I-KEY SYSTEM FAULT

[GerryAZ]

Try tapping on the little relays to see if they will drop out. I had one of the small relays which switches power to the shift control module intermittently fail to drop out when the car was turned off. It caused intermittent discharge of the 12V battery while parked (and an error message on the dash). I found it because I touched the relay while the car was turned off and felt the relay drop out.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Be careful! Even though you will probably only be working with 13 volts, you don't want to burn out other systems.

Be careful of pulling the relays? Not sure what else I can do at this point?

Is there any other way of trying to turn the car off?

Or do you mean be careful because the car is still on and I might short something?

That.

 

[MikeinPA]

Try tapping on the little relays to see if they will drop out. I had one of the small relays which switches power to the shift control module intermittently fail to drop out when the car was turned off. It caused intermittent discharge of the 12V battery while parked (and an error message on the dash). I found it because I touched the relay while the car was turned off and felt the relay drop out.

This. Tap on the relay from several directions with a pencil or similar and it may come unstuck--if it is stuck.

 

[LeftieBiker]

My first car was a Volvo 122S. It had a generator (yes, generator) relay that kept sticking off, producing a red light on the dash. I bashed that poor relay box (then called the Regulator) so may times it looked like it had been through a trash compactor.

 

[Mrouk]

I managed to turn it off this morning (with battery disconnected), so maybe it’s intermittent, or many there is a capacitor or something that stores charge which had run out. I lost 6 miles on the range overnight so it was using the other batteries to stay alive even though the 12v battery was disconnected.

Managed to get the relay out. That was a pain in the neck. Even if it worked before, I’ve cracked the plastic head so need to replace it anyway!!

Typically where I have cracked it is where some of the text is.

So it says on it that it’s a NAIS cm1a-r-12v-h91. Searching for that doesn’t help in terms of buying a new one, but does lead me to an image of the text I can’t read due to the cracks. Which is ACM33221 M44.

Searching for ACM33221 leads me to lots of relays I can buy, but they have different M numbers. Does that matter?

(Thanks for all the continued help by the way!)

 

[MikeinPA]

My first car was a Volvo 122S.

Off topic, but, my first car was a Datsun 510, and my first car repair was to push on the distributor when it wouldn't start. I was lucky, and it did start. Felt like magic. Years later I learned there was a weak ground between the distributor and the part it bolted to; Datsun fixed this by adding a ground wire to the distributor in later iterations of the motor.

Closer to topic, all of my 510s rusted out, or I would still be driving them today. The reason I bought the blue Leaf was so I can put the white Leaf up in the air for a while and chase after the rust I found last year--corroded brake parts as well, probably worse under there . I say for a while, cause I am in my 60s and I like to take my time on car work these days instead of doing all nighters.

Back on topic, see this thread about relays: https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=31869

Mods, would be good to have a permanent resource for sourcing these relays if you don't already.

 

[Mrouk]

Thanks for the link. That confirmed that the m number does make a difference. Seems the green ones are normally open, the black ones are normally closed.

I have ordered some from China (aliexpress) in case I can’t find some in the uk. My local Nissan dealer is shut at the moment due to COVID, but will try and find some dealers that are open next week. They must have them!

 

[Gospelman]

Had an e-mail from my local Nissan dealer (Portsmouth) January 15th that they were, in spite of Covid-19, still open for servicing vehicles so presumably spares as well. Surprised that your local dealer is closed.

 

[MikeinPA]

While the relay seems common, the H91 variant is less so. The H91 code is unclear to me. This might be the milliamps current used, the resistance of the coil + resistor in ohms or something else like inductance. Just curious if anyone knows.

 

[Mrouk]

I swapped the ignition relay 1, cleared all the DTCs, charged the battery and it seems like it has worked. No errors. So hopefully that’s it - the relay being the cause, but we will see over the next few weeks... going to invest in a battery tender as well I think to be safe.