u/Keithmclean1964

So, as the first picture suggests, my drive is slightly slopped. The pack was desperately trying to visit my neighbour across the road, which made reinstallation interesting 😊. Using my block and tackle, I was eventually able to align the pack near enough to raise the battery pack.

After some fine adjustments, the pack was bolted in and installed. Reconnecting the Earth straps, the power and signal cables, the service plug and the 12v battery, the van was ready to test. Surprisingly, I had no fault codes to clear. I assume this is due to my BMS being reprogrammed at VIVNE. Reinstalling the under protective covers, putting my van back on the ground and after a short test drive, the job was complete. The whole pack reinstallation took around 5.5hrs, and went as well as I’d hoped.

Reinstalling the centre console and charging over night (cheep rate at night 8.5p per KW), I woke up to a fully charged battery. The Van took 31.265 KW to charge.

Today, I will do a longer test drive. I aim to limit charging to around 80% to preserve the battery, but have requested guidance on how often to charge to 100% for top balancing. I’ve emailed Helen for advice.

I will update on my driving experience, and post a list of tools I used soon 😊.

Need to book to have my A/C re-gassed. Will be after our Bank holiday now.

Today, is the day I’ve been waiting for. My BMS arrives. FedEx delivered at 8:10am this morning, perfect.

1. I’d already glued (Araldite) cable anchors to the modules to secure the temperature sensors. So I zip tied them into place.
2. Installed the BMS, carefully followed the manual, tightened the bolts to 9nm.
3. Connected up the VIVNE test loom, with 12v battery. Set Leaf Spy to BMS mode. Tip… restart app after selecting BMS mode, it didn’t connect into I did. 16mv cell deviation, looks perfect. 40% SOC and 100% battery health. Leaf Spy shows 40KWh battery, don’t worry about that, Leaf Spy wasn’t designed for 50KWh VIVNE battery packs.
4. Bolted down the pack with M6 30mm Stainless steel bolts and washers. Sealed pack with VIVNE supplied sealant.

Now I’m waiting for the sealant to dry, and hopefully a dry day to install the pack into the van.

Oh… poor Henry is sick. Looks like the switch is faulty. It was actually tripping the breaker in the consumer unit. Anyway, his House brother had to stand in.

When I was sealing the pack, someone who’s seen my Reddit post popped over to talk. Small world. Anyway, if you’re reading this, let me know if you need help with your Leaf upgrade.

Further updates to come 😊.

After a long wait, my BMS is finally with FedEx, after being reprogrammed by VIVNE.

I should point out that behind the scenes, Helen has worked hard to get this through customs and get this done as soon as possible. I can only imagine the work load they have at VIVNE, with all the failing Nissan battery’s. Even the FedEx label was created on the 13th at 20:43 local time!

Although this project will now take nearly 4 weeks to complete, as opposed to the 2 weeks planned for, I’m now looking forward to getting my van working properly again and getting back to work.

This has been a long Journey. From researching all my options, learning from other’s experiences, ordering and installation.

My reasons for this post, is to give back that experience. For context, I’m nearly 62 years old, I live alone, have no family and my friends/neighbours can barely walk, never mind help me. So, I had to do this upgrade on my own. This involved planning, buying tools that I didn’t already have and building equipment to make this possible.

If I can do this, so can you. Upgrading a Nissan Leaf is even easier, no long wait for BMS reprogramming. You can even buy the whole battery pack, if you prefer that option.

I hope this post has inspired many of you to upgrade your own Nissan EV’s. I reject the notion of scrapping a perfectly good vehicle, just because of a weak cell. I like my van and hope this upgrade will provide many more years of reliable motoring.

More updates to follow, including a list of tools/equipment I used. 😊

As the title suggests, my BMS arrived in China (VIVNE), after a week’s stay in HongKong customs. It was reprogrammed on Monday and I’m told by Helen, that it’s being dispatched. I’ve not had tracking information as of yet.

In the meantime:-

1. After watching VIVNE’s latest customer installation video on YouTube, where they Zinc sprayed the battery box fixing surfaces, I thought that was a great idea. So, another Amazon order for Zinc spray and that was done.

