Unable to Restart after using AC (was AC causes failure)

[TomT]

Sorry, but I am not buying this as a fix. First, at least one other with the problem has had their freon charge adjusted and still had the car do the same thing afterwards. Second, the difference between 0.9 and 1.06 in the AC world is virtually nothing and inconsequential. The charge pressure in any AC system will vary much more than that just due to normal ambient temperature changes and virtually any AC system is designed - or should be - to accommodate those changes. Third, nothing short of a terminal explosion of the AC system should ever shut down the entire vehicle. At most, it should shut down the AC compressor or system and leave the rest of the car unscathed. Anything else is simply very bad design.

I'm calling BS on this fix and firmly believe that Nissan has not yet found the real underlying cause. Personally, I suspect a software bug.

My car has been fixed. The ac system was overcharged. It is supposed to be 0.9 and mine had 1.06. They flushed and refilled with new and then ran tests and determined it was fixed. I asked to also run one more test. I had them park the car in the sun for a while and then I turned on the ac with my iPhone while he was standing there and he verified it came on. Then we waited 15 minutes for the car to cool down and he tried to start the car. It worked perfect. So for now it seems the fix is to have the ac charge set to the proper level. I would think that they will also want to change the software so the ac won't leave a car stranded but will only kill the ac system. I'm not sure if that is possible or even on Nissans todo list but I would hope it is. I'm about 2 hours away and I'll be back for delivery 2.0.

 

[azdre]

I think I'm the one who had it reoccur, but it was because the first fixed value was the wrong spec still. I didn't ask any of the good questions, but I'll email my service advisor to see if he has answers. He did mention something about measuring voltage and it wasn't right until the level was brought down.

 

[Stoaty]

I'm calling BS on this fix and firmly believe that Nissan has not yet found the real underlying cause. Personally, I suspect a software bug.

I also think this is most likely. The "fix" (if in fact it is fixing the problem for one person) sounds like a workaround that may make the problem less likely to occur, but probably doesn't fix what's really wrong. Since no significant problem was found with the AC or any other system (or at least, none was reported), it appears that the car is being locked up for no good reason--which would mean a software/firmware bug. At most the AC system should be disabled if an abnormal voltage is found in that system.

 

[davewill]

I think I'm the one who had it reoccur, but it was because the first fixed value was the wrong spec still. I didn't ask any of the good questions, but I'll email my service advisor to see if he has answers. He did mention something about measuring voltage and it wasn't right until the level was brought down.

I wonder if he had to adjust the charge until the Leaf's sensor was happy. If the sensors (or the software) was too picky I could see them fiddling with the amount of refrigerant to get the fault to stop. But this can't be the real fix.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I ran my AC for 30 min to see if mine would lock but it is fine. I did lock up at the dealer today from a "voltage leak" "charger issue error" and several other codes and I did use the AC prior to the lock up but it had not been used for some time. I was using the dealer AV dock and attempting to turn on the instant charging when I found I could not get the drive light. Resetting the codes got the car fixed. Tomorrow is a 80-100 mile trip to wine country so I hope it stays "fixed".

 

[DeaneG]

Dumb question - will a $25 OBDII scan tool be able to reset the codes and get things moving? I didn't look to see if my Leaf has an OBDII connector - wouldn't be surprised either way.

 

[derkraut]

Note: Battery Post Size
The posts on the LEAF's battery seem to be some "small" size, not the "fat" old-standard lead-acid battery posts.
So, this shutoff (a great idea) might not fit.

... On a whim, I disconnected the 12 volt battery and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I then reconnected the battery and tried it again. Success! It once again operated completely normally.

Hmm, Ctrl-Alt-Delete for a Leaf. Maybe one of these...

Battery Disconnect

I don't think my wife (nor I) would be too keen on having to repeatedly open the hood, disconnect and reconnect the 12V battery, then reset the clock on our new car. :roll:

 

[derkraut]

I ran my AC for 30 min to see if mine would lock but it is fine. I did lock up at the dealer today from a "voltage leak" "charger issue error" and several other codes and I did use the AC prior to the lock up but it had not been used for some time. I was using the dealer AV dock and attempting to turn on the instant charging when I found I could not get the drive light. Resetting the codes got the car fixed. Tomorrow is a 80-100 mile trip to wine country so I hope it stays "fixed".

EVDRIVER: Did the dealer disclose what caused the "voltage leak" "charger issue error", and what he did to resolve it? Is it likely to occur again?

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Is there a fuse in the fusebox for A/C?

I'd like to think there is some recourse other than TowTruck if the Air Conditioning malfunctions, runs low, or runs high.

What next, bad FM Radio reception stalls the motor?

