ant
EV Enthusiast
2012 Leaf, EV enthusiast, AEVA WA Secretary
Posts: 43 
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by ant on Mar 12, 2017 22:34:30 GMT 11
Not sure where to post this since the only battery we normally care about seems to be the drive batt - for very good reason.
Anyway - yesterday, we had Electrikhana 2017 in WA, which was a highly successful event as usual with appearances and test drives/rides many cars but especially in two Model Xs recently arrived.
BUT, it was nearly derailed for me ( an organiser ) when I got into my car, hit the start button and the dash lit up, flashed a bit then got "stuck" halfway - GOM reading was 21km ( alternating with 3 lines --- ) and a sound like a relay switching on and off emanating from the engine bay or underneath the car. I tried to switch off thinking that it just got out of the wrong side of the EV bed, would not switch off..!!! Nothing I did inside would do it so off I went and grabbed a number 10 spanner, physically disconnected the accessory batt - sure enough, tested to voltage it was 9.8V
So, connected a charger up, waited half an hour, went back and everything worked again, which was good, I guess.
Car sat at EK for most of the day, only did a few rounds of the circuit as I didn't want to stress the poor thing and the demand was mainly for Teslas anyway.
Next morning, same story... so the solar panels hadnt kept the battery trickle charged and I'm assuming failure - think its time to go and get a battery
Long story short, does anyone have any tips or stories about batteries - how long have yours lasted , any specific make/model of batt preferred??
I might add that being a 2012 Leaf, I am assuming it has never had a replacement 12V battery so I guess close on 5 years is a good innings..
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Post by jeffjl on Mar 12, 2017 23:49:23 GMT 11
The NRMA give a guarantee of 3 years for a Premium battery and 1 year for a standard battery.
I am guessing that you should expect at least 3 years but with failure rates increasing with time. 5 years sounds good. I should be looking for batteries on special now then.
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Post by jacky on Mar 13, 2017 7:22:09 GMT 11
I read from US LEAF forums that the LEAF does not charge the 12V battery at 13.8V which the 12V battery should be charged. As a result, some US owners experienced 12V battery failure in just 3 years. I brought a 12V battery charger and charge it once every week. US forums suggested a deep cycle battery for a replacement as the LEAF draws higher power than other cars especially when it was plugged. I found Century has 12V battery designed for Hybrid. I think it will work with our LEAF as it also have higher draws from electronic. But I don't have experience with this battery as my battery is still running fine. www.centurybatteries.com.au/products/car-passenger-vehicles/hybrid-auxiliary-batteries |
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Post by stewartm on Mar 13, 2017 11:42:35 GMT 11
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Post by rusdy on Mar 14, 2017 16:02:13 GMT 11
Too bad there is still no Aftermarket 12V LFP (LiFePO4) batteries (with same terminal shape). I replaced my Corolla's 12V battery couple years ago with LFP and still going strong in that car (sold it to a mate of mine, and still going well. Start the engine just like new battery ALL the time). Have to re-crimp the termination end though, so don't want to do that yet to my Leaf. Photo below from the seller's website, not from my Corolla (but showing exactly same battery):  Superseded with newer type: 12V LFP Batteries |
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Post by duncan on Mar 16, 2017 20:32:51 GMT 11
Members on this forum have been very lucky, this is the first failure in 4 years which is way under average for lead acid batteries. Maybe having the solar charger standard has helped
It's clear from the US forums that a dead 12v battery is pretty dramatic in these cars, other than random and weird failures when voltage drops, the major issue is the brakes can fail as they are controlled by the 12v system.
Regular ICE vehicles don't have the same symptoms because a dying battery shows up when you try to start it at the start of any trip, well below the ECU or anything else has a low voltage related issue.
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ant
EV Enthusiast
2012 Leaf, EV enthusiast, AEVA WA Secretary
Posts: 43
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by ant on Mar 17, 2017 0:46:02 GMT 11
Wow, that sounds scary, brake failure which can happen at speed? I think I'll set a calendar reminder to test the battery after about 3 years every week or so.
