[silvervolt2012]

I went to unplug this morning and it was stuck. I removed the top cover of the handle and disengaged the latch that holds on to the charge port and still can't remove it. It budges a little, but it won't come out. I tried with a bit of force, but no luck.

Any advice would help. Is there something in the port itself that locks onto the plug other than the plastic latch?

 

[Dutch]

People have had the latch snap so the button doesn't release it. Someone had a good photo of it but I can't find it.

oh wait.. see this thread.

 

[Steverino]

Too bad we don't have a sticky about this.

Oh, wait, we do! http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread...y-Charging-amp-Battery-Managment-System-FAQ-s

 

[silvervolt2012]

It's actually not the latch. I took the cover off and have the latch full disengaged from the charging port. The only thing attached to the car is the male part of the plug (round socket). It feels like something is stuck inside. It budges maybe about quarter of an inch or less.

 

[Steverino]

It's actually not the latch. I took the cover off and have the latch full disengaged from the charging port. The only thing attached to the car is the male part of the plug (round socket). It feels like something is stuck inside. It budges maybe about quarter of an inch or less.

I think you may need to yank it. There is nothing in there but pins. So either the charge handle plastic sleeve is simply tight, or one of the pins has somehow become welded to it's mate in the charge port. Pull straight, not at an angle to avoid cracking the outer sleeve or the charge port.

 

[ampera_jed]

Photos would be interesting.

Incidentally, what sort of insertion extraction force do people consider 'normal'?

When I got mine the insertion force was very high so I cleaned the pins with baby buds with a hint of light oil on them. The amount of dirty crud and metallic content I got off was surprising. There is a grinding paste in there of all sorts of junk if you don't do this routinely.

After cleaning, the difference was night and day. The plug then glided into the socket like there was no resistance at all!

Could a stone fragment sat inside the socket unseen perhaps, and it moved one way but jams the other?

Lots of shaking and forceful extraction sounds like the only course of action here. Probably need a replacement socket after it all. Bad news. I also take a good look inside my plug and around the socket each time I connect too, when I can, specifically for little bits of grit that might have found their way there.

 

[Rampage_Rick]

Some plugs have a rubber ring gasket to keep water out. I've seen a few public stations where this gasket gets crumpled up, preventing the plug from being inserted all the way. I grab some needle nose pliers from my trunk and pull it out. I currently have 3 of the light green gaskets in my cupholder.

Anyways, point being that it's possible that the gasket is somewhat jammed into the plug. If the top latch is open there's no real risk of giving it a good yank.

 

[Dutch]

Some plugs have a rubber ring gasket to keep water out. I've seen a few public stations where this gasket gets crumpled up, preventing the plug from being inserted all the way. I grab some needle nose pliers from my trunk and pull it out. I currently have 3 of the light green gaskets in my cupholder.

Anyways, point being that it's possible that the gasket is somewhat jammed into the plug. If the top latch is open there's no real risk of giving it a good yank.

Just as an FYI, I've taken to carrying a small tube of dielectric (silicone) grease in my car.

 

[JD4JC]

Just as an FYI, I've taken to carrying a small tube of dielectric (silicone) grease in my car.

I use dielectric grease too (aerosol), but I have put it on the plug and socket, rather than carry it in my car!

 

[Dutch]

I use dielectric grease too (aerosol), but I have put it on the plug and socket, rather than carry it in my car!

Yeah, that doesn't help so much when the tight plug is at work <grin>

 

[mbsmd]

Kind of hoping the OP comes back and updates us on the solution.

 

[silvervolt2012]

Got it out

Thanks for all the tips. I had to pull really hard and wiggle when not pulling. I did it maybe 5 or so times until it came out. I pretty much put my body weight into pulling it out.

I cleaned out everything and noticed it was the tab on the bottom that was getting stuck. I put some lubrication and it works a lot better now. I attach the image of the area I am talking about. Maybe some debris got in there and over time made the plastic rough.

 

[kindofblue]

lubricating charging plug?

Thanks for all the tips. I had to pull really hard and wiggle when not pulling. I did it maybe 5 or so times until it came out. I pretty much put my body weight into pulling it out.

I cleaned out everything and noticed it was the tab on the bottom that was getting stuck. I put some lubrication and it works a lot better now. I attach the image of the area I am talking about. Maybe some debris got in there and over time made the plastic rough.

View attachment 130465

Hi SV2012,
What lubricant did you use? Our Gen 2 OEM plug has gotten sticky inserting it into the charging port. I've concluded it's the port not the plug because other public charging station plugs slide in with ease.

I used some dry silicone lubricant spray a couple weeks ago and that really made little to no difference. I've examined the plug and don't see anything on it that could be causing this issue.

I do have some dielectric grease though: Nyogel 774VH dielectric grease "A silica thickened, medium viscosity, synthetic hydrocarbon grease intended for mechanical components requiring a light amount of damping." I used it for some lubrication on a handlebar grip on my motorcycle a few years back.

Your thoughts all?

 

[ijhutch]

lubricating charging plug?



Hi SV2012,
What lubricant did you use? Our Gen 2 OEM plug has gotten sticky inserting it into the charging port. I've concluded it's the port not the plug because other public charging station plugs slide in with ease.

I used some dry silicone lubricant spray a couple weeks ago and that really made little to no difference. I've examined the plug and don't see anything on it that could be causing this issue.

I do have some dielectric grease though: Nyogel 774VH dielectric grease "A silica thickened, medium viscosity, synthetic hydrocarbon grease intended for mechanical components requiring a light amount of damping." I used it for some lubrication on a handlebar grip on my motorcycle a few years back.

Your thoughts all?

So I experienced the exact same thing that the OP did on my 2013 (nearly 8 years on now in 2021). It had been slowly getting stickier over time. I first tried hitting it with a blow dryer to see if it just needed to be warmed up (it was 15F outside)--that didn't work. I ended up disassembling the handle (mine had 7 screws of the torx type...probably T-10Hs, not the four or six others have mentioned). Once I removed both halves (left and right) of the clamshell, I could clearly see that the latch was NOT the problem--the male end was just stuck. The plug would wiggle a bit, but it would not come off.

After reading this thread and seeing what the OP did, I put the handle halves back on and I just put all 200 lbs of me into pulling that thing out...it took about 5 tries and was starting to take the wind out of me, but eventually it came free with no apparent damage.

My solution/fix was to take QD Electronic Cleaner (from Autozone) on some Q-tips and clean all around the Voltec handle side (especially all the exposed metal, but also the inside plastic), then repeat on the car/Volt side. It did seem to clean off some fine gunk. I then used some Dielectric Grease (also from Autozone) on some clean Q-tips and put a super light coating on both interfaces.

It works VERY smoothly now.

Anyway, HTH someone else.

* Ian *

 

[mrey671]

My issue today on my 2014 Volt was the plug stuck, it was not the release lever or the guide on the bottom of the plug, it was actually the pin was stuck in the plug i had to pry it loose. I disconnected the power in the center console to make sure I did not short anything before prying it out and when it finally came free the female pin from the plug was pulled out. So I will be replacing the port and charger. here is a good youtube video on port replacement