Bad news - I did not have time or a hoist to remove the motor today.
Good news - I looked in the starter motor hole and put my fingers in. The coupler was able to spin around the motor shaft. After a few revolutions it kind of stuck to the shaft, so I used that to try and figure out if the tranny input shaft was ok. I put the car in gear and tried to spin the motor with my hand. I couldn't spin it, which is a very good sign that the input shaft is ok. I am hoping all that happened was the set screw came loose and the key came out, or the key was weak and just snapped. I think I got a key from OSH, not thinking it needed to be any specific hardness or heat treated. Also, I am not sure if I added thread lock to the set screw or not. I was told by the engineer who made the coupler that it was taper lock and it did need to be tapped onto the shaft, so I believe the original fit was very tight. Not sure if the coupler is still usable or not, but I think the motor shaft and input shaft for the tranny may be ok.
Next weekend I hope to take the motor off and maybe the transmission as well. I need to get a hoist to hold the motor while I disconnect it from the transmission.
Any of you know how to get bolts off that have red loctite on them? I think I read heat somewhere.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Oh snap
One of my neighbors works on a cnc machine and he made me some aluminum brackets to hold down the batteries in the rear battery boxes. I have spent the last couple weekends drilling holes through them and attaching them to the boxes. I also figured out a way to mount the vacuum pump for the brakes, and attached the bracket for it.
After I finished these things today, I thought I would take the car around the block a couple times. I wanted to try out a new setting on the controller to see if it would be more responsive in ramping up the acceleration. I noticed at the first stop sign that it was much more responsive, but there was a slight jerk at takeoff, so once I got around the block I figured I would adjust it a bit and see if it was better. At the next stop sign, I touched the accelerator and SNAP! The car was not accelerating and the motor was spinning freely. I tried a couple other gears, but the same response. Uh oh. This is a major issue, but it was not unexpected. My best guess is the shaft coupler between the motor and the transmission snapped. I have had a feeling for quite some time that my motor was not aligned properly with the tranny or that the parts I received for the shaft coupler and the adapter plate were not right. There has been some noise in neutral and in various gears under different circumstances and I thought I would need to take the car to a tranny specialist to make sure the motor-tranny connection was good. I won't know for sure until I get the motor out of the car, but I would bet the coupler is broken. I really hope I did not break the motor shaft or the tranny shaft. That would seriously suck.
Well, the bright side is, I was two blocks from home and my neighbor had a tow rope and got me back without any trouble. In the next couple weeks I will attempt to remove the motor and see what happened. I don't know if any of this is worth it anymore. I am learning and am proud of the work I have done so far, but if I have to buy a new adapter plate and coupler which will run $900-$1000, I don't know if I want to continue. I know my wife won't want me to, and I kinda don't blame her. This thing is a money pit and a time hog. Probably not the best project for someone with a young family and limited experience with tools and cars. I knew all this going in, but, like having a baby for the first time, it isn't real until it gets real, and it is definitely getting real.
After I finished these things today, I thought I would take the car around the block a couple times. I wanted to try out a new setting on the controller to see if it would be more responsive in ramping up the acceleration. I noticed at the first stop sign that it was much more responsive, but there was a slight jerk at takeoff, so once I got around the block I figured I would adjust it a bit and see if it was better. At the next stop sign, I touched the accelerator and SNAP! The car was not accelerating and the motor was spinning freely. I tried a couple other gears, but the same response. Uh oh. This is a major issue, but it was not unexpected. My best guess is the shaft coupler between the motor and the transmission snapped. I have had a feeling for quite some time that my motor was not aligned properly with the tranny or that the parts I received for the shaft coupler and the adapter plate were not right. There has been some noise in neutral and in various gears under different circumstances and I thought I would need to take the car to a tranny specialist to make sure the motor-tranny connection was good. I won't know for sure until I get the motor out of the car, but I would bet the coupler is broken. I really hope I did not break the motor shaft or the tranny shaft. That would seriously suck.
