What electronics are needed to swap a 2013 traction battery into a 2014 Leaf?

What we have is a wrecked 2013 Leaf with a good low mileage 24kw battery and all electronics. The car is beyond repair most likely.

2014 Leaf had NO traction battery but everything else there. Not 100% sure if the battery module is from that car and figured it wouldn't be needed since the battery from the 2013 is not going to be opened, just swapped over. (The traction battery was used for a solar power system)

Hoping to pull the electronics and traction battery from the 2013 and move to the 2014 without dealer intervention.

Any idea what is needed? Thanks

As I understand it, a dealership will have to re-pair the battery and BMS with the new car. Since they are both post-2012 24kwh batteries, they should be physically compatible without an adapter. I'm no expert on this, though.

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "kw".

Why else is the '14 missing the battery? You sure nothing else is missing and the car was operational otherwise? Seems odd to remove a pack from a '14 Leaf that otherwise was working fine.

Normally, the car is paired w/the BMS inside the pack. Skim thru the posts by Cor at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21997. He's swapped modules from one pack into another casing. He's also swapped packs (which are unpaired) so the car can't go faster than (IIRC) 25 mph but then gets a dealer to do the pairing.

I forgot about the kw, kWh. I was being asked questions while I was composing the original post. Thanks for catching that.

Would it still have to be re-paired if all of the pertinent electronics get transferred? That's what I don't understand. If you transfer over the traction battery, bms, key fobs, and other pertinent computers from the donor vehicle, then why would it have to be re-paired? I spent months looking and forgot some of what I learned. I was involved in a couple of motor vehicle accidents this year and am having troubles remembering. Just thinking someone here has done this and can just answer the question instead of me spending more time looking for the possible answer. My Leaf is down to 50 miles per charge and I would like to get this back on the road before the cold weather hits.

I have spoken to Cor and also reading the posts suggested when I asked in the past about doing a swap from the 2013 to a 2012 which is a lot different than from a 2013 to a 2014. The battery wiring is different also from 2012 to the 2013. My understanding is that they kept this the same between the 2013 and 2014 but that is why I am asking for those who might know the answer.

The 2014 was also involved in a minor frontal collision limited to just the bumper cover, hood, radiator and steering wheel airbag which were easily replaced. The previous owner just wanted the battery and got rid of the rest of the car.

Answer I am looking for is.......
What electronics (from a 2013 donor) are needed to swap a 2013 traction battery into a 2014?

braebyrn said:

I forgot about the kw, kWh. I was being asked questions while I was composing the original post. Thanks for catching that.

Would it still have to be re-paired if all of the pertinent electronics get transferred? That's what I don't understand. If you transfer over the traction battery, bms, key fobs, and other pertinent computers from the donor vehicle, then why would it have to be re-paired?

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That sounds like a lot to transfer over. Not sure what the complete list would be. And, you have to worry about what Nissan might've quietly changed between a '13 and '14 Leaf.

Here were some posts I quickly found about pairing:
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21997&p=464829&hilit=mph#p464829
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21997&p=500688&hilit=mph#p500688
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21997&p=500684&hilit=mph#p500684
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=461790#p461790
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=464617#p464617

Might be faster for Cor to swap modules: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=508708#p508708.

If only the battery pack was taken from the 2014 Leaf, you just need to install the replacement battery pack and get a dealer to pair it. This will require a Leaf Authorized dealer.

If you have access to the previous owner and battery pack, you just need to swap the BMS board between the packs. You should then be able to install the 2013 pack in the 2014 and be up and running, with no dealer involvement.

The key fobs need paired to the car, and all key fobs that are going to be used with the car need to be in the car when the pairing is done. This usually requires a Nissan dealer with a Consult tool.

baustin said:

If only the battery pack was taken from the 2014 Leaf, you just need to install the replacement battery pack and get a dealer to pair it. This will require a Leaf Authorized dealer.

If you have access to the previous owner and battery pack, you just need to swap the BMS board between the packs. You should then be able to install the 2013 pack in the 2014 and be up and running, with no dealer involvement.

The key fobs need paired to the car, and all key fobs that are going to be used with the car need to be in the car when the pairing is done. This usually requires a Nissan dealer with a Consult tool.

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I actually talked to Cor about this a few days ago. I believe you should be able to simply install the 2013 battery into the 2014 leaf. You might find the that battery cover panels will not fit, as they have changed. I would try to use the cover panels from your 2013, but if they don't fit, you'll either have to leave them off or get some on LKQ. The actual electrical connector changed between 2012 and 2013, but 2013 & 2014 should have the same connector, so you should be good there.

First ensure that the battery disconnect is removed from the pack and use electrically isolating gloves when insulating the various contacts on the battery pack. Keep in mind that the battery disconnect splits the pack into two halves. This means that the contacts still have ~200V (instead of the 400V). 200V DC is still lethal. Also, the pack is ~800 pounds, so you'll need the appropriate jacks and stands. Do use stands--hydraulic jacks can fail at any time and without warning.

