Repair broken plug on Eaton EVSE?

After one slightly-hard drop onto concrete, my residential Eaton (30A) EVSE's J1772 connector will not snap into my Leaf, so I can't charge at Level2 (have been using trickle charge and pay blink stations for a month now, argh!).

My electrician examined it but had no idea why it's not connecting with it's final snap into the car, and he advised I contact Eaton. Eaton gave me a number for one repair person (30 miles away) who has not returned my calls (and next-closest repair person is hundreds of miles away).

Searching the web, I found that the Eaton repair kit for the connector & cable I may need is $$$, maybe around $300 for the part, and then there's labor on top of that...!

Does anyone have advice about how to go about getting someone to fix my Eaton connector? Their part seems so expensive? Is there some way I can open up and fix the rattled plug myself (though I am not handy)?

Any comments/stories/advice are welcome... and thanks in advance!

Well, it sounds like a really simple fix.

We can sell you a new 40 amp J-Plugtm and cable assembly for $155 for 20 feet (we offer up to 40 feet) that will be lighter and far more flexible than your current (broken) assembly.

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/J-Plug-J1772-40-Amp-Plug-Cable-Assembly-JPC40A.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you don't know how to install this, if you pay shipping both ways, I'll install it for free. No waiting for repairmen, no driving around, no phone tag.

Here's the shipping address:

Quick Charge Power LLC
Attn: J-Plug Installation
725 N. Edison St, #211
Kennewick, WA 99336

Thanks for your offer, Tony! I suspect I can't repair it myself.
Newb question, I have a 30A EVSE, so is your 40A plug/cable assembly appropriate?
I am considering your kind offer.

FWIW, the part the Eaton phone rep. suggested i would need is EV2030CCKIT, list price is $495.
Which is crazy expensive, because the whole unit cost $900, not to mention I could buy a brand new EVSE from home depot for about what, $700?
All for a damaged plug? Argh!

What i want is an EVSE repair person or electrician to come examine and fix what I have, which I think is a broken plug.

Does anyone know EVSE repair person in LA area? I thought I ran across one googling last week but can't re-find them now.

Edit: First, look inside the front of the plug. Some plugs have a plastic gasket that gets jarred loose and can prevent the plug from being inserted fully. You can either push it back into place or simply pull it completely out.

Have you tried to open it up? Post some pics both before and after you open it. If we can figure out what plug you have, it should be possible to source a replacement plug. There aren't that many manufacturers. Assuming the wires and pins are fine, if you had a new housing you should be able to just change out that part without having to worry about crimping new pins. You might even find that something is just jarred out of place or is cracked in a way that you could fix with a little Krazy Glue.

One of my EVSE's was slightly damaged by the Post office. The latch was slightly bent. The solution was to open up the J1772 plug and straighten the latch and reassemble.

Assuming the J1772 handle is actually broken enough that jiggling/straightening something here or there won't fix it, then replacing the handle/cord is the way to go. Tony's cable is a great product, and the fact that it's 40A and you have a 30A EVSE is of no concern (it means it's overkill for your EVSE - if it were the other way around it'd be a problem.) You could probably find a replacement 30A cable for a little bit cheaper elsewhere (try ebay), but it likely won't be the same quality.

If you can use a screwdriver you can replace the cable yourself - it's really quite simple. It's nice of Tony to offer to do it for you, but the cost of shipping your whole EVSE around is likely prohibitive. Just make sure you unplug or otherwise disconnect the EVSE from power first!

Is there any small appliance repair shop near you? A J cable can be purchased from many sources including Amazon and eBay. Can you post some pix of the J plug?

pugzilla said:

After one slightly-hard drop onto concrete, my residential Eaton (30A) EVSE's J1772 connector will not snap into my Leaf, so I can't charge at Level2 (have been using trickle charge and pay blink stations for a month now, argh!).

My electrician examined it but had no idea why it's not connecting with it's final snap into the car, and he advised I contact Eaton. Eaton gave me a number for one repair person (30 miles away) who has not returned my calls (and next-closest repair person is hundreds of miles away).

Searching the web, I found that the Eaton repair kit for the connector & cable I may need is $$$, maybe around $300 for the part, and then there's labor on top of that...!

Does anyone have advice about how to go about getting someone to fix my Eaton connector? Their part seems so expensive? Is there some way I can open up and fix the rattled plug myself (though I am not handy)?

