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On-Board charger failure 2013 Volt?
Last night, I plugged in my 240v charger into my 2013 Volt as I have always done for the past decade. The light turned orange on the top of the dash and after 10 seconds or so it turns off and no confirmation beep and no green charging light. I tried my 120v charging cord (had to find it and dust it off!) and it exhibited the same behavior. I believe both charge cords are fine. I inspected and cleaned the charging plug pins and they looked fine and no foreign objects were found or corrosion noted so I think the charging port is fine. The car says it is plugged in and I cannot shift out of park so the computer knows that much.
There are no codes or check engine light showing. All cooling fluids are fine(complete flush at 5 years, heating core replaced a while ago and circulating pump replaced as well). I am assuming this is likely a sudden on-board charging failure and is probably expensive to replace. If I am to give up on trying to charge it and drive it just as a hybrid, will the 12v battery still charge properly? I am assuming it will as it is probably charged via an inverter in the back of the car while the car is operational but I want to verify that. I can mountain mode it periodically to cycle the battery once in a while.
The car has less than 60k miles ( <100k kilometers ) and is in otherwise in great condition and the lithium battery still performs to spec (~10.2 ah usage per charge cycle) with daily driving and charging. As I do not drive a lot anymore, I am ok using it as a hybrid only vehicle as the cost of the repair would far outweigh any future energy savings at current pricing of gas. In reading other posts, this sounds like a $1500 to $2500 repair at the dealer and I don't want to sink that into an otherwise fine but 10 year old car.
Any suggestions/recommendations?
There are no codes or check engine light showing. All cooling fluids are fine(complete flush at 5 years, heating core replaced a while ago and circulating pump replaced as well). I am assuming this is likely a sudden on-board charging failure and is probably expensive to replace. If I am to give up on trying to charge it and drive it just as a hybrid, will the 12v battery still charge properly? I am assuming it will as it is probably charged via an inverter in the back of the car while the car is operational but I want to verify that. I can mountain mode it periodically to cycle the battery once in a while.
The car has less than 60k miles ( <100k kilometers ) and is in otherwise in great condition and the lithium battery still performs to spec (~10.2 ah usage per charge cycle) with daily driving and charging. As I do not drive a lot anymore, I am ok using it as a hybrid only vehicle as the cost of the repair would far outweigh any future energy savings at current pricing of gas. In reading other posts, this sounds like a $1500 to $2500 repair at the dealer and I don't want to sink that into an otherwise fine but 10 year old car.
Any suggestions/recommendations?
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If you DO NOT have SHVCS on the dash, then the most plausible explanation is that you have a bad (common) charge port. The port gets cracks on the back, and water gets in. There is a redesigned part available from GM. One for early gen 1, one for late gen 1, and one for ELR.
Will the car power up? If so, see if Mountain mode will charge main pack up a bit. Also, try plugging in before power off.
at least try plugging in at another location with the 120 Volt unit and or a different 220 volt charging place.
(a few years ago some one cut and took EVERY copper ground wire from 76 power meters at the condo)
What light were showing on the 120 volt unit
-----
a power port digital 12 volt meter will show you that the car chargers the battery while driving.
(a few years ago some one cut and took EVERY copper ground wire from 76 power meters at the condo)
What light were showing on the 120 volt unit
-----
a power port digital 12 volt meter will show you that the car chargers the battery while driving.
Thanks, I am going to attempt to remove the charge port to inspect for cracks and potential corrosion. If I see anything I will see what can be done to fix or replace it. I can order from gmparts.ca if I need one.If you DO NOT have SHVCS on the dash, then the most plausible explanation is that you have a bad (common) charge port. The port gets cracks on the back, and water gets in. There is a redesigned part available from GM. One for early gen 1, one for late gen 1, and one for ELR.
