Nissan LEAF - General

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#2119267 3-Nov-2018 20:17

Just wondering if anyone has some ideas on this before I take my wife's Leaf back to the dealer:

We've had problems with the headunit where the SD card basically died. The dealer imported a headunit they say from the UK but it seems to have USA maps loaded in it, however we can't get the Bluetooth audio to work. The CD and TV/AUX buttons do not work either.

Is it safe to assume the Jap Leaf's headunits are too different compared to headunits from different markets?

The charge timer has never worked either, I've set the clock from the hidden menu (GPS antenna disconnected), but it keeps saying there is a problem.

GV27

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#2119586 4-Nov-2018 18:23

Can anyone tell me how the local project to retrofit bigger batteries to the older Leafs went/is going?

iambobthefish

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#2119597 4-Nov-2018 19:17

Just noting previous comments around a Otaki -> Mangaweka SH1 leg being marginal in a 30kWh Leaf. Now that there is a DCFC in Levin, has anyone attempted (or considered) attempting this leg? Roll on Foxton and Bulls...

tripper1000

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#2119878 5-Nov-2018 08:50

DjShadow: Just wondering if anyone has some ideas on this before I take my wife's Leaf back to the dealer:

We've had problems with the headunit where the SD card basically died. The dealer imported a headunit they say from the UK but it seems to have USA maps loaded in it, however we can't get the Bluetooth audio to work. The CD and TV/AUX buttons do not work either.

Is it safe to assume the Jap Leaf's headunits are too different compared to headunits from different markets?

The charge timer has never worked either, I've set the clock from the hidden menu (GPS antenna disconnected), but it keeps saying there is a problem.

The CD/Aux buttons to the sides of the screen do not work correctly when not connected to their native head deck. (USA head deck needs to be with USA buttons, UK with UK, JDM to JDM etc) To switch the input source to blue-tooth/USB/CD etc after a head deck change you need to use the source switch on the steering wheel.

DjShadow

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#2119886 5-Nov-2018 09:02

tripper1000:

DjShadow: Just wondering if anyone has some ideas on this before I take my wife's Leaf back to the dealer:

We've had problems with the headunit where the SD card basically died. The dealer imported a headunit they say from the UK but it seems to have USA maps loaded in it, however we can't get the Bluetooth audio to work. The CD and TV/AUX buttons do not work either.

Is it safe to assume the Jap Leaf's headunits are too different compared to headunits from different markets?

The charge timer has never worked either, I've set the clock from the hidden menu (GPS antenna disconnected), but it keeps saying there is a problem.

The CD/Aux buttons to the sides of the screen do not work correctly when not connected to their native head deck. (USA head deck needs to be with USA buttons, UK with UK, JDM to JDM etc) To switch the input source to blue-tooth/USB/CD etc after a head deck change you need to use the source switch on the steering wheel.

Ah thanks! Using the source button solved the problem, cheers.

tripper1000

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#2119973 5-Nov-2018 10:02

I'd be 99% certain that if it has USA maps it is a USA head deck. I have a (2015) USA head deck with a (2013) JDM Leaf and the charge timer works fine, so if you have the same/similar combo, your charge timers should be able to work. It does give clock miss-match errors after the 12v battery has been disconnected, but offers to synch the clocks and after I click OK, the charge timer works after that.

The 2015 head deck doesn't have the 80% charge option and the instant KW usage displays on some screens by not others, but that is the only incompatibility I have noticed.

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jonathan18

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#2120021 5-Nov-2018 10:43

I've gone through all the same issues of having the US head unit installed in a Japanese Leaf, and the lack of direct access to BT, CD etc is definitely the most frustrating - eg, difficult for the front passenger to switch between inputs. I too have also noted the current energy usage 'gauge' not working, but given the one in front of the driver works fine that's not a biggie.

I would have liked the 80% charging limitation, as it would make managing charging more simple - we plug the car in most nights, but my wife (whose car it is) is unobservant what the battery level is - it would be easiest to simply plug it in every night, knowing that for 6/7 days that'll charge to 80% (we charge to 100% only once a week).

What was a pity is that we weren't told of these limitations at the time we paid additional for the dealer to swap the head units - they should be explained so the purchaser goes in eyes open, and also knows the system's not 'broken'.

jonathan18

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#2120027 5-Nov-2018 10:49

Charging cables - have any Leaf owners here had issues with theirs?

Ours is a Charge Amps Ray, a usually well-regarded cable, which has developed a permanent fault within 10 months - the sensor, which I assume determines whether the set ampage is appropriate, appears to be faulty (according to the icon on the screen), meaning it'll only charge at 6A. The result is far slower charging than the 16A the caravan socket we use allows for, and far less charging happening in our hour of free power with EK.

