First (and only) Failure @ 54k miles.

Yesterday, on the way back from a 4:00 AM airport run, stopped at a DCFC for a 10 min pit stop, as I have many times before.
Charged to 80%, tapped ChargePoint ID card to stop the session.

Powered up the car, put it in D and NO GO PEDAL response.

Powered down and back up and noticed a brief "Initializing...Wait to Shift" pop up on the blue screen before the normal screen.
It had the 'Check Engine' light lit on the left border. Tried several power cycles. No Joy.
Went into the grocery store where the DCFC unit is located and bought the only tool they sold, needle nose pliers and disconnected the Negative 12V battery lead for a minute, reconnected, No Joy.

Called OnStar and got them to read the code, and they emailed it to me:

The code(s) and explanation(s) associated with this issue is/are:

P1FF4 The Lithium-Ion Battery is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicle's battery pack charge level.

Had it towed 32 miles to my local Chevy dealership on OnStar's dime!
(I have AAA, but 2 months ago I contacted OnStar because myChevrolet app was not working correctly, uninstalled app, reinstalled and all was well, but the OnStar tech support guy gave me a 3 month trial of the full feature service which includes roadside assistance!

Waited for the dealership to open and was given a 'Free 2 day loaner', an '18 Cruze Hatchback with the RS package !
They couldn't shuttle me 2 miles home that morning so I took the loaner. Need to drop it off at 7AM when they open on Monday morning and then I'll get the shuttle ride back home to drive my smelly gasser until the 'Volt Tech' guy can look at my Spark EV during the weekdays.
(Hopefully they are better at this than when they had to trouble shoot my '13 Volt....)

So,, place yo bets on how long the car will be down and what went bad!

My guesses:
1.Main contactor fizzled out with the constant 48 kW charging. (but then I flog it all the time at way more power. Only that's going out, not coming in.)
2. One, or more, cells gave up the ghost during the DCFC session... (my favorite! Come on whole new fresh battery pack!!! )

I'll have the 'Range Estimation' Recall performed at this time.
The service tech gal signing me in gave me the side eye when I told her I knew about the recall but elected not to have it performed because my range estimation was working properly. She, "Blah, blah, the Interconnectedness of All Things..." Me, "OK, see you Monday."

So, Spark EV's can let you down.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune and temporary disfunction of your little sparky. My guess, something in the charger module died/shorted. Hope whatever it is will be covered and not have to come out of pocket.

Don't forget : it *might* be the 12V battery! Really weird stuff happens when the 12V is dying. They should test the 12V battery first, before anything else (including a load test of the 12V battery).

Norton, my charging system went out after about 6 months. there was a wire/s short but they didnt know what wire/s so they replaced the whole charging system. its covered under the 8 year warranty. no need to sweat it. I havent had a problem since.

NORTON said:

I'll have the 'Range Estimation' Recall performed at this time.
The service tech gal signing me in gave me the side eye when I told her I knew about the recall but elected not to have it performed because my range estimation was working properly. She, "Blah, blah, the Interconnectedness of All Things..." Me, "OK, see you Monday."

Click to expand...

My local Chevy dealer told me there was no fix for the range estimation recall when I brought it in. They also were worried that there was no history of oil changes when they looked up my car, so I guess they're not the best source of information.

scott1686 said:

My local Chevy dealer told me there was no fix for the range estimation recall when I brought it in. They also were worried that there was no history of oil changes when they looked up my car, so I guess they're not the best source of information.

Click to expand...

'no history of oil changes'
That's funny! :lol:
I think my dealer may be one step ahead of that.....

Not sure what they meant by the "no fix" part.
Either they perform the recall by the book, or they don't. I thought it was just a SW update to some module.

Volt Tech at the dealer has M thru F hours.
Dropped it off on Saturday morning.

No contact as of Tuesday morning.

Questions: Do I call them or sit tight? How long do I do that?

I'd call them and ask for an update on status. If no status available, I'd ask to talk to the tech.

I'd also mention to the tech that "I had a friend who had weird problems with his Spark EV because the 12V battery was bad - it was throwing all kinds of weird errors that never mentioned the 12V accessory battery. A new 12V battery solved all of the car's problems. Have you load-tested the 12V battery yet?"

Good luck, Norton

Hope you have it back soon

I had this happen, but it restarted and worked fine after it sat while I was at work.

If your luck is anything like mine, the following are the possible scenarios:
-The car is ready, they just didn't call you, and they couldn't find anything wrong, so they didn't do anything (minus the mentioned update).
-They'll replace something, it'll take being without your car for a month or so..... and that still won't fix the problem.

Best of luck. I look forward to the resolution.

Good news!

My Spark EV is ready for pickup! I got the call around 9AM this morning. So it took 2 days and an hour!
But then it was just dropped off with no scheduling on Saturday morning.
I did call just before closing time yesterday and spoke to someone that said it was 'almost done and they had one minor thing to wrap up'.

The service gal that called today said it was a 'Powertrain Control Module' (I think) and they had it in stock. I asked and it is a common part with the Volt and Bolt.

