2011 bad inverter or motor?

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Maui314

Active member
Joined
Jan 27, 2017
Messages
32
Looking at a 2011 that had dealer replaced battery and now does not run. Dealer says it is either bad inverter or bad motor? Any thoughts? I know info is vague but I don’t have more to go on yet.
 
Are you buying it for the battery or the whole car? Getting either the inverter or motor replaced at the dealer sounds very expensive. And what if that's not the problem or not the only problem?
 
So My friend who has several 13+ Leafs bought this leaf here on Maui. I have Leaf Spy Pro. The battery was replaced by Nissan in 2016. It shows a SOC of 67% and a SOH of 92.18%.

There are a lot of trouble codes. I think these are the most important ones here.

P0AA0 00C4 EV/HEV QNRH Hybrid Batt. Positive Contactor EVC-141
P317A 00C0 EV/HEV Motor System EVC-247.
P0A1B 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A Cntrl Mod TMS-46
P0C79 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A Inverter Voltage TMS-70
P324F 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A IGBT TMS-99

The rest are ABS, HVAC, or Multi AV codes
Now this is my first time I have worked on a Leaf, however I have been servicing the family Prius for 13 years. I have fixed a lot of other Prius, and changed everything at least once. Inverters, traction batteries, HV contactors, Drivetrains, etc. I have an associates degree in electronics, so at least I know enough to not complete a High Voltage circuit with my self...

I have the factory service manual on the way. The dealer paperwork says the inverted is at fault, & the motor has a slight fluid leak so they want to replace it too. The repair quote was over $12k in parts, & over $2k in labor.

Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.
Mahalo
 
FWIW:

https://ownersmanuals2.com/nissan/leaf-2013-repair-manual-traction-motor-system-tms-42971

https://carmanuals2.com/get/nissan-leaf-2013-ev-control-system-section-evc-47872
 
@alozzy Thank you for sending me the 2013 EV section of the Factory Service Manual.

I believe the functionality is all the same, although I know the 2013 has a different physical layout than the the 2011; with the charger/ junction box up on top, inverter in the middle, and motor down below, all bolted together in a stack. The 2011 has the inverter mounted up high and in front, and the Junction Box behind, and the Motor below, all separate and mounted on a bracket. The schematics and functional aspects of the components are I believe the same.

EDIT:I got my download link for the complete 2011 FSM, and have been reading up on it.

According to the manual so far I have found the inverter problem code and the HV contactor code receive the same Priority level in the troubleshooting flow, but the code P0AA0 HV contactor diagnosis page says if there are other DTC's present, deal with them first, as the P0AA0 may be caused by the other problems... That is good I suppose since it appears the HV contactors are inside the battery case, & I do not want to drop the battery and split the case if that is not needed...

The traction battery was replaced by Nissan just before the end of the warranty in late 2016 I believe.

Actively looking for a parts car on Maui or other Hawaiian Islands, or for the parts online. Don't want to order an inverter if that is not actually the problem. Looking for how to test it first. Probably have to seek the Nissan Diagnostic software for advanced tests I guess...
 
goldbrick said:
Are you buying it for the battery or the whole car? Getting either the inverter or motor replaced at the dealer sounds very expensive. And what if that's not the problem or not the only problem?

We bought the car with the intent to put the whole thing back on the road. It is very straight, clean inside and out, and a nice red color.
 
I hope it works out well for you. They're great cars but I'm always nervous when something breaks that is only available at the dealer. I'd bet you can find whatever you need on ebay or whatever if you can DIY but that isn't something everyone can do.

Maui sounds like a perfect place for a Leaf since gas is expensive and nothing is too far away. Electricity is expensive too I guess but if you've got solar, Bob's your uncle.

