Leaf is dead after vacation...

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UkrainianKozak

Well-known member
Joined
May 12, 2011
Messages
355
Location
Redmond, WA
I was soo enjoying Hawaii for 2 weeks, so my Leaf just had to slap me with bad news...
When I came back it was totally dead, locks won't made any sound when pushing the button, when I turned the lights on (inside) I did not see even a glimmer on the filament...
Well, Jump starting solved everything, but I'm still puzzled...
I left the car connected to EVSE with round-the clock (from 6AM to 6AM) timer set in Leaf to 80% charging. Leaf was DEFINITELY OFF, so it shouldn't be the case of discharging 12V battery when leaf is on. I checked it twice in the evening and in the morning before heading to the airport...

Weird thing is, after I jump started the Leaf it was almost full... 11 bars was on (I usually have 10 after 80% charging) and range showing 154 miles... clock on dash and all settings/metrics reset, Nav time was correct, but timer settings were off...

Now questions...
1. I thought Leaf will maintain 12V battery charge... What should I do with Leaf when leaving it for extended time?
2. Anyone had similar experience?
3. Why timers were off and dash reset, while the rest of the Nav unit is not?
4. Why Leaf ended up charging to 11 bars? not quite full charge if timers would disengage and not 10 bars like I usually have for 80% charge?

I'm just puzzled, buffled and little disappointed... My old ford 2001 focus kept the charge in its battery (original!) for 2 weeks to start even tho I felt the slowness of the cranking, but my new Leaf failed me for the first time after my vacation!

And yea, I felt weird jump-starting electric car, my neighbor stopped his car and was really staring at me ;) I now think he thinks I'm a liar or something and I don't really have an electric car... ;)
 
The 12V battery died. For some reason everyone else this has happened to has left the car plugged into a charging station while on vacation. It has not happened to anyone who has not plugged the car into a charging station.

Moral of the story - there's no need to leave the car plugged in when going on vacation unless you need it to charge up while away.

I'd report the incident to your dealer and Nissan customer service so they are aware of it.
 
drees said:
Moral of the story - there's no need to leave the car plugged in when going on vacation unless you need it to charge up while away.

Not only will it NOT charge the 12V battery, but I would be worried about a power surge (for whatever reason--storm, etc.) finding it's way through the EVSE as well. I never have any trouble when I leave my Leaf at the airport (unplugged of course).
 
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5332&hilit=battery+dead+vacation&start=80#p141972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
So something drained the 12 volt battery? Could be a bad battery.
If you have a chance to let it sit in the same way check if the battery holds 12.5+ volts for a couple days or at least overnight.
 
I'm not willing to let my Leaf idle for 2 weeks to test it again unplugged...
And that would be a really bad battery if it would discharge to almost nothing in 2 weeks...
And I needed the charge the day I was back from vacation... If I would know I would unplug before heading to the airport... but for some reason it would seem logical to me to keep Leaf plugged in while away... My logic was that if it would need to top off for some reason (keep 12V battery charged) It can do so, but... I guess in this regard logic does not work...
 
There is a constant small drain on the battery when the car is off (think Carwings, cell data, receivers waiting for key fob, etc.) The battery is small, so even a small load can deplete it over time.

For some reason, when the car is plugged in, evidently the DC to DC convertor is inhibited so the 12v battery just drains...

I left my car unplugged for 7 weeks a few months ago and the main battery did not drop in level at all. It stopped responding to Carwings requests after a while, but started up just fine for me later...
 
For whatever reason, it apparently can't do it if left plugged in. I left mine unplugged for four weeks and the pack battery level was virtually unchanged when I returned and everything was fine. Normally, it charges the 12v battery every 5 days when off. The telematics will go to sleep after 14 days of being off.

kubel said:
Kind of lame. I thought the main battery was supposed to keep the 12V charged. Maybe it only does this when the car is on?
 
The same thing happened to me; left it plugged in with timer set to 80%, when I got back a week later the 12v battery was almost dead. I've left it longer without being plugged in with no problem.
 
reading the link above and considering what happened, my additional question is whether the car was parked indoors and, if not, if it had the little solar panel.

My theory is that leaving it outside will trickle charge the tiny battery via the tiny solar panel; even if plugged in for big battery charge.
 
I have a solar cell, but it was indoors, but I doubt if it would make significant difference outdoors in Seattle, that solar panel gives only 5W at ideal orientation in full sun... I doubt it can compensate for whatever fully drained 12V battery.
Even in manual it says that it "helps" maintain, so I think even Nissan admits that it can't even maintain the battery...
 
Mine was parked indoors during my extended trip... I suspect that outdoors, in a sunny locale and with proper orientation, its 5 watts or so of output would be sufficient...

thankyouOB said:
reading the link above and considering what happened, my additional question is whether the car was parked indoors and, if not, if it had the little solar panel. My theory is that leaving it outside will trickle charge the tiny battery via the tiny solar panel; even if plugged in for big battery charge.
 
