What is hidden inside HERE in the 2013 Nissan Leaf / CARGO ROOM SPACE UPGRADE REVEALED!!!

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NissanLeafCamper

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Los Angeles California
Do you guys see where the bose sound box is? Right at the center of that picture? Well I am wondering what is hidden inside the plastic domes to the left and right of it? At first I was thinking maybe the suspension... but after looking under the leaf and seeing where the suspension raises into... that is only the small lower portion of that dome. The big part that comes out to the sides is well away from where the suspension enters at the wheel well.

So, I am wondering... what is under those domes? It looks like it is a big plastic piece that you can unclip off, but I am wondering where this thing is in the user service manual since I don't want to break the clips.

That is unless someone has a picture with the part already taken off. I tried searching online and I could not find anything...

Why do I want to take it off? I badly need extra cargo room :(. I kind of slid my hand under the dome and I felt a cable in there. Yet I am not sure just what is under those domes exactly. If anyone has a picture of this already taken off you'd save me some time before I try to remove it myself... if I can find where it is in the service manual...

http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/5/2013/01/2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg

2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg



===edit===

WOW I just saw this online

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/21/spanish-nissan-engineers-build-150-mile-range-leaf-racing/

NissanLeafDoubleBatteryPack.jpg


I guess we now have an answer :) So it looks like those things are mostly for show? I mean, there is still the wheel wells but from that picture right there the leaf looks to be pretty smooth.

For comparison

2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg


You see the little squares on the black side body of the leaf? THey are these

xmHBUYC.jpg


kSL1kzH.jpg


Going up further on the body you see that it spreads out past there like a drop. Like something is there. From the picture I linked first there doesn't seem to be anything there. So those things are just there for looks! Yup, if you talk about a cargo space upgrade that picture is the possibility .
 
NissanLeafCamper said:
Do you guys see where the bose sound box is? Right at the center of that picture? Well I am wondering what is hidden inside the plastic domes to the left and right of it? At first I was thinking maybe the suspension... but after looking under the leaf and seeing where the suspension raises into... that is only the small lower portion of that dome. The big part that comes out to the sides is well away from where the suspension enters at the wheel well.

So, I am wondering... what is under those domes? It looks like it is a big plastic piece that you can unclip off, but I am wondering where this thing is in the user service manual since I don't want to break the clips.

That is unless someone has a picture with the part already taken off. I tried searching online and I could not find anything...

Why do I want to take it off? I badly need extra cargo room :(. I kind of slid my hand under the dome and I felt a cable in there. Yet I am not sure just what is under those domes exactly. If anyone has a picture of this already taken off you'd save me some time before I try to remove it myself... if I can find where it is in the service manual...

http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/5/2013/01/2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg

2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg
What I believe you are referring to would the rear shock absorber mask ( LH and RH) page 40 of the service manual (INT) .
 
Thank you I just found it as well :) So the shocks are under there? How big are they exactly? I am wondering if it is worth taking off to increase rear storage room? Would anyone happen to have a picture with the cover removed already?
 
In the 2011-2012 Leafs, the charger and braking capacitor are located where that Bose speaker now sits, which results in a big hump the whole way across.
More details: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3010
Here's a good picture (click for source post):


Given that these have been relocated in the 2013 onwards, I'm not sure why they would still have residual humps on either side.
 
Given that these have been relocated in the 2013 onwards, I'm not sure why they would still have residual humps on either side.

So the shocks are not right under those plastic covers. Damn, it would be really pathetic if that were just for...style. That part of the cargo area is a real bottleneck with them there.
 
Unfortunately the 2013 and 2014 service manual INT sections I have still seem to show the 2011-12 version of the "luggage side lower finisher" panels, so no help there. The top of the shocks are under the two small pop out panels on the side I believe (visible in the picture above just above and behind the rear hump) , not under the humps.

Here's another view of the back of a 2012 from my disassembly. I think the important thing to note is running just behind the charger and brake power unit is a substantial structural body stiffening bar "tower bar". When they moved the charger and brake power unit out of this area, my guess would be that they still needed body stiffening here, but redesigned it to angle down flush with the floor. So I'd assume there is a structural bar or frame member running down at an angle under those humps.

