How To Use This Manual

  • 2023-03-30: Added extra information on LH and RH procedures
  • 2023-03-17: Added Nomenclature section to explain variance in naming with firmware/software example.

General

Warning IconA warning icon, calling your attention to a possibly risky situation
CAUTION
Only qualified technicians should attempt to perform the procedures contained within this manual.

This manual is organized by vehicle subsystem. Click on a subsystem in the lefthand menu see categories of repairs in that subsystem.

Actions within the service procedures also include references to any special tools, relevant data, torque figures, special information and useful assembly details.

Click the images in the service manual to make them larger.

WARNINGS, CAUTIONS and NOTES have the following meanings:

Warning IconA warning icon, calling your attention to a possibly risky situation
Warning
Procedures which must be followed precisely to avoid the possibility of injury.
Warning IconA warning icon, calling your attention to a possibly risky situation
CAUTION
Calls attention to procedures which must be followed to avoid damage to components.
Informational PurposesAn informational icon, calling your attention
Note
Gives helpful information.

References

References to the left-hand (LH) or right-hand (RH) side given in this Manual are made when viewing the vehicle from the rear.

Service procedures that are applicable for left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) parts are not duplicated. The "(LH)" procedure can be used for both sides of the vehicle, although the images will show parts on the left-hand side of the vehicle.

Service procedures in this manual assume the vehicle is left hand drive (LHD). Unless otherwise noted, the procedures are the same for right hand drive (RHD) vehicles. Procedures with minor differences for RHD contain notes indicating the specific differences. Procedures with major differences for RHD have "(RHD)" in the title. Procedures with "(RHD)" in the title are not valid for LHD vehicles.

Most operations covered in this Manual do not include references to testing the vehicle after repair. It is essential that work is inspected and tested after completion, including a road test, if applicable. This is of particular importance where safety related items are concerned.

Procedure Actions

Procedures in this Manual generally end with "Remove and Replace," "Remove and Install," or "Retrofit." These types of service are called "procedure actions", and they are defined as follows:

  • Remove and Replace: Describes how to remove a part and replace it with a new part. These procedures sometimes contain steps that are not necessary if reinstalling the same part, such as transferring components from the original part to the new part.
  • Remove and Install: Describes how to remove and reinstall the same part. These procedures are generally used when removing a part for access to another part in the vehicle.
  • Retrofit: Describes how to install a new part on a vehicle that was not previously equipped with that part.
Informational PurposesAn informational icon, calling your attention
Note
"Remove and Replace" is the default procedure action in this Manual. Unless a procedure has an equivalent "Remove and Install" procedure, the “Remove and Replace” steps should be used when reinstalling the same part.

Procedure Hierarchy

Each procedure in this manual is presented as all inclusive, and by performing all of the steps listed, the technician can complete the intended service. Some of the steps of one procedure reference to other procedures, which are also all inclusive. This creates a hierarchy of top-level procedures with subordinate procedures, and is used to shorten lengthy processes into groupings of simpler and easy to remember tasks.

A side effect of the hierarchy is that the technician must actively recognize when certain steps in a subordinate procedure have already been performed, either in the top-level procedure or in another subordinate procedure, and are therefore unnecessary to repeat. The step duplication caused by the hierarchy is considered in the correction codes and flat rate times of the top-level procedures.

Correction Codes and Flat Rate Times

Each service procedure has a unique correction code following the procedure title. The correction code identifies the vehicle system that is serviced, and the procedure action performed. Correction codes are used for tracking purposes, and can be used to find the correlating procedure with the manual's search feature.

All correction codes also have an associated Flat Rate Time (FRT) that indicates how long it takes to perform an entire procedure. FRTs represent the amount of hands-on time (administrative, diagnostic, etc. is not included), and are calculated by trained professionals performing the procedure in a controlled environment numerous times, taking into account the SAFETY of the technician, the QUALITY of the work, and the REPEATABILITY of the steps for different situations.

The FRTs are listed in decimal hours. For example, an FRT of 1.1 takes 1 hour and 6 minutes to perform. An FRT of 0.25 takes 15 minutes to perform. The minimum FRT time is 0.05, or 3 minutes.

The correction code FRT for any given procedure is all inclusive, and encompasses all work required to complete the procedure, even if that procedure is at top-level and has subordinate procedures. Similarly, the correction codes FRTs of all subordinate procedures within a top-level procedure are included (but hidden) within the top-level procedure's correction code FRT.

To prevent redundant billing of FRT time, do not add the correction code FRTs of subordinate procedures individually to the correction code FRT of the top-level procedure, bill only the top-level correction code FRT.

Dimensions

The dimensions quoted are to design engineering specification. Service limits are included where applicable.

Specifications

Tesla Motors constantly strives to improve the specification, design and production of their vehicles and alterations take place accordingly. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this Manual, it should not be regarded as an infallible guide to current specifications of any particular vehicle.

Nomenclature

Tesla attempts to present a coherent style to its documentation, however the naming of vehicle components, systems, and tools within this document may not be consistent with industry standards, may vary from procedure to procedure, and differ across vehicle lines. For example, the automotive industry uses the term "calibration" to identify the code stored and executed within an ECU, PCM, or module. For Tesla MCUs, Car Computers, ECUs and modules, the equivalent term is "firmware" or "software", which are synonymous and might be used interchangeably.

Using Crowsfoot or Offset Extensions on Torque Wrenches

Attaching a crowsfoot/offset extension to a torque wrench (Figure 1) might affect the amount of torque that is being applied to the fastener. The formula to calculate the torque wrench setting when using a crowsfoot/offset extension is described in Figure 2. To access the tool to perform this calculation, click Torque Calculator near the upper right corner of the Service Manual.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.