Today I had an opportunity to remove the charge port to inspect it and test it. I removed the charge port which was relatively easy to do and took it into the house to check it over. I did not find any cracks what-so-ever and there is no evidence of water, contamination or corrosion. I got out my multi-meter and did a continuity test on each pin and its corresponding connector spade. Each pin passed the continuity test. FYI, pins 1,3,5 in the orange plug are the A/C connections and pins 2 and 4 are the D/C connections. The charge port is a pure socket device and has no electronics or smarts. It simply connects the pins in the socket to the wiring harness that goes to the on-board charger. The only things that can go wrong is a bent/broken/corroded pin or water in the housing causing a short or a broken wire.
Without seeing any evidence of water that would cause a short and with all pins passing continuity, I have to assume the charge port is fine. As this occurs with two separate charging cables ( the 240v charging unit as well as the factory 120v charging cable that came with the vehicle ) I can only assume it is the on board charging module ( GM part 2011-2016 GM Battery Charger 24276662 | hg.mygmparts.ca ) which sells for just under $1600 Canadian. The cost to get this diagnosed at the dealer would likely be $150 or so and they would want an arm and a leg to remove and replace. As the car is 10 years old (albeit with low mileage), the cost to repair at this point would easily outweigh the cost of just driving it like a hybrid and paying for gas. I may try to find a used module and if I can then I may go that route. For now, hybrid it is!
When it gets warmer up here in Canada (March?) I may crawl under the car and inspect the charge unit connections to see if anything is loose or damaged.
I will do some periodic mountain mode cycles just to exercise the battery a bit and we will see how many more years I get out of this thing!
Without seeing any evidence of water that would cause a short and with all pins passing continuity, I have to assume the charge port is fine. As this occurs with two separate charging cables ( the 240v charging unit as well as the factory 120v charging cable that came with the vehicle ) I can only assume it is the on board charging module ( GM part 2011-2016 GM Battery Charger 24276662 | hg.mygmparts.ca ) which sells for just under $1600 Canadian. The cost to get this diagnosed at the dealer would likely be $150 or so and they would want an arm and a leg to remove and replace. As the car is 10 years old (albeit with low mileage), the cost to repair at this point would easily outweigh the cost of just driving it like a hybrid and paying for gas. I may try to find a used module and if I can then I may go that route. For now, hybrid it is!
When it gets warmer up here in Canada (March?) I may crawl under the car and inspect the charge unit connections to see if anything is loose or damaged.
I will do some periodic mountain mode cycles just to exercise the battery a bit and we will see how many more years I get out of this thing!
I would always run in Mountain Mode if I were you. I think it would be better for the battery to keep it closer to half full all the time as opposed to having it be mostly empty where a cell might drop low and brick the battery. Your gas mileage should be about the same after the initial engine run that charges the battery to half way.
Actually there is a circuit board embedded in the port's back. FromThe charge port is a pure socket device and has no electronics or smarts.
Someone else posted a picture where they dissected the back to uncover the circuit board but I can't find it. It showed corrosion.
Here's another thread:
Replacing the Charging port 2013 Volt
Well, that is interesting. I didn't think they would stuff a circuit board in there but it appears there is one (two it would appear!). Based on the fact there are circuit boards in the unit, I am going to take a chance and replace the charge socket to see if the problem gets fixed. It is a much smaller cost and I can do that myself quite easily. The part is $150 Canadian delivered from Tubman Chev on Ottawa Ontario. The site said 5 to 10 days but I anticipate it may be longer. I will post once I have got this done and if it fixes it. The order details are as follows:
Order Summary:
THANKS STEVERINO for posting the picture of the charge port innards!!
I think, based on the fact there are circuit boards in the unit that I am going to take a chance and replace the charge socket to see if the problem gets fixed. It is a much smaller cost and I can do that myself quite easily.
THANKS! Steverino!
| P/N | Quantity | Price Each | Description |
| 23281030 | 1 | $ 118.15 | Port. Charging. Battery. |
Order Summary:
1 products , 1 items | $ 118.15 |
Tax | $ 17.82 |
Shipping & Handling to ON, Canada | $ 18.95 |
Total | $ 154.92 |
THANKS STEVERINO for posting the picture of the charge port innards!!
