BMW i3 - Charging Socket Lock DIY Repair.
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- čas přidán 4. 03. 2019
- In my BMW i3 -14 the locking mechanism for the charging socket, sometimes started to get stuck and not releasing the charging cable. This all started to occur after about 60.000 km /37.000 miles but with time it got worse and worse. After about 70.000 km It got stuck at almost every public charging place, but charging at home worked almost every time.
This video shows how i replaced the part that caused this and thus completely fixing the problem.
Before doing any work with the high voltage system it is advised to DISCONNECT THE HIGH VOLTAGE battery, this is done in the front, under the left side cover (under the hood). Search for ”BMW i3 High Voltage Disconnect” for more info.
Of course I tried every tip and trick to prevent this, but also to get it to unlock the charging cable after it got "stuck".
The most common tricks for getting it to unlock is:
* Locking and unlocking the car.
* Starting and stopping the charging process.
* Wiggling the connector while doing one of the above.
* Or worst case pressing the emergency cut off at the charger.
* One time I just had to wait until I had 100% charge.
The part i used was 61136805425, but this was for my TYPE 2/CCS config. Depending on what charging connections and what region your car comes from yours might be different. Use your VIN at for ex www.koedbmw.com.
12 month update on this repair: • BMW i3 - 12 month upda... - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Just away to do this repair - great repair video by the way Bjorn. As mentioned - disconnect the high voltage wire in the front unless you want to meet your maker!
Saved my ass! The manual release cord was blocking the locking mechanism. This video helped to disassemble it to the point I could release the mechanism without taking the whole car apart.
Add this to the original spec plastic motor mounts. Same “engineer?”
Of course, thank you for making this important video
I was worried that BMW dealer was trying to BS me on a repair they caused since this problem happened to me just a few days after I got my I3 back from an oil change. On my car at 44k miles I have this issue. After seeing your video I will just try to order the part and fix myself because I think they want to charge me about $500 labor for this job!!! Excellent video, thanks!!!! Might mention the special jack adapter needed to safely jack up vehicle for those who may not know.
Today I fixed mine that didn't want to charge because it wasn't blocking the charging plug. I didn't remove the wheel arch. Dismantled everything as in the video. This block was not unscrewed, it is disassembled if 5 locks are snapped off. There are a lot of gears inside, I smeared everything with silicone, the white slider too. Everything worked! The blue cable also needs to be lubricated.
Well done, a five point security bit...really BMW Very helpful video. Such a bummer when a piece breaks just because the removal is so hard to figure out. You likely saved the next 50 folks a ton of trouble.
Thanks for the helpful video. I am able to confirm what other suggested might work in the comments.. it's entirely possible to do this repair WITHOUT jacking up the car and removing the wheel and inner well liner. I did it in about an hour on a US spec 2015 REX. I was glad I was able to find the necessary 20T PENTA-LOBE BIT. I had to buy a whole set of 3/8 drive bits to get it, but well worth it. On the US i3 the fasteners are on the back side so I could not get a ratchet in there. I was able to turn the bit by hand. (EDIT: I found my short swivel ratchet which allowed me to tighten these properly when reinstalling.) In addition, I did not find it necessary to unplug the light bar. Just left it dangling with the lid and frame. Plugging the lid latch actuator back in was a bit tricky, but manageable. Thanks again! Success!
Thank's for the video! So much easier than the "official way".
You made my day. Thanks a lot Bjorn!
Most excellent video and how to B. My i3 door sometimes sticks, so this is information I will be using. Shout out from SouthEastern USA 🖖
I made this repair with your video..it works perfectly. Thank you
Thank you very much for this video. I used it to change my flap actuator and didn’t break anything, which I of course would have without this video. I didn’t remove the wheel. A bit tight when unplugging the connector, but not a problem.
Thanks for an informative video. Keep it up :)
Worked for me, great video.
Thanks! I have the same issue and will eventually need to replace this part. However, to keep it going for another few months, I've put a thick lump of multi-purpose grease on my personal charging cable around the lock hole and then locked-unlocked about 10 times. This simple trick made it less likely to get stuck. It also helps if you hold the CCS cable slightly up to counteract the weight when you lock-unlock the cable.
