I bought a Chevy Volt Gen1 DC-DC Converter - Now What? Topic is solved

[Gregski]

so I scored a Chevy Volt second gen DC-DC Converter, essentially for a $100 bucks, couldn't pass that up, and FREE shipping, I am sharing the eBay listing details because I know when I was a beginner (so many, many days ago, ha ha) I wanted to know what these used electric/hybrid car parts cost and more importantly what people are paying for them, folks please remember that sellers can ask what ever price they want for their items, it does not mean you have to pay it, or that the item is worth that, and every day more and more used OEM EV parts hit the resale market (thank you distracted texting soccer moms), also be aware of some sketch eBay practices where a seller will list multiple items at different prices, one being sky high to make the others look like good deals, there is a term for that, which escapes me at the moment, if you know what this shady practice is called please post a quick response, a while back one of those 20/20 magazine TV shows did a special on this

Top Tip: note how the eBay listing does not even have the word "Converter" in the title, that's why I was so hell bent on obtaining the part numbers so that we can search by those as well, not my first rodeo folks, not my first rodeo, lOl

[Gregski]

folks what we have here is the making of a Mr. Arber Kramar of LEAFDRIVEBLOG fame Starter Kit, so why don't you lean in a bit closer and set your eyeballs on this there second gen DC-DC converter orange (pronounced: high voltage) plugulator

Note how the orange square(ish) plug is keyed? One protrusion/notch thingie on the left, whilst a double on the opposite side?

[Gregski]

now let's stare and compare that to the orange (high voltage) plugs on the second gen charger

I believe this one below runs to the high voltage battery pack

and this side is where the charge port plugs in

[Gregski]

so since as my buddy Seth puts it "you don't like money" I am out on a mission to corral all the Chevy Volt Gen 1 battery charging, converting, controlling, commanding, connecting parts / bits and serve them up to you all on a silver platter (sort of speak) yes, while boring you to death with nauseating details, so here we go

Chevy Volt Gen 1 Charge Port or as the General likes to call it "Drive Motor Battery Pack Charging Port Assembly" for short, ha ha

(2011-2013 flavor)
Part Number: 23281030
Supersession(s): 22759324; 22822889; 22975305; 23453436

CT11100_12.png (25.58 KiB) Viewed 12947 times

[Gregski]

so I thought this diagram picture thingie was cute and worthy of cluttering up our thread, oh it also pretends to show where the charge port actually lives on the first gen Chevy Volt

um ok...

ok, call me crazy, but where the hewk did that charge port door go?

[Gregski]

so I swung by a local all Chevy parts wrecker today in my town and they said they had one first gen Chevy Volt a 2014 model and they would let me go and look at it with them and tell them what parts I needed that were still on it, they were also kind enough to allow me to take some pics so now I can share with confidence the location of said components

[Gregski]

so I got the low voltage positive and negative cable harness off of it part number 23167047 (I divorced them for demonstration purposes)

[Gregski]

I also managed to get the tail of pig for the control port

[Gregski]

so now my first gen (2011-2015) Chevy Volt DC-DC converted setup looks like this, all that's missing is the proper high voltage orange battery cable, which they are pulling off the car for me tomorrow

[Gregski]

I also asked them for the charge port and its orange tail, please be advised, unlike all the other orange "two nostril" cables, this one has three nostrils!

ask and though shall receive

[Gregski]

since I never owned a Chevy Volt myself, I found this Disgruntled Mechanic video useful, we can see what lives in the trunk of a 2011 Volt and can even barely make out the DC-DC converter sitting way up high in the trunk under that black cover, thought I would share

[Gregski]

a link to a lovely blog from Mr. Fred Behning of Austin Texas showing us how he took the two black box EVTV controllers (one for the gen 1 charger and a separate one for the dc-dc converter) and offered an elegant solution on how to consolidate them into one box

PorschEV - Consolidating Controllers

having done this in 2015 I would love to hear from Fred and see how the air cooled DC-DC converter performed, and if he is still using it

[Gregski]

I am pleased to report that now WE seem to have all the wires, cables, harnesses, (call 'em what you will) for the first gen (2011-2015) Chevy Volt DC-DC Converter

so let's lay them out in the driveway and take a look see (pretend you are standing at the rear of the car and looking into the trunk where the converter lives and then follow the metal tube thingie which runs under the car to the front of the vehicle where it plugs in to the front of the high voltage battery pack under the engine bay firewall)

[EV_Builder]

The controlportcable do you know its part number?

I have one but someone though that 2cm of wire is enough...

[Gregski]

The control port cable do you know its part number?

I have one but someone though that 2cm of wire is enough...

ah man that sux, unfortunately that is not it's own wire harness and does not have it's own part number, from my minimal exploration efforts I have gathered that it runs from the converter (in the trunk) and disappears below the back seat on the US driver side of the vehicle, then joins up with a much larger black wire harness (tail lights maybe) and makes it's way across the length of the car behind the back seat to the opposite side

I had mine cut as far as the EV Gods would allow, the "tech" who pulled it was happy to oblige for a crisp $20 dollar bill

[arber333]

The controlportcable do you know its part number?

I have one but someone though that 2cm of wire is enough...

LV connector P/N is AIT2PB-10P-2AK
pins are P/N SAIT-A02T-M064

You can find more data in the EVTV file i posted here:
https://leafdriveblog.wordpress.com/201 ... dc-or-apu/

[Gregski]

so I am happy to report the fraternal twins have been reunited as I just scored a Chevy Volt gen 1 (2011-2015) onboard battery charger for $280

and I must say the father and son Armenian duo at the wrecker (in Rancho Cordova, California) that sold it to me, are the nicest salt of the earth folks I ever ranned into - Thank You So Much

[Gregski]

lemme guess, you're gonna lay all that stuff out and make us look at it in yer driveway?

jim.jpg (4.75 KiB) Viewed 12684 times

[Gregski]

seriously !?

[Gregski]

YouTube video: Chevy Volt Onboard HV Battery Charger & DC-DC Converter (OBCM & APM)

the one where I stare and compare the Chevy Volt first generation onboard high voltage traction battery charger aka Onboard Charger Module (OBCM) and the DC-DC converter aka the Accessory Power Module (APM) with the second generation ones

[Gregski]

just want to point out and caution folks that none of the orange high voltage cables are interchangeable between the first gen and the second gen

here we stare and compare the DC-DC converter two nostril ports and see how they are keyed differently

[Gregski]

and just for giggles here is the comparison of the orange high voltage two nostril ports of the first and second gen onboard battery chargers

and yes, GM had one job: make every single orange port/connector different... and ... [wait for it] ... THEY NAILED IT !!!

[Gregski]

oh the fun rages on, so I want to get the OEM charger cable for the first gen Chevy Volt onboard charger and so I went looking for the part number and found this: (note the 600 different part numbers!!!)

Part Number: 24276685 (fits 2011-2012)
Supersession(s): 22781210; 22809287; 22865050; 22914085; 22943277; 23106561; 23248798; 23441757; 23446639

Part Number: 23487635 (fits 2013-2015)
Supersession(s): 22942876; 23136007; 23145307; 23203508; 24286957; 24291478

[Gregski]

and what do we have here ?

Why it's the first of our CAN Bus analyzer gizmos, which we hope to compare and contrast and evaluate and rate

Company: Seeed
Model: USB-CAN Analyzer
Price: $40 (listed on the Seeed website for $25 but by the time you add shipping, tax and license, clear coat, etc... you get the idea plus it would take 20 days to get here)
Source: AMAZON

[Gregski]

what's this, another fascinating video