Single LEV50-cell wanted for our Citroen C-Zero

[me68]

Was the cell located where you expected it to be in the pack?

Hello!

No - it was in the 8er module in back, not in the front, as somebody has shown us.

So i think numbers beginn in the back with left, upper corner, goes done to the right, bottom corner, same with the two 4er modules in the middle, same with the 5 8er modules in the front.

Martin

 

[me68]

Hello!

Speedy Gonzales ;-)

YouTube Video: 2015-08-29 - Citroen C-Zero - cell replacement


Martin

 

[DaveMiller]

I am 64 years old, and bought my first car 48 years ago. It was 1967 Ford Mustang. To keep it running, I did all of the tire rotations, oil changes, grease jobs, and maintenance myself. I owned a timing light, dwell meter, and all of the tools needed to rebuild a carburetor, repair the brakes, and replace shock absorbers. Back then, people like me were called Saturday mechanics or shade tree mechanics, because we worked on our cars outside on Saturdays when we were not at work. As time went on, ICE cars became too complicated to simply replace spark plugs. Four years ago I spent $800 to have the spark plugs changed on my F150 truck. That is half of what I paid for my first Mustang.

The single feature of my I-Miev that I love most, is the I-Miev’s simplicity. When friends talk about car repairs such as a fuel pump, transmission, muffler….. I say my car doesn’t have one of those.

Now to the point of this background. I was delighted to watch this video and see a car owner replace a single failing cell in a battery pack. This takes the fear out of a battery replacement for me, and I hope many others. Should my battery fail after warranty, I will try to fix it myself. Maybe EV’s will bring back the Saturday mechanic.
Thanks for sharing your video.

Dave
2012 Black I-Miev
2022 Black Prius
Trek T80 Electric bike

 

[me68]

Hello!

The Dismantling Guide from Mitsubishi was very useful also: http://elvsolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2012_I_Dismantling_guide.pdf


Martin

 

[kiev]

Great Video! Thanks for sharing. You guys work fast too.

Will you be dissecting the failed cell to determine cause of death?

 

[RobertC]

Fantastic video Martin!
Essential tools include a voltmeter and torque wrench. Were any other special tools required?
There have been some battery cell failures on this forum. Do you charge outside in the cold in the winter?
Thanks,
Bob

 

[rkarl89203]

just one minor question: why no protective gloves? When I work on my KNDI Kd08e electric car there is a lot of residual voltage hiding around.
I noticed no gloves most if not all of the time?
Just curious. Would hate to have someone inadvertently get shocked or worse.

 

[Phximiev]

Good questions, and one more: where did you find the auto and battery lifts and what lifts were they? Perhaps a tranny shop?

 

[Aerowhatt]

Hello!

Speedy Gonzales ;-)

YouTube Video: 2015-08-29 - Citroen C-Zero - cell replacement


Martin

Awesome Martin, Thank you!!

Downloadable version available anywhere??

Aerowhatt

 

[PV1]

Awesome. Yellow LEV-50 cells originally. Interesting.

Regarding the cell numbering scheme, would left/right hand drive make a difference? I've seen photos of the air intake on the same side as the service disconnect switch (right hand drive cars... NA models properly equipped have it on the other side), so there is some difference between left and right hand drive cars and their packs. Then again, if the front and rear groups were swapped, the air duct placement wouldn't have an effect then, right?

 

[me68]

Hello!

A have done a small rework now: I have checked the connection from the hood made of rubber from the pack, which is located at the front of the pack to get fresh air from the cabin to the air tube inside the cabin. Therefore i had to remove the passenger front-seat to raise the carpet. It does not fit straightaway. The hood has a notch all around, which is catching the floor plate. Have a look:

Martin

 

[kiev]

i can't tell where some of the connections were made. Is the fuse at pack (-)? To where do the 2 interior side terminals (+) of the LEV-4 modules connect and run? Is the top of the pack (+) at the drivers side LEV-4?

 

[me68]

Will you be dissecting the failed cell to determine cause of death?

No, i'm no material scientific.

Martin

 

[me68]

Were any other special tools required?
Do you charge outside in the cold in the winter?

Hello Bob,

no special tools required
I charge outside the whole year: yes.

Martin

 

[me68]

just one minor question: why no protective gloves? Would hate to have someone inadvertently get shocked or worse.

Hello,

all inside the pack is well isolated. So on looking to one LEV50-8 module there are round 32V to handle. It's looks also very save to me after removing the orange emergency switch. We also checked the terminals first, if voltage is zero. If it looks just easy in the video, please be aware that the whole system has 330V nominal voltage. You should know where to touch and where not, protect yourself or the part of the system. I saw only a risk on removing the screws holding the LEV50-8 module to the chassis. So i put there a textile first.

Martin

 

[me68]

where did you find the auto and battery lifts and what lifts were they? Perhaps a tranny shop?

Hello,

i used only a auto lift. Go up with the car, place a table or something similiar under the car, go down with the car very close to the table, remove the bolts holding the battery to the car, go up with the car again, work on the battery on the table under the lifted car. After battery housing closed again, go down with the car and mount the bolts holding the battery to the car again. Go up with the car, remove the table, go down with the car. Finished.

Martin

 

[JKO]

Hello me68.
How long would you guess that it takes for a man who has never tried it before?

 

[DonDakin]

Hi Martin,

Well congratz on the cell replacement. You are a true pioneer on the iMiev.

a couple of questions:

On your post for a mod to the cooling plumbing in the car I'm not sure what you modified. I read the text a few times. What did you change ?

I guess you are now the go to guy for a single cell replacement. Hold onto those 3 good cells and bring them down to 3.6 volts for storage. All the north American iMievs have a warranty until 2020 and I am hearing perhaps until 2022 but in Europe I'm sure you would be able to "sell your cells" to DIY guys like yourself in case of cell failure.

Thank you also for the videos they were fantastic. Just to get a idea how long was the entire process ?

Thanks again

Don.....

 

[roflwaffle]

Hi Don, do you have a reference to that warranty? 2020 sounds great, but I've never seen anything like that.

 

[DonDakin]

I dont have a reference but a few posts were mentioning it. Perhaps someone else can chime in

Don.....