Well, that is interesting. I didn't think they would stuff a circuit board in there but it appears there is one (two it would appear!).Actually there is a circuit board embedded in the port's back. From
View attachment 175821
View attachment 175822
Someone else posted a picture where they dissected the back to uncover the circuit board but I can't find it. It showed corrosion.
Here's another thread:
Replacing the Charging port 2013 Volt
I think, based on the fact there are circuit boards in the unit that I am going to take a chance and replace the charge socket to see if the problem gets fixed. It is a much smaller cost and I can do that myself quite easily.
THANKS! Steverino!
It looks like the replacement charge port may be a while (see note below). It is hybrid only mode for the foreseeable future. I did a mountain mode charge up to the 50% level and now I am just running in hold mode when I drive the car. I am leaving it in the 50% charge range thinking that it might be best for keeping cells balanced long term on the decade old battery. I suspect keeping it in CS mode at the bottom end (20% charge level) might not be as good for the battery long term due to its age and the risk of a cell dropping to far if the whole pack is down too far.
Ironically, when I filled up my gas tank to full for the first time in a long time, I have had strong gas vapors happening as though there is a leak in the gas tank. It is down to half full now and no more vapors so I am only going to half fill it for now. Can't charge it to full and now can't fill it to full...lol. The car is half of what it used to be I guess!
From GMPartsDepot.ca
"Good day, this part is unfortunately indefinitely back-ordered. We have been waiting for stock and have many on order. Unfortunately at this time I cannot say when for sure these will be made available at GM."
Ironically, when I filled up my gas tank to full for the first time in a long time, I have had strong gas vapors happening as though there is a leak in the gas tank. It is down to half full now and no more vapors so I am only going to half fill it for now. Can't charge it to full and now can't fill it to full...lol. The car is half of what it used to be I guess!
From GMPartsDepot.ca
"Good day, this part is unfortunately indefinitely back-ordered. We have been waiting for stock and have many on order. Unfortunately at this time I cannot say when for sure these will be made available at GM."
It appears the 2013 charge ports are shipping again. Mine has shipped and should arrive Tuesday Feb 2023 after 2 months of backorder. Not bad all things considered. Now to find out if it fixes my charging issue. I will update once installed.
Please do!!I will update once installed.
I did manage to fix my gas leak. The gas was leaking right where the inlet pipe is connected to the gas tank from the filler pipe. I could not tell if it was from the inlet itself or from the rubber hose used to connect the filler to the tank. What I did to fix was to jack up the right rear, remove the tire, secure the car/jack and then crawl under the car, loosen the hose clamp, pull off the hose (tricky but can be done) and then clean the inlet pipe and also the inside of the hose. I then got some of that 2 part epoxy tank fix product and I put that around where the inlet attaches to the tank. It was tough to work with but I did my best to push it in/on between the tank and the inlet. I put the rubber hose back on and tightened the clamp good and I also added another stainless steel gear clamp right above the existing clamp to make sure the hose was snug around the very end of the inlet pipe. It is possible that the hose, over time, had expanded a bit making it so that it did not fit super tight and with the corrosion, it looks like it was possible for the hose to not seal on the inlet and allow gas to seep out. If in fact it was a crack where the inlet joined to the tank then the epoxy is holding tight so far. At the very least, I have stopped the leak so that is good. A new tank would be costly.
It looks like the replacement charge port may be a while (see note below). It is hybrid only mode for the foreseeable future. I did a mountain mode charge up to the 50% level and now I am just running in hold mode when I drive the car. I am leaving it in the 50% charge range thinking that it might be best for keeping cells balanced long term on the decade old battery. I suspect keeping it in CS mode at the bottom end (20% charge level) might not be as good for the battery long term due to its age and the risk of a cell dropping to far if the whole pack is down too far.
Ironically, when I filled up my gas tank to full for the first time in a long time, I have had strong gas vapors happening as though there is a leak in the gas tank. It is down to half full now and no more vapors so I am only going to half fill it for now. Can't charge it to full and now can't fill it to full...lol. The car is half of what it used to be I guess!
From GMPartsDepot.ca
"Good day, this part is unfortunately indefinitely back-ordered. We have been waiting for stock and have many on order. Unfortunately at this time I cannot say when for sure these will be made available at GM."