17392143851_7cfa94837f_c.jpg
 
miscrms!

That is actually a good observation and also a good hypothesis. I think it makes sense since with out those support bars angling downwards now there would be no reason why nissan would keep the hump! UNless they didn't want to spend in molding and redesigning? Well, actually, they had to have spend on redesign AND molding after having moved the charger unit forward. I am guessing their goal must have been extra storage space there. Otherwise I see no reason why Nissand would keep the humps there. If it was a design on "It would look better" is really a poor one since extra storage space there would have been greatly welcomed for the nissan leaf. I would hate to remove everything that is needed to find out the truth though. I think the manual says that you have to remove the seat bottom AND the seat back plus the seat belts and that sounds like a lot of work (Plus I don't have the proper tools and it seems you need a certain amount of pressure for the seat belts etc).

However, there do seem to be a 'little shute' of sorts for the suspension that appears to be removable on the 2013. This one is right on top of the plastic body. You can see it in the first picture I listed there. There is the large hump sticking out then it regresses in a little for another smaller hump. This one has a square on top that I think is removable?

-edit-

I'm going to see if the shutes are removable but I am sure they are. On a side note would removing the rear seat and that plastic mold in the back kill my warranty? Do you guys think I would have to put them back on every time I got to the dealer for something? I own my 2013 leaf so it isn't a lease.

I wonder if this could help us any. It looks like a 2013 Nissan leaf unless I am wrong

2013_Nissan_Leaf_cutaway.jpg
 
Im looking at the service manual and I see

"LUGGAGE FLOOR UPPER FINISHER : "

but this looks to be from the 2011 and 2012 leaf where the power module used to be. Am I correct in assuming this? If so I don't understand why nissan would put it in the service manual of the 2013

xmHBUYC.jpg


kSL1kzH.jpg
 
Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any difference in this section of the service manual for 2011, 12, 13, or 14. Strange that it didn't get updated.

In the the manuals the two square pop out pieces (shock absorber mask) are the access to the top bolts for the rear shocks as mentioned in the RSU section and on the exploded Luggage Floor Trim drawing in the INT section.

If you pop those out you might be able to feel around behind the panel and see what's under the humps?

Rob
 
I tried to stick my hand in there but due to that metal coming down the side of the shock I could not fit in there. I tried to feel around with a stick and it does feel like there is a drop on the hump area. I could basically not see anything inside and could not fit in my camera to find out more :( I think if that metal coming down the side inside was not there I could have certainly gotten my hand in there.
 
I even tried a small inspection mirror but couldn't really see anything. I agree those bumps REALLY limit the usefulness of the Leaf cargo area, personally if I knew they were just hollow I probably wouldn't be adverse to somehow cutting them away. Like you I really want Nissan to get their act together and offer us the eNV200, that would be my ultimate vehicle, preferably the extended 3 row passenger version like in Japan but I may be OK with just a 5 passenger too. The Leaf really sucks for cargo capacity, much worse than my wife's Prius which is spacious compared to the Leaf. Although if you think a '13+ is bad, you should look in the back of a '11/'12 Leaf :eek: that charger makes the cargo all but worthless IMO.
If Nissan doesn't have their act together before the introduction of the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV I just may end up purchasing one of those and forget about the eNV200. I'd really prefer an all electric vehicle but if the Pacifica could give me a real 30 mile EV range(and was priced below $50k) I'd probably quit waiting for Nissan. I don't like the potential for ICE maintenance but would like the unlimited range a ICE gives, not to mention all the storage and passenger room in something like a Pacifica.
 
I looked into the Pacifica Hybrid too! Thing is those 30 EV miles will likely be a little less than that due to size :( It also has a pretty small battery pack so I don't know just how low they willl actually let you take it. I'd think that it might knock itself off EV range before hitting the full 30 miles but that is just me. maybe it really could do 30 miles, but I'd really need more like 40 miles and the ability to get on the freeway @ 80mph with an EV :(. Those 30 miles ev range in the FWY must be much less...?

