2016 e Golf Delphi gets hot

[SDRED]

Hi everyone, new e Golf owner here, have a 2016 and it runs great. Think I may have a problem with the Delphi charging system supplied with the car. It charges fine but it is quite hot on the short cord that plugs into my GFI 110v outlet to the Delphi box which is also hot. The cord gets cooler the further you get away from the outlet/Delphi unit but is warm and it is warm at the plug at the car. About 6 feet from the car plug there is a very hard feeling kink in the cable. Not sure if a hot outlet/Delphi unit is normal or not so please advise if you have experience or knowledge of this condition.
thank you.

 

[Sparklebeard]

Mine would get noticeably warm at the wall plug end too. 1.4kW isn't an insignificant amount of power so its not unusual for it to heat up, but it shouldn't get hot enough to cause danger. If you can keep your hand on it for a little while without feeling like you're getting burnt you can probably feel safe. If you see any melting, discolouration, or smell any weird smells then stop using it immediately.

From what you've said, it seems ok

 

[cctop]

I actually did melt the plug on a Delphi portable charger.

For a while I needed to use an extension cord. I discovered the reason that the manual tells you not to do that.

When plugged directly into an outlet, the plug on my Delphi charger would get quite warm but not too hot to handle.

It's possible that the kink in your cord is causing more resistance, similar to what I experienced with the extension cord. It's also possible that your home wiring isn't good enough to handle the load.

As Sparklebeard says, watch for signs of burning or melting on both your Delphi plug and your outlet. Depending on how concerned you are, you may wish to get an electrician to take a look at your home wires.

 

[SDRED]

Thank you for the helpful comments. i can keep my hand on the hot part so it is probably no where near dangerous. I think the hard kink may be causing resistance it feels like it is a 90 degree bend of hard wire inside but I cannot see any cuts in the rubber sleeving. I will take to the local VW dealer as I got a certified Warranty with the car.

 

[eGolfJoe]

Try a different wall outlet. That one is probably worn out.

 

[Verbruggan]

Try a different wall outlet. That one is probably worn out.

I was of the similar thought. Confirm the outlet you are using is actually set up correctly (receptacle checker). Also consider what cannot be seen. Specifically the wiring in the wall. Sure Romex 12-2 is set up for up to 20 AMP. Some builders will use 14-2 though for 15 amp. Additionally the longer the run from the breaker, the more resistance in the current. A combination of each, undersized wiring to the outlet & long distance = the wires getting "warm."

If the charger units plastic is melting, everyone is right: stop using it. The house or locations breaker (if properly installed) is suppose to pop PRIOR to something this catastrophic.

 

[JoulesThief]

High temps is usually a sign of increased resistance, and higher amperage being pulled due to a voltage drop in your electrical system.

Sometimes your local utility company needs to up or adjust the voltage out of the transformers locally, during the summer time, due to increase electrical usage of A/Cs causing voltage drops on the whole power grid. Ask your utility company to do a voltage check on their end of the system, too.

You should have at least 120V. I've seen locally as high as 124V in some construction projects. What you absolutely don't want is 110V or less. Flat screen TV's and such with their electronics start popping at 107V or less, destroying the circuit boards. Happens quite a bit in coastal cities exposed to corrosive salt are and exposed telephone pole power lines on insulators. On foggy mornings, sometimes you can hear the power lines making a nice sizzling sound. That's voltage drop.

 

[SDRED]

To close this thread out I took my Delphi charger unit/cable to a VW dealer as my car was a certified with warranty. Sure enough they saw the hard kink in the cable and deemed it not serviceable and gave me a brand new one. This new unit does not get hot or hardly even warm so my old one was definitely not correct.

 

[furiouschads]

How long did it take to get the replacement cordset?