service battery charging system

[mczajka]

It's not the problems that really bother me, it's the dealer response and service and how they handle it. It's like this dealer has a rogue CSR that does his own thing. "Work with my on this..." was common response, while nobody else in the facility knows what's going on. On the flip side, I have a Fusion Energi that's had it share of issues, but they have all been dealt with professionally.

 

[mczajka]

I'm pretty sure they fixed the problem, but will check the car again tonight. The warning lights would come on after sitting for a while (12-24 hours), unplugged. It's already passed these marks, so I'm pretty confident they got it. It's also been driven about 50 miles since the repair.

They replaced the Accessory Power Module. It's a large part/box that sits under the black covering under the hood.

Now I can finally wrap the thing.

This fix may actually find it's way into a service bulletin.

 

[mczajka]

No messages! It's fixed.

 

[techumper]

Great to see your problem was resolved. I just got this error today very briefly. I turned off/on the spark and didn't come up. I'm hoping that it won't again. I didn't use it for a week and it wasn't plugged in and it started getting cold around here.

 

[mczajka]

When I talked to my service manager, they just think a bad batch of Accessory Power Modules got out there. If you can, I would take video of the problem if it reoccurs. My dealer started with the 12 volt battery, but that didn't fix it.

Knock on wood, I've had absolutely no problems, dialogs, warning messages, etc. since they replaced this part.

If it's any consolation, the warning messages never impacted the functioning of the vehicle, and I had made a few long trips.

 

[sdsparkev]

I got a 'service battery charging system' and 'battery saver active' message on the 'DIC' (hah!) and a number of other idiot lights were going off as well. The car would shift in gear, but when I pressed the accelerator it wouldn't move. A voltmeter showed 9.8V across the battery terminals. I took off the terminal connectors, pushed them aside, and put some jumper cables from our minivan battery on the connectors. The car started up and moved (a few inches because it was still hooked up to the minivan). The dealer said I'd need a new agm battery because one of the cells died. I'll get a new battery tomorrow and if it doesn't work, I'll update here, but I'm pretty sure it will be ok.

 

[SparkE]

Just FYI : I highly recommend getting a smart trickle charger for your 12V accessory battery and charging overnight once a month.

Here's a post that (somewhat) discusses the issue (there are others) :

https://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4938&start=20#p26886

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Just FYI : I highly recommend getting a smart trickle charger for your 12V accessory battery and charging overnight once a month.

Here's a post that (somewhat) discusses the issue (there are others) :

https://www.mychevysparkev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4938&start=20#p26886

This is one of the best suggestions that can be made for a Spark EV - charging the 12 volt AGM battery monthly. I use a BatteryMINDer model 2012-AGM charger. To make things easy, I mounted the charger on my garage wall and use a long extension cable so I can go clear across my garage. I also bought the adapter that lets me charge through the OBD2 port inside the car. It works great! Almost every month, I charge the battery in each car for about 12 - 15 hours. This charger is specifically for AGM batteries and it has a desulfating function too. I have not had any 12 volt battery problems. I purchased my 2014 as a used vehicle in August of 2015 and replaced the 12 volt battery as a precaution. That battery is still in the car. My 2016 - which I also purchased as a used vehicle - still has the original factory-installed 12 volt battery.

As added insurance, I keep a 12-volt Viking Compact Power Pack (Harbor Freight) under the driver's seat in each Spark EV.

 

[SparkE]

As added insurance, I keep a 12-volt Viking Compact Power Pack (Harbor Freight) under the driver's seat in each Spark EV.

.
DrMorgan : I highly suggest NOT leaving your emergency "jump starter" pack in your car in the summer in the central valley. The heat will not do good things for the life of the pack. During the summer (even though I live in the SF Bay Area) I keep the jumpstarter in a little bag that I grab when I leave the house. I know not to forget it because I put my Spark keys *inside* the bag when I get home.

