2011 Nissan Leaf has -no- power

My 2011 Nissan Leaf has only been "sitting" for about 4-5 days. However, there is -no- power into or out of the entire car, it wont unlock or begin to start or anything. It had a relatively low SOH and SOC to begin with (I probably had about 15 miles on the GOM only a few days ago).

It's currently not parked near a charging station. Should I get it towed to a charging station, or should I try a manual jump start to the 12V to see if the car has any juice? Any Advise!?

Thanks,
-Michael D.

It's likely the 12 volt.

I agree with Cwerdna. Was the car plugged in?

If you have a volt meter, try measuring the voltage of the 12 volt battery when it's in this bad state.

Thank You all. No, it was not plugged in during the time that it has "gone dead..." I don't have a volt meter, but what I will try first is to "jump start" the car via regular jumper cables from my other vehicle. Perhaps I left a door cracked or a dome light on? There is no potential harm in jump starting the leaf if done correctly, right?

So it is possible for the main battery to have some juice and the 12V to go dead?

THank YOu All!!!

Have you ever bought a replacement 12v battery? If not, it's almost 8 years old...

Randy said:

Have you ever bought a replacement 12v battery? If not, it's almost 8 years old...

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Yes the 12V battery has been replaced within the last year or so. I guess it may be close to doing so again if I left a door cracked or dome light on... Again, it's okay to "jump start" a leaf in the standard way you would jump start a regular car, correct?

Thanks,

-Michael D.

You can use the standard jump start procedure - last connection to ground. The cover at the top of the inverter stack that looks like an ICE valve cover is a good ground.

So it is the 12 V battery. I successfully jump started the car and drove it to a charging station. However when I plugged it into the charging station, I guess the 12 V battery was still too low because the car is not accepting a charge now. How do I get the car to accept charge again? Do I have to replace the 12 V battery? Or do I have to let it trickle charge from the main battery? Thank you.

Deolloz said:

So it is the 12 V battery. I successfully jump started the car and drove it to a charging station. However when I plugged it into the charging station, I guess the 12 V battery was still too low because the car is not accepting a charge now. How do I get the car to accept charge again? Do I have to replace the 12 V battery? Or do I have to let it trickle charge from the main battery? Thank you.

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The car's main battery may or may not revive it through the DC-DC converter, but I suggest you charge it fully with an external charger, then have it tested for capacity at an auto parts store. Any 51R battery will fit, but if you plan to keep the car a few years more, consider an AGM type battery.

LeftieBiker said:

Deolloz said:

So it is the 12 V battery. I successfully jump started the car and drove it to a charging station. However when I plugged it into the charging station, I guess the 12 V battery was still too low because the car is not accepting a charge now. How do I get the car to accept charge again? Do I have to replace the 12 V battery? Or do I have to let it trickle charge from the main battery? Thank you.

Click to expand...

The car's main battery may or may not revive it through the DC-DC converter, but I suggest you charge it fully with an external charger, then have it tested for capacity at an auto parts store. Any 51R battery will fit, but if you plan to keep the car a few years more, consider an AGM type battery.

Click to expand...

All, so I went to Advanced Auto parts store and bought a new 12V battery. However, it too has since gone dead while the car was sitting idle for about a week or so. There must be some sort of 12V battery drain going on, but I have no idea where/how? Of course I was careful to close all doors, turn off the dome lights, etc, on the vehicle before parking it for the last week, but it still had NO power when I returned to it. One potential factor may or may not be related to the fact that the alarm on the car (horn) does work when activated, however when I press the horn on the streering wheel I get no response. Also, the drivers side window doesn't go down anymore.

1) What could the possible 12V battery drain be?
2) I have since plugged the main battery in to charge, and will that also charge the 12V battery?

Thanjks so much,
Michael D.

Charging the car charges the 12 volt battery a little, but not enough. Letting the car sit for long periods (many hours, days) while plugged in but not charging can drain the 12 volt battery. If that isn't the case here, then you do indeed have a parasitic drain. We've seen that a couple of times, and it proved to be hard to find. Try searching "parasitic drain" here. The aftermarket alarm is the first place I'd look. Measure the rest voltage of the 12 volt battery by popping the hood release, turning the car off, and checking the voltage across the battery's terminals with a multimeter set to "DC Volts" - without opening that car's doors. Then disconnect the alarm's main power connection (I hope it doesn't have a battery backup!), wait at least 12 and preferably 24 hours, and check the voltage again. IF there is no drop at all then the alarm is likely the culprit. You can verify by repeating the process with the alarm connected.

Did you ever get the 3G TCU upgrade? If so, make sure you have the TSB completed.

If you still have the 2G TCU, consider disconnecting the non-functional 2G TCU to rule out one possible power drain. I have a tutorial on this site on how to do that.

Also keep in mind that the car doesn't always fully charge the battery. Make sure you charge the battery with an external charger especially after buying a new one.

Lothsahn said:

Did you ever get the 3G TCU upgrade? If so, make sure you have the TSB completed.

If you still have the 2G TCU, consider disconnecting the non-functional 2G TCU to rule out one possible power drain. I have a tutorial on this site on how to do that.

Also keep in mind that the car doesn't always fully charge the battery. Make sure you charge the battery with an external charger especially after buying a new one.

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Good point about the 3G 'nightmare upgrade'. I had glanced at the 2018 "delivery date" in the post and forgotten that this is a 2011 Leaf.

When I bought the car (used a year ago), I was told that it had the 3G "Disconnected" by the dealer, since it was outdated and no longer needed.

I must have a parasitic 12v battery drain going on. I don't have all the measuring tools that was suggest earlier. Could the fact that the horn (when pressing in on the steering column) does NOTHING, but when I press the "alarm button" on my key fob the alarm will sound? Could that be at all related?

Deolloz said:

I must have a parasitic 12v battery drain going on. I don't have all the measuring tools that was suggest earlier

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You should buy a volt meter. You can easily get one for cheap (under $15) at Harbor Freight Tools or Fry’s. Your profile says you’re in Austin. There are both there.

They don't need to be that accurate or good. Without them, we're flying blind and making guesses.

Lothsahn said:

Also keep in mind that the car doesn't always fully charge the battery. Make sure you charge the battery with an external charger especially after buying a new one.

Click to expand...

Agreed. I keep my 12 volt topped up with an Tecmate Optimate 4 I bought ages ago, before I ever had a Leaf) at least once every week or two, just for good measure and in the hopes that my replacement 12 volt will last longer. The 12 volt on my used '13 Leaf (built 5/2013) bit the dust in Oct 2015 and was replaced for free by the dealer under 3 year/36K warranty.

I recall some folks over at Priuschat like 12 volt chargers from CTEK, as well.

^^ Follow the advice given, it is good

1. Buy a digital multi-meter. About $10 - $15
2. Buy a 12v minder/charger. About $50

3. Verify that the 2G is disconnected
4. Disconnect the 3rd party alarm
5. Any other mods to the car ?

6. Trickle charge the 12v with (2) to full

7. Monitor your 12v with (1) over the next few days.

If you are unlucky, the system that charges the 12v while driving has failed but you have simpler things to rule out first.