Well, the bright side is, I was two blocks from home and my neighbor had a tow rope and got me back without any trouble. In the next couple weeks I will attempt to remove the motor and see what happened. I don't know if any of this is worth it anymore. I am learning and am proud of the work I have done so far, but if I have to buy a new adapter plate and coupler which will run $900-$1000, I don't know if I want to continue. I know my wife won't want me to, and I kinda don't blame her. This thing is a money pit and a time hog. Probably not the best project for someone with a young family and limited experience with tools and cars. I knew all this going in, but, like having a baby for the first time, it isn't real until it gets real, and it is definitely getting real.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Doctor, it's dead. Give me the paddles...Clear
In late December, I was toying with some settings on my controller and realized I had an old version of the firmware and needed to upgrade. I tried, and failed. Somehow I screwed up the upgrade process and rendered the ATmega 168 chip useless. No big deal, they are only about $5, but I needed one that was programmed already since I don't have a programmer. My controller can only do upgrades and not initial programming. I emailed the designer of the controller and he said he would send me one gratis, but he was in the middle of a move. I was not worried since I had other stuff to do on the car still. Long story short, I got the chip last Friday and put it in the controller, and bam, just like that, it was alive. Now to reassemble the component board and get the car running again. I did a few things in the meantime.
- I ran 6 gauge wire from the front to the back of the car for the charger. Drilled a couple holes and added grommets for the wires and then put the wire in the flexible tubing that my main battery pack wiring is in
- I took apart the component board and trimmed it up here and there to make it easier to install
- I rethought and adjusted my mounting situation for the component board. I now have bolts facing up, so I can just put the board down on the spacers and screw on the nuts. Much easier than putting the board in and then trying to get the bolts into their mounting holes beneath the board.
- I bought some 5" long threaded bolts to add to the rear battery boxes. This will be for mounting the Lexan cover over the batteries.
- My neighbor is a machinist and he said he would make me some battery hold downs for the rear battery boxes. The hold downs will also act as a mounting surface for the Lexan cover.
I had to remove 20 batteries from the large rear box in order to add the 5" bolts, so once I got the controller fixed, I had to put the batteries back in. Also, I had to add all the electric components back to the component board and wire them up. Got it all hooked up and tested around 8pm last Sat night and thought, why not, so I got the car off the jack stands and took ERX out for a test drive. I got brave and took it around a couple blocks and got it up to 40mph in 2nd gear. I think around 3500 or 4000 rpms, although I wasn't paying huge attention to the rpm gauge. I had my laptop in the car and was checking battery amps. I ended up peaking out at about 310 amps on that run. I still have some issues somewhere in the drivetrain though. When I let off the accelerator, there is some noise as the car is free wheeling. Never any sound during acceleration. A friend at work suggested it could be the axle. It is possible one of the axles' splines are worn down and are not making a strong connection to the transmission. I hope this is the problem as it is the best case scenario. It is also very possible my motor and adapter are not aligned perfectly with the tranny. I may need to take the car to a tranny specialist to see if I need to unmount the motor and check the adapter to see if it is perfectly balanced and then remount the motor with perfect alignment.
The focus now is to get some stuff done that will allow me to get the car inspected so I can register it.
- Install Vacuum brake system
- Make horn function
- Fix brake light wiring
- Wire switch to Windsheild wiper motor
- Reattach fenders and hood
After all this, and once I can get it registered, I need to address the rear springs and shocks as the car is riding very low with the extra 250+ lbs back there. Someone suggested raising springs? Not sure where I can find those for a 1987 Honda CRX. Usually these cars are lowered.
- I ran 6 gauge wire from the front to the back of the car for the charger. Drilled a couple holes and added grommets for the wires and then put the wire in the flexible tubing that my main battery pack wiring is in
- I took apart the component board and trimmed it up here and there to make it easier to install
- I rethought and adjusted my mounting situation for the component board. I now have bolts facing up, so I can just put the board down on the spacers and screw on the nuts. Much easier than putting the board in and then trying to get the bolts into their mounting holes beneath the board.
- I bought some 5" long threaded bolts to add to the rear battery boxes. This will be for mounting the Lexan cover over the batteries.
- My neighbor is a machinist and he said he would make me some battery hold downs for the rear battery boxes. The hold downs will also act as a mounting surface for the Lexan cover.
I had to remove 20 batteries from the large rear box in order to add the 5" bolts, so once I got the controller fixed, I had to put the batteries back in. Also, I had to add all the electric components back to the component board and wire them up. Got it all hooked up and tested around 8pm last Sat night and thought, why not, so I got the car off the jack stands and took ERX out for a test drive. I got brave and took it around a couple blocks and got it up to 40mph in 2nd gear. I think around 3500 or 4000 rpms, although I wasn't paying huge attention to the rpm gauge. I had my laptop in the car and was checking battery amps. I ended up peaking out at about 310 amps on that run. I still have some issues somewhere in the drivetrain though. When I let off the accelerator, there is some noise as the car is free wheeling. Never any sound during acceleration. A friend at work suggested it could be the axle. It is possible one of the axles' splines are worn down and are not making a strong connection to the transmission. I hope this is the problem as it is the best case scenario. It is also very possible my motor and adapter are not aligned perfectly with the tranny. I may need to take the car to a tranny specialist to see if I need to unmount the motor and check the adapter to see if it is perfectly balanced and then remount the motor with perfect alignment.