And Bob is my uncle, he's lived on Oahu since 1968 and used to teach music at Kamehameha Schools....
 
goldbrick said:
I hope it works out well for you. They're great cars but I'm always nervous when something breaks that is only available at the dealer. I'd bet you can find whatever you need on ebay or whatever if you can DIY but that isn't something everyone can do.
Ebay can be awesome, For about $700 including shipping, I found the inverter. The HV Contactors and pre-charge circuit are all in a unit & it was only $65 plus some shipping. Not sure the order in which I should begin changing parts, as it seems to me that none of the HV componenets will work if the +HV contactor has failed, but the manual states to deal with other codes first... guess more research is needed. Thanfully the new owner of the Leaf has a lift for dropping the pack if that is what has to happen...

goldbrick said:
Maui sounds like a perfect place for a Leaf since gas is expensive and nothing is too far away. Electricity is expensive too I guess but if you've got solar, Bob's your uncle.

And Bob is my uncle, he's lived on Oahu since 1968 and used to teach music at Kamehameha Schools....

LOL, bet uncle Bob likes it out here, having stayed for 50 years now. Maui is only 28 miles long, and is pretty great for a Leaf, as long as you are not doing the road to Hana & back in one day, or you are not trying to climb to the summit of Haleakala at over 10,000'. The level 3 access point charging costs $35 a month, There are a few free level 2 chargers around too, and there is a new off peak program to allow cheaper charging late at night. Solar, A power wall and a Leaf seem like a perfect combo. Something to work towards.
 
Looking for advice on testing this 2011 Leaf, which according to the dealer has a bad inverter.

There are a lot of trouble codes. These are the primary ones, others are brake and HVAC related which I am assuming are set because those systems cannot power on at this point.

P0AA0 00C4 EV/HEV QNRH Hybrid Batt. Positive Contactor EVC-141
P317A 00C0 EV/HEV Motor System EVC-247.
P0A1B 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A Cntrl Mod TMS-46
P0C79 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A Inverter Voltage TMS-70
P324F 000A MOTOR CONTROL Drive Motor A IGBT TMS-99


Rob, hope you don't mind me hijacking your quote from another thread. Looks like you are very familiar with the drivetrain components of the Leaf, given your project of transplanting a leaf drivetrain into the Sonnet. Bet it is a really fun car. My mom always drove SAAB 900's, and The Saab Sonnet was always one of my favorite cars.

miscrms said:
Looking at the circuit diagram in EVB, it looks like pin #17 at the battery is the 12V coil supply to SMR1 that you'd want to tap? If I'm remembering correctly, SMR2 and PRE close during precharge, then SMR1 closes once charged and PRE opens.

26121900975_fa46d46f16_z.jpg


Pin 107 off the VCM should be the same signal.

26453684472_75e01c89d8_z.jpg


Rob

Going to get the Leaf up on a lift tomorrow and check control circuits to the contactors and pre-charge circuit for ground, and control voltage for starters.
 
alozzy said:
@mauiEVenthusiast Oops! Got my threads mixed up, thought you had a 2013. Glad you found the manuals for the 2011.

@alozzy Thank you, no worries. I am steadily reading through the 2011 manual between charge/ discharge cycles on a Prius battery Pack. Still not sure where to start, but having the detailed schematics is huge. Wondering how many of these codes will reset with Leaf Spy or if some of them are going to require the dealer Software to clear them...

I have found all the suspected failed components on Ebay so far... The owner of this car wants to get it going ASAP as his wife is turning in her leased leaf at the end of the month... Not sure if this is possible, but that is the goal...
 
So I have replaced the inverter with a used unit, & found the HV contactors were both welded shut. I replaced the contactor assembly, tested the new contactors, measured the precharge resistor, (30.9 ohms) and tested the precharge relay. With the battery pack back in the car I still cannot get the vehicle to charge. When plugging in the charger, I hear a notable clunk of at least one contactor closing. Then 2 light on the dash show up indicating charging. After a few seconds the lights go out & the battery contactors disconnect. The car will not go to ready mode.

After clearing all codes, these codes are what resets on startup.
C118C 0109
C1A6E 0109
C1A70 0109
P3176 00C0
P311C 00C0


I believe the P3176 to be the most critical code, the root cause of which is my primary concern now.
 
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