ICE Breaker

  • Thread starter Thread starter bobcubsfan
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brady said:
Bob- Let me suggest something....this might be a stupid idea but its worth a shot. Try charging your 12V battery that sits in the engine. When I received my clarity the 12V battery was very low so I put it on a "trickle charge" for about 12 hours. It seemed to help things and I also read that Honda was having problems with these batteries being bad. The engine might be kicking on to help the alternator charge this battery back to full or your 12V battery might be bad from the factory. Never underestimate the simple stuff.
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How does one charge the 12v battery?
 
brady said:
The engine might be kicking on to help the alternator charge this battery back
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I don't believe there's an alternator in any of Honda's hybrids. A DC-to-DC converter steps the big battery's voltage down to recharge the 12-volt battery. Still, checking the 12-volt battery wouldn't be a bad idea.

The Clarity's battery is certainly more accessible than that of the 2019 Insight! Where do I drill the holes in the console to attach my jumper cables?

2019_Insight_12-volt_battery.jpg
 
KentuckyKen said:
Based on these numbers I would have to agree with you that your Clarity is not acting normally like the majority of ours and that you have a legitimate grievance. Definitely not in the middle of the bell curve. Hope you can use all our posts to show Honda that your ICE is coming on way more often than everyone else's here.
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A Honda rep told me that they pay no attention to Forums or other 3rd party sources.
 
Yep, no alternator but if his battery is not holding a charge, I could see the ICE running the starter-generator to charge the 12v battery (if indeed that’s how it charges it). Or does it charge from the HV battery? I can’t find that written down anywhere. For efficiency’s sake you would hope it’s off The HV battery by a DC to DC converter. Anybody know for sure?

One good diagnostic test would be to go to an automotive store and let them test the 12v battery to see if it’s good or.
 
KentuckyKen said:
I could see the ICE running the starter-generator to charge the 12v battery (if indeed that’s how it charges it). Or does it charge from the HV battery?
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In all Honda hybrids, a DC-to-DC converter steps the big battery's voltage down to recharge the 12-volt battery.
 
I agree. Drove again this morning with a full charge. Hit brakes hard and regen paddles. ICE did not come on.
 
K8QM said:
Not that the battery charging idea isn't worth a shot - but I thought the Clarity had no alternator.
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Geo, if this is the case it might explain why the ice must kick on randomly...I know for a fact the main battery is NOT used to charge the 12v engine battery. Therefore if it loses charge the ice MUST kick in to charge the 12v when it get below a certain point. If your battery is weak and hovering on the low side it will kick in more frequently.
 
I was having issues with my Brand new 2015 Leaf, I took it back to the dealership several times. It had erratic and strange behavior. Frustrated and defeated, I called Nissan and somehow (after 2 hours) got in touch with a technician that helped designed the car...He told me that on electric cars the main 12v battery, if not charged, will cause many problems. I never forgot this and after I charged the 12V the Nissan acted perfectly for the remaining 3 years. So naturally when I brought the leaf home I charged the 12v. T
 
Bob, regardless of how the 12v battery gets charged, could you take your Clarity to an automotive parts store and have them give you the free battery test and let us know the results?
This would be quicker than going to he dealer and would confrim or rule out this possible cause.
 
brady said:
I was having issues with my Brand new 2015 Leaf, I took it back to the dealership several times. It had erratic and strange behavior. Frustrated and defeated, I called Nissan and somehow (after 2 hours) got in touch with a technician that helped designed the car...He told me that on electric cars the main 12v battery, if not charged, will cause many problems. I never forgot this and after I charged the 12V the Nissan acted perfectly for the remaining 3 years. So naturally when I brought the leaf home I charged the 12v. T
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brady said:
I was having issues with my Brand new 2015 Leaf, I took it back to the dealership several times. It had erratic and strange behavior. Frustrated and defeated, I called Nissan and somehow (after 2 hours) got in touch with a technician that helped designed the car...He told me that on electric cars the main 12v battery, if not charged, will cause many problems. I never forgot this and after I charged the 12V the Nissan acted perfectly for the remaining 3 years. So naturally when I brought the leaf home I charged the 12v. T
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brady said:
I was having issues with my Brand new 2015 Leaf, I took it back to the dealership several times. It had erratic and strange behavior. Frustrated and defeated, I called Nissan and somehow (after 2 hours) got in touch with a technician that helped designed the car...He told me that on electric cars the main 12v battery, if not charged, will cause many problems. I never forgot this and after I charged the 12V the Nissan acted perfectly for the remaining 3 years. So naturally when I brought the leaf home I charged the 12v. T
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We had two Leafs. Both had a solar panel that charged the 12V. However, the main battery could be called on to charge it when necessary. That solar panel was deleted from the 2018 Leaf, so presumably the main battery is used to charge the 12v.
 
KentuckyKen said:
Bob, regardless of how the 12v battery gets charged, could you take your Clarity to an automotive parts store and have them give you the free battery test and let us know the results?
This would be quicker than going to he dealer and would confrim or rule out this possible cause.
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Will do. I guess Pep Boys would do that.
 
The engineer for Nissan told me that the propulsion battery will never charge the 12v battery. However, I still think you could get an OK that the 12v battery is not bad (check out ok at pep boys) BUT it still could be low and causing issue. My suggestion is to CHARGE the main battery with a 12v car battery charger (trickle charger will work). I honestly think you are chasing your tail until you eliminate this possibility. If it doesnt work you have peace of mind and can tell me to *$%* off. jk. I found mine an Amazon for about $40, there are cheaper ones too.
 
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This is from the 2018 Nissan Leaf manual

CHARGING THE 12-VOLT BATTERY

The 12-volt battery is charged automatically using electricity stored in the Li-ion battery.
 
I think the battery test will tell him if the battery is in a low SOC by the voltage. And if it’s very low, it won’t even be testable. The load test will also shed light on its strength or capacity.
 
brady said:
The engineer for Nissan told me that the propulsion battery will never charge the 12v battery. However, I still think you could get an OK that the 12v battery is not bad (check out ok at pep boys) BUT it still could be low and causing issue. My suggestion is to CHARGE the main battery with a 12v car battery charger (trickle charger will work). I honestly think you are chasing your tail until you eliminate this possibility. If it doesnt work you have peace of mind and can tell me to *$%* off. jk. I found mine an Amazon for about $40, there are cheaper ones too.
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I will report back later today after battery test.
 
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