[stephenm]

Hey guys
just got back from a 3-week business trip. I left the car home on the charger as I normally do.
as I got back yesterday, the battery was charger but the monitor gave a high voltage charge failure message.

I called onstar for a diag which reported the following:

P1E00 The vehicle's electric system is not performing as expected.
Service at your convenience
P0AA6 An issue has been detected in the Hybrid Battery System which is a high voltage battery used to propel your vehicle. SERVICE IN 7 DAYS
P1FFF An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level. Service at your convenience


Even though I have almost 250K miles, I never had any failure or noticed any performance degradation. I no longer do my 220 miles commute (40 miles a day for the past year), and rarely put any gas in.

I thought it was my charger but my 220V charger at work did not kick in either this morning.

I will be bringing it for service tomorrow, unless there is an easy solution (could it be the charger which put the charging stage of the car in failsafe preventing me from charging?)

cheers

 

[Kraven]

Wonder if being subjected for 3 weeks without running to the excessive heat in the LA area this past month has anything to do with this. Was your car outside in the sun the whole time or garaged (would still be subject to heat of course)? Sorry I don't have any insights for you other than this thought.

 

[stephenm]

thanks. it was in the driveway, and from what I heard it was pretty hot a week or two ago. but with the charger hooked up it will run the cooling system if it gets too hot.

I just cleared the codes and it's charging fine now. If the codes pop up again I'll go to the dealer. I'm at 15% oil so I'll have to do that soon anyway =]

 

[scottf200]

thanks. it was in the driveway, and from what I heard it was pretty hot a week or two ago. but with the charger hooked up it will run the cooling system if it gets too hot. ...

But it wasn't charging ... unclear if it will cool in all circumstances.


https://gm-volt.com/2013/05/03/volt-battery-thermal-management-system-in-the-hot-arizona-sun/

What Happens if the Volt is Parked all Day in Full Sun?

What happens if the Volt is parked in the hot sun with ignition (power) off and NOT plugged in? This would be the scenario for many Arizona workers that park their cars in full sun on a black asphalt parking lot all day. How hot will the Volt’s battery get?
In order to determine, Volt was parked for a day in full sun. Results of this test are presented in figure 5. We see that the Volt’s battery is extremely well insulated. With cabin temperatures soaring to 115 F and ambient air temperatures going to 99 F the Volts battery only reached a maximum temperature of 90 F. Roughly equal to the upper limit during active thermal management during charging shown in figure 2. We also note that there is NO ACTION taken by the TMS in this case.

It occurred to me that perhaps there was no action by TMS because the battery was at a 5-percent SOC. Therefore I repeated the test with the battery at 81-percent SOC and the results were unchanged ie there was NO ACTION taken by TMS and battery temp reached 91 F.
How hot would the Volts battery get if ambient air temperature reached 110-120 F as is common at the peak of summer? The answer is that we do not know yet. I do not have data at these extreme temperatures so all we can do at this point is SPECULATE. If the TMS system stays inactive at these high temps, then we could see battery temperatures of 100+ degrees at the peak of summer.

 

[stephenm]

But it wasn't charging ... unclear if it will cool in all circumstances.


https://gm-volt.com/2013/05/03/volt-battery-thermal-management-system-in-the-hot-arizona-sun/

indeed, I know it will cool during a charge but not sure if the cooling system kicks in when the charger is plugged in and not charging anymore. It would seem pretty dumb not to allow a plugged in charger to cool the battery after the charge is complete and still plugged in. but who knows

 

[jcanoe]

It has been confirmed that when the Volt is plugged in the battery temperature management system (TMS) can turn on the fan and the AC to cool the battery if needed even when the Volt is not actively charging. You might never catch the Volt doing this as the cooling cycle may only last 10 minutes. In cold weather the TMS will turn on the electric battery heating module, it may only run for 10 minutes every hour or so as needed. If you don't happen to be standing next to the EVSE while the Volt is actively heating the battery you will miss it. The fan does not run while heating, the coolant pump is either very quiet or the Volt relies on convection to circulate the battery coolant fluid as it is warmed.

Related post: https://gm-volt.com/2013/05/03/volt-battery-thermal-management-system-in-the-hot-arizona-sun/

 

[stephenm]

It has been confirmed that when the Volt is plugged in the battery temperature management system (TMS) can turn on the fan and the AC to cool the battery if needed even when the Volt is not actively charging. You might never catch the Volt doing this as the cooling cycle may only last 10 minutes. In cold weather the TMS will turn on the electric battery heating module, it may only run for 10 minutes every hour or so as needed. If you don't happen to be standing next to the EVSE while the Volt is actively heating the battery you will miss it. The fan does not run while heating, the coolant pump is either very quiet or the Volt relies on convection to circulate the battery coolant fluid as it is warmed.

