Tesla Large Drive Unit Rebuild (For a Toyota RAV4 EV) Part 2

In this video, I get this Tesla Large Drive Unit all buttoned up with new hybrid ceramic rotor and primary drive bearings, as well as kit it out with a rotor coolant delete manifold. After that, I install the drive unit back into the RAV4 EV that it came out of and take it for a test drive.
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Thanks for watching!

[@xeroidkid]

You make this procedure very straight forward. I like your attention to detail, & fast forward when necessary etc). Pity the previous person didn’t. I suppose you could compare this procedure to an engine rebuild on an ICE. You have the tools and jigs ready at your disposal making the strip down and motor unit rebuild a piece of cake. I dare say the total cost of such exercise wouldn’t come cheap. Your expertise & skill was well worth watching right through to the end. I hope you’re going to train more technicians for the future. Great video.

[@thisisntforsharing]

11:54 Cleaning this with dry ice blasting may be a more thorough clean + be easier / less manual. Great video btw!

[@rickheckbert2423]

Thanks for taking the time to make these. Really interesting. Seems like an almost insurmountable job but you just slogging through it along with your experience makes it almost seem doable for someone. Can't wait for the next one!

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks fascinating video, with your skill set you will never be short of work. You are in a growth industry with little competition apart from high priced dealers, who would probably just replace the motor at a high cost.

[@AlexEVRepair]

Yep, somebody's gotta fix 'em!

[@sneezyferret6482]

Nice job!

[@beozzie690]

Great video man.

[@davewallace9048]

You definitely should get yourself an ultrasonic cleaner

[@williamchow1624]

Fantastic Job!

[@brad9529]

I'd want to be your mate if I were in your country, I like your personality.

[@ausseamore8386]

Thanks tor sharing

[@ScotGraham]

Thanks for answering so many of my questions when you were at QC Charge #1. I own a B250E and wanted to know if the seal delete parts are available yet? If so, can I order them from you?

[@AlexEVRepair]

As of right now, I only have one of the delete manifolds left in stock, which is pretty much earmarked for a car I have coming in later this month. Hopefully I should have some more coming in stock soon, though I'm not 100% sure on the timeline for that.

[@ScotGraham]

@@AlexEVRepair Thanks!

[@ScotGraham]

@@AlexEVRepair Can the seal delete be accomplished on a B250e without removing the drive unit?

[@AlexEVRepair]

Yes, sort of... The drive unit can stay "mostly" in the car, but the motor mount (and associated bracketry) on the passenger side does need to be removed and that side of the motor lowered a few inches to do the job.

[@IrenESorius]

👍‍‍⚡👍‍‍

[@edwinri]

Greetings Alex, thank you for making us part of your work. A job like the one you did, how much would the costs be? Greetings from Puerto Rico

[@AlexEVRepair]

It can vary a bit, but a fairly "typical" drive unit rebuild like this runs around $4,500.

[@edwinri]

@@AlexEVRepair And the battery replacement? Is the entire battery replaced or just the damaged bank? A repair at that level (battery and the work you did) how long would it last? I ask these questions because we will not escape the Market trend of having an Electric or Hybrid Car. Thanks for answering. Successes.

[@AlexEVRepair]

As with any problem, it depends on the failure mode. Some issues can be repaired, while others require replacement. Many of the battery related issues that I have encountered can be repaired (such as electronics failures, contactors, moisture intrusion, etc.), while others required replacement (major degredation, multiple cell failure, extreme water/coolant intrusion). As far as longevity of repairs, that of course also depends on lots of factors. Like what repair was done? How old and how many miles are on the car/component? In the case of a drive unit repair like this, the main failure mode has been permanently fixed, so it should last a very long time.

[@dnomyarnostaw]

Terrific followup video. Question, how many times do these leaks occur under warranty ? Many thanks.

[@AlexEVRepair]

They are very common, especially on any motors built past ~mid-2016 due to a change in the seal design. The older style seals tend to hold up better, but do still fail eventually... Any motors prior to late-2014 however were very prone to developing noise issues, and were often replaced under warranty for that reason. There's a short period of time where the motors had both the older style triple lip seals, but the newer ceramic bearings from late 2014 to early 2016 that are sort of the "goldilocks spec", and tend to have the best longevity. I would say that close to 2/3 of LDU equipped cars that I work on have had at least one drive unit replacement (whether for bearing noise issues, or seal failures).

[@dnomyarnostaw]

@@AlexEVRepair Thank you for that info . Very helpful .

[@davegeorge7094]

Needs coolant pressure control add-on as prevention?

[@carlomartin6156]

No torch wrench required?

[@svargamba]

Only on the lug nuts.

[@brentnearhood8874]

My sister-in-law just bought a 2024 RAV4. Any recommendations on maintenance tips on it. Thanks!

[@stevec5000]

I thought Toyota was agains making EV's and I've never seen an EV Rav4 so where are these sold, just in Oregon?

[@AlexEVRepair]

These cars were originally built to be sold only in California to meet their ZEV credit quotas. Toyota was still working on developing the Toyota Mirai at the time, and they knew it wouldn't be ready quick enough, so in 2010 they signed the agreement with Tesla to build the powertrains for an EV, which ended up becoming the RAV4 EV. In total, Toyota needed 2,600 cars built between 2012-2014 to meet the ZEV mandate, and in the end 2,538 RAV4 EVs were built through those model years (along with around 100 Scion iQ EVs). Since that time, many of these cars have made it all over the U.S., and even all over the rest of the world. This is actually the 2nd generation of Toyota RAV4 EV, the first being the 1998-2002 RAV4 EV, many of which were crushed in 2003 when California's first ZEV mandate was overturned (for more on that story, see the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car"). There are still several hundred of the first gens around, many of which are still running on their original NiMH batteries.

[@Derpy1969]

How much do you charge for this service? This is as complex as an engine rebuild.

[@AlexEVRepair]

As long as there's no "catastrophic" damage to any of the major components, it's usually about $4,500-5,000 for a full overhaul like this. For reference, a replacement LDU from the dealer usually runs about $8-10k for a RAV4 EV, and around $15k for a Mercedes B-Class/B250e. For a Model S or X, a new drive unit is typically about $7-8k installed.

[@Dkrpan59]

Where did the leak come through

[@AlexEVRepair]

I explained it in part 1, but the leak is caused by a failed rotor coolant seal. This is an extremely common failure for these motors, to thr point where it's essentially an "inevitable" failure point for all of them. The permanent fix for this is to delete the rotor cooling (preferably before it starts to leak and cause damage as was the case here).