Thanks for this video. I've just done this job myself and it definitely helped :) A few points. You definitely don't need to remove the wheel splat. Even the screw I dropped fell out the bottom. At the 3:25 point in the video I used an allen key with 90 bend and was able to click this loose without any force at all. I used vice-grips to get around the 5 sided locking screws. Thanks again.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you!!! I had the same issue.
Excellent video, so well presented and hopefully it will solve my issue. My 12v battery went flat and I had to use the blue pull cord to open the charge port flap. Car will not lock charge cable in for charging since. I have installed new BMW 12v battery, still no charging. I will try the blue cable reset process tomorrow if possible, thank you for this video.😁👌👍
An excellent video ... if this issue happens on my i3 I know what to do thanks for sharing
... i have the same issue, today i stopped by in BMW service, and they said just part itself is about 110 eur, but labour work cca 350-400 eur, saying its 4 hours work and diagnostic plus coding , so all together cost cca 500 eur plus ! ... I see you didnt do any coding and its working, so I will try to do it as well next week ... anyway you made absolutely great video, looks very educating even for amateurs like me :) THANK YOU ... hope you will create more projects on i3, right now i am having problem with seat heating as well :))
Good to hear that the video helps people! And like you noticed: I didn't need to code anything after replacing that part.
Unfortunately I'm having problems with my seat heating as well! :/ When I eventually fix it I'll make a video on my take on that. Also a common problem, unfortunately.
~Dude... what's the part number?~
EDIT: Nevermind, after much searching found it...
US Type 1 w/rapid charge: 61-13-6-805-424
EU Type 2 w/rapid charge: 61-13-6-805-425
Спасибо за видео! Только я буду этот моторчик разбирать
I was (and still am) having an issue with DC Fast Charging. Unless I held up the bottom of the charging handle it would not charge and was reporting locking error. If I lifted up slightly it would charge. I took it to BMW and they said the same thing..they replaced the locking mechanism and when it was finished they said DC fast charging was still not working. They said they needed to replace all the charging cables and charging port. (For $2700). I got home and noticed that during AC charging and after locking the car it would NOT lock the handle and I could pull it out, and of course with DC fast charging the charger would not initiate a charge unless I pulled up a bit on the bottom of the handle. When I told BMW they needed to rectify the repair they said it was done properly and I needed the more expensive repair. I told them that it WAS NOT locking the handle. They refused to take the car back in so I called BMW customer relations and they are going to figure what to do. QUESTION: I think you nailed it when you said the heavy handle of the DC charging is pulling down binding the locking pin and hence no charging unless you lift up relieving the pressure. Did this prevent you from DC charging (before the repair)??
hi , Im not getting the 61-13-6-805-425 only 61-13-6-805-424 in us, mine is europen version, do you think if I buy the US version will work I cant find difference
Great work and explanations, B. Do you know if it's a similar process for the common fuel door failure in REx models? Thinking about a self repair and this made me think could be doable. Not being a REx owner you may not know. Thanks for the effort.
Yeah it's really hard to say, I can't find that section of parts at the site I usually go to (www.koedbmw.com) but I Googled and found this listing with photos:
www.bildelsbasen.se/?link=item&searchmode=3&query=51177335742&post_id=39290126
It looks to be attached in a similar way at the charging door lid, so should be possible to pop out with plastic "trim panel" tools.
But the issue is most likely some sensor or mechanism behind it.
I've read that some people get problem with a fuel pressure sensor, could that be your issue too or do you think it's about the mechanism that opens the door?
I found a VIN so I found that section at koedbmw.com
Could it be part #3 called "Ejector" that needs replacing? www.koedbmw.com/en-no/catalog/diagram/41_2330/1/58170?steering=L&transmission=A&productiondate=20151200
Part number 51177257780.
It seems to only cost about 8 Euro + shipping. If that is the faulty part.
The Fuel Port usually jams not because of the locking mechanism itself, but because of a faulty pressure sensor inside the tank.
Everytime you press the release button of the fuel port you get this message that the car prepares for the refueling procedure.
If the sensor transmits a wrong value, then the port wont unlock. This issue is quite common with the earlier REX models (i8s too).
Cut the long story short, you probably have to let your BMW dealer fix this.
