sulfur smell

[iMiEVEnthusiast]

We've had our iMiEV since 2011. My son has it at school. He says he smelled sulfur after a recent charge. Otherwise the car gives no indication of anything wrong. Has anyone else noticed this? A BMW i3 thread said it was the 12-volt battery, but that was an i3. I haven't found anything else yet. Any help from members appreciated.

 

[kiev]

The 12V battery is my guess also, since it is lead-sulfuric acid based.

Hydrogen sulfide may be outgassed by the charging reaction.

Need to check the voltage of the battery, and the electrolyte level in the cells, add distilled water to cover the plates if they are exposed to air in the cells.

 

[iMiEVEnthusiast]

Thanks, we'll check that. I don't know if the 12-volt battery has closed cells or not. I'll have a look.

 

[MickeyS70]

Hello and welcome to the forum

We've had our iMiEV since 2011.

Great to see it’s still going strong after all those years.

Did you ever change the 12V aux or is it the original? If it’s older than 3 years I would consider buying a new one and charge it fully before you swap it.

It may sound like overkill but your OBC will thank you in the long run..

Mickey

 

[jray3]

Agreed- our original 12V battery had traditional screw-on vent caps. I'd be surprised if any of those are still holding on, though our DC-DC was very kind to them.