Can't get a fast charge on ChaDeMo charger socket

[coulomb]

how do I get to the back of the CHAdeMO connector to clean up the connections?

Sorry, I have no idea how to; it just seems that the back of the CHAdeMO connector would be the place most likely to be affected by road salt, as it's near the front of the vehicle, and there would be gaps between the wires and the housing where the salt could work its way in.

But as you say, try other things first, as it seems that it's more likely a signalling issue. Now that I think about it, isolation signalling sounds like something possibly internal to the on-board charger, where it tests isolation of the battery from the chassis. This entails isolated op-amps and transmission of the resultant measurement to some ECU somewhere. Maybe the isolation testing is actually inside the battery case; it might even convert the measurements to digital values and transmit them over the CAN bus or other means to the appropriate ECU. It seems like that conversion or transmission is failing.

 

[GerryAZ]

My philosophy regarding DTC's on any vehicle has always been that I record and then attempt to clear them unless I plan on taking the vehicle straight to the manufacturer dealer/service center. If the error codes are real (permanent), they will come back or not clear at all. If they are related to transient conditions (not permanent), then clearing them will let the vehicle perform normally for at least until the transient condition happens again.

 

[clivech]

how do I get to the back of the CHAdeMO connector to clean up the connections?

Sorry, I have no idea how to; it just seems that the back of the CHAdeMO connector would be the place most likely to be affected by road salt, as it's near the front of the vehicle, and there would be gaps between the wires and the housing where the salt could work its way in.

But as you say, try other things first, as it seems that it's more likely a signalling issue. Now that I think about it, isolation signalling sounds like something possibly internal to the on-board charger, where it tests isolation of the battery from the chassis. This entails isolated op-amps and transmission of the resultant measurement to some ECU somewhere. Maybe the isolation testing is actually inside the battery case; it might even convert the measurements to digital values and transmit them over the CAN bus or other means to the appropriate ECU. It seems like that conversion or transmission is failing.

Thanks, coulomb. I'm trying to get a dealership to look at it. Presumably they will be able to determine if this is the root of the problem. But finding one with a CHAdeMO charger is proving almost impossible!

 

[clivech]

My philosophy regarding DTC's on any vehicle has always been that I record and then attempt to clear them unless I plan on taking the vehicle straight to the manufacturer dealer/service center. If the error codes are real (permanent), they will come back or not clear at all. If they are related to transient conditions (not permanent), then clearing them will let the vehicle perform normally for at least until the transient condition happens again.

Thanks, Gerry. I'm going to clear the codes this afternoon. I'll let you know!

 

[clivech]

Ok, cleared the codes but couldn't get a CHAdeMO charger that worked in my town until today. Problem still exactly the same, I'm afraid. I plugged in the CHAdeMO, the app said the charging session was starting, the blue lights on the dash lit up (the battery was about half full), then... nothing. The app said "It seems to be taking longer than usual to start the charging session", then there was a soft clunk and the blue lights went out and the app said charging session failed.

I have finally found a dealer with a CHAdeMO. He's 60 miles away, wants £240 to do a diagnostic, says the car will have to stay with them for up to 2 weeks and it could cost £2000. And then today I noticed the heater wasn't working. Sure enough, 6 diagnostic codes saying PTC Heater Circuit 1-4, heater voltage, heater circuit, Heater Pump Voltage, Heater Pump Comm H/P... So I think it's time to get shut of this vehicle. Clearly I bought a lemon.

 

[Willeafdog]

Hi, did you get this resolved? I have a horrible feeling I have the same issue, tried 2 fast chargers today. Thanks

 

[Yoorek75]

I have the same problem from 2 years (2 winter seasons). Problems wich Chademo occurs only when it is wet. Experienced also in few other leafs which I delivered on wheels from Norway to Poland.
I am fighting with the issue long time. I have purchased another chademo socket to be replaced. We will see if it helps.

 

[Flight Delayed]

Old thread, but I have a 2012 Leaf with the same problem that now seems resolved. It's a little bit of a story so prop up your elbow and rest your jaw in your hand for a moment. I have owned this Leaf for about 2-3 years and it spent it's entire life being trickle charged (had 11 bars when purchased, just turned down to 10 bars last week, can go about 60 miles in 'burbs on a charge), never having seen a big city fast charger. The car has never had an issue charging on level 1 or 2, 120/240. As the city I live in has expanded and chargers installed have gotten closer, I eventually tried a fast charger in Nov of 2023 and had this same Chademo issue with DT codes U100B, P3173. Altogether I tried 8 different fast chargers @ FPL Evolution. After new fast chargers were installed within 1 mile of my house, I had some free time recently and decided to delve into this with the preconception that this was either an onboard charger issue or a Chademo corrosion issue. I could not see any noticeable corrosion with a flashlight within the terminals, and the car has always been garaged and driven in the south off salt roads. Having arrived at the brand new fast charger station I tried every one of them, and each in turn became "not available" for an extended time, perhaps 10-15 minutes as one by one they all failed to charge. Thinking about corrosion, I took the Chademo plug from one of the fast chargers and used it as a cleaning device, plugging and unplugging it about ten times in quick succession while slightly varying the angle when I removed it. Once one of the chargers came back online I tried again, and it worked like magic. So, even though corrosion may not be detectable on an old car perhaps it is there. I am looking for a corrosion cleaner/ protectant to spray in the plug now.

 

[uHu]

I keep a small can of WD-40 jammed between seat and centre console for this purpose. Use it in wet weather.
Re fast chargers : I've noticed that the latest generation of chargers (of which there are very few with ChaDeMo) are incompatible with my 2013 Leaf. I suspect that they sense a too low charge current flowing, and concludes that there is a fault. On old ChaDeMos it starts out at around 5 kW, and then might climb to 30-40 for few minutes, after a few minutes, on a good day.