I've contacted the dealer we bought the car and cable from, and hopefully a temporary replacement will arrive soon, but it's frustrating and it shows how dependent we are on a single cable. (We do all our charging at home, bar a little bit of free charging at the local mall.)

happyfunball

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#2120048 5-Nov-2018 11:00

I've finally gotten my OVMS computer and installed it in my 2016 LEAF, using the included SIM on a cheap plan. I can now see the vehicle charge level remotely, along with 12v battery status and lots of other metrics I don't really care about. The GPS is neat but not very useful, unless I lose the car in a parking lot one day :) It seems to be very accurate.

I've also got it integrated via MQTT with my home automation setup.

What I'm having problem with is remote climate control. It's not reliable, seems to work about 50% of the time. Heading into summer I'm not too worried about it, but it's annoying. I want to say 'hey siri turn on the car ac' and have it work every time! First world problems I know.

From my reading, the TCU (Telematics Control Unit) on the Leaf is interfering with the signals from the OVMS, so it needs to be disabled. This means voice command will no longer work but I'm ok with that.

Does anyone here have any experience with shutting off the TCU? Is it in the menu's someplace, or does it need to be physically unplugged? If so, what's the best way of doing that?

Also, if I could use its cellular antennae for the OVMS that would be nice and save me from mounting mine on the dash, but I need to see the connectors to see if that's doable.

tripper1000

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#2120148 5-Nov-2018 13:04

@jonathan18 that is a fairly common issue with the Ray cables. I have a Ray cable and it also occasionally throws the mains-plug over-temperature error (a little red thermometer symbol) and charges at only 6amps. The rational is that when it detects and overheating plug it reduces the current in order to reduce the heating effect and be safe. In my case the plug is not overheating at all. The cause in my case (and some others that I've read) is noise on the mains earth wire - the temperature sensor in the plug uses the mains earth wire as a return and when you get dirty power or an open circuit earth in your house wiring, the noise corrupts the temperature signal and the unit goes all conservative on the charge current.

I see this error when I plug into some inverters/generators, also when I plug into a dodgy old power point in my brothers barn, or sometimes if I use a long extension lead. I have built a power filter that resolves the issue, but it was pretty frustrating before I figured it out. I had to build a filter because 99% of consumer grade filters are actually surge suppressors, not filters and are ineffective at cleaning the power up.

Consequently I don't recommend the Ray leads to anybody (over priced and so technical they get messed up easily).

First thing I'd recommend is check the earth on the power point you are using - if it's dodgy you definitely need to get it fixed or someone might get killed.

Second thing is loose any extension leads you may be using.

Third is change to a 10amp outlet (with an approved 10-amp to 16-adaptor) and test at home and other places. If you can reliably charge at 10 amps you know it is something to do with the 16 amp circuit.

tripper1000

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#2120187 5-Nov-2018 13:12

Oh, I forget to mention that if the temp sensor in the Ray Charge Amps mains plug has become disconnected (for instance if someone did a poor job of cutting off the Euro plug and fitting the caravan plug, or the plug has been treated roughly, filled up with water etc) then the until will default to 6 amps full-time until the sensor fault is rectified.

Edit: spelling

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jonathan18

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#2120227 5-Nov-2018 13:29

Thanks, @tripper1000, for the useful and detailed replies! Really interesting to read that this is a common issue with the brand of cable.

Just to confirm that, yep, I too have had the standard over-temperature warning coming up occasionally for basically the whole time we've had the cable (December last year), even though it hasn't appeared to be overheating (eg, not particularly warm). I found that often unplugging and plugging it back in would get rid of the issue.

We also have a Amphibian that we use when charging the car from a standard wall socket, and we would get this over-temp warning using that as well. The 16A caravan socket was fully re-wired back to the circuit board after we bought the Leaf (the person who originally installed it had it piggy-backing off a standard 10A circuit that had a bunch of other plugs on it! Obviously it tripped the very first time we tried to charge via that means so had it fixed immediately), so I'd hope it was all kosher! We also never use extension cords, as I've heard that can cause issues.

The warning light we've had recently, though, is different to the over-temp one - the manual indicates it's a faulty sensor. Here's a photo of that warning:

tripper1000

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#2120247 5-Nov-2018 13:59

Yes the symbol in your photo means the Temperature senor is faulty - as per the user manual. Noisy earth/power/disconnected sensor will throw this error.

Do you get the error when using the Amphibian on another premises? If so, I'd be thinking something is wrong with the Ray lead. If not, I'd be looking at the house supply/switchboard wiring.

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#2128469 17-Nov-2018 13:45

Made it from Whanganui to Paraparaumu Beach on a 95% charge, full air-con and highway speeds, in a 30kWh Leaf. The final 3 kilometres I had '---' battery left, and Leafspy gave me 1.2 kWh on arrival.

I know I could have stopped at Otaki, but that's not as exciting.

Linuxluver

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#2128603 17-Nov-2018 20:32

iambobthefish: Made it from Whanganui to Paraparaumu Beach on a 95% charge, full air-con and highway speeds, in a 30kWh Leaf. The final 3 kilometres I had '---' battery left, and Leafspy gave me 1.2 kWh on arrival.

I know I could have stopped at Otaki, but that's not as exciting.

You're a steely-eyed LEAF Man

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