But anyway back to those blocks. I read the manual and it says that when you take the seat back you need to remove the seat belt and other things that hold the seat.

That's fine but when you put them back on the BOLTs /screws seem to need to be tightened in a certain order AND it needs a certain amount of tightness (There are numbers in there but I can't seem to understand them.) How are you supposed to read this? Do I need special tools to tighten these things back on? How do I know how much force I am putting into them?
 
Hi Guys,

I am reading the service manual and it says that when you take off the seatback you have to remove the seat belts and also other brackets that hold the seatback in place and allows it to roll. To reinstall them it states you need a certain amount of force for the screws and also that they need to be tightened in a certain order.

Do I need special tools for this? I also am unsure on the tightening order and what kind of force it is asking. Is it pound of pressure? I am asking because I am considering full removal of the rear seats in my leaf plus the little side finisher with humps.... I need more cargo space :(

btw if anyone has a picture of the rear seats fully removed from a 2013 nissan leaf along with the side finisher that would be helpful to figure out how much extra cargo space I might get :(
 
Ideally you need a torque wrench to tighten the bolts up to the spec. I haven't seen too many auto mechanics using them though for things like this in real life, just use your best judgement to make it tight but not too tight to strip the threads. The units can be pounds*inch, pounds*foot, or N*m. Some torque wrenches have both metric and imperial scales, but if not torque unit conversion calculators are readily available on the net.
 
NissanLeafCamper said:
That's fine but when you put them back on the BOLTs /screws seem to need to be tightened in a certain order AND it needs a certain amount of tightness (There are numbers in there but I can't seem to understand them.) How are you supposed to read this? Do I need special tools to tighten these things back on? How do I know how much force I am putting into them?
You need a torque wrench to tighten things with a specific amount of force.
 
NissanLeafCamper said:
Why is that the screws need to be tighten in a certain order? Instead of just randomly? Is it to even the pressure?

Yes, to avoid concentrated stress in material, the worst I think if you tighten them sequentially, random may actually be better than sequential, but you generally want to do it, well, sort of diagonally, same principle applies to tightening wheel lug nuts.
 
I removed the carpet on the back and the back paneling to reveal the metallic body of the leaf in the cargo area then lifted the plastic domes from the bottom. They are actually not bolted down and can be lifted somewhat. You can see inside the domes and it looks like the domes are half empty! There do seem to be a wire or two in there, and other things, perhaps the strengthening bars, if any, are further inside the dome along with the body's frame. I couldn't take any pictures but anyone with a leaf that has the domes can just remove the carpet and back paneling in the cargo area and lift the domes up a little from their base. They are half empty!!!!

For me it was easier to see on the left dome the right dome seems to be harder to lift so I couldn't see much :(. It looks like nissan could have made the domes a little smaller for better cargo room :(. Might just be looks after all.
 
WOW I just saw this online

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/07/21/spanish-nissan-engineers-build-150-mile-range-leaf-racing/

NissanLeafDoubleBatteryPack.jpg


I guess we now have an answer :) So it looks like those things are mostly for show? I mean, there is still the wheel wells but from that picture right there the leaf looks to be pretty smooth.

For comparison

2013-Nissan-Leaf-cargo-area.jpg


You see the little squares on the black side body of the leaf? THey are these

xmHBUYC.jpg


kSL1kzH.jpg


Going up further on the body you see that it spreads out past there like a drop. Like something is there. From the picture I linked first there doesn't seem to be anything there. So those things are just there for looks! Yup, if you talk about a cargo space upgrade that picture is the possibility .
 
It would appear some money was saved by not re-engineering the cargo area side "finishers" for 2013 models when the OBC and braking power capacitor bank was moved up front under the hood. If there were two changes to the cargo area I could wish for, it would be removing those vestigial "charger humps" and a more clever folding rear seat for cargo. At least the current setup does allow one to release and fold down he setbacks from the hatch area. It'd be great if the whole folded assembly could then fold forward one more time.
 
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