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ant
EV Enthusiast
2012 Leaf, EV enthusiast, AEVA WA Secretary
Posts: 43
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by ant on Mar 17, 2017 0:53:18 GMT 11
I landed up replacing the battery , the leaf was even on the kiosk which was very handily placed next to the battery shelves at Super Cheap Auto - which yielded the following battery: www.supercheapauto.com.au/Product/Century-Car-Battery-NS60LS-MF-430CCA/517321 which matched the Cold Cranking Amp specification and dimensions etc etc - $167 wasn't too high a price either. Unfortunately due to a brain snap, I took the virtually identical NS60L to the counter, got home, installed, then realised that the terminals were too thin.. oops! Went back, switched batts, repeated install, worked perfectly. Tested installed battery, 13.1V , will check on weekend to make sure it is charging. But it looks like it works well. |
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Post by duncan on Mar 17, 2017 7:38:09 GMT 11
Wow, that sounds scary, brake failure which can happen at speed? I think I'll set a calendar reminder to test the battery after about 3 years every week or so. actually in each example I read about it was at low/very low speeds. Like an ICE car battery failure always shows itself when you turn the starter, in the leaf cases when you turn the car on it may show errors at that point and may not even have the power to shift to D or R. And if it did, the brake failures were showing up at the first press of the brakes which is generally still in a driveway or similar. We have to remember that these cars have electric control and actuation of the braking system with a very complex master cylinder and ABS system, that takes the pressure you apply to the pedal, and then decides to pass on all the pressure to the brakes - when the battery is full and the battery can't take regen, and nothing exciting is happening pass on more pressure than you put on the pedal - -when it decides it's an emergency and you didn't brake hard enough (Brake assist) -when there is a stability problem eg a slide on ice it may brake the outside rear wheel (VDC) -when one wheel is spinning under power (TCS) -when TCS is off and one wheel is spinning under power (BLSD) pass on less pressure than you put on the pedal - - when one or more wheels locks while braking (ABS) - under normal braking when the regen system can return the power to the battery Anyway, the point is all of these systems require a good 12v voltage and many have high amp input requirements (110A in total across 5 fuses) as they are big relays and actuators. The system is of course designed to "fail safe" as the workshop manual points out, but in at least some cases owners which dead or dying batteries have reported brakes not working properly or at all which in each case was related to a 12v battery problem. BTW on thing many (most?) owners will have overlooked in their detailed reading of the owners' manual before the first drive, the emergency brake does not normally work when the car is moving (it will just beep if you pull it). But if it is a genuine emergency you can hold the handle for about 3 seconds and it will engage even if the car is moving. And no, it probably won't work either if the 12v system is not OK.... |
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Post by mike on Jun 3, 2017 21:32:16 GMT 11
This week, I noticed the 12V system struggling after the lights were left on overnight. First time I noticed that the accessory battery is a flooded cell deep cycle. Checking the water level, all cells were low, but no exposed plates. Topped it up with distilled water and gave it a long charge at 14.8V. Seems to be working well now. Since I now know it's a deep cycle battery, I'll treat to a smart charger boost every few months and keep an eye on the water levels.
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Post by caroline on Oct 15, 2017 15:00:34 GMT 11
My 12v battery just carked it I think... hopped in the car and nothing - no lights on the dash, nothing... can’t even lock and unlock and can’t charge. Waiting for a mobile battery installer to arrive... just hope that’s the problem as I am a 1 car family and with the heavy rain today and tomorrow cycling to schools and work not an option!
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Post by caroline on Oct 15, 2017 15:01:37 GMT 11
Some kind of warning would have been good... as said above ice drivers usually notice the car is hard to start... there were no warning signs
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Post by jeffthewalker on Oct 15, 2017 15:10:15 GMT 11
My 12v battery just carked it I think... hopped in the car and nothing - no lights on the dash, nothing... can’t even lock and unlock and can’t charge. Waiting for a mobile battery installer to arrive... just hope that’s the problem as I am a 1 car family and with the heavy rain today and tomorrow cycling to schools and work not an option! Try several (many) start attempts, some with the brake and some without. I did this for a month or two before I finally bit the bullet and got a new battery. |
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Post by Phoebe on Oct 15, 2017 15:46:47 GMT 11
My 12v battery just carked it I think... hopped in the car and nothing - no lights on the dash, nothing... can’t even lock and unlock and can’t charge. Waiting for a mobile battery installer to arrive... just hope that’s the problem as I am a 1 car family and with the heavy rain today and tomorrow cycling to schools and work not an option! Try several (many) start attempts, some with the brake and some without. I did this for a month or two before I finally bit the bullet and got a new battery. I'll remember that, Jeff, as I am surprised mine is still going after 5 years, but, so far, it hasn't skipped a beat - now I've said that, it will, of course  |
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Post by caroline on Oct 15, 2017 15:59:37 GMT 11
All fixed with new battery- old one was completely dead
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Post by Phoebe on Oct 15, 2017 16:01:30 GMT 11
All fixed with new battery- old one was completely dead That must be a relief! |
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Post by caroline on Oct 15, 2017 16:24:23 GMT 11
All fixed with new battery- old one was completely dead That must be a relief! Huge sigh of relief!! |
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Post by caroline on Oct 22, 2017 17:20:10 GMT 11
So it seems there is more to the story.... same problem again this morning- no power. Battery man returned and tested - couldn’t resolve it so I called Nissan roadside service and they sent racq out. RACQ was very helpful but no idea about EVs - when he plugged his power in and I powered up he said ‘but I can’t hear the alternator’ 😂😂😂... anyway he called Nissan for help and they said charge up the 12v so he did and in the process realised that the car is drawing 3amps from the 12v battery while off. He tested all the fuses and isolated which one has been draining it but it just says ‘part’ so no idea what it is. Anyway I have driven it this afternoon and just going to leave it plugged in so it tops up the 12v and I can get to Nissan tomorrow. Glad I’m still under warranty!!
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Post by caroline on Oct 22, 2017 17:23:01 GMT 11
 Oh and would be nice to range like this!! I’m guessing it’s because it thought it was driving extra efficient and regenning when it was being charged externally |
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Post by dac1811 on Oct 22, 2017 18:23:51 GMT 11
Do you know what fuse number it was ? That will tell what functions it controls.