Thanks for great video? You dont have to remove the wheel arch at all. The most difficult was to remove the first cover around the chargeports.
Thank you for useful video! Do you know the part number for the "charging door locking actuator"?
It could be this one: 67117309680.
But not 100%. You could go to www.koedbmw.com, enter your vin, go to bodywork and look at the schematic there.
I had same problem. Cleaned with silicon base spray and a little air gun to remove dust and dirt and is OK from a few week's now.
I will keep in mind your advice to hold a little bit the connector when it desangages the little actuator. Ps great video
After 1 year starting to have again these problems and seams that the grease is not doing the job ani more
hey
can i change the charging socket inlet from ccs 1 to ccs 2 in my i3?
Oh, I don't know. But the main pin-difference between Type 1 and Type 2 seem to be that Type 2 has 3-phase and Type 1 only has 1-phase. Otherwise it's the same pins.
You can read about Type 1 and 2 here:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_2_connector
I think the biggest problem is how to get all of those cables loose in the back from the old CCS 1. So research that. And what the CCS2 looks like in the back.
Koed BMW has parts and good diagrams of how things go together.
When I loosened this part in the video I could not see any obvious way too remove the cables.
Also note: if you would get them loose there is A LOT OF CURRENT AND VOLTAGE waiting to go bad...
Almost a year later - did replacing the locking mechanism really solve the problem? No more stuck pin? Thx,
Yes, replacing that mechanism solved the problem completely. It works flawlessly now, every time.
Hello. I want to know the reason for removing the tire. Looking at the video, it looks like you only need to remove the charging cover, right?
Well I couldn’t get the connectors loose of those cables running to the light, charging door lock and the mechanism I was replacing. Without access from behind. But It’s been a while now so I can’t remember exactly how hard that was. But I removed all of that 3 times since I first had the wrong locking mechanism and not the right torx toll.
I’ve gotten a few comments saying it’s possible without going through the wheel arch. So that is probably the case.
Why do you need to remove the Inner wheel arch? seems like you do all most all the work form the change "hole". Only mounting the cable for the charge door lock in the end, but that could be done form the Charge side i guess? I will do this change in the coming weekend, as I have the same problem. Thanks for the video will properly save me from breaking some of the plastic parts :-)
So it was a while since I did all of this but if I remember correctly you need to remove the wheel arch to be able to unplug the 2 cables for:
1. Light in the charge door.
2. Door opening mechanism.
It might seem like a lot of extra work to remove the wheel arch but it was actually easy. Just give it a wash before so you see all the screws.
Also: the mechanism that I changed here is still working 💯 % flawless.
@@BasinBjorn Thanks for your reply. Went to my garage today. Easy DIY with your video as support. Car charging now, ready for work tomorrow. I can add, it is possible to help removing the first plastic part, with pushing from the inside with the hand/finger, so that is also a reason to remove the inner wheel arch.
Same here, 60K kms and it stopped unlocking.
I've never used public chargers.
THANK YOU B, I live in the UK, hard to get this parts, it seems this parts can only be sold in EU? Keep having the similar issue for the past year. 2014 i3
And yesterday I couldn't pull out charging cable, so I used blue emergency cable to release the lock. Now the car won't charge at all, flashing red light rapidly and cable won't lock. Why someone saying they can still charging when this part broken?
I will order this parts and get it replaced myself.
Can you order it from Koed BMW? I think they ship from Denmark or Norway. Should ship to the UK.
But yes, I've heard that the blue emergency cable has to be "pushed/ routed" back to reset and the car to charge again.
@@BasinBjorn thanks for you replay B, do you know where to find how to reset after pull out blue cable? I took few hours and couldn’t find any information. I can’t charge the car, and I don’t know how long the parts will arrive. Thanks
So the blue cable is routed inside the wheel wheel/behind all the panels. And the problem is that when its pulled it usually gets ”stuck” and wont go back by it self. I havent had that issue myself but ive read about it from people who had to pull it.
To access it you will need to:
Raise the car up on a jack stand so you get better access on the rear right wheel.
You can either remove the wheel, and then remove the inner wheel arch ”liner” or just try to open that liner up enough to get your hand in and ”route back the cable”.
