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Trouble codes on stock charger?

10K views 33 replies 11 participants last post by  ct-fiskerbuzz 
#1 ·
Does anyone have information on what the trouble codes on the stock charger mean?:huh:

I've been using the stock charger for over a year without issue.

This morning there is a red light and a repeating code.
2-1-2

I brought the charger into the house and tried a different outlet and the code changed to 2-1-3

I can't seem to catch a break!

Thanks in advance!
 
#2 ·
BTW....I just checked and the Karma is fully charged.

Anyone know who the manufacturer of the stock charger is?
 
#3 ·
This is not a direct answer to your question, but the information may be relevant. There has been some discussion about Fisker's convenience charger, and consensus appears to be that it is not particularly reliable and not worth fixing. See this thread for more information.

I am not sure about this, but I think they were made by Lear, as were the original Level 2 chargers marketed by Fisker. Such was the confidence of the manufacturer in their product that they did not in any way identify themselves on the product box, label or packaging.

There are a lot of relatively inexpensive and reliable portable Level 1 and Level 2 chargers on the market, and the typical advice to owners who ask about problems with that charger is to go out buy one of those rather than try to get the Fisker-branded unit replaced or repaired.
 
#4 ·
I got one from TurboCord recently that I like, because it can plug into 110v or 220v outlets, and it's small. Fits in a bag in the same spot the old charger fit into in the trunk. Have only had it a week, though. So, can't say anything about long term reliability.
 
#6 ·
I got one from TurboCord recently that I like, because it can plug into 110v or 220v outlets, and it's small. Fits in a bag in the same spot the old charger fit into in the trunk. Have only had it a week, though. So, can't say anything about long term reliability.
JC, do you have a link to the one you purchased?
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the info Fabulist.

I guess I need to start researching new charger options...
 
#8 ·
Is your charger still working despite the Morse-coded error message? If that's the case, the error may not be very serious, or something transient that may pass.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Does anyone have information on what the trouble codes on the stock charger mean?:huh:
I assume you mean the Fisker-branded Level 2 charger. See this thread and especiallty its attachment for details on the fault codes:

http://www.fiskerbuzz.com/forums/21...codes-fisker-branded-lear-evse.html#post10068

also, this post:

http://www.fiskerbuzz.com/forums/13-fisker-karma/8970-charging-station-died.html#post131378

I see a fault like yours pretty frequently - typically if there is some sort of brownout or power event at night. In every case, the car is already fully charged too. In fact, it happened this morning.

99% of the time the charger resets to all green when you unplug it from the car. If that's the case you're all set. Sometimes the internal switch that was thrown gets 'stuck' and the red fault light stays on. In these cases it usually resets itself after a while, or after cycling the breaker. A little 'precussive maintenance' (i.e. giving the device a good thump) also sometimes does the trick :)

Brent
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the codes Brent.
I think that we might be talking about two different chargers, though the codes may be the same.

My charger is the small orange portable one that fits in the trunk of the Karma. I believe it is a level one charger.

Thanks again,
Special K
 
#17 ·
@specialK, Looking at the photo you posted, I noticed that only two of the four green lights are lit. This means that the charger is in low current (6A) mode as opposed to its normal 12A mode. This doubles the charging time. You can cycle between modes by pressing the big Orange button. If the charger seems to be to working OK, you may as well get full power out of it.
 
#14 ·
OK, took the car for a short drive and have plugged the charger back into it even though the code is still on it.
The charge indicator inside the car is illuminated.

Checked after about 15 minutes and the error code is still flashing on the charger.

I'll report back tomorrow and let you know if the car charged or not....I have doubts ......
 
#15 ·
Just be sure to check on the charger before you go to bed to make sure it is not overheating. Error code 2-1-3 is not very specific, it just indicates an internal fault.
 
#18 ·
Sick Charger...

OK, the car has been on the charger overnight and as expected the charger is still displaying the error code and the car did not charge.

@Fabulist.....if the charger were functional I would love to push the orange button and charged at the 12 amp rate.
But that darn glowing red light wont let me do much of anything except watch the sequence in which it flashes the error code.

Good tip though for those that are still using their Lear charger....wish I was :(
 
#19 ·
OK, the car has been on the charger overnight and as expected the charger is still displaying the error code and the car did not charge.

@Fabulist.....if the charger were functional I would love to push the orange button and charged at the 12 amp rate.
But that darn glowing red light wont let me do much of anything except watch the sequence in which it flashes the error code.