The new charge port arrived today. Unfortunately the charging problem did not get fixed. I am not sure what else to do at this point without spending a ton at the dealer to diagnose the issue and then get a whopping repair quote. The diagnosis alone will likely be a few hundred bucks and sure enough they will find other stuff at the same time.
I think I will just drive it has an HEV instead of a PHEV for the remainder of its life and use mountain/hold mode to keep the battery in the 50% range for long term cell stability. The problem is still the same: there are no codes and the charge light goes out after 15 seconds or so with no beeps when plugging in any charger plug (I have tried a few different plugs). The car only has 60k miles on it so it has a lot of life left as an HEV, especially right now with the gas tank leak fixed.
I have a spare used charge port it would appear.
Thanks for everyone's input on this. This is a great community.
I think I will just drive it has an HEV instead of a PHEV for the remainder of its life and use mountain/hold mode to keep the battery in the 50% range for long term cell stability. The problem is still the same: there are no codes and the charge light goes out after 15 seconds or so with no beeps when plugging in any charger plug (I have tried a few different plugs). The car only has 60k miles on it so it has a lot of life left as an HEV, especially right now with the gas tank leak fixed.
I have a spare used charge port it would appear.
Thanks for everyone's input on this. This is a great community.
Quick question, if the oil change guys topped off the battery coolant reservoir with about an inch or less of regular dexcool 50/50, could that be enough to stop the car from charging? They also topped off the regular engine coolant bottle that took about a quart of regular dexcool 50/50. I am curious as that happened a while ago and now I am questioning if that may have something to do with my inability to charge. I thought if the Volt lost current isolation it would throw codes but after reading a few threads perhaps it doesn't necessarily throw codes?
Scott, here’s how it was explained to me:
Jaryd Carvell-> Hi friendly neighborhood volt tech here! Vehicles equipped with high voltage storage and propulsion systems are designed with the high voltage circuits completely isolated from the vehicle chassis. If either the positive or negative high voltage DC circuits or any of the high voltage AC phase circuits lose this isolation to the vehicle chassis, DTCs will set and the battery contactors will open. This is to prevent electrifying the vehicle chassis with high voltage.
Because the battery cooling system and a/c system use high voltage components that are bolted directly to the vehicle ground, the fluid that they contain (coolant or a/c oil) need to be electrically insulating (ie they don't conduct electricity). De-ionized water does not have free electrons and does not conduct electricity, and therefore acts as an electrical insulator (just like the insulation around a wire). Tap water has dissolved salts and minerals and is an electrical conductor, and therefore will allow power to bleed through into the vehicle's chassis and set dtcs. Honestly, half a cup PROBABLY isn't enough to cause a problem, but GM is VERY adamant that only dex cool pre-mixed with de-ionized water be used in HV cooling systems, just as the a/c must use a special electrically insulating oil to prevent a loss of isolation. Use only DEX-COOL part no. 12378390 in a Volt or any GM EV or PHEV.
Jaryd Carvell-> Hi friendly neighborhood volt tech here! Vehicles equipped with high voltage storage and propulsion systems are designed with the high voltage circuits completely isolated from the vehicle chassis. If either the positive or negative high voltage DC circuits or any of the high voltage AC phase circuits lose this isolation to the vehicle chassis, DTCs will set and the battery contactors will open. This is to prevent electrifying the vehicle chassis with high voltage.
Because the battery cooling system and a/c system use high voltage components that are bolted directly to the vehicle ground, the fluid that they contain (coolant or a/c oil) need to be electrically insulating (ie they don't conduct electricity). De-ionized water does not have free electrons and does not conduct electricity, and therefore acts as an electrical insulator (just like the insulation around a wire). Tap water has dissolved salts and minerals and is an electrical conductor, and therefore will allow power to bleed through into the vehicle's chassis and set dtcs. Honestly, half a cup PROBABLY isn't enough to cause a problem, but GM is VERY adamant that only dex cool pre-mixed with de-ionized water be used in HV cooling systems, just as the a/c must use a special electrically insulating oil to prevent a loss of isolation. Use only DEX-COOL part no. 12378390 in a Volt or any GM EV or PHEV.