Removing the wheel arch liner is the same as in this video, and would give you more space to work. As well as when that part arrives, then you know how to do half of the swap.
@@BasinBjorn many thanks B, much appreciated
Hi I have a question and hope you see this soon. I have to do this seemingly relatively simple repair. But for my i3 I have to change the door release mechanism, not the charge socket lock. My question is about safety. Of course I’d disconnect the emergency shut off under the front trunk but is that enough? As I understand it the door release mechanism is not part of the high voltage system so just disconnecting the front truck emergency shut off should be safe enough. Is this correct?
It was so long ago that I was working on the i3 that it is a bit hard to remember and I’d rather not guess. But my impression was that there is no exposed cables or connectors behind the charging door. So the emergency shut off sounds like a safe idea, I never pulled that one though.
@@BasinBjorn thanks for the reply. Yes it seems like it should be a relatively “simple” replacement. I’ll just do the shut off at the front and get it done. Thank you.
Really really really good question!!!! My 2015 bmw i3 wont dc fast charge (combo) we looked at a video where this part that you ordered was the problem why it wasnt dc fast charging. For your case it locks and wont unlock but it charges. My case is it wont lock therefore it wont charge. Is that correct? Is this also a solution? Should i take it to bmw?
Well, does your car charge through the regular type 2 cable or do you have the same problem there as with DC fast charging?
Mine did not charge at all if that lock didn't engage.
On European cars that lock is used at all types of chargers.
B as in Bjorn It does charge at lvl 1 and 2
I just experienced this. If the level 3 charger detects that lock isn't engaged it will refuse to charge. Mines jammed in perm.
PureO this part is likely your culprit. In the US you can charge at Level 1/2 with the J1772 connector without worrying about if this pin locks or not. You can not DCFC though unless the CCS connector can lock in via this part. You can also visually confirm if if this part is working by locking and unlocking your car while it’s actively charging with a J1772 and viewing if this pin extends and retracts.
Can this be added to evs that don't lock
Probably not, I think the signal going to this lock is digital and not just 12v positive and negative.
@@BasinBjorn oh that's to bad but thanks.
No need to remove inner fender, should be possible to remove connectors from the top
Did your check engine light come on because of this issue?
No lights came on to indicate the fault. It was only noticable in the way that the connector was "stuck" and didn't unlock.
@@BasinBjornthanks
I have this problem. It has made my check engine come on per BMW. BMW said it will cost $986 to repair. Will have them repair it for warranty purposes.
I know you wrote a while back, did you try to fix it yourself? Sounds like that $986 is your only option! Anyway, got my fingers crossed for you! Good luck
@@BasinBjorn thanks. Appointment with BMW next Friday
must be so easy not having an engine and oil and stuff for mantenance
Please use a jack stand or some wood blocks. A jack alone is not safe.
BMW took 2 months to get the part and charged me 900€ for the repair, alleging that also the battery safety pack (what is it?) had to be replaced. Here in Portugal they are real crooks!
Costs about 275 for bmw to pick up a pen to make your order. Why i steer clear of German made cars.
fixing it yourself voids the warranty of the car?
Warranty is only 2 years on the i3 (except for the battery warranty that is 8 years or so), so depends on that. But this repair doesn’t necessarily leave any marks/ signs for BMW to even know the part was replaced.
Where can u buy this part??? A Code plecase?
The site I bought from & part number ia in the description. But I’ve seen it on a few more places / eBay as well. Should be possible to get it from a Bmw dealer?
@@BasinBjorn Thanks
Hi Bjørn
Where did you actually buy the locking mechanism (61136805425)? You are refering to www.koedbmw.com, but did you buy the part there? For the reccord, I have the same problem as you and hope to solve it permanently.
Hi Christian, yes I bought the part of koed BMW. I've bought parts there a few times and feel it's a good source for parts.
And the part I replaced is still working fine, done about 95.000km as of now so it's still fixed.
One other thing: What kind of screws are used on the locking mechanism? And what dimention? Do you know that?
Some examples are found here: www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/security-bits/
Late reply but it is a Torx internal tamber proof pin 5 lobe. I hope you got it sorted by now. (I'm still struggling with seeing replies to comments.