Good tip though for those that are still using their Lear charger....wish I was :(
It was worth a shot. I guess you are going to be EVSE (the technical name for the external connector to an EV) shopping, or burning some gas for a while. The Turbo Cord looks very interesting. I have been considering getting one. If you do get one, let us know how it works.
 
#20 ·
I used my 110 V charger from Fisker, the one with the orange cords, for about one year before it went dead on me. The faults came on and would not clear. I had been considering a 220 V charger and made the jump. I have never looked back. The 220 V always has my car fully charged and ready and I have used less gas since the change. I even drive it more on the weekends because I know I can plug it in and have it ready to go again very soon.

I strongly suggest you install a 220 V charger and you will be a much happier Karma driver.
 
#21 ·
I used my 110 V charger from Fisker, the one with the orange cords, for about one year before it went dead on me. The faults came on and would not clear. I had been considering a 220 V charger and made the jump. I have never looked back. The 220 V always has my car fully charged and ready and I have used less gas since the change. I even drive it more on the weekends because I know I can plug it in and have it ready to go again very soon.

I strongly suggest you install a 220 V charger and you will be a much happier Karma driver.
FWIW, the original charger is a dual voltage charger.
When I was stationed in Cambodia, with the car, I plugged directly into the 230VAC 50hz wall socket and it charged without issue.

I will definitely be replacing it with a dual voltage charger, unless I can repair the one I have. Thinking about taking it apart to see what's going on inside. If it's a relay that has gone bad that should be an easy fix.

I only worry about it causing damage to the battery.....
 
#22 ·
Started to work again..?

Update:
The darn thing started working again!
I was about to take it apart and decided to plug it in again just to see if was still broke ~ and voila!! It went all green and ready to go!

Took it back out to the garage and plugged it in ~ still ready to go.

Plugged it into the car and it started to cycle and all 4 LED's went solid green and it stopped doing the sequence....Unplugged and plugged back in and it is now functioning properly (I think)

Not feeling warm and fuzzy but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Fingers crossed it continues to keep working.

Thanks to all that provided feedback ~ you guys rock!
 
#23 ·
Still working...

Checked on the Karma this morning and it is fully charged and there are no error lights displayed on the charger.
Fingers crossed that it stays that way.
 
#24 ·
Argh!

No surprise that the charger was flashing the error code again this morning when I went to the garage. :mad:
The good news is that it must have crapped out after fully charging the Karma :)

OceanK ~ I'd like to have that manual, PM sent.
 
#25 ·
Slam it a few times...

So after trying a few different outlets (hey it worked last time) with the same bad results I resorted to giving it a few good slams......and it is working again.

I'm thinking that it's either a cold solder joint or a relay that has been arcing.

Anyway, just thought I'd keep the thread updated and provide a little information for the next guy that has the same problem..
 
#28 ·
Excellent!
Thanks for the pictures!
How did you seal it back up? And how did you open it up? A quick look and it looks like rivet heads that need to be drilled out to open it.

I am still using mine. But, almost daily I have to give it a good whack to get it to go to the ready mode.

It will fully charge the Karma before faulting out.

Special K
 
#29 ·
Keep in mind, I'd already written this EVSE off prior to cracking it open, so I wasn't delicate about the task. I used a flathead screwdriver along the lateral seam around the edge. Appeared to to be sealed with an epoxy sealer (no screws or bolts, thankfully). Worked in a "pry n' push" manner around the seal. You should hear small popping sounds as you break the seal a little bit at a time. When finished, it should open easily, the two halves held together by the white ribbon cable and the black and pink wire. Haven't resealed it yet, as I want to be sure there's no more overheating wires. Held together right now with Sunday paper rubber bands. (Fairly sturdy for temp.)
 
#30 ·
Thanks for the info Chef!!!!
My crazy charger has been behaving....I think it knows what my plans are if it starts acting up again!
 
#32 ·
Hot plug


Exotic 1, I think it is normal.
Mine is always hot too.
Chef5800 rewired his with larger gauge wires to alleviate that problem.
 
#34 ·
It is "normal", but it's not good: it tells us that, as Harleyguy says, the factory charger is (insert appropriate word). You can press the button on the charger to lower the rate of charge (instead of blinking all 4 green LEDs in sequence, it drops to blinking just 2) and then the plug will stay cool but the car will take 16+ hours to charge from empty.
 
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