Makes And Models > Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+

On board charger replacement

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Richard230:
Here are instructions and comments for replacing the stock on-board 12 amp charger as used on 2014-2020 Zero S and SR models:

Yesterday I received my new replacement charger from AF1, a day early. Naturally, UPS beat up the box during its transit from Texas to California, but the charger managed to survive the shipping fun.  Attached are two photos of the original charger that was installed in my 2018 Zero, with a build date of early November 2017. Note the model number and the burn hole in the top of the charger. Also note the two black boxes located on its power cord.

The new replacement charger has a new model number and has only one black box on the power cord. Photos attached.

Richard230:
Replacing the charger took about two hours. Having a helper to hold a flashlight and to perform some other minor tasks will make the job easier, but is not really necessary. It was easy to remove the old charger, after spending a few minutes removing the side, front and bottom plastic covers with a 3mm hex driver. Then the three charger wires can be disconnected.

The tricky one is the reddish rubber-covered connector at the right side as it is hard to get to. You need to remove the two bolts holding the shoe protection plate over the rear brake reservoir with a 4mm hex driver, push the brake pedal down hard and then loosen the large bolt behind the rear brake pedal using a T45 bit, after first cutting some zip-ties holding the wire in place. You can then push the rubber cover downward to expose the body of the plastic connector. After that you can push the connector and wire downward past the end of the bolt, while pushing the end of the bolt outward to obtain the necessary clearance and finally past the frame.

The power cord outlet needs to be unbolted from the frame by removing two very small 2.5mm hex-head screws. Removing the left side passenger foot peg support bolts first using a 13mm socket will make this job a lot easier. You will also need to carefully cut several zip ties on power cord wires.

Finally, the old charger can be unbolted from the bottom of the chassis by first loosening all 16 small hex-head bolts holding the charger to the bottom of the chassis. Then you remove eight of the securing bolts on one side of the charger. After that the old charger box can be slid off that side, as the chargers frame uses forked protrusions to retain the box instead of holes.

Installation of the new charger is accomplished in reverse order. The major headache during the replacement process is relocating the power cord and installing new zip ties at their previous locations. Bending the tips of the new zip-ties is helpful to get then threaded through the attachment devices that clip to the sides of the battery box. And of course, screwing in the little bolts holding the power cord outlet at the back of the chassis spar will not be very easy as access is restricted somewhat. A small L-shaped 2.5mm hex wrench is needed here to both remove and replace the screws.

Then you can tackle the major irritation of reconnecting the red right side connector. You will need to push it upward past that protruding bolt end while pushing the bolt outward again to obtain the necessary clearance and then push the connectors together, which requires nimble fingers and some pushing and pulling to get the connector and its rubber cover hooked up completely and zip-tied together (see attached photo). You can then reinstall new zip ties to the fasteners on the battery box cover to hold the wire in place again. More irritating fiddling. It helps a little to unbolt the three screws of the battery cover to provide just a little more room to relocate the wire, connector and zip ties.

You can then replace the left side passenger hanger, the rear brake reservoir cover (don't forget the ground wire) and all of the plastic covers.  Finally you can plug in the power cord and if you got lucky like I did you will hear a click and the charging light will come on. Life is good again.  :)

The new charger maxed out at 11.85 amps before shutting down at 100% SOC and has finally resolved my never-ending complaint about the charger not disconnecting when the power cord is removed from the wall outlet. Now the green charging light finally goes out by itself when the power cord is pulled, without the ignition having to be cycled on and off.  :)  So I guess my original charger had more than one issue that has been resolved by the new version.

Photos are attached that illustrate the areas of work.

DonTom:

--- Quote from: Richard230 on July 31, 2020, 04:48:54 AM ---Replacing the charger took about two hours.
--- End quote ---
I take it you have it all working and charging normally again. Thanks for all that info. It could come in handy for me someday.

However, I could also just decide to remove the OBC and just charge with my external chargers. A loss of 1.3 KW isn't much difference from my 6.3 KW. I could simply charge at 5 KW (instead of 6.3KW)  while on the road using my Elcons and still charge at 7 KW (instead of 8.3 kW) at home. But there would still be one major issue. I would have to keep the key in at all times to charge from the Elcons (unlike the Delta-Q's where the key can be removed after the bike is once turned on). So if I cannot find a way to keep the contactor closed for charging, it's worth replacing the OBC just for that one reason alone, when/if  mine craps out.

-Don-  Reno, NV

ESokoloff:

--- Quote from: Richard230 on July 31, 2020, 04:48:54 AM ---
Photos are attached that illustrate the areas of work.

--- End quote ---






Hijack.......

Is that a e-mower in the background & if so, what brand?

AutoE:
Richard, you may want to open the old charger and try to ID the point of failure. We found water entry was too often at fault.

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