Charging wont shut off

[Pointybongo]

With less than 700 miles on my 2013 Leaf S (w/ quick charge package), a disturbing change seems to have occurred.
During the first several times I've charged the car (I usually use a DC fast charger then charge to full with a Blink level 2 charger), the charger would shut off when the battery was full, and the miles listed would be 106.
Starting last week, the level 2 charger won't shut off no matter how long it's plugged in, and the remaining miles never exceed 90.
I know that I'm not supposed to take too much stock in the remaining miles, but my driving habits haven't changed during the past couple weeks.
I took the car to Nissan & they couldn't find anything wrong when they plugged the diagnostic computer into it.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[camasleaf]

Starting last week, the level 2 charger won't shut off no matter how long it's plugged in

Just that one L2 charger (EVSE)? Does it work OK on other locations?

Do you have the car ON and Climate Control turned ON while charging?

You say your driving patterns did not change. What about the weather?

 

[cgaydos]

With less than 700 miles on my 2013 Leaf S (w/ quick charge package), a disturbing change seems to have occurred.
During the first several times I've charged the car (I usually use a DC fast charger then charge to full with a Blink level 2 charger), the charger would shut off when the battery was full, and the miles listed would be 106.
Starting last week, the level 2 charger won't shut off no matter how long it's plugged in, and the remaining miles never exceed 90.
I know that I'm not supposed to take too much stock in the remaining miles, but my driving habits haven't changed during the past couple weeks.
I took the car to Nissan & they couldn't find anything wrong when they plugged the diagnostic computer into it.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

Does the L2 charger still get you to 100%? When you say it doesn't shut off you mean that the third blue light keeps blinking and it makes a humming charging sound even after 100%?

 

[ksnogas2112]

Pointy...location would be helpful. If you got a sudden cold snap and the battery was colder then the range difference would make sense. I see a 10-15 mile difference or more on the GOM depending on temp.

More disconcerting is the fail to stop charging. If your range requirements allow it, don't use the QC and just go to 80% on the L2, does it stop at 80%? Then if you really need the extra miles, go ahead and kick in the override to get the rest of the range.

The other theory that could be in play here especially since returning from the dealer is that the timers got set. If your end timer is like at 6pm and you plug in at 3am, you won't see it actually start to charge until about 4pm (2hr for last charge to 100%). The timer doesn't start charging immediately but rather x amount of time from the end timer.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Pointybongo]

Thanks a million for your replies, folks.
I don't have a charging station at my house, but there are many L2 chargers nearby (some of them free!)... and I've been using different ones (including the station at the Nissan dealership). I live in Portland, OR and the weather hasn't been extreme one way or another the past few weeks.

What seems to be happening is that the battery never reaches 100%. Let's say I plug the car in at 80%... After an hour the display will tell me that there are 40 minutes left to 100% using a 6kw charger... So I plug in for another hour... Then it tells me there are 30 minutes left to 100% charged... Plug it in for another hour--- it still tells me that I have 30 minutes left to 100%... and the blue dash light keeps blinking.
Aside from the battery never seeming to reach full charge, the GOM not exceeding 90 all of a sudden (after consistently topping 100) is vexing.

Since this is a model S, I don't believe there is a timer in the car for charging.

Oh, by the way, what's with the Nissan Leaf customer service number? Nobody ever seems to be there! At least not on a Saturday...

Thanks again!

 

[Ingineer]

Is it just the middle blue light blinking?

Yes, your S does indeed have charge timers. If it is a timer issue, or a confused VCM, when connected to the charger, you will see only the one blue light flashing. If you are above 80%, you should see 2 solid blue lights, and one on the end flashing.

Either way, Try this: Using a wrench, loosen the clamp nut and remove the negative terminal of the 12V battery under the hood. Leave it disconnected for 5 minutes, then reconnect it and re-tighten the clamp nut. Go for a charge and see if the problem is solved.

We occasionally have customers that report this problem, and a 12V reset seems to cure it.

-Phil

 

[Pointybongo]

Hi Phil,

Yes, there are two solid blue lights, and one blinking... eternally.

Thanks for the tip, I'll pull the negative lead from the 12v battery today.

Cheers,
-Bob

 

[Pointybongo]

Yes indeed, the 12v reset was the ticket. The charger did the auto shutoff just like it's supposed to. Only difference is now the GOM shows 97 miles remaining, as opposed to the 106 miles displayed a couple weeks ago.
One other strange thing: immediately after the charging finished, one of the indicators told me that the battery was 100% full, but a different screen said that it would take 40 minutes of charging to reach 100%!

I guess the software is a bit quirky.

Thanks everyone for the help!

-bob

 

[Redjr]

I'm just speculating, because I don't have a S, but I'd think the GOM might be the same on my SL.

With mine, how I am driving on the last few miles before I plug in for the night, determines how many miles are on the GOM when I get to the car next to drive it. If I am driving it hard, it's between 80-90 miles, and if I am driving economically, it's usually over 100. This is charging to 100%.

FWIW, I've seen the GOM in the upper 90's charging to 80% as well. It's just an estimate.

 

[ksnogas2112]

@Pointy...IIRC the 12 volt reset will also reset the history of your driving habits so the GOM will be even less accurate for a while.

 

[DarkStar]

Only difference is now the GOM shows 97 miles remaining, as opposed to the 106 miles displayed a couple weeks ago.

Yep, we don't call it the Guess-O-Meter for nothin'! Welcome to the club!

 

[davewill]

Just ignore the miles displayed and use the bars, or % full display if the "S" has it.

 

[Pointybongo]

Just ignore the miles displayed and use the bars, or % full display if the "S" has it.

Excellent advice, thanks!
I did notice, back when the GOM would display >100mi after a full charge, that the first few miles would dribble away very quickly until it got down to the mid-90s, at which point the numbers would decline more slowly & accurately.