No charge warranty repair!

Picking it up after work! I'm happy! Yay Chevy ! (I'm still waiting for more tech on the Bolt before I make that jump....)

I just got an email from Onstar saying my 'Trial' is about to run out. Thanks for the tow Onstar! One of these days I may actually get to use my AAA benefits.

NORTON said:

Good news!

My Spark EV is ready for pickup! I got the call around 9AM this morning. So it took 2 days and an hour!
But then it was just dropped off with no scheduling on Saturday morning.
I did call just before closing time yesterday and spoke to someone that said it was 'almost done and they had one minor thing to wrap up'.

The service gal that called today said it was a 'Powertrain Control Module' (I think) and they had it in stock. I asked and it is a common part with the Volt and Bolt.

No charge warranty repair!

Picking it up after work! I'm happy! Yay Chevy ! (I'm still waiting for more tech on the Bolt before I make that jump....)

I just got an email from Onstar saying my 'Trial' is about to run out. Thanks for the tow Onstar! One of these days I may actually get to use my AAA benefits.

Click to expand...

When you get your final repair order from the dealer, please see if they specificed the GM part number. I would like to know if it is the same part that was replaced in my now returned leased 2015 Spark EV.

Well, it's not over... I have to bring the car back on Friday. (I picked that day for another reason.)

1.) The display came up with an alert in the center inset:
A white triangle with an exclamation point inside and below that:
BATTERY SAVER
ACTIVE.

So I pulled right back into the service drive thru area and had them look at it. No one had ever seen this before.
I'm guessing the tech ignored it, or it popped up for me the very first time. :roll:
We talked about the 'Transport Mode'. They did a quick 12V battery test and it reported 500 CCA, so they said it was fine.
(How does this new kind of tester, with maybe 10ga. wire, perform the test so quick? It even had a built in printer.)

Later, I flogged it and saw 120KW, so the Ol' Spark EV feels fine! And it's not a mode similar to 'Reduce Propulsion Power'. What a great car !
And it was displaying 84 miles of range! I haven't seen that in a long time! It doesn't know how I drive it,, yet! :lol:

2.) They did not perform the Recall for the 'Range Estimation may be incorrect',,, even though the service writer wrote it down....

3.) I'll get the info from the repair order and add it here later.
The little EV is sipping on free electrons about 400' away, but I'm supposed to be working now....
I was told it is an $800 part and would probably be an $1100 bill if it was out of warranty.

ps. What's an easy way to post pictures in the body of post? I used to use Photobucket.

Hope this other issue is minor, but glad sparky is up and running. I'm interested as well to get that part# that caused the issue.

OK Gang,

The description = MODULE 2.200 Y
The FP- NUMBER = 24283993

In the description of work performed, (abbreviated) :

Has P1FF4 DTC set.
Updated SDM per trouble tree.
Same condition.
Inspected vehicle for damage, none.
Completed DC reset.
Code still current after reset.
Replaced and programmed HPCM2.
Road tested and put on 240V charger. (Which reminds me... I should test it at a DCFC close to home before the next airport run.)
S65958317AA. (who knows if this means anything?)
------ end ------

All for free,, including a 2 day loaner car!
Thanks Chevy!
___________

So just now I got a call after dropping off the car this morning for the "Battery Saver Active" msg and to have the recall performed.
She said it was related to the 12V battery. They tested it further on their 'Big Tester in the back' and it reported about 200 CCA and get ready to replace it...
They want only $280 for the 'special' battery that it takes.

Yeah right... It's getting a cheapo, but fresh, small battery. The duty is very light for this battery. It boots up the car and that's that.
I may even try a non-AGM battery. The 'floating' voltage is a very slightly different between a standard and an AGM.

Until then I may put it on my BatteryMinder AGM charger with 'antisulfation' every weekend for a night. http://www.batteryminders.com/avoid-battery-sulfation/
Although I've read the the car's APM has an antisulfation cycle.

So it is an over 4 year old lead acid... It had a good run. But when is it time to send it to the recycle bin?

As I have stated many, many, many times in the past, I absolutely believe that one should do an overnight, full, saturation charge of the lead-acid battery in EVs *at least* once a month (and two or 3 times a month is even better) using a (smart) trickle charger.

