (i.e., communication, under-voltage, over-voltage, ground fault, over-current or over-temperature). In every case, the charging process does shut down at full charge, so there doesn't appear to be a danger of over-charging.

I'll keep at it for now, particularly in chasing down the EME internal fault, which for me is much more concerning.

AUTOMAN, I'm most interested in the reading that I highlighted in red text. It seems to be reporting that the charging interface module (LIM) is stuck in charging mode and not releasing, even when the car is unplugged and not charging. If I'm interpreting it right (a big "if"), then that could be an issue.

 

[mojo]

I doubt the "leakage current" detection is relevant. To me it seems that the fault code is being stored because your EVSE is not conforming to the protocol in the way that it should. It appears that when the car signals to the EVSE that it is no longer ready to receive power (i.e. it leaves state C), the EVSE should respond by disconnecting the power, but it is not doing so.

To be honest, I'm not surprised - my EVSE (a different make to yours) doesn't seem to get the signalling quite correct (in a slightly different context).

 

[alohart]

First, I misidentified the pins with the 25V, and secondly, I was measuring AC voltage (ignorantly thinking that's what the EVSE would output).

The output voltage between an EVSE's power pins, L1 and N, is the same as its input voltage which is AC voltage, usually in the 110 - 240 VAC range.

As you wrote, the output voltage between the control pilot pin, CP, and ground, PE, should be +12 VDC when an EVSE's plug is not plugged into a charge port. When plugged in, the DC voltage can vary between +12 VDC and -12 VDC indicating the EVSE's state. However, imposed on this DC voltage is a 1 kHz ±12 V square wave of varying pulse widths indicating the maximum current that the EVSE can provide.

If your EVSE isn't working correctly, it might be providing the signals when unplugged that should be provided only when plugged in.

On my home L2 EVSE, the 25vac was measured between the PE (-) and CP (+) pins only, with the EVSE disconnected from the car but plugged in the wall. No other voltage was measured between any other pair of pins, nor between the PE and CP pins with polarity reversed. The BMW EVSE reading were identical. I read this in-depth article: https://docs.powerflex.com/reference/how-it-works-l2-ev-chargers/?v=1.1.0 (picture above clipped from it). I learned that the voltage between the PE and CP pins when the EVSE is in standby status should be 12V (and apparently, that is 12vdc). That is what I now measure when I switch to vdc measurement with the EVSE plugged in the wall (i.e., standby).

I don't know what a voltmeter set to AC voltage would display since it would usually expect a 60 Hz sine wave, not a 1 kHz square wave of various pulse widths. Maybe your 25 VAC is the square wave whose peaks are +12 V and -12V, a 24 V difference. An oscilloscope would be needed to determine the signaling.

So it now seems the existence of "network voltage in spite of charging unreadiness" is unrelated to those EVSE readings, but to something else.

I'm not convinced of this yet. Your further testing should help clarify.

 

[Stevick]

Thanks Mojo. I'm trying to approach this somewhat scientifically. The code itself (22287E), when looked up here: https://bmwfault.codes/XMLDiagView?doc=MjAwMDAxMDA3NDI3NDcwNQ== states as a service plan, "Fault is due to the charger used (charging cable, charging station)." This seems to be confirmed by the fact that my BMW EVSE does not trigger the fault - leading me to believe that (1) there's no problem on the car's end, and (2) the aftermarket EVSE is the culprit. So I do believe that something along the lines you describe is going on with that EVSE. I just guessed that the "leakage current" fault detection built into the EVSE would have reported that, if the EVSE was indeed not disconnecting power and the car still sensed voltage. As mentioned though, the charging session does seem to terminate at 100% (the port lighting goes out, realtime OBD data shows charging has stopped, and the EVSE display is static). Also, there is no charging voltage (only signal voltage) at the handle when removed from the port - but that may be because of some other safety operation that occurs by unplugging. The OBD readings should indicate continued charging voltage remaining while it's plugged in, and it does not.

In any event, I contacted the manufacturer of the EVSE and explained the issue. Though bewildered, they tentatively agreed to give me a warranty replacement. They wanted me to write all this up and send a snapshot of the fault code readout. I'm in the process of doing that now.

...and thanks once again Alohart. As to your first point, I can't disagree. As to the second, I was googling and learned that generally a 25VAC reading is not uncommon when measuring 12VDC when using a cheap VOM like I am, LOL. Because I don't know the which lead (- or +) to put on the PE and CP pins, for all I know, my measurement may actually be -12VDC (indicating an error, per the chart in the article I referenced in the earlier post). As to your last point, it is well taken and the EVSE signaling error does seem to be the best explanation to date. Hopefully I'll get the replacement, with the further hope it was a defective unit rather than an error in its design. For now, my further testing will await the hoped-for replacement.