EV System Warning Light

I took the kids to a friends who lives across town and was opportunity charging with the 120 EVSE. When it was time to leave I set the car for precool as it was +100F. Once I had the kids all loaded up and stated the Leaf I noticed the a little yellow car with an exclmation mark in it. So I cracked the manual and saw it was the "EV System Warning Light". I called the Leaf number and can't say they were very helpful. They said they had never heard of that warning light and it was probably caused by the door or the hatchback being open so I went to explain it wasn't the yellow warning light next to the eco meter it was the yellow car with an exclamation mark on the dash next to the charge meter. After saying this I heard some page turning and just said "you need to go to a dealer". Wonderful, so I called the nearest dealer McKinney Nissan, they too told me they hadn't heard of that warning and they would plug the car in and take a look. Will post more information as I have it.

My Leaf is post firmware upgrade.

Dealer just called and said due to the code that was being thrown (should have asked what code) Nissan needs to know the make/model of the charger I was using. So I told them it was the factory EVSE and it is in the hatchback.

That would be the equivalent of an ICE cars check engine light. I would get it to a dealer soon.

Stroked02F350 said:

That would be the equivalent of an ICE cars check engine light. I would get it to a dealer soon.

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Yep, it is at the dealers and hooked up. Sounds like it might be a problem with the factory EVSE.

tzzhc4 said:

Stroked02F350 said:

That would be the equivalent of an ICE cars check engine light. I would get it to a dealer soon.

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Yep, it is at the dealers and hooked up. Sounds like it might be a problem with the factory EVSE.

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Did you happen to unplug from the power outlet first before unplugging the J1772 nozzle from the vehicle? That could cause some interesting issues!

DarkStar said:

Did you happen to unplug from the power outlet first before unplugging the J1772 nozzle from the vehicle? That could cause some interesting issues!

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I did that once, by mistake, without any collateral damage.

DarkStar said:

Did you happen to unplug from the power outlet first before unplugging the J1772 nozzle from the vehicle? That could cause some interesting issues!

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No, I unplugged from the car first. This is my second 120 EVSE as my other EVSE is off for an Ingineer upgrade. I just got this second one last week from parts.com and this was the first time I used it. I had to plug and unplug it twice from the car to get it to start charging.

Have them check if your car was given the firmware update to address the A/C pre-cooling issue. I believe that manifests in exactly this way...

tzzhc4 said:

I just got this second one last week from parts.com and this was the first time I used it. I had to plug and unplug it twice from the car to get it to start charging.

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Mind posting a link to parts.com? I can't find it.

lincomatic said:

Mind posting a link to parts.com? I can't find it.

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"To order from parts.com you can go to this link http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/index.cfm?action=searchCatalogOEM and enter part number 296M1-3NA0A and then select "NISSAN" form the drop down menu.........Be sure to enter your VIN as this may postpone your order if you do not, there is a field for this information in the order process."

I also had that warning light come on after charging in one particular location over and over again. I also had trouble getting the charge to start on occasion at that location.

Eventually I examined the output voltage of the power outlet when idle and when I was charging the leaf. The outlet had 117V idle and during charge the voltage broke down to 94V. It's only that particular outlet where I had trouble in the past and where the EV System light came on, so I just avoid charging there for now.

You might want to verify your output voltage too during charge to check for that. Especially outdoor outlets that are far from buildings might have problems maintaining proper voltage with relatively high currents.

-= Clemens

cdrews said:

You might want to verify your output voltage too during charge to check for that. Especially outdoor outlets that are far from buildings might have problems maintaining proper voltage with relatively high currents.

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Thanks, will bring my meter over to my buddies next time I am there and will check the outlet I was using.

The Nissan dealer is scolding me for using L1 only and saying it is causing "problems". I retorted and asked why and have gotten no response other than "L1 is for emergency purposes only". Anyone have any insight into L1 actually being bad or not? The impression I had gotten was there was not reasons other than it takes a long time and isn't less efficient but wouldn't hurt the car.

To put it succinctly: Your dealer is full of crap! I think a different dealer is in order!

tzzhc4 said:

The Nissan dealer is scolding me for using L1 only and saying it is causing "problems". I retorted and asked why and have gotten no response other than "L1 is for emergency purposes only". Anyone have any insight into L1 actually being bad or not? The impression I had gotten was there was not reasons other than it takes a long time and isn't less efficient but wouldn't hurt the car.

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Thanks I figured as much. This is Nissan of McKinney that is giving me grief and not the dealer I purchased from (which I am now very glad). Nissan of Mckinney was simply the closest dealer at the time. I am going to just pick the car up and take it to the dealer I bought the car from.

there has been extensive discussion on the forum here about L1 vs L2 charging, which you can search on.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2078

My summary is that there is no difference between the two except for the amount of time it takes, and that 120V is less efficient than 240V (which is true for most appliances). There would be some cautions about the L1 EVSE:

the EVSE box needs physical support, don't let it hang from the plug.
If you are not installing a new circuit for it, make sure the existing circuit is up to snuff.
The GFI in the EVSE may be incompatible with the GFI in the outlet (if it has one).
It's possible in the long term that disconnecting and reconnecting the plug to the outlet on a daily basis could generate wear on the plug/outlet.

these are all issues you should be able to deal with. The "L1 is only for emergencies" assertion has been repeatedly challenged here, and I have not seen any facts to back it up. I have seen nothing that indicates regular L1 charging can harm the Leaf.
My personal opinion is that the statement in the owners manual is there to "push" the AV product.

I think it is simply a poor translation and that "emergency" refers to the time that it takes to charge on 120, which may be too long for some and their usage needs...

charlie1300 said:

My personal opinion is that the statement in the owners manual is there to "push" the AV product.

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I get nothing found with the 296M1-3NA04 part number and Nissan at the parts.com link.
Can you verify, please? Thanks.

garygid said:

I get nothing found with the 296M1-3NA04 part number and Nissan at the parts.com link.
Can you verify, please? Thanks.

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I just tried and it comes up for me. I tried with and without the dash and it comes up.


Screenshot-Nissan Parts - Parts.com by tzzhc4, on Flickr

So I went to the dealer today and they told me again that "you are not supposed to be using the charger that came with the car as your primary charging you are supposed to have a thing on your wall". I told them this wasn't what I was told by the dealer I purchased the car from and Nissan doesn't specifically say you can't use L1 charging. The dealer then reiterated their position on how I should have a wall charger and how plug charging causes problems. The service manager then said Nissan is to flying a technician out to look at my car sometime so could I bring it back next week, please.

Does anyone have any information from Nissan saying L1 charging all the time is allowed? I am just worried they are going to point at the manual and say see it says you aren't supposed to use it as your primary means.