UkrainianKozak said:
And I needed the charge the day I was back from vacation... If I would know I would unplug before heading to the airport... but for some reason it would seem logical to me to keep Leaf plugged in while away... My logic was that if it would need to top off for some reason (keep 12V battery charged) It can do so, but... I guess in this regard logic does not work...
As everyone has tried to say, I'll try again, too:

1. The LEAF doesn't appear to top off the 12V battery properly when plugged in to J1772 over long periods of time - 2 weeks seems to be enough time to trigger the issue and drain the 12V battery.
2. The main traction battery will not lose any appreciable charge over many months. So there's no need to leave it plugged in while you leave on vacation.

So knowing that and if you need the main battery to be charged when you get back from vacation:

1. Charge the car to 80% before leaving. Do NOT charge to 100%! Storing the main battery over 80% will result in increased battery wear, especially if temperatures are high.
2. Leave the car unplugged.

If you need more than 80% charge when you get back, charge it when you return. It will take about 90 minutes to charge from 80% to 100%. Unless you're gone a really long time you should still have 10 bars when you return - 9 bars worst case.
 
NOTE: Leaving a charge cord plugged into the Leaf, but not charging, will leave the ECU's awake and cause more than normal load on the 12v battery. DON'T DO THIS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE!

If the Leaf is actually charging from the wall, then it will also charge the 12v battery.

Here are my recommendations if leaving the Leaf for 2 weeks or less:
Leave the charge at 50-80%. Do not leave anything connected to the charge port.

If you are leaving for longer, and the Leaf's Solar panel will not have direct sunlight, charge to 80% and then disconnect the negative lead on the 12v battery or add a "Battery tender" type trickle charger. (But DO NOT connect it to the negative terminal of the 12v battery directly!) If you are parked where the solar panel (if you have one) will get some sun, then there is no need to disconnect the 12v battery. Either way, the Leaf should be good for a year.

NEVER charge to 100% and leave the Leaf sitting for more than a day. If you accidentally do, then drive the car until 2-3 bars are gone, or leave the defrost on high with all the windows down for an hour or so, which should have the same result.

If you do accidentally discharge the 12v battery (Leaf will appear totally dead), you can jump start just like a normal car, but be ABSOLUTELY SURE the polarity is correct, and make the negative connection on the Leaf to the body or DC-DC junction box (you can see where the black ground wire connects on top). NEVER connect anything to the Leaf's negative 12v battery terminal, EVER!

The traction pack will hold it's charge for a long, long time, but you should try to store it mid-charge, and never empty or full.

The 12v battery can go dead in certain circumstances, so it's best to disconnect it or add a trickle charger if you are leaving for a long time.

-Phil
 
Nubo posted this reference earlier in the thread:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=5332&hilit=battery+dead+vacation&start=80#p141972" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think it answers the question why the 12 volt battery does not get charged if the car is connected to an EVSE.
 
Ingineer said:
If you do accidentally discharge the 12v battery (Leaf will appear totally dead), you can jump start just like a normal car, but be ABSOLUTELY SURE the polarity is correct, and make the negative connection on the Leaf to the body or DC-DC junction box (you can see where the black ground wire connects on top). NEVER connect anything to the Leaf's negative 12v battery terminal, EVER!
-Phil

Phil,
What is it about not to connect to the negative terminal of the batter during jump-starting?
I was always doing that with ICE, and I did it with my Leaf... What is the reasoning behind it? is it that something might happen or I already did something bad to my car?
 
UkrainianKozak said:
Ingineer said:
If you do accidentally discharge the 12v battery (Leaf will appear totally dead), you can jump start just like a normal car, but be ABSOLUTELY SURE the polarity is correct, and make the negative connection on the Leaf to the body or DC-DC junction box (you can see where the black ground wire connects on top). NEVER connect anything to the Leaf's negative 12v battery terminal, EVER!
-Phil

Phil,
What is it about not to connect to the negative terminal of the batter during jump-starting?
I was always doing that with ICE, and I did it with my Leaf... What is the reasoning behind it? is it that something might happen or I already did something bad to my car?
Well, lets see what Phil says, but I was always taught to make the negative connection AWAY from the Pb battery because hydrogen gas might be present and the connection spark could ignite it.

Bill
 
To properly regulate charging the Leaf incorporates a current sensor on the 12v battery negative terminal. Bypassing this can cause the DC-DC converter to malfunction (this is what replaces an Alternator in an EV). You probably didn't hurt anything by doing it for a short period, but if someone were to hook up some accessory directly to the negative terminal, thus bypassing the sensor, the 12v battery could be destroyed of have a markedly reduced life. (at a minimum)

If you follow correct jump-starting procedures as would be done on a normal car, the Leaf will be happy.

BatteryJumpStart.gif


In place of the "frame", the best place on the Leaf is the DC-DC junction box, which is the large silver block behind the inverter. You'll see a bolt with a big black ground wire attached right on top. This is the best location to attach your negative lead to, and also where you should ground high-power accessories, such as aftermarket stereo equipment or lighting.

-Phil
 
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