You don't need to get to the back of the car at all. The cigarette lighter charger will not work because the power outlets get disconnected when the car is turned off.

You can use the key to open the door. Pull the manual hood release. There are jump start terminals in the FRONT of the car under the hood on the drivers side. You will see a large negative terminal. The positive terminal screw is under a black plastic cover. It is labeled. (It's inside a little plastic box.) Simply connect another car to it or use a charger to charge the 12 volt battery. The car should start normally once it has a bit of charge in it.

It's also a good idea to open the manual and read the jump starting instructions before you panic.

 

Your 12V battery died. No big deal really.

There are jump points under the hood, jump start it and you should be all set. The negative terminal is in plain sight, the positive terminal is under a plastic cover and looks more like a bolt than a terminal. See your owners manual for specifics.

You might have many error codes when you jump start, but they're typically a result of the dead 12V battery and nothing more.

 

Cigarette lighter battery charger likely won't do any good, those ports get de-energized. (You won't get any charge in or out that way unless the car is on, or for a short while after the car is powered off)

The car has access ports for jump starting the vehicle in the front under the hood (see section 10-68 in the manual). Note that these are for jumpstarting the volt, not another vehicle.
The hatch can be opened manually from inside by opening an access cover.

 

Thank you thank you so much for the quick response. So what happens though? I wash the car and today the whole car is dead? Nothing worked, I mean totally dead. Interior lights did not work, nothing. So those are on the 12V? Why would it even need the 12V to be working to start if it should be able to go under electric power? Or does the 12V run circuitry that the car needs to get started?

Yes now I remember about what is under the hood and yes should have checked the manual. I panicked because my wife needed to get to work and was under pressure. I am glad that the car is smart enough to disconnect the cigarette lighter in case I leave something plugged in. I will have a look at the manual now and repost after I am able to jump it. Thanks!

 

I will have a look at the manual now and repost after I am able to jump it. Thanks!

 

The other question is. If the 12 volt became discharged, why?

Bill

 

People get dead batteries all the time, usually because a light gets left on.

 

The only thing I did different yesterday was to wash the car. I may have left interior lights on too though. I don't remember if those switches were in the on positions. I am trying to get a jump now. Will let you know.
Thanks again so much.
Brian in Keewatin, Ontario, Canada

 

Thank you for the visual. Just got my manual but nothing beats a picture.

 

Stay warm.

 

It is a big deal.
If your 12V battery totally discharged in those temps the battery could have froze to the point of splitting the case.
Either way, your battery just took the biggest hit of its, now, short life.

Don't jump start it. Find, beg, borrow, steal a battery charger and walk away for a few hours and see if your frozen battery can come back to life. And try to figure out if any interior lights were left on to discharge it. I thought this car was smart enough not to allow the battery to discharge to that point.

Your best case scenario is the battery died an unexplainable death and a new (warranty) one will get you back on the road.

Good luck!

 

It was 5 degrees below freezing (23 degrees F). The battery's not likely to split open at that temperature.

A jump start will be a good first step.

 

Oh.... That's a funny way of saying a temp....

OP, WTH are you saying in your foreign canuck dialect?

Freezing temp in F or C ? jk....

 

Thanks again. Just got it boosted for 5 seconds and the car started. I have now been able to open he charging port and have it plugged in. I also left the hood up so that it would be forced to run the generator for a while. I may go and buy myself one of those portable jump starters since I am in a weak moment right now

 

Yes a jump start will be a good first step, because all you need is 12v to boot up the system. There is not the high amperage needed like we think about with a ICE. So its not really a jump start in that sense.

After it boots up, leave it on and the traction battery will charge the 12v battery.

 

Sorry, had no choice but to try a jump start but I do understand the potential problem with that. I will look at either getting a battery charger or one one those jump starting portable units from Canadian Tire.

 

But your battery was not supposed to discharge in the first place.
Are you going to just overlook that and spend the money for a workaround?
My dealer gives me a Volt loaner when I drop it off for service.

 

...but his dealer is 130 miles away, likely in Winnipeg. I'd want to have some way to deal with any future occurrence as well. This one sounds like something was left on, which we all do from time to time.

 

Glad to here it worked. There may indeed be a shutdown program that keeps the 12v from completely discharging. I don't know the Amps that would be needed to reboot the system but I can't imagine you would need a very large booster, despit what the salesman tells you.

 

What was left on?

 

Something that didn't trigger the auto shutdown program.
Possibly the blue button? We may never know for sure, but the good thing is that it is working, and he doesn't have to make that 138 mile drive to the dealer.

 

Electrolyte Freezing Points

Specific Gravity of Electrolyte_____ Freezing Point (degrees F)

1.265__________________________-75 F

1.225__________________________-35 F

1.200__________________________-17 F

1.150__________________________+5 F

1.100__________________________+18 F

1.050__________________________+27 F

 

See my jump-starting post somewhere else on this forum under a different topic. I has stupidly left the car in Drive for 2 days. I got a huge number of codes - indicating that I needed to visit the dealer the next day. I couldn't for a couple of days by which time the engine trouble light had gone out - all the codes had gone and the trip to the dealer was a formality. So I have a small jump-starter from Amazon on order. I agree- its freaky when it happens but not to worry, the car appears to be self-healing!

peter richards

 

Has everybody forgotten about this:

Battery Power Protection
The battery saver feature is
designed to protect the vehicle's
12‐volt battery.
If the exterior lamps or any interior
lamp is left on and the vehicle is
turned off, the battery rundown
protection system automatically
turns the lamps off after about
10 minutes.

If anything is left turned on, except the car itself, it will turn it off after 10 minutes.
Did you perhaps put the car into service mode, (hold the big blue button without the brake pedal), for some reason?

 

I love happy endings, my 2013 Volt sat for 6 days during our recent cold spell (low of -16F) but luckily our garage never got colder than 35F and I plugged in my 2013 when our 2012 was done charging.

But in the back of my mind I was worried because the last time I let a car sit for 6 days it's battery died. Luckily the Volt doesn't actually need to be driven to keep it's 12V battery charged.

 

when you plug the car into the wall.. does it not charge the 12v battery?

 

I used the specific wording "5 below freezing" to avoid any F or C concerns between Canadian and Americans, so as not to cause any confusion to whoever might responded, American or Canadian. Freezing is freezing in any temperature scale - The point at which water freezes whether that is 0C or -32F, calling it freezing equalizes the playing field. Yes?

 

If we were a thinking people, yes, your strategy was flawless.

Don't take it personally. Confusion is inevitable.

 

My vendor is 220 km away, I would have a very long expensive tow. I am not overlooking it for sure. I probably did leave a light on looking for something in the car and then I was distracted by the fact I had groceries to bring in to the house. I completely missed opening my charge door and plugging it in, which I never forget to do. So my preoccupation with the groceries must have taken my attention away from turning the lights off.

 

That is a good question. It is certainly possible as I did not know I could do that nor what it even means to be in service mode. What does it mean? What does that place the car in? What is on? What purpose does it serve? How do I do it so I don't do it again?
Thanks!

 

I'm not sure what it's purpose is, but it does power up the 12 volt systems and will run down the 12 volt battery if left on too long. To get into Service Mode you press and hold the main power button WITHOUT the brake pedal push. I can't remember how long the blue button must be held, but I'm sure it will be obvious when it is active.

 

I hear you!
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