Unable to charge - Possible EVSE problem

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fr100

Active member
Joined
Dec 13, 2015
Messages
27
I've had my Spark less than a month, about 500 miles on it. Charging only at home with the portable EVSE.

I plugged it in Friday evening with 20 miles of range left. It was charging in immediate mode at 12 amps. This afternoon, I go on a shopping run and notice that the battery is only 89% charged. It should have reached 100% by sunrise. Tonight I plugged in the charger cord and the dash light turns amber for a couple seconds, then turns off. Dash screen says unable to charge.

I try a few different outlets, same thing. I called OnStar and they did a diagnostic. Says there is a possible problem with the charging cord. I get a green light on the Voltec EVSE and all looks normal.

Any ideas? Looks like I'm otherwise headed to the dealership on Monday.
 
I tried disconnecting the negative battery terminal on the 12V for a few minutes. Didn't change anything.
 
Can you make it to a public L2 without worry?
If it fails to charge there, I'd be tempted to drive it directly to your dealership, just to get the process started sooner.
 
fr100 said:
... I called OnStar and they did a diagnostic. Says there is a possible problem with the charging cord. I get a green light on the Voltec EVSE and all looks normal...
Also,,,
Anytime you talk to Onstar get the description and the fault code number. Just to add to the knowledge base here.
Without a 'Check Engine' light on the car's display, I don't think there is a code that Onstar can read.
I doubt they get any data from the EVSE. And the green light on the EVSE sounds correct. Hopefully it is not a problem with the car and only the EVSE.

Good luck and keep us posted !
 
I think onstar is able to pull codes that don't trigger a check light. They keep telling me I have a P1EC4 and take it to the stealer. No light, nothing from generic OBDII.

Stealer sometimes is able to pull codes.
 
Tried a public charger tonight - not working either. Same message. Set up an appointment with the dealer tomorrow.
 
fr100,

Bummer. Let's hope this is not a fishing expedition for the techs at your local dealership. This may be the very first repair they have ever had to do on a Spark EV.

I begged GM tech support to point me to the most experienced Volt techs in my metro area, " No can do. They are all independent dealers and we can't show favoritism,, blah, blah...."


Good luck and keep us posted.
 
ImTedBell said:
They keep telling me I have a P1EC4 and take it to the stealer.

You absolutely should take your car to the dealer ASAP if you're having this diagnostic code:

DTC P1EC4: Hybrid/EV Battery Pack Heater Transistor Stuck Off

Bryce
 
Meh. I'm still getting 18kwh out of the pack. At least that's what my energy consumption shows when the guessometer hits "LOW"

I was unable to pull codes using generic OBDII. Onstar would tell me one month I had a P1EC4, next month was "green" month after that was P1EC4. I finally took it to the stealer and they did a SW update. We'll see what it is this month!

Nobody believes you after crying wolf like that.
 
ImTedBell said:
Meh. I'm still getting 18kwh out of the pack. At least that's what my energy consumption shows when the guessometer hits "LOW"

I was unable to pull codes using generic OBDII. Onstar would tell me one month I had a P1EC4, next month was "green" month after that was P1EC4. I finally took it to the stealer and they did a SW update. We'll see what it is this month!

Nobody believes you after crying wolf like that.

P1EC4 could be intermittent and would prevent you from having a battery heater when you're supposed to have one. This isn't something that would affect you daily, but if you have to drive in a cold snap it would be particularly hard on your battery and pretty inefficient. Not sure what you mean about crying wolf, there is a difference between active codes and stored codes that would make the OnStar indicator and dash indicator come and go over the period of several months. When you have a check engine light, they mean check it soon, not check it in a few months if the problem doesn't fix itself.

If there was a charging issue with a specific EVSE (as many of us have experienced), then of course this is a different scenario than if your battery heater is having an issue.

Bryce
 
Just picked it up from the dealer fully charged. It was the onboard charger that needed to be replaced.
 
fr100 said:
Just picked it up from the dealer fully charged. It was the onboard charger that needed to be replaced.
That's a good story ! 5 days in and out. And only one piece of hardware got replaced !

Just for grins,,,, Do you see a price for the OBC?
Just curious about what happens in 8 years when the warranty is done. :mrgreen:
 
OBC is the same as the Volt, I bet you could get one from a wrecked Volt for chump change. They're certainly not a common failure point, so demand will be much lower than supply.

Bryce
 
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