[Barrydr]

Does anyone know if the problem some '17 MY had with dead 12V battery has carried over to '18 MY? Mine died yesterday and had to be flatbedded to dealer. Dealer said the 12V battery was so dead it wouldn't take a charge so they replaced it. I had to hook up a charger just to get it in neutral so it could be rolled out of garage to load. As you probably know, when the car is left in neutral, it can't be shut off. I'm sure that was what completely drained it cause I had to leave it in neutral for the trip to the dealer so the tow driver could roll it off the truck at the dealer. I didn't go with him so I don't know how long it set with the car in neutral. Unfortunately, I had just a couple days earlier self-installed a charge port light from GM but I had to ground it under a bracket bolt and the dealer is saying that is what caused this to happen. Sorry this is long but it is involved. I don't think what I did caused it. Any and all thoughts are welcome.

 

[jcanoe]

Did you follow the instructions when you installed the charge port light? Here is a thread. http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?205626-How-to-install-illuminated-charge-port&highlight=charge+port+light

 

[lagagnon]

Unfortunately, I had just a couple days earlier self-installed a charge port light from GM but I had to ground it under a bracket bolt and the dealer is saying that is what caused this to happen. ... I don't think what I did caused it.

I would beg to differ...

 

[Barrydr]

I thought I did.

 

[Barrydr]

I would beg to differ...

What does that mean?

 

[Steverino]

I had to ground it under a bracket bolt

Is that what the installation instructions call for? If so, I missed it.

 

[Loboc]

Some Volt ground points are verboten. One poster disabled his brakes by installing aftermarket lights.

As far as the battery itself, not able to recharge from dead indicates a factory defect.

 

[2VoltFamily]

What does that mean?

What lagagnon said "I would be to differ" means that he disagrees with your assessment that the installation of the charge port light and not following the instructions exactly didn't have anything to do with it. He agrees with the dealer and believes it is the problem. I also would say that since this was self installed and not exactly as instructed that would be the problem.

 

[Bill Step]

why would a ground on some low draw led lights bring down a battery,,like that one explained.

 

[wws]

One doesn’t ground the illuminated charge port under a bracket bolt. There are specific places in the Big Connector that the two wires must be inserted into.

 

[Bill Step]

One doesn’t ground the illuminated charge port under a bracket bolt. There are specific places in the Big Connector that the two wires must be inserted into.

again,so what,a ground on the chassis is a ground on the car,,again,tell me how this drained a battery.I know the dealer is looking for an out,thats gm's position on anything added to its process.

 

[lagagnon]

I suspect the OP's problem was not so much his ground but rather that he either attached the live wire to the wrong terminal and was using a terminal that is live even with the vehicle off, and/or that the sensor switch was not wired correctly such that the charge port light was on continuously, thus fully draining the 12V battery.

 

[Sean Nelson]

why would a ground on some low draw led lights bring down a battery,,like that one explained.

I don't know how many LED lights are in there, and I don't know how long the lights were hooked up. But the 12V battery on the Volt isn't very large, and it also has to power the car's other computer systems in idle mode, even when the car's off. So any additional continuous draw that's active while the car is turned of is a bad idea IMHO.

 

[Barrydr]

Apparently the 2018 MY is a little different. The ground pin was not present in the male side of the Molex and I had not been able to find any instructions for my 2018. I had read on this forum of another guy who did the install and had to run his own ground so that's what I did. Apparently the Volts computers are very sensitive and what I did caused them to do something that drew voltage. That and the fact that the car had been in the dealers inventory for a month before I bought it. If what they say is true-you learn from your mistakes-then I must be getting smarter all the time.

 

[Barrydr]

I suspect the OP's problem was not so much his ground but rather that he either attached the live wire to the wrong terminal and was using a terminal that is live even with the vehicle off, and/or that the sensor switch was not wired correctly such that the charge port light was on continuously, thus fully draining the 12V battery.

The power wire was connected correctly. I checked for any kind of power draw on the ground wire and there was none. The light worked as it was supposed to.

 

[Bill Step]

The power wire was connected correctly. I checked for any kind of power draw on the ground wire and there was none. The light worked as it was supposed to.

never doubted you.you got a bum battery or a car thats messed up somewhere else and not on the grounds.

 

[wws]

again,so what,a ground on the chassis is a ground on the car,,again,tell me how this drained a battery.I know the dealer is looking for an out,thats gm's position on anything added to its process.

Often times the BCM (Body Control Module) in modern cars switches the _ground_ side of various loads. I don't have a schematic for the Volt, so can't say for sure that this is the case here though.

 

[Runion]

Find some information about the battery. This isn't a plain old Lead/Acid type. When My battery went dead, I had to use an additional resistance to be able to charge it. Also, you need to use a charger that is made for the AGM type battery due to the one way pressure release valves and the precaution to NOT create heat in the battery that will release moisture.
There are some strings here about it that can help you also.
The AGM is an odd breed of battery and it has specific needs.