Something wrong with home charger

I have the evgo charger that was installed in 2012 when I bought the Leaf. Over the weekend it won't charge anymore.
Dealer said car charges fine and didn't find anything wrong. My trickle charger that came with car works fine. The wall charger says power on and ready to charge. When I connect it to the car, I don't hear the connection sound and it just sits there. The wall mount does say connected to car.

Any ideas or do I need to call electrician?

Can you send us an URL to or point us to a pic of the evgo unit you have installed?

Is the dealer using one of these round guys? https://www.evsolutions.com/ev-charging-nissan

Can you try another Leaf on your home EVSE? (It's not a charger, that's on board the car under the hump in the back http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=3010.) If the other Leaf works, esp. if it's another '11 or '12, then it's possible you have a blown diode in the on-board charger.

See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=24696 and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=24560. The Nissan L1 120 volt EVSE apparently doesn't do a diode check and it's alleged that Aerovironment (now known as Webasto) L2 EVSE doesn't either, which is why they would work.

If your Leaf fails to L2 charge on other L2 EVSEs (non-Nissan L1 and non-Aerovironment), it seems more likely it's a blown diode.

You might also check to make sure the rubber O-ring inside the charging station plug hasn't become distorted or folded, preventing the plug from being fully inserted.

^^^
Yes. Forgot about that. However, (at least on my '13) if a distorted gasket prevents the J1772 handle from being fully inserted, I hear beep-beep-beep pause beep-beep-beep w/all 3 blue lights flashing in unison w/the beeps. I've run into this w/melted gaskets at public L2 charging.

Another way to repro is to just insert the plug but hold down the button on the J1772 handle.

Also, OP should check the 12 volt battery voltage with a volt meter after the car has sat overnight or while it's in this state.

cwerdna said:

Can you send us an URL to or point us to a pic of the evgo unit you have installed?

Is the dealer using one of these round guys? https://www.evsolutions.com/ev-charging-nissan

Can you try another Leaf on your home EVSE? (It's not a charger, that's on board the car under the hump in the back http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=3010.) If the other Leaf works, esp. if it's another '11 or '12, then it's possible you have a blown diode in the on-board charger.

See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=24696 and http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=24560. The Nissan L1 120 volt EVSE apparently doesn't do a diode check and it's alleged that Aerovironment (now known as Webasto) L2 EVSE doesn't either, which is why they would work.

If your Leaf fails to L2 charge on other L2 EVSEs (non-Nissan L1 and non-Aerovironment), it seems more likely it's a blown diode.

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Yes, that is the one I have. The dealer replaced the 12 volt battery under warranty while at the dealership and charging still won't work. Was able to charge last night with trickle charger. The dealer charged up the car using the same type of 240 volt charger.
If its a blown diode, does that mean I have to replace the whole wall mount unit?

There's at least three possible causes for this problem:

1. Broken wire in the J1772 cable, or broken EVSE.
2. Blown diode in the LEAF charger.
3. Physical problem (the gasket mentioned above).

If it's a broken wire, flexing the cable might make it suddenly start charging. Otherwise to eliminate number 1, you need to try some other car on your EVSE.

For number 2, the problem is that the diode is checked by the EVSE, not the car. As it turns out, both the included 120V EVSE and the ones that NIssan has at the dealer don't check for the diode and so they work even if the diode is blown. To eliminate number 2, you need to try other kinds of stations to see if your car works with them. If it does then you've eliminated number 2. If it is this problem, you'll have a hard time convincing the dealer there's anything wrong. Some people have fixed it themselves when they've been out of warranty. Search the forum for "diode fix".

For number three see the advice others gave above.

Hello,
I got it to work. I was flexing the charger and held the button down while it was connected. JIggled it and it started to work. It worked twice this way but then stopped working. Am I correct to say it is a broken wire? If so is this repairable or do I need to get a new charger?

tvo7 said:

Hello,
I got it to work. I was flexing the charger and held the button down while it was connected. JIggled it and it started to work. It worked twice this way but then stopped working. Am I correct to say it is a broken wire? If so is this repairable or do I need to get a new charger?

Click to expand...

To be clear, the external unit mounted in your garage and the L1 120 volt "trickle charge" cable are NOT chargers. They're EVSEs.

For L1 and L2 AC charging over J1772, the charger is on-board the car. See diagram from planet4ever at https://web.archive.org/web/20150619074649/http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=262630 and https://web.archive.org/web/20150604142825/http://www.sae.org/smartgrid/chargingprimer.pdf. The external unit is an EVSE.

For DC fast charging (you don't have one at home), the external unit is a charger and the car's OBC is bypassed.

tvo7 said:

Hello,
I got it to work. I was flexing the charger and held the button down while it was connected. JIggled it and it started to work. It worked twice this way but then stopped working. Am I correct to say it is a broken wire? If so is this repairable or do I need to get a new charger?

Click to expand...