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Post by caroline on Oct 22, 2017 22:13:35 GMT 11
Do you know what fuse number it was ? That will tell what functions it controls. No I didn’t look myself |
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Post by caroline on Oct 23, 2017 9:02:21 GMT 11
12v drained overnight again so racq charged it up again and I’ve dropped in to Nissan - hopefully they can figure it out today as I’m lost without my car!!
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Post by caroline on Dec 10, 2017 18:11:35 GMT 11
So it has been almost 8 weeks and leaf is still in the workshop at Nissan Von Bibra Southport 😐
They ordered in a replacement part (AV Controller) that took 6 weeks to arrive from Japan - which they thought was the problem part draining the battery... however I was advised on Friday after they installed it that it has not fixed the draining issue.
We miss driving the leaf and going back to lining up for fuel at the servo really sux! At least they are providing a replacement vehicle.
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Post by caroline on Jan 10, 2018 14:06:14 GMT 11
Got my car back today but the problem has not been fixed...After replacing the part they thought was faulty (AV Controller) - battery was still draining. ‘Nissan Technical’ visited this week and after inspecting they’ve orderered a different part (service guy couldn’t tell me what this part was) and in the meantime they have done a ‘bypass’ that temporarily fixes the draining issue until that part is replaced. I will ask more questions when I’m in there next. So nice to have my leaf back - I realised I’ve been suffering carbon depression driving the ice replacement vehicle ☹️
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Post by EVangelist on Jan 12, 2018 19:44:54 GMT 11
Oh dear, that sounds dreadful. I would hate to be without my Leaf for 3 months!
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Post by duncan on May 6, 2018 9:27:01 GMT 11
Our 12v battery died recently too. Caroline, do you know which part they "bypassed" to stop the problem.
I suspect the new 3g telemtics module was draining our battery, potentially because it is outside 3g coverage where it parks.
I've now got a deep cycle / AGM battery (Optima D51R) which recovers much better from low voltage but I am definitely still loosing a lot of 12v charge over a couple of days without use
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Post by coulomb on Jun 4, 2020 19:10:11 GMT 11
After neglecting to do anything about my telematics drain, my auxiliary battery has died just 11 months after replacing the original. It failed to unlock the car 2 or 3 times; once down to 7 V, once down to 3(!) V. It seemed to bounce back with recharging, but now sags down to under 12.4 V after a recharge. After a bit of research, I finally turned off most of the telematics functions (but it can still report battery state on the app, which I find quite handy). It now goes down to zero drain (well, less than 0.1 A, the resolution of my cheap clamp meter) after about 10 minutes. Alas, I didn't realise it would take so long for the various ECUs to sleep, so I don't know if it went to zero anyway before the telematics turn-off. I decided on an Optima D51R T2, from Every Battery at Pimpama, half way to the Gold Coast from the south side of Brisbane. Just under $300 inc GST, store pickup. Coles Ormeau is a few km up the road, and I charged there on the way back. They also have shops in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania. Battery Central in Acacia Ridge (just 4 km from my home) said that their supplier was out of stock of the R model (we need the R, which I assume stands for Reversed terminals). I actually cut a cable tie to try and use a non-R model, but the cables just would not reach. Hopefully this will be the end of my auxiliary battery woes for many years now. I intend to keep a close eye on it though, as the charge algorithm in the 2011/2012 models is horrible. |
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Post by tomkauf on Jun 5, 2020 0:13:29 GMT 11
This definitely reminds me to charge our 12V Battery. I wish our Leaf had the solar panel, but with JDM Models, only top-of-the-range ones had them (or maybe an optional extra). I have a CTEK Charger that's supposed to regenerate batteries. Ours is still the Lead Acid, but I'm a big fan of Optima. My previous Optima lasted 8 years on an ICE car that wasn't even driven regularly. There are Li-Ion 12V Batteries for the Leaf these days, but at over US$400 even before freight, I'll stick with an Optima. www.ohmmu.com/product-page/12v-lithium-battery-for-nissan-leaf |
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Post by EVangelist on Jun 6, 2020 13:50:08 GMT 11
Our LEAF is getting towards 6 years old now and still has the original 12V battery! It does have the solar panel on it, and when my wife drives it to work, it spends the day in the sun. Maybe that helps.
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Post by coulomb on Jun 6, 2020 15:59:03 GMT 11
It does have the solar panel on it, and when my wife drives it to work, it spends the day in the sun. Maybe that helps. I recorded a ~1 A net charge in decent sun due to my solar panel (usually parked out of the sun though). I'm fairly sure that was before I turned off most telematics activity. I noticed my Leaf charging the auxiliary battery today (third blue LED flashing). It seemed to keep charging till the current fell to 2.5 A. The new Optima yellow top battery was at about 12.7 V an hour or two before that. Just now (90 minutes after the automatic charge), it's at 12.81 V. Those voltages seem encouraging. I'd love to know what triggers these automatic auxiliary battery charges, and what really terminates them (time or charge current). Since it was at 12.7 V shortly before the charge, it seems like it's just a time based thing (I think I read every 5 days somewhere). |
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