2. I have also sealed the rubber seal onto the battery case, ready for finally installation. I’ve decided not to use the studs, although I’ve used them to keep the holes clear of sealant, I ordered M6 30mm stainless steel bolts, which will look better.

For those planning this same upgrade, don’t listen to the 7-10 day estimate on eNV-200 BMS reprogramming. Customs in China and HongKong aren’t the fastest and you should allow at least 3 weeks. Better still, obtain another BMS and send that before removing your own battery.

I’ve suggested more than once, that a way to reprogram the BMS remotely, would eliminate the long wait for its return.

So, all I can do now is wait for the BMS to arrive, hopefully before end of this week. I will update you soon 😊.

It’s incredible how much interest these post are getting, with my last post receiving over 5,345 views.

So, as the title suggests, the pack is now fully wired and ready for the BMS installation. As of this morning, VIVNE has now received my BMS, so I’m sure it won’t be long before it’s returned.

Things I discovered:-

1. The cable connected to the sense resister from the module B- (connected to the BDU-) in the video is mounted straight. I found it put a strain on the BDU connector and was almost impossible to get by the AC ductwork. I’d already used the heat-shrink sleeve before I realised this wasn’t good. In my picture, I redid the join applying a slight angle. Fortunately, I’d preordered more heat-shrink, so not a problem. See picture 2.

2. Doing the voltage test, requires the service plug installed to complete the circuit. Obviously, unplug after testing. My total battery voltage was around 360v. Normal for a battery not fully charged.

3. Leakage test between each service connector to ground of each module was in the Giga Ohm range. So past with flying colours.

4. No ducting fixings were included with the kit. Fortunately, I had suitable screws, shake proof washers and plastic spaces, the ones TV wall mount brackets have (see picture 3). Be careful not to drop any screws in the pack.

Going in, this looked complicated, especially seeing the original Nissan design. But once you install the new kit, it really is simple to install. I was guided by Helen’s video, more than the printed instructions. In fact, I barely looked at the printed instructions.

The build quality is excellent, well designed and easy to install. Just be careful, plan everything, tools and safety gear. Above all, take your time.

I will post again when the BMS is installed. Also, I’ll do a list of tools and equipment I preordered for this installation.

Today, I spent the afternoon mounting all the battery modules.

1. A Block and Tackle is a massive help when mounting these battery modules. They’re heavy, and a Block and Tackle gives you more control over lifting and positioning. Cost £27.99 on Amazon, and was a great help. As was the VIVNE supplied lifting straps which I used with it.

2. I chose not to mount the BMS bracket to module C before mounting into case. I felt there was a risk of damage to the brackets when positioning the module into the case. It’s possible to install afterwards, although I’d recommend placing a cloth underneath to catch any nuts you may drop. Obviously, remove the cloth afterwards.

3. Module B centre mount holes didn’t line up perfectly with the case. I believe the case was out of tolerance slightly. A 10mm file opened up the holes in the appropriate direction by about 0.5mm. Obviously, vacuum up any shavings afterwards.

4. The fixing nuts for module A and B are not included. Make sure you keep all the original fixings from the old battery. These were in great condition and I reused the nuts.

5. Make sure Henry supervises the install 😁.

I’ve still to wire the pack, since I’m waiting for the BMS return, I’ve got time to do this.

Hope this helps others with there installations.

More to come!

This one single cell, in a module of four cells, read 3.68v. All other cells tested 3.86v. It was in the battery group at the back of the pack. I think it was at the end.

This is how you select BMS only, when using VIVNE battery test loom.

After a delayed start, I finally got the battery out. Sorry no picture of the lift in operation, I’ll send that when reinstalling. Was easier than I thought, although not expecting reinstalling to be as easy.

One thing, I tested the pack using the battery test loom sent from VIVNE, the display showed “config Leaf 513”. I’ve messaged Helen to see if that’s right. Didn’t seem as if it wanted to connect to the BMS, even though I selected that in the Leaf Spy settings.

Now preparing to send the BMS back to VIVNE for reprogramming. Starting to build the pack in the meantime.