If playing with the button fixed it, it might just be inside the handle. I'd try taking it apart and seeing if there's a loose wire or component. Otherwise, you can buy a new plug and cable and replace it yourself without too much difficulty. QuickChargePower sells them for a good price. You can also order it in whatever length you need.

Sorry, it was the plug, handle that I was moving around.

Is there a website to show how to replace the plug and cable?

I had a problem with the charger that the car would not beep correctly.....

I unplugged the charger from the 240v wall outlet, and reconnected... Worked fine... Another case of turn the computer off and on, and it will work..

tvo7 said:

Sorry, it was the plug, handle that I was moving around.

Is there a website to show how to replace the plug and cable?

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Not that I'm aware of.

If you open the unit (Kill the power, of course), it shouldn't be hard to see where the cord comes in and how it is terminated. Hopefully it will just need a screwdriver to disconnect the various wires, but it may be more complex. Use a multimeter to verify which pin on the J1772 connector is connected to what location inside the unit. Do I have to mention that you should take pictures before changing anything? When you get the new cable, just install it the same way.

If you want to post a picture of the inside of your unit, we can help you more directly.

OP: Do yourself a favor and buy a replacement cable+handle **that is already assembled**
You only have to connect the cable to the EVSE as a replacement.

The cable connection to the handle is complex affair you will not be able to reproduce at home and you WILL end up with a safety hazard.

If a 16' cable is long enough for your use this Ebay offer for $95 would do the trick:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SAE-J1772-YAZAKI-EVSE-30A-EV-16-CHARGING-CORD-120-240V-Level-2-UL/123301413521?epid=1527412150&hash=item1cb5564291:g:nXoAAOSwq5lToII6

SageBrush said:

OP: Do yourself a favor and buy a replacement cable+handle **that is already assembled**
You only have to connect the cable to the EVSE as a replacement.

The cable connection to the handle is complex affair you will not be able to reproduce at home and you WILL end up with a safety hazard.

If a 16' cable is long enough for your use this Ebay offer for $95 would do the trick:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SAE-J1772-YAZAKI-EVSE-30A-EV-16-CHARGING-CORD-120-240V-Level-2-UL/123301413521?epid=1527412150&hash=item1cb5564291:g:nXoAAOSwq5lToII6

Click to expand...

I heartily agree, and would never suggest anything different. I do question the quality of that eBay cable. They make a big deal over the handle being Yazaki, but say nothing about the source for the completed assembly. There's no indication that someone didn't just assemble that in their garage.

SageBrush said:

OP: Do yourself a favor and buy a replacement cable+handle **that is already assembled**
<span>You only have to connect the cable to the <a href="http://www.myelectriccarforums.com/electric-vehicle-charger/" class="interlinkr" target="_blank">EVSE<span class="tip">Compare EVSE equipment</span></a> as a replacement.</span>

The cable connection to the handle is complex affair you will not be able to reproduce at home and you WILL end up with a safety hazard.

If a 16' cable is long enough for your use this Ebay offer for $95 would do the trick:
<span>https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-SAE-<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?field-keywords=J1772&tag=myelecarfor-20" class="interlinkr" target="_blank">J1772</a>-YAZAKI-EVSE-30A-EV-16-CHARGING-CORD-120-240V-Level-2-UL/123301413521?epid=1527412150&hash=item1cb5564291:g:nXoAAOSwq5lToII6</span>

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Thanks. I was looking at my unit. The evgo one that nissan installed 12 years ago. Is it just unscrew the cable in the back of wall unit and screw in new cable. Is it as easy as that? No need to take apart wires and tie new ones together?

davewill said:

I heartily agree, and would never suggest anything different. I do question the quality of that eBay cable. They make a big deal over the handle being Yazaki, but say nothing about the source for the completed assembly. There's no indication that someone didn't just assemble that in their garage.

Click to expand...

You ask an important and fair question. The Ebay advert has a photo of the shipping label with the Yazaki part # and a description that says "gun and cable assby."

Certainly no harm though in asking the vendor to be triple sure.

tvo7 said:

Thanks. I was looking at my unit. The evgo one that nissan installed 12 years ago. Is it just unscrew the cable in the back of wall unit and screw in new cable. Is it as easy as that? No need to take apart wires and tie new ones together?

Click to expand...

It is simple but not as you envision and your questions are a pretty good clue that it should not be you doing the work. Take it to a friend and pay with a visit and a beer. It is a 3 minute job for anyone who has connected electric wires. Find out the recommended torques from the company, or perhaps they are printed inside the case. You might also find installation instructions with a Google search.

Yout that right. I probably will get an electrician install the new cable and cord. Can electrician do it or do I need to find one with experience dealing with evse chargers?

tvo7 said:

Yout that right. I probably will get an electrician install the new cable and cord. Can electrician do it or do I need to find one with experience dealing with evse chargers?

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Not sure of your location but at this point I think you will find almost all electricians have installed several evse.

Print out the cable installation schematic if you like.
I presume the connections will be two 120v wires and a ground but I am not positive.

Most important to photograph the opened up EVSE before cable replacement.