Thanks JuneBug. I have not had any codes and the top up was a while back so I am trying to figure out anyone else's experience. I may take a chance and get the battery coolant loop flushed as it has been 5 years since it was last done but at the same time, I don't want to pour more money into an almost 11 year old car. I just retired so I am a little more careful with money and I am ok with this just being a regular hybrid vs. a plug in if there isn't an easy fix! Up here in Canada, shop rates at the dealer are $150-$170 per hour so it does not take long at all to rack up a $500 charge just to figure out you need a $2500 repair on top of it all.
Scott, here’s how it was explained to me:
Jaryd Carvell-> Hi friendly neighborhood volt tech here! Vehicles equipped with high voltage storage and propulsion systems are designed with the high voltage circuits completely isolated from the vehicle chassis. If either the positive or negative high voltage DC circuits or any of the high voltage AC phase circuits lose this isolation to the vehicle chassis, DTCs will set and the battery contactors will open. This is to prevent electrifying the vehicle chassis with high voltage.
Because the battery cooling system and a/c system use high voltage components that are bolted directly to the vehicle ground, the fluid that they contain (coolant or a/c oil) need to be electrically insulating (ie they don't conduct electricity). De-ionized water does not have free electrons and does not conduct electricity, and therefore acts as an electrical insulator (just like the insulation around a wire). Tap water has dissolved salts and minerals and is an electrical conductor, and therefore will allow power to bleed through into the vehicle's chassis and set dtcs. Honestly, half a cup PROBABLY isn't enough to cause a problem, but GM is VERY adamant that only dex cool pre-mixed with de-ionized water be used in HV cooling systems, just as the a/c must use a special electrically insulating oil to prevent a loss of isolation. Use only DEX-COOL part no. 12378390 in a Volt or any GM EV or PHEV.
I was doing the coolant flush by incrementally swapping out ~1 qt from each of the coolant loops every month or so for 5 iterations. I was using Prestone DexCool. It had no deleterious effect that I observed over the course of nearly a year. Since then I was able to use VCX nano and do the flush the right way, and that time I used the GM DexCool.
I would be surprised if it caused you an issue, but you never know... As a side note, I did a bench test to compare several coolants' specific conductivity. My conclusion was the the Prestone DexCool was slightly less conductive than the GM DexCool. Of course you have no idea what brand coolant was used on your car, so who knows!?
I would be surprised if it caused you an issue, but you never know... As a side note, I did a bench test to compare several coolants' specific conductivity. My conclusion was the the Prestone DexCool was slightly less conductive than the GM DexCool. Of course you have no idea what brand coolant was used on your car, so who knows!?
Hi,
I have a similar situation 2013 chevy volt, 135k. My car stopped charging completely. Charges itself in mountain mode. When I go to charge, dash light turns orange for a second or two then turns off. I replaced chargeport due to heavy rains here. Still didn't charge. I didn't want to take to dealer because of the costs involved. No check engine light and no pending codes. Car works great outside of charging issue.
Found a good service center north of Los Angeles and took it to them this morning. They had a hard time diagnosing the issue, but they say that it is the on board charger. They will be changing it out tomorrow. Will update if that fixes my issue. Lucky for me it is covered under a PZEV/TZEV warranty (10year/ 150k warranty for some California vehicles).
I have a similar situation 2013 chevy volt, 135k. My car stopped charging completely. Charges itself in mountain mode. When I go to charge, dash light turns orange for a second or two then turns off. I replaced chargeport due to heavy rains here. Still didn't charge. I didn't want to take to dealer because of the costs involved. No check engine light and no pending codes. Car works great outside of charging issue.
Found a good service center north of Los Angeles and took it to them this morning. They had a hard time diagnosing the issue, but they say that it is the on board charger. They will be changing it out tomorrow. Will update if that fixes my issue. Lucky for me it is covered under a PZEV/TZEV warranty (10year/ 150k warranty for some California vehicles).
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