Three flashing blue lights, 3 beeps. Charging problem

[Deleted member 9549]

We have a pretty new 2013 LEAF we just got in November. A problem is showing up periodically charging at our home. I'm sitting in the car now while its charging successfully and suddenly all three blue lights on the dash blink and beeps. It repeats in sets of three, i.e. beep beep beep, pause beep beep beep, etc.
The whole thing keeps repeating. I think this has been happening periodically since we got the car. Our previous 2013 LEAF didn't have any issues charging until we have the well known PDM issue which had an update applied and didn't reoccur. With this error there are no lights that appear on the dashboard to indicate there's ever been a problem.

What could it be?
I had seen an old thread that said it was a bad connection from the EVSE. There's no visible damage to the EVSE. The connector seems fine. It works fine most of the time. It can go on charging for long periods of time then suddenly does this without anyone having touched anything. Could our EVSE be failing? I can't reliably reproduce the problem. Even when it fails it often restarts charging on its own so it just seems that charging is taking longer than we expected.

I don't think this is related to the LEAF app I'm working on. Currently I don't even have an OBDII adapter plugged in when it started happening.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

I found something in the manual that seems to match, but I still don't understand whats causing it.

When the normal charge connector is connected incorrectly
All of the indicator lights, 1 to 3 , will flash and beep will sound three times within 30 seconds when the charge connector is connected incorrectly to the normal charge port.

It been charging for a while when this happens. Its not when we first plug it in. Could it be a problem with the EVSE or is it the car? Its a Siemens EVSE.

 

[GeekEV]

Is it possible the connector isn't fully seated and snapped in and that, over time, the pressure from the spring on the latch causes it to push back out of the socket?

 

[Randy]

I would inspect the J1772 connector from the EVSE and see if anything is inside that might be preventing a good connection. Some of those handles have a large o-ring that is meant to help with moisture and sometimes that ring gets loose and fouls up the plug...

 

[EVDRIVER]

As I mentioned in the other thread you may have read, check that you release button is strong and springs up all the way when in and out of the car. When the issue happens do not remove the handle and lift the release button slightly. The indicator you are getting points to an issue with the handle making the car think it is unplugged via the switch in the handle for proximity.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

As I mentioned in the other thread you may have read, check that you release button is strong and springs up all the way when in and out of the car. When the issue happens do not remove the handle and lift the release button slightly. The indicator you are getting points to an issue with the handle making the car think it is unplugged via the switch in the handle for proximity.

Thanks. Looks like this may be the issue. Not sure what I can do about it other than talk to Siemens about it. I was able to jiggle the button and get it to go up a little more. I was also able to duplicate the error by holding down the button but not unplugging it.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Are you using the Nissan-supplied EVSE? I bought an aftermarket, modified Clipper Creek unit from an Ebay seller, and it did something similar when it was used with the car's charge timer.

 

[Hynek]

I solved the same issue with Chargemaster. It was actually quite simple. I had three beeps and flashing LEDs, when connected car started to charge when I lifted the lock completely up, which led me to the fault in the plug. I dissasembled it - there is a microswich and a steel plate above. You can either remove the stell plate or adjust its shape and tension to make it working again. The fix took around 10-15 minutes.

 

[FalconFour]

Yep - 3 flashing lights and 3 repeating beeps means only one thing: the car thinks you're holding the release button down.

Usually this is caused by a metal lock/release lever on the handle that's become bent by being plopped on its nose, or attempted to be removed against the Leaf's plug lock.

You can usually bend it straight by inserting something into the lock hole in the edge of the button (to "lock" it), then lift up on the latch on the tip, with enough pressure to bend it slightly but not break it. That's how I fix them when I run into these bent latches. When it's fixed properly, the entire hole should be exposed when the button is released, and the latch on the tip should have the full range of motion within its plastic cutout when you press the button.

Most importantly, while the charging plug is plugged into the car, you SHOULD be able to hear and feel the switch "click" when you press the release button. That way you know the switch is released when the button is released.

 

[EvansvilleLeaf]

I'm sorry I have the same problem but just words in this case don't penetrate into me understanding exactly what I need to do. I don't get what hole or what tip is involved ( there are numerous holes and tips), or what to bend in what direction. Could I meekly request you add pics for non-engineering/mechanic types? Thanks much.

 

[91040]

Sorry, no pictures but hope this helps.