Related post: https://gm-volt.com/2013/05/03/volt-battery-thermal-management-system-in-the-hot-arizona-sun/

thanks
this pretty much rule out a temperature related issue, which is why I left it plugged in. I used to live at 8000 feet and very often in the morning I would find the car humming from what I thought was the heater to maintain the battery at a decent temperature.

 

[jcanoe]

Was the sound coming from the front or the rear? It could have been the fuel tank pressurization pump that you heard.

 

[scottf200]

indeed, I know it will cool during a charge but not sure if the cooling system kicks in when the charger is plugged in and not charging anymore. It would seem pretty dumb not to allow a plugged in charger to cool the battery after the charge is complete and still plugged in. but who knows

The underlined text I put in my post indicates it would not cool the battery.

As far as I know the 12v battery is not charged UNLESS you are charging the high voltage battery.

Not sure, but it would seem like it has to do with keeping the 'contact' open and the high voltage battery isolated.

 

[freshcut]

The underlined text I put in my post indicates it would not cool the battery.

The very first line of your quote also indicates with the power off and NOT plugged in. When the volt is plugged in, the TMS does in fact operate. I know from personal experience that my '13 does cycle the TMS throughout the day when plugged in as I can hear the relays in my EVSE periodically energize indicating it's sending power to the car even when it has a full battery.

I can also confirm that when the car is sitting and not plugged in, the TMS does NOT operate. I've confirmed this with the mygreenvolt app which has indicated the battery temp being as high as 95* just after the hottest part of the day when I've gotten in the car. During that time the a/c definitely takes longer to cool the cabin than if the battery is at a more moderate temperature. Normally the battery maintains 78-87*.

One note to add, with the summer temps, especially those we've been having in the SoCal area, perhaps you may be showing signs of a failing 12V battery. As strange as that may sound, it's very likely that the heat could be causing it to show signs of failure. Have you replaced the 12V? I know I'm starting to get a little concerned with mine even though it was replaced by the PO about 4 years ago according to the service history. I know lots of people experience strange electrical issues when the battery is showing signs of failure and this may be how yours is showing those signs if it's the original battery.

 

[scottf200]

The very first line of your quote also indicates with the power off and NOT plugged in. When the volt is plugged in, the TMS does in fact operate. I know from personal experience that my '13 does cycle the TMS throughout the day when plugged in as I can hear the relays in my EVSE periodically energize indicating it's sending power to the car even when it has a full battery.

I can also confirm that when the car is sitting and not plugged in, the TMS does NOT operate. I've confirmed this with the mygreenvolt app which has indicated the battery temp being as high as 95* just after the hottest part of the day when I've gotten in the car. During that time the a/c definitely takes longer to cool the cabin than if the battery is at a more moderate temperature. Normally the battery maintains 78-87*. ...

Thanks for the additional empirical information.

I wonder if even tho he was plugged in that when he had the following codes where the TMS would be working tho.

* P1E00 The vehicle's electric system is not performing as expected. Service at your convenience
* P0AA6 An issue has been detected in the Hybrid Battery System which is a high voltage battery used to propel your vehicle. SERVICE IN 7 DAYS
* P1FFF An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level. Service at your convenience

 

[hellsop]

I hope it cleared on its own by now. That's a battery loss of isolation signal, which is reporting that there is conductivity in the traction battery pack when there shouldn't be conductivity. But it's also a code that seems to mostly come up spuriously, and almost every report I've seen has been resolved by reprogramming the HBCM2 and resetting the codes. Probably about $250-300 in shop time to make sure there actually ISN'T conductivity and reprogram since you're out of warranty.

 

[Aseras]

P1E00
P0AA6
P1FFF

Those 3 codes are the generic HPCM2 faults. They mean nothing on their own. The most common cause is low coolant level or a faulty sensor.

I've been able to clear them on my old 2015 Volt. *** was quite adamant they were latch codes and the HPMC2 need to be reflashed to clear them.

The first step a dealer ot tech is going to do is check coolant levels, top up to the label if necessary and reflash the HPCM2. If they do it properly the codes should be gone.

It's been my experience that many techs don't follow the procedure right and the codes are not properly cleared. They won't check the level sensor first, they will want to open the inspection door to check for coolant leaks internal to the HV battery pack ( fatal ), or not check the 12v battery which can also set the codes.

