LEAF ZE0 charger replacement - B29C1 P3173

In this episode, we take a look at a broken 2012 Nissan LEAF charger. It fails to charge on AC, with the official dealership wanting 3.5k€ for a new charger. Here we fix it with a used part for 750€.

The 2011-2012 LEAF has a notoriously bad design for the on board charger. They released 8 hardware revisions for this unit, and then moved on to a better design for the 2013+ AZE0. It sometimes can be repaired, but replacement is a safer bet.

Where to buy parts?
Favourite site for purchasing used EV parts:

Useful links for OBC repair

[WrHwkXX]

that's interesting that they actually cooled the on board charger back then but they didnt thermal manage the battery packs. Great job as always 💪💪💯💯

[tucsonor]

Had to do the same on my 2012 two years ago. It was a condensator deep into the charger that were blown in the faulty one. (Had also put in a 40kWh battery in that car with the CAN-bridge from DALA). Last fall the heater blew the fuse that is deeeep into the "engine". I sold the car instead of spending days tearing down the car to get to the $1 fuse!. (Now driving a 2019 40kWh Leaf)

[restfulplace]

Honestly these videos deserve more upvotes & comments.

[MrFearless]

I repair these all the time. Usually at component level repairable. Rarely something unrepairable like a microcontroller etc.

[RealLuxuryRD]

Thanks dala from dominican Republic 🇩🇴

[Leaferer]

Can I just say you sir are absolutely amazing! I have managed to fix my 2013 Nissan leaf! You are truly amazing and thank you very much 🎉 WOW 😮 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 YOU HAVE SAVED MY LEAF 🍃 😊👍 Much love from me and my family in the UK 🇬🇧.

[enrgy]

Awesome video my friend. Thanks again!

[ev-olution]

Adding diode only helps when internal one is damaged and resistance is zero on internal diode itself. Measuring resistance on Control Pilot line with different multimeters might give you different results. If internal diode is not shorted it needs at least 0.7 volts (actually depends of diode type) difference, for current to pass it without high resistance. Many multimeters when set on resistance measurement does not have enough voltage on probes. That's why most multimeters (including yours) has a separate setting for measuring diodes.

[TheExcelciorBeta]

You should do a video regarding the equipment you are using, e.g. the multimeter in this video...

[MatthewEng]

That is a funky place to put the charger nissan! Engine bay next version please

[leesmith]

Hi Dala,

I have a 2016 30kwh Nissan leaf ...I have a similar problem in that the AC charging port doesn't work/charge the car. I'm only able to rapid charge via the Chademo port.

The only difference is that Leaf spy is showing no fault codes and there are no charging lights when plugged in, literally nothing happens.

Repair garages for electric vehicles are like the wild west at the mo with many garages quoting me around £3K to fix .... If I have to pay that I have to pay that I suppose, but I'm sure there has to be a cheaper way of fixing it... I havent had it sent to a garage yet for diagnostic yet, that is my next step. Just like I say I'd rather them not come at me with a £3, 000 repair price for something that could be done cheaper.

I'm in the UK.

[peteinwisconsin]

Hi Dala: The Leaf's on-board charger, like all high power chargers, is a switchmode device. The input stage rectifies the incoming AC to DC. That is why switchmode power converters(chargers) work equally well on AC or DC. The incoming DC power must have voltage that is close to the rated 230 VAC. Towards the goal of charging the Leaf with DC direct from a photovoltaic array or from a DC-DC boost converter, what kind of rectifier is used on this charger? The two kinds that I know of are either switched Mosfets or maybe it has a passive rectifier. A picture of the rectifier or a report on its part number would solve the mystery. Are there any components in this charger that require a 50/60Hz signal for timing?

[nigelbassett]

What kind of coolant does a Nissan Leaf take? I'm always surprised at how repairable and modable the platform is, and I hope more EVs build like this

[agile_rayc]

Very good contents and to the point, I have the exact issue here!

[backwoodsbungalow]

Locating the onboard charger behind the rear seat keeps it cleaner than the charger on the iMIEV. With the design issues of the early chargers it is reassuring that it is fairly straightforward to replace. At 6:30 you say that you found a "better used onboard charger". Please clarify whether or not the design is a later version that is backwards compatible. 🤔

[zLeMans]

my j port charger stopped working, dealer diagnosed bad on board charger, I'm thinking I can change it out myself, how difficult was it? I tried adding the in line diode did not fix my problem, thank you so much for posting the video I will begin this repair soon, I'm experienced with circuit board repair, I will let you know my findings, quick question does updating the firmware increase the rage?

[alozborne]

I'm curious, how long did it take to perform the OBC swap?

[johndaniels]

Coolant? I thought it didn’t have a liquid cooling system?? (Or is that only for the battery and not the charger?)

[petrutugutchi]

La ce pret dumneavoastra ati procurat piesa pe care ati inlocuito ?

[johnnyeklow]

I had exactly the same problem as in the video: charging starts, but after a few seconds it beeps and the charging stops. I have bought another on-board charger. Should I also buy a new charging cable just in case the charging cable was the cause of the on-board charger breaking? How likely is it that the charging cable caused the damage? According to the electronics repairman who examined the on-board charger, it was a short circuit in the "large transistor module".