I would also recommend a de-charge and re-charge about once every 4-6 months. Maybe charge all your portable devices (phones, laptop computer, mobile phone battery banks, etc) to drain the battery down a little bit, then recharge the jumper. It's as much a way to remember to check that the battery pack has a charge as a battery health thing.

Oh, have you ever dis-connected the battery and tried to run your Spark off the jumper?

 

[MrDRMorgan]

As added insurance, I keep a 12-volt Viking Compact Power Pack (Harbor Freight) under the driver's seat in each Spark EV.

.
DrMorgan : I highly suggest NOT leaving your emergency "jump starter" pack in your car in the summer in the central valley. The heat will not do good things for the life of the pack. During the summer (even though I live in the SF Bay Area) I keep the jumpstarter in a little bag that I grab when I leave the house. I know not to forget it because I put my Spark keys *inside* the bag when I get home.

I would also recommend a de-charge and re-charge about once every 4-6 months. Maybe charge all your portable devices (phones, laptop computer, mobile phone battery banks, etc) to drain the battery down a little bit, then recharge the jumper. It's as much a way to remember to check that the battery pack has a charge as a battery health thing.

Oh, have you ever dis-connected the battery and tried to run your Spark off the jumper?

Good suggestions regarding the power banks. I never have tried to start either of my Spark EVs with the power pack and, fortunately, I have never had the need to do so. Every month I put each Spark EV on the 12 volt AGM charger for about 20 hours and, so far, I have not had any 12 volt battery problems.

You comments prompted me to run a discharge test on my power bank. The power bank has a USB port that will deliver 5.0 volts at 2.0 amps so that is the voltage and current I am using. I have a USB power meter inline with an adjustable load which is currently set to 2.0 amps.

 

[NORTON]

Side Note to this thread:
I used a motorcycle battery in my Spark EV for about a month. (I was doing a proper Cap Check on the stock battery, which tested great. It's a '14.)
I made up some short adapter cables. It was a sealed lead acid, I don't think it was considered an AGM.

The differences are minor between the two 12V battery types.
The car only needs a little current to boot up the car, then the 12V is just along for the ride.
I think it's the size it is because of some fed spec to keep the emergency flashers and/or headlights available for X hours.
Plus it has to power the two RF receivers for X days if stored a long time.

 

[7etc068]

I have a 2014 Spark EV; I have had it since 2015 and am the second owner. Several times in the last two years the 12volt battery has died for no apparent reason. In all cases I drive it after jump start and it still does not charge. The service guys are mystified (Note: I have given up on the dealer and found an independent EV garage,). Most recently after it died it read 11.97 volts on my home meter. It did not charge in the 20 minute drive to the mechanic, and was dead again when I turned off the car. The mechanic has tested the 12 volt battery in every way and says it is fine; it is 18 months old and is the official AC/Delco battery for the car. At the moment the mechanic has charge the 12 volt battery and can't find anything wrong with the 12 volt battery or the car.

Anyone else have this problem? It seems to be an intermittent and unpredictable issue.

My partner found a post on another site of someone with a Ford Focus Electric having the same problem with no resolution or clue from Ford.

 

[SparkE]

It might be an intermittent problem with the DC-DC converter (which charges the 12V battery). OR, some component between the DC-DC converter and the 12V is flakey.

I would suggest :
* having your mechanic check to see if there are any error codes via OBD2 port

*going to the dealer and talking to their EV specialist mechanic. The symptoms are :
- several times the 12V battery has died (measured voltage)
- battery doesn't charge after being driven right after the problem
- battery charges just fine, and maintains charge, when an external 12V charger is used

Ask dealer how you can help diagnose the problem. Is there some tool that you can plug into the OBD port which records while drive around for a week or three until it happens again? Can they provide one? (Since it is an intermittent problem)

 

[7etc068]

Thanks SparkE.

When the service battery goes, the system dumps all stored codes so there's no record of what went wrong. I'll pass your suggestions on to the mechanic. I've given up on the dealer - they don't know, don't care, and just run up the bill.

Thanks for your suggestions.