An AGM battery will last longer than a flooded lead-acid in an EV when you aren't 'topping off' the 12V regularly, as AGMs are less prone to sulfation then flooded lead-acid, but even AGMs go bad after only 3-4 years or so. EVs (in my experience, and after doing a bit of research as well) do a very poor job of keeping 12V batteries full (although the Spark does a better job than the LEAF). They tend to keep them around 65-85% full, so a fairly frequent full charge will dissolve the slight sulfation on the battery plates of 1-3 weeks back into solution, and off the plates, significantly lengthening the life of the battery. Of course, the charge level of your 12V depends on your usage. The spark EV charges the 12V battery when : (1) the car is turned on (ready to drive), (2) charging, either DCFC or EVSE, (3) the car, not plugged in, checks the battery voltage every few days (3?) if it hasn't been turned on during that time and will charge the 12V from the main battery (IF the main battery is over a certain SoC - ?30%?). I *believe* that the "hey, I better charge the battery" of #3 is at a fairly low voltage : 12.4V or 12.3V (a fully charged lead-acid should be around 12.65V). If you drive the car a LOT, far distances, regularly - your 12V will be better charged than if you drive for a few miles a day, and charge twice a week for an hour or two. A commuter who drives an hour each direction every day, and charges every night will have a much healthier 12V battery than the guy who only drives 10 miles a day. I checked with a voltmeter a couple of years ago, and when the car is on and ready to drive, 13.4 (or maybe 13.6V) is being pushed into the 12V accessory battery - basically what is called a 'float' charge; it charges a low battery, and 'maintains' without damaging a full battery.

I use an *extremely* slow trickle charger (0.8A) that is AGM safe in order to put as little stress on the battery as possible. I plug it in overnight for 9-12 hours, and it is always done when I get up in the morning. (If the battery is significantly low, under 12.4V, I put it on the 15A 'regular' smart charger that I have first, then top-off with the trickle charger.)

I been watching the 12v battery through torque....hopefully have a good idea when mine starts to wain...12.7 volts base and see 14.4 volts for short off and on periods.

And thanks for posting part# norton.

Btw the factory replacement is available on rockauto for 162.xx shipped if anyone cares. I probably should be ready since it is only a 36 month battery, could go at anytime beyond that and mine is.

Update, it's not over....

Friday after work I go to pick it up and I'm waiting for the car to be brought to the service drive thru area and the gal comes out and says the MSG is back and I'm probably due for a new 12V battery.

Drive it a bunch and leave it plugged in overnight and drive it a bunch on Saturday, with that msg on.

Saturday night I disconnect the 12V battery negative terminal so my BatteryMinder with the anti-sulfation function can do the AC pulses just to the battery and not be sent to the rest of the electrical system. I was going to leave it on overnight for 'Hope' and 'Good Luck'... (my multimeter is showing pulses of +180VAC !)
This one: http://www.batteryminders.com/2012agm-12v-charger-maintainer-sealed-agm-lead-acid-batteries

So,, I go to take off the 12V negative battery clamp,, and it's just as loose as when I put it on with the needle nose pliers 1 week ago. :x
Those turkeys... They do all this 12V testing and don't even look at the condition of the battery posts and clamps.... :|

So,,after letting the battery charge all night I clean up both posts and clamps and use a tool to tighten the clamps.
Powered up the car and no alert MSG, for now....

Was this new MSG from a loose connection at the 12V? Or just an early warning of a dying 12V battery?
Time will tell....

SparkyJ said:

...Btw the factory replacement is available on rockauto for 162.xx shipped if anyone cares....

Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! That's a little better. I guess the costs of Lead Acid are higher than I remember..
I always question the manufacture date and how long it has been sitting on the shelf.

I have a SLA motorcycle battery that is a few years old but never used. I put it on the charger maybe every 2 months.
I'm going to make 2 small adapter cables to securely connect it and give it a try while I test the original at work. And maybe longer.
Why does the Spark EV need such a big battery? I think there is a fed spec for keeping the emergency flashers on X minutes.

There are two kinds of battery tests. (aside from whatever these tiny modern testers are doing...)
A Load Test and a Capacity Test.

I have a Cap Tester at work. This is how Aviation batteries are tested. You set the discharge current and it stops at 10V and shows the minutes.
The Spark EV 12V battery is rated at 25 Ah. I'll test it at 12.5 Amp, to go easy on it.
In theory it should last 2 hrs when new. Some automotive batteries show RC (reserve capacity), same thing only always tested at 20A and rated in minutes.

So, the saga continues...

ps.
(I had a battery on a 1st Gen Insight that passed a few Load Tests. But it died after 13 minutes on a Cap Tester. Lead Acid batteries can be strange.....)

Update:

The stock 4 yr. old 12V battery performed really well with a constant 25 Amp load. It's rated 50Ahr.
At 1.5 hrs it was still above 11 V so I stopped the testing and started recharging it at 4 A and then brought it home to continue charging on my 2A desulfating Batteryminder.
Of course it took awhile at that rate to replace all the electrons removed during the Cap Check.

I made up some adapter cables for $15 to use a motorcycle battery in the Spark EV. It's still in there and it looks cute! :lol: Just ty-rapped in place....
I performed a 10A cap check on this 3 yr. old motorcycle battery first and it performed well also.

When the stock 12V finally reaches the end of its life there is no way I'm putting in an expensive 12V.
All this battery does is boot up the car and keep the Onstar cell phone and the key fob receivers powered on.

Again, those turkeys at the dealership did not do the basic 12V battery terminal cleaning and tightening before testing the 12V battery.....

Same problem on 2014 spark EV with 55k miles ....replaced 12 battery and all is well now. Just bought one at Walmart to 49.00