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Hey guys
just got back from a 3-week business trip. I left the car home on the charger as I normally do.
as I got back yesterday, the battery was charger but the monitor gave a high voltage charge failure message.

I called onstar for a diag which reported the following:

P1E00 The vehicle's electric system is not performing as expected.
Service at your convenience
P0AA6 An issue has been detected in the Hybrid Battery System which is a high voltage battery used to propel your vehicle. SERVICE IN 7 DAYS
P1FFF An issue has been detected in the Onboard Charging System which manages your vehicles battery pack charge level. Service at your convenience


Even though I have almost 250K miles, I never had any failure or noticed any performance degradation. I no longer do my 220 miles commute (40 miles a day for the past year), and rarely put any gas in.

I thought it was my charger but my 220V charger at work did not kick in either this morning.

I will be bringing it for service tomorrow, unless there is an easy solution (could it be the charger which put the charging stage of the car in failsafe preventing me from charging?)

cheers

stephenm,

The Volt’s thermal management system will keep the battery cool while plugged in for about a week. After this point, it no longer runs up the electricity costs for essentially wasted energy. It is possible that the extended time in the heat caused the P0AA6 diagnostic code on your older battery. The P0AA6 code is not a part of the diagnostics for the coolant sensor. Your local dealer has a potentially cost-effective solution. As your vehicle is out of warranty coverage, we unfortunately cannot cover it for you. Ask your local Chevrolet dealer to quote you the cost for applying bulletin PIC5920G. This is an inspection and software remedy for your situation.

Philip J.

 

[scottf200]

stephenm,

The Volt’s thermal management system will keep the battery cool while plugged in for about a week. After this point, it no longer runs up the electricity costs for essentially wasted energy. It is possible that the extended time in the heat caused the P0AA6 diagnostic code on your older battery. The P0AA6 code is not a part of the diagnostics for the coolant sensor. Your local dealer has a potentially cost-effective solution. As your vehicle is out of warranty coverage, we unfortunately cannot cover it for you. Ask your local Chevrolet dealer to quote you the cost for applying bulletin PIC5920G. This is an inspection and software remedy for your situation.

Philip J.

Thank you for that additional information.

Re: 'TMS' will keep the battery cool while plugged in for about a week. After this point, it no longer runs up the electricity costs for essentially wasted energy.
It would seem like some customers would want this as an option (at least down to 20ish% State Of Charge) to help with battery degradation issues.

 

[Fred_B]

I had always assumed that leaving my 2013 Volt plugged in would maintain the battery temperature no matter how long it was sitting.

I have left it for months at a time in the garage during the hot summer like this while out of town, confident that the battery was being protected.

Now it seems that it was not protected after the first week!

In the future I guess I should discharge the main battery to 2 or 3 bars and leave it unplugged if it has to sit for more than a week.
They really should have an option to allow extended battery thermal maintenance, for people who have to leave their cars for more than a week.

 

[jcanoe]

stephenm,

The Volt’s thermal management system will keep the battery cool while plugged in for about a week. After this point, it no longer runs up the electricity costs for essentially wasted energy. It is possible that the extended time in the heat caused the P0AA6 diagnostic code on your older battery. The P0AA6 code is not a part of the diagnostics for the coolant sensor. Your local dealer has a potentially cost-effective solution. As your vehicle is out of warranty coverage, we unfortunately cannot cover it for you. Ask your local Chevrolet dealer to quote you the cost for applying bulletin PIC5920G. This is an inspection and software remedy for your situation.

Philip J.

I'm confused. How does protecting the battery from excessive high temperatures go from being an integral and important function of the TMS when the Volt is plugged in for days 1 - 7 and suddenly become wasted energy after that point? I could see this being true in winter when keeping the battery warm when the Volt is not being driven for an extended period could be a waste of energy. Why even leave the Volt plugged in when it is being stored in cold weather unless it is to maintain the 12V AGM battery?

 

[Kraven]

Was thinking the same thing as Jcanoe, doesn’t make sense...waste of electricity to protect the battery?

@scott, your comment seems to address if the Volt is NOT plugged in, I think they were talking about what happens when it is...

 

[scottf200]

Was thinking the same thing as Jcanoe, doesn’t make sense...waste of electricity to protect the battery?

@scott, your comment seems to address if the Volt is NOT plugged in, I think they were talking about what happens when it is...

Yes, I understand. I was corrected in a later post above. When it is plugged in I thought it was kept at a preferred temperature at as long as it was plugged in. Using electricity from the grid as needed to protect the battery from getting too hot and degrading faster.