Cannot get a 2013 Leaf to charge

My Leaf has been parked for about 2 years because I cannot get it to accept a charge. I live in the Caribbean and the Company I purchased the vehicle from has gone out of business and there is no one on the island who, as far as I know, who can repair it. The vehicle is using the Level 1 charger. When I plug it, it starts the charging process but after about 30 secs, it stops. I have replaced the 12 Volt battery but that has not helped. I would be very grateful if someone here has had a similar experience and can help.

The ground connection for the outlet you are plugging into may be bad. I'd check that first. You can use a test light to (carefully!) check for power between the "hot" connection(s) and the ground connection. Also verify that the charging cable you are using is rated for whatever voltage you have there.

Also make sure the charge timer is not set. Push the button to the left of the steering column that looks like a clock (charge timer disable) immediately before or after attempting to start a charge.

What lights appear on the charging cable when you try, and are they on solid or flashing?
What pattern do the three blue lights on the car dashboard show?

The behavior doesn't really match a charge timer conflict - that would result in no charging at all, and the three dash charge lights lighting in sequence repeatedly. Also, I think that having a dead 12 volt battery would cancel a timer, but I'm not certain of that.

PrairieLEAF said:

Also make sure the charge timer is not set. Push the button to the left of the steering column that looks like a clock (charge timer disable) immediately before or after attempting to start a charge.

What lights appear on the charging cable when you try, and are they on solid or flashing?
What pattern do the three blue lights on the car dashboard show?

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Thanks for your help. The power light is constantly on but changes to "Charging" while the dashboard light initially lights up, but soon goes off. There is no "fault" light. I will have someone check the ground and report back.

Would be really helpful if you upload a video to YouTube and then post a link here...

What is the age and condition of the 12V aux battery--is it fresh and fully charged?

If so, then what shows up on the dash if you press the start button in accessory mode? Radio and center console come ON?

What shows up if you try to start the car (press brake and start button)? Getting error lights or any warning message about low battery? Hear any relays clacking?

It may be that you can wake up some of the control units and they will give some error codes to guide you for troubleshooting.

i would guess that you might also have problems from salt fog and condensation causing corrosion, but let's hope that relays and contactors have been spared.

Has this car ever charged successfully at the outlet and with the EVSE you are using ?
You have to start narrowing down the possibilities.

nlspace said:

What is the age and condition of the 12V aux battery--is it fresh and fully charged?

If so, then what shows up on the dash if you press the start button in accessory mode? Radio and center console come ON?

What shows up if you try to start the car (press brake and start button)? Getting error lights or any warning message about low battery? Hear any relays clacking?

It may be that you can wake up some of the control units and they will give some error codes to guide you for troubleshooting.

i would guess that you might also have problems from salt fog and condensation causing corrosion, but let's hope that relays and contactors have been spared.

Click to expand...

I just purchased a new 12 Volt battery, The car starts because there is still enough charge left in it, but it will not accept any more. When I plug in the charger, the charging light on the charges comes on, the first indicator on the dash comes on, there is a sound from the charging apparatus which then terminates.

alozzy said:

Would be really helpful if you upload a video to YouTube and then post a link here...

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The response is so brief that there isn't much to record. It is all over in less than a minute.

SageBrush said:

Has this car ever charged successfully at the outlet and with the EVSE you are using ?
You have to start narrowing down the possibilities.

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The car charged at that location for about 2 years and suddenly stopped doing so one day. I am just about to have the ground checked to see if that is the problem.

LeftieBiker said:

The ground connection for the outlet you are plugging into may be bad. I'd check that first. You can use a test light to (carefully!) check for power between the "hot" connection(s) and the ground connection. Also verify that the charging cable you are using is rated for whatever voltage you have there.

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I connected a line to the house next door and tried it there with the same result.

in2it said:

SageBrush said:

Has this car ever charged successfully at the outlet and with the EVSE you are using ?
You have to start narrowing down the possibilities.

Click to expand...

The car charged at that location for about 2 years and suddenly stopped doing so one day. I am just about to have the ground checked to see if that is the problem.

Click to expand...

The ground is not the problem.

I would start thinking about the EVSE, and if not that then the car.
Does your EVSE have error lights or codes ?

Are you using the stock Nissan LEAF EVSE? If not, what brand of EVSE are you using?

LeftieBiker said:

The ground connection for the outlet you are plugging into may be bad. I'd check that first. You can use a test light to (carefully!) check for power between the "hot" connection(s) and the ground connection. Also verify that the charging cable you are using is rated for whatever voltage you have there.

Click to expand...

I have checked the ground connection, but wouldn't the charging cord show a fault if the ground was bad? The charging cable checks out.

alozzy said:

Are you using the stock Nissan LEAF EVSE? If not, what brand of EVSE are you using?

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Yes. I am.

in2it said:

I just purchased a new 12 Volt battery, The car starts because there is still enough charge left in it, but it will not accept any more. When I plug in the charger, the charging light on the charges comes on, the first indicator on the dash comes on, there is a sound from the charging apparatus which then terminates.

Click to expand...

This sounds like really good news--i was expecting the pack to be non-responsive after 2 years.

i'm assuming that you aren't hearing the main contactors in the pack clacking during an attempt to charge. If the system detects an error condition it will prevent the OBC from working and the main contactors will not engage.

i would suggest that you buy or borrow an OBDII bluetooth dongle and load the Leaf Spy app on a cell phone or tablet device. This will let you read the cell voltages in the pack and also read any trouble codes that are stored, such as for the on-board charger OBC, and the VCM and LBC, etc. Post those codes back up here and we can help you troubleshoot the issue.

There is a lightning surge suppressor and some small fuses inside the OBC on the AC input side, and a fuse on the DC output, but better to first read the codes before pulling the covers off. All the internal parts can be purchased and replaced so it could even be repaired if something besides a fuse has blown. Or replace it with a used OBC from a salvage car.

in2it said:

alozzy said:

Are you using the stock Nissan LEAF EVSE? If not, what brand of EVSE are you using?

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Yes. I am.

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Likely not a diode problem then...

Is there any chance you could get a video (with sound) of the problem? Show the lights on the dashboard and especially be quiet so we can hear the sounds of the contactors working (or not working) as you start the charge cycle.

Also show the lights on the EVSE, so we can see if there's an issue there.

Do you have LeafSpy? If you do, it would be good to get any error codes it reports.