Once you get the battery pack installed and connected, you'll need to replace the disconnect in the floor between the rear seats, which should energize the car. At this point, the car should work, but provide a turtle icon and motor power is limited. I believe you won't need to re-pair the keys if you have the original keys from the 2014 Leaf because you're not changing the VMS computer.

You'll need to drive (<25 mph) or tow the car to your local Nissan dealer and pay them to use the consult tool to re-pair the battery to the car. You should be good to go at that point. Be sure to call the Nissan dealer first to ensure they're willing to do the work and you know what paperwork you need (title, etc) to do the work.

If you live in New Zealand, you could call up http://evsenhanced.com/ and see if they'll do the work for you.

Anyone more knowledgeable feel free to chime in. I haven't done this specific repair, so I could be wrong on some of the details.

baustin said:

If only the battery pack was taken from the 2014 Leaf, you just need to install the replacement battery pack and get a dealer to pair it. This will require a Leaf Authorized dealer.

If you have access to the previous owner and battery pack, you just need to swap the BMS board between the packs. You should then be able to install the 2013 pack in the 2014 and be up and running, with no dealer involvement.

The key fobs need paired to the car, and all key fobs that are going to be used with the car need to be in the car when the pairing is done. This usually requires a Nissan dealer with a Consult tool.

Click to expand...

Heard back from the previous owner about the original BMS. He did give us the matching original BMS that came from the car. He also said that before he took the battery out, he drove the car.

We have the original to the 2014 Leaf BMS box installed in the 2013 traction battery and it is connected to the 2014 Leaf. Ran the LeafSpy Pro before going to Run....

The codes pulled from the LeafSpy Pro are as follows:

C118C 0109 ABS EV/HEV System BRC-126
B1421 0009 Air Bag (Frontal collision)
C1A6E 0109 Brake EV/HEV System BR-146
C1A70 0109 Brake Brake Control System BR-160
C1608 0109 EPS Control Unit STC-24 (The previous owner cut the power steering wiring and we replaced the electric power steering with a used unit off ebay. Not sure if that is the problem with this code or not.)
P3176 000B EV/HEV Inverter Condenser EVC-238
P311C 000B EV/HEV High Voltage Sys EVC-204

You may be able to clear two or so of those codes by charging the 12 volt accessory battery. When it's low you tend to get codes associated with the brakes.

LeftieBiker said:

You may be able to clear two or so of those codes by charging the 12 volt accessory battery. When it's low you tend to get codes associated with the brakes.

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The voltage on the accessory battery was in 12.24 volts range according to the screen shot on Leafspy. Is that too low? What else can you tell from the screenshot?
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cnpX346oZ3daTkte6

braebyrn said:

Heard back from the previous owner about the original BMS. He did give us the matching original BMS that came from the car. He also said that before he took the battery out, he drove the car.

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Because it's 2013 to 2014, you're probably safe. But I wanted to warn you that Cor said there are significant changes to the wiring harness to the BMS between 2011/2012 and later packs. So for anyone reading this in the future, you should never swap just the BMS between packs because if you use an incompatible wiring harness you will fry the BMS. The BMS, wiring harnesses and busbars should all stay together as a unit, and just the cells be swapped. In general, it's easiest to just swap the battery cells, a luxury you didn't have for this car.

Lothsahn said:

braebyrn said:

Heard back from the previous owner about the original BMS. He did give us the matching original BMS that came from the car. He also said that before he took the battery out, he drove the car.

Click to expand...

Because it's 2013 to 2014, you're probably safe. But I wanted to warn you that Cor said there are significant changes to the wiring harness to the BMS between 2011/2012 and later packs. So for anyone reading this in the future, you should never swap just the BMS between packs because if you use an incompatible wiring harness you will fry the BMS. The BMS, wiring harnesses and busbars should all stay together as a unit, and just the cells be swapped. In general, it's easiest to just swap the battery cells, a luxury you didn't have for this car.

Click to expand...

Thanks for reminding us. Did Cor also say to make sure and plug them in correctly as there are two plugs that look exactly alike and they could be accidentally plugged into the other. I will have to reread that, but we made sure to swap them exactly as they came off.

There are differences also with other parts between the years, but even with the 2013/14 model year like the lower steering shaft we have found. Seems like the lower shaft size where it connects to the rack, is a different diameter and the half year model changes may have affected that, I don't know. We bought two used ones and they both were the wrong size. I don't think the wrecking yards have the part numbers right and seem to group 2013 and up together.

Also, subtle differences in the mounting for the upper support for the radiator/condenser being too short as well as many other differences most likely. Best to check part numbers?

Could it have anything to do with the fact that the battery from the 2013 is an SL model and the 2014 is an S model? The 2013 has the heat pump and the 2014 does not. Hmmm.

The 2011/2012 batteries use the same cells and internal wiring harnesses.
Any 2011 or 2012 without the battery heater will have a different BMS board and some cabling differences.
The external connections and internal harness were changed for 2013 forward.
The 2013 and 2014 battery packs are supposed to be the same for all models, including the BMS board.
The 2013 battery packs built before April have the same cell chemistry that was used in the 2012 packs, and have a shorter, more heat sensitive life.