FalconFour is referring to the release button on top of the Jplug. Many of these plugs have a hole in this button that is used for locking. Some Jplugs do not have this hole, in which case this method will not work.

With the Jplug detached, He suggests that you put a lock or other item in that hole to keep the button from moving. Then look at the face of the plug. The latch is at the same point of the circle as the button. It is rectangular. Everything else in the plug is round. FalconFour's instruction is to bend that latch upwards slightly. It's possible that you can bend it with your fingers or else use a screwdriver.

 

[MikeinPA]

Same issue with an L2 Siemens Versicharge this evening. Swapped it out for the stock L1 charger, issue is gone, car is charging.

It is snowing here on and off the past few days and the car is outside while charging. Ice could easily have gotten into the handle and has caused the handle latch micro switch to malfunction or caused a distortion in the latch mechanism when disconnecting this morning.

I will first warm the Verischarge handle up and see if that resolves it, next disassemble.

 

[alozzy]

It might be the diode issue, as the stock EVSE will still work, but pretty much any other EVSE will not. To rule that out, confirm that the car charges at a known good L2 public EVSE.

 

[MikeinPA]

Ok, good information. There are some free-to-use L2 chargers not too far away.

 

[MikeinPA]

The fault is almost certainly in the Siemens Versicharge--not onboard the Leaf. I tried two other L2 chargers and both charged normally, then returned home and the Siemens is still giving the three flashing light and 3 beeps. Hopefully it is just something in the latch signal.

 

[MikeinPA]

Conclusion: the voltage divider in the proximity circuit in the handle is failed.

Process to get this conclusion: I took the versicharge handle apart for diagnosis. There are 2 #10 torx tamper resistant screws under the rubber cover, then pry open starting on the latch end--there are 6 latching tabs which popped without too much effort--have care with the gasket.

The mechanical operation of the latch and the microswitch were all normal. Microswitch appears to be switching normally using a continuity tester . There are some spade terminals which had light corrosion; cleaned those. Put it back together, still "three flashing blue lights, 3 beeps"
Verified I could hear the microswitch clicking on and off inside the handle while the trigger is being operated. Cleaned some bug bits out the L2. Still "three flashing blue lights, 3 beeps".

Working on the assumption that the proximity circuit has failed, I borrowed one of those J1772 extension cables, connected the versicharge handle to it, plugged into the car, and charging commenced normally. The proximity circuit starts and ends in the handle (more or less, please don't mind my moderate understanding of electronics terminology), so the j1772 extension cable was reasonable diagnostic.

The voltage divider in the versicharge handle is molded into an off white plastic component about 1.5" long, 0.75" wide, and 0.5" thick. I feel confident that a) I wont find that part online, and b) some resistors in some potting compound would work if it was worth my time to repair it.

 

[Nubo]

...

The voltage divider in the versicharge handle is molded into an off white plastic component about 1.5" long, 0.75" wide, and 0.5" thick. I feel confident that a) I wont find that part online, and b) some resistors in some potting compound would work if it was worth my time to repair it.

Looks fairly straightforward. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772

 

[MikeinPA]

Nubo, agreed. This stuff should work as an encapsulant: https://www.mgchemicals.com/products/potting-compounds/epoxy-potting-compounds/black-1-to-1-epoxy/ but I would test the repair without potting first to make sure it was fixed. Edit, I should also extract and test the existing voltage divider to see if the correct resistances are present. The problem could still be inside the microswitch (weak contact inserting some resistance) or a dirty pin (ditto).

1/4 watt resistor should be plenty for R6 and R7? They are just pulling the voltage down on some logic pin over on the controller side?

 

[coulomb]

1/4 watt resistor should be plenty for R6 and R7? They are just pulling the voltage down on some logic pin over on the controller side?

Yes. The 150 ohm resistor will see most of the power, and it will only ever see about 1.5V @ 10mA, or 15mW. Even in a fault situation with 5V directly across it, it would be P = E^2/R = 25/150 = 167mW. A 250mW (1/4 W) resistor should be able to handle that continuously even trapped inside the case. I would suggest possibly using larger types (if they fit) for mechanical ruggedness, though the potting will help there.

Sheesh. I had to edit about 10 UTF-8 characters out of this post.

 

[MikeinPA]

1/2 watt it is then. If I do the repair, I will definitely get pics of the inside of the handle, before and after.