Matty
Member
2013 JDM X - 12V battery died the day after we got the car in June 2018. :lol: The dealer swapped it out with a loaner so they could bench test it and we never heard back from them so we kept the loaner.
How Old is YOUR 12 volt Battery?
- Thread starter WAM
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Stanton
Well-known member
LiFEPO4 battery now 4+ years. There's a whole thread http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=11999 on it if you want details.
Surprisingly, still good 7.5 years on.
PatricioEV
Well-known member
Original 12 volt battery - going on 7 years and 90k miles.
goldbrick
Well-known member
A bit OT, but I've found 12V batteries can last a long time if not abused. In my previous house, I had a snowplow mounted on a FJ40 landcruiser. The only time I ever ran that car was when I was plowing snow or moving it to a new parking place (about once per summer). The plow motor is basically a starter motor connected to a hydraulic pump that runs a few rams for up/down and left/right. In other words, when plowing it is like you are running the starter motor over and over and over again, often for several seconds at a time. The alternator doesn't supply nearly enough current to run the plow motor so the battery has to do the job. Long story short, I always plugged the battery into a trickle charger after plowing and I usually got about 7-8 years out of one before it would die. Next to living in Phoenix or something that has to be about the hardest life a battery could have but with proper car they lasted a long time.
bowthom
Well-known member
Hello,
We are still sportin' the original 12V battery.
Don
We are still sportin' the original 12V battery.
Don
Well, in May, I finally had to replace my 12v battery as I was having intermittent issues with the key fob not working for entry or starting even with a new battery in the fob. I also tried the 2nd fob and got the same results.
When I measured the 12v battery with a multimeter, I found the voltage at 12.1 so I knew it was time for a replacement.
I just went to the dealer as the price was about the same as AAA's battery service (they deliver and install at your home).
The battery they installed at the dealer is branded "Nissan".
Oddly, I still have an occasional issue with the key fob not working and getting the "low battery" warning when I get into the car.
Then, it will work for days/weeks with no issues even though I've done nothing to the fob battery.
When I measured the 12v battery with a multimeter, I found the voltage at 12.1 so I knew it was time for a replacement.
I just went to the dealer as the price was about the same as AAA's battery service (they deliver and install at your home).
The battery they installed at the dealer is branded "Nissan".
Oddly, I still have an occasional issue with the key fob not working and getting the "low battery" warning when I get into the car.
Then, it will work for days/weeks with no issues even though I've done nothing to the fob battery.
They may not have fully charged the new battery, as that isn't usually necessary with ICE vehicles. Give it a full charge with an external charger or maintainer.
2012 with the original battery here. I think it due for a new one as I left the car over a long weekend and couldn’t start it afterwards. I did have the little BT dongle plugged into the port so that may of added to the drain too. But I just left the car for 2 months in the garage but used a battery tender. It’s still ok but I had it tested at Autozone, the guy didn’t know the CCA rating of the battery so he put in 550A and then noted that it was only pulling 220 Amps. In tru thifty style I will carry on using it till winter here in Colorado. Went on a 105 mile trip to Fort Collins the other day, 5 people (2 kids 3 adults) in the car and aircon blasting (with an obvious quick charge along the way) and it seem fine. Probably will get one from Nissan or a glass mat battery.
SalisburySam
Well-known member
I still have the original Japanese 12v in my purchased 2012SL, and it seems to be working just fine. I do check fluid levels (flashlight from rear to see through the case) and I added some distilled water about a year ago just to top off to MAX line. I do use a battery tender occasionally when I’m not going to use the vehicle for awhile both for charge and for desulfation if the latter is really a thing (I don’t pretend to understand it, just that the tender says it does it). At any rate, it will be 7 years old in Feb, 2019.
Wait, why do you have to put water in your 12v battery? Our 2013 Leaf has had the ev system warning light on (car symbol with exclamation point) for the past two days but has been driving fine. I work 25 miles away so I drive the whole range everyday. Drove it to a Nissan dealership today in Carson after work and said it’d take a whole day and $150 for diagnostics. I’ve been reading that this might be caused by a low voltage 12v battery. Any advice? I’m terribly clueless about cars much less EVs. Thanks in advance.