 

[Jimmydreams]

Dumb question - will a $25 OBDII scan tool be able to reset the codes and get things moving? I didn't look to see if my Leaf has an OBDII connector - wouldn't be surprised either way.

It does have an OBDII connector, but it uses all CAN codes, and as yet, those are a mystery. I have a ScanGuage II that should work once we find all the codes, but until then.....

 

[LBCev]

I took delivery from my PD last night. After work tonight my LEAF started but I was only about a mile in when I got both warning lights, the "PS" light and the EV system indicator. The car was still moving but as I had not yet read through the manual I decided to pullover. I called Nissan EV CS who initially told me that if the car can still move then I should take it to the nearest dealer who would likely just "reset" the lights. When I went to restart the car I did not get the start-up jingle, my 82 miles of range disappeared, the warning indicators remained illuminated and I could no longer move the car. Two hours later I arrived at the closest LEAF certified dealership with 62 miles on the odometer and no LEAF. Suffice it to say that this was the ultimate joy kill. I'm hoping that its the same issue everyone here is talking about. It looks like we all got a bad batch. With any luck Nissan engineers will sort out the problem and come up with a permanent fix.

Best of luck to anyone taking delivery in the next few weeks.

 

[planet4ever]

Is there a fuse in the fusebox for A/C?

'Fraid not. I'm sure the A/C must run off the main battery, not the 12v. But I think Dave has it right:

I wonder if he had to adjust the charge until the Leaf's sensor was happy. If the sensors (or the software) was too picky I could see them fiddling with the amount of refrigerant to get the fault to stop. But this can't be the real fix.

If there is a pressure sensor in the A/C line it will clearly be affected by whether the compressor is or has recently been running. I'd be almost willing to bet someone messed up a recent software patch.

Ray

 

[planet4ever]

Best of luck to anyone taking delivery in the next few weeks.

I predict there will be no deliveries the first week of April, and a number of recent purchasers will get an urgent recall notice. After that, everything will be fine again.

Ray

 

[LindaK]

So BrendanDolan,

Can you tell us how/why an "overcharged" air conditioner shuts down the entire car? This doesn't happen on an ICE (at least I've never heard of it). Is it an 'overzealous' damage prevention system kicking in, or is there really some relationship between the amount of freon in the A/C system and the battery? Seems odd if there is, and I'm curious to understand more.

Thanks,
LindaK

 

[davewill]

I ran my AC for 30 min to see if mine would lock but it is fine. I did lock up at the dealer today from a "voltage leak" "charger issue error" and several other codes and I did use the AC prior to the lock up but it had not been used for some time. I was using the dealer AV dock and attempting to turn on the instant charging when I found I could not get the drive light. Resetting the codes got the car fixed. Tomorrow is a 80-100 mile trip to wine country so I hope it stays "fixed".

I'd carry your toolkit. You might need to perform a BURP (Battery Unhook Reset Procedure).

 

[derkraut]

So BrendanDolan,

Can you tell us how/why an "overcharged" air conditioner shuts down the entire car? This doesn't happen on an ICE (at least I've never heard of it). Is it an 'overzealous' damage prevention system kicking in, or is there really some relationship between the amount of freon in the A/C system and the battery? Seems odd if there is, and I'm curious to understand more.

Thanks,
LindaK

This is beginning to look UGLY

 

[Ready2plugin]

So BrendanDolan,

Can you tell us how/why an "overcharged" air conditioner shuts down the entire car? This doesn't happen on an ICE (at least I've never heard of it). Is it an 'overzealous' damage prevention system kicking in, or is there really some relationship between the amount of freon in the A/C system and the battery? Seems odd if there is, and I'm curious to understand more.

Thanks,
LindaK

This is beginning to look UGLY

I agree. Not good PR. Do we know if it's with all LEAFs or just the latest shipments. Any pre-250 VINs having a problem?

 

[sdbonez]

Got some word back on the carwings issue - sounds like they forgot to activate service on the 'phone' in the vehicle (or so they suspect, we'll see).

..but guess what I'm now using my afternoon appointment for tomorrow --- 'hey guys, need you to check my refrigerant charge..'

 

[azdre]

Do you think leafwing would mind if a moderator added a note to the original post to tell new folks having the issue that they can try reseting the car by disconnecting/reconnecting the 12v and drive immediately with no AC to the dealer? that way people know there might be a non-tow option for them without reading 16 pages of posts.

 

[davewill]

..but guess what I'm now using my afternoon appointment for tomorrow --- 'hey guys, need you to check my refrigerant charge..'

I'd be a little nervous about letting them do that. You know the old saw, "if it ain't broke..."