Any comments/stories/advice are welcome... and thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

If your model # is EVSEL230 , the cord incorporates (3) #10 and 1#16 awg conductors,Type EVE 600V 105c rating, good for 30 amps.The cable assbly c/w J1772 connector should be available at any electrical wholesaler who deals in Cutler Hammer.

Following up--FWIW, My connector looks absolutely fine. There is no visible loose anything, nor does anything sound odd or rattle-y.
I tried to open it up for investigation today but seem to lack the right screwdriver set so couldn't open it.
I will try to find the right tool set for that task later, but I have to get back to my actual job. (and I will post pics if I ever actually get it open)

So in the mean-time (& in case opening the connector leads to nothing), I ordered a new connector/cable assembly (25' to replace what I have) from Tony's site quickchargepower.com for about $180.

The cutler-hammer parts are very expensive, their ev2530cckit is about $300 and their ev2030cckit is $500 (prices quoted from online wholesalers).

Thanks again, this board is invaluable!

Sounds like it might just be that one of the resistors in the handle for the proximity circuit got knocked loose. If you can manage to find a screwdriver to get it open you could probably get it fixed with a 5 minute solder job. Post some pics of the guts and we could probably see the problem if that's what it is.

The Dostar plugs like Tony uses use a #15 Torx., The Rema uses a bastard Torx like screw with 5 lugs instead of 6, and the ITT cable uses a T15 Torx. That is all I have on hand here. The Yazaki is a Tork, It looks like T10. All have the security pin and require tools with a hole in the center. Harbor Freight sells cheap sets.

To fix the Blink ( rema) cables I had to buy a whole set to get the one I needed. My post office damaged one was an ITT with a metal latch that was just bent enough that it would not latch and click down when inserted.

Final follow-up--
okay so big "THANK YOU"s to all who offered help & support here.
I got the appropriate size tool to open up the J1772 connector at my local OSH. Everything inside it was fine.
Upon further examination, I realized that the black locking latch was simply damaged from the hard drop to concrete, and a tiny crease in the metal had angled the connecting latch away from being able to snap into connection with the car.
So, I re-opened the J1772 connector, filed the latch hook down quite a fair bit, and then put it all back together.
Now, it locks into place when connected with the car, and Rapid Charging is happening at my house once again.

Please understand, I am a working mom with a full-time job and a preschooler, so my windows-of-opportunity to address the problem
have been few and far between. Sadly, it's taken me 2 months to finally get my J1772 connector repaired, which I had so carelessly lobbed over my fence in one brief distracted moment of thoughtlessness.

Still, since I got the right tools and fixed the existing connector, I feel pretty good.

Thanks again. This bulletin-board community is simply THE BEST. Smiley face and happy dance!

Great ending to the saga!!!

Yay!!

Also, L.A.? Have a Tommy's Chili Burger to celebrate!!
(I know, I like In-n-Out too, but was a Tommy's kid growing up.. One of the few things I miss about L.A... Well, Tommy's, In-n-Out, and Philippe's French Dips.. Mmm.. )
Dang now I'm depressed and hungry.. ;-( ;-)

Anyway, congrats.

desiv

pugzilla said:

...
I got the appropriate size tool to open up the J1772 connector at my local OSH.

Click to expand...

Congratulations on your do it yourself repair
Two months isn't that long.
I've had some take two years :!:

For those not familiar with OSH, it's Orchard Supply Hardware.

When I was cheap and cramming everything into a large flat rate box the latch on a ITT connector was also bent. Since ITT used a metal latch I simply removed the metal and hammered it into shape. I guess if it was plastic I would have had to file it also.

Also, L.A.? Have a Tommy's Chili Burger to celebrate!!
(I know, I like In-n-Out too, but was a Tommy's kid growing up.. One of the few things I miss about L.A... Well, Tommy's, In-n-Out, and Philippe's French Dips.. Mmm.. )
Dang now I'm depressed and hungry.. ;-( ;-)

You mean a Tommy's grease burger! In-n-out is great.

GlennD said:

You mean a Tommy's grease burger!.

Click to expand...

And your point?
I love Oregon, and we have pretty good EV charging!!!
But we do lack in the food department at times..
(At least where I frequent..)

And to follow up, yep. This board has some great people/resources!!!!

desiv