Not sure about the battery in your Leaf but some do require occasional water being added but not so much on a Leaf where if anything the battery is undercharged. No adding water was more with ICE vehicles that overcharged the battery and even then not all batteries let you add water.Clueless said:
No if the ! is on your dash I might suspect the 12v battery is going bad, that or something else. Easiest way to check is either take it in to a battery shop who may do a free test or with a $12 VOM(volt meter) measuring the battery after it's sat for a while and it should be over 12v.
The 2013 Leaf also uses a non-sealed 12 volt battery - just not the better Japanese model found in 2011-2012 cars. Add distilled water once a year if needed.
Here's a page from a Yuasa battery guide that explains about when the sulfation occurs. The guide is geared toward smaller batteries such as motorcycles and ATV, but the guide information applies to all lead acid and can be downloaded.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/4...matic-12v-1-5-Amp-5-Stage.html?page=15#manual
An interesting paragraph from the guide, emphasis mine:
"There's a simple rule of thumb about batteries, and if you're a dealer or a mechanic, you know that people ignore it all the time: for a battery to operate the way it's supposed to, it has to be fully charged before it's used...and kept fully charged throughout its life."
That is the secret to getting extended life out of the aux battery.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/4...matic-12v-1-5-Amp-5-Stage.html?page=15#manual
An interesting paragraph from the guide, emphasis mine:
"There's a simple rule of thumb about batteries, and if you're a dealer or a mechanic, you know that people ignore it all the time: for a battery to operate the way it's supposed to, it has to be fully charged before it's used...and kept fully charged throughout its life."
That is the secret to getting extended life out of the aux battery.
webb14leafs
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2017
- Messages
- 287
Just replaced the battery in my 2014 for the first time last month.
Update:jjeff said:
Almost 2 years later and my '13 still has the original battery
Wow! 6+ years old, not too bad. Of course my '94 Geo Metro(and after that '04 Scion for that matter) got close to 9 years on their original batteries so hopefully I've still got a couple years left on my '13 Leaf. Not sure why but like the OEM exhaust systems of ICE vehicles the OEM batteries seem to always last much longer than the aftermarket ones. I'm hoping the replacement Optima in my '12 lasts as long, it was almost double the price of a standard 12v battery.
gncndad
Well-known member
nlspace said:
I think this requires some clarification. I'm going to modify this (bold) statement. "...kept in a properly operating charge/discharge environment..." On ICE engines, the voltage regulator doesn't ever charge the 12V to capacity, usually stopping at 80-90%, to avoid overchargin. . I assume the same for hybrids/electrics. IIRC, 12V, like our HV batteries, function best between 20-80%. Constant charge/discharge outside of this range isn't healthy.
Hopefully someone more expert will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.
(I'm really NOT shouting, for some reason, I can't un-bold my post!!!)
powersurge
Well-known member
gncndad said:
The 12 volt battery in any car is a Lead Acid battery, which for the longest life needs to be charged to 100%.
The 20-80% rule is ONLY for the Leaf's large battery because it actually lasts the longest at 50%.
If you kept the 12 v battery at 50%, you would need a new batter VERY FREQUENTLY.
knightmb
Well-known member
Both my wife and I have a leaf, same model same year (different colors of course!)
2013 SV
I changed out my 12 v lead with a lithium 5 years ago, still going strong. My wife had her 12v die after only 3 years (2016), warranty replaced it with another lead. 3 years later, it has died again (2019). Guess what is getting a lithium replacement instead now?
Some folks just get lucky I suppose. I think Nissan should stick with all lithium for the Leaf, ditch the lead. Also, my wife had all kinds of acid rust under her battery holder, mine is as nice as it was years ago.
2013 SV
I changed out my 12 v lead with a lithium 5 years ago, still going strong. My wife had her 12v die after only 3 years (2016), warranty replaced it with another lead. 3 years later, it has died again (2019). Guess what is getting a lithium replacement instead now?
Some folks just get lucky I suppose. I think Nissan should stick with all lithium for the Leaf, ditch the lead. Also, my wife had all kinds of acid rust under her battery holder, mine is as nice as it was years ago.
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