Wasn't sure which thread to post in...
Count me in the dead 12 volt camp now. Let's just hope it doesn't happen to me every 2 weeks, or even more often. I've been reading about the supposedly crappy 12 volt charging algorithm for awhile.
My leased '13 Leaf SV w/both packages never had a dead 12 volt. But then again, I never monitored it nor did I ever put it on any charger or tender. I also didn't have Leaf Spy nor any OBD2 BT dongle until the last few weeks I had the car. The dongle I bought was http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009F4JHHO (says ELM 327 in orange on the top, ASIN B009F4JHHO) and I'm now using it w/my owned Leaf.
My owned '13 Leaf SV w/premium package (only) I bought used in mid-July 2015 and it's been fine, until today. More recently, I decided to sometimes on weekends charge up the 12 volt with my Tecmate Optimate 4 (http://tecmate.com/products/OptiMate4dp/) which I use to maintain and charge my Prius' tiny 12 volt. I think I last charged the 12 volt in my owned Leaf a week or two ago (max two weeks).
This morning, I couldn't get my Leaf into READY mode no matter how hard I tried. It'd basically go into ON or keep telling me to press the brake (which I was). I noticed Leaf Spy w/*uncalibrated* dongle was reading low 9.x volts! I turned off the car and measured using a multimeter across the terminals about mid-10 volts.
I have no idea if the dongle caused the drain or if there's something Leaf Spy does that can cause the car to stay in/get stuck in a state where it drains the 12 volt/prevents some module from going to sleep. I don't recall if Leaf Spy was running on my phone overnight. I normally don't have sufficient BT range between my garage and where my Android phone usually is.
I was already late to meet w/someone and had no 12 volt jump pack so I had to take my Prius. Sigh.... I was going to give the person I was meeting a Leaf demo.
voganni said:
I purchased a DC clamp meter to look for the culprit
Which one did you get? Can anyone recommend an inexpensive one?
Some folks in other threads have mentioned data loggers. Anyone have an inexpensive one they can recommend?
Since I'm the second owner of the Leaf, I have no idea if this Leaf had trouble like this before nor whether its 12 volt is in bad shape. I did add distilled water when I first took possession as it looked a little low. I added a bit more today, as well.
Car's almost never plugged in overnight. It's usually only charged at work and w/the occasional use of free public L2. I last charged it on Saturday at free public L2 charging for maybe an hour. Sunday morning is when I got the unpleasant surprise.
I bought a jump starter pack and I guess I'll have to carry it around all the time, just in case. And, I'll be charging my 12 volt more often now.
It seems goofy that the car won't automatically start charging the 12 volt from the HV battery if it gets below a certain voltage.