The focus now is to get some stuff done that will allow me to get the car inspected so I can register it.
- Install Vacuum brake system
- Make horn function
- Fix brake light wiring
- Wire switch to Windsheild wiper motor
- Reattach fenders and hood
After all this, and once I can get it registered, I need to address the rear springs and shocks as the car is riding very low with the extra 250+ lbs back there. Someone suggested raising springs? Not sure where I can find those for a 1987 Honda CRX. Usually these cars are lowered.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Revolution!
Well, a big day this last weekend. The control board works. I got it all wired and installed in the car. Hooked it up to 8 batteries, turned the key, pressed the accelerator and the wheels turned. Very, very exciting! I need to get a clamp ammeter and make sure the DC/DC converter is sending juice back into the 12V battery, which I think it is, but I am very happy everything is functioning as it should.
Here is a picture of the final control board layout installed in the car. It looks like a bad eighth grade science project, but I don't care, it works. I won't be showing my car at any car shows any time soon.
I also took some video of the RPM and speedo gauges as I tested the system out in 1st gear.
This weekend I will hook up the rest of the 36 batteries, put the controller in more of a test mode, and maybe get the car down onto its wheels. If I am lucky, I will convince my wife to let me drive it out of the garage and into the driveway and then back again. She wants me to get more life insurance before I start testing the car on the street which makes sense. I also still need to send my charger in to get adjusted for the latest number of batteries I am using and the charge profile I want, then mount it and wire it into the system.
After that, I need to wire and mount my EV gauges and I have a bunch of car work to do. I have some electrical problems to solve with windshield wipers, brake lights, head lights, horn, need a new Left Fender, etc. I hope to upgrade to Integra brake calipers, rotors and pads and need to wire and mount my vacuum pump for the power brakes. Wow, so much more to do, but the EV system is just about done.
Here is a picture of the final control board layout installed in the car. It looks like a bad eighth grade science project, but I don't care, it works. I won't be showing my car at any car shows any time soon.
 |
| ERX Control board |
This weekend I will hook up the rest of the 36 batteries, put the controller in more of a test mode, and maybe get the car down onto its wheels. If I am lucky, I will convince my wife to let me drive it out of the garage and into the driveway and then back again. She wants me to get more life insurance before I start testing the car on the street which makes sense. I also still need to send my charger in to get adjusted for the latest number of batteries I am using and the charge profile I want, then mount it and wire it into the system.
After that, I need to wire and mount my EV gauges and I have a bunch of car work to do. I have some electrical problems to solve with windshield wipers, brake lights, head lights, horn, need a new Left Fender, etc. I hope to upgrade to Integra brake calipers, rotors and pads and need to wire and mount my vacuum pump for the power brakes. Wow, so much more to do, but the EV system is just about done.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Christmas Countdown
The little elves have been busy in Santa's workshop making all kinds of cables and connections. The control board is pretty much finished. There is one fuse I want to find a better solution for, but it will work for now while in testing mode. Here are a few shots I took with a phone. Not as nice as the other photos on my blog, but they will due.
The other half of the Anderson connector is not installed in this photo as well as a small fuse box.
Controller input on the far right with the contactors next to it. I have (4) 100 ohm, 10 watt resistors across the primary contactor for my pre-charge circuit. Next to the contactors is the main fuse at top and the shunt below. Next to the fuse is the high voltage terminal block to send the high voltage to the DC-DC converter and the Amp hour counter/meter. The terminal block has a cover not seen here.
Input and output of the DC-DC converter as well as the relay that switches the output on when the key is on. The 12V terminal block also has a cover not seen here.
Here is the solution I came up with for connecting my throttle cable to the PB-6 throttle box. On the right I used a 2 inch piece of angle iron and made a slot for mounting the cable. I just need to tighten down the nuts on both sides to secure it. On the left I used a 1 1/2 inch piece of angle iron, drilled a couple holes for mounting it to the arm of the throttle box, then drilled a hole in the middle and a slot from the hole to the back side to get the end of the throttle cable attached. I will have to take a better picture of it this weekend so you can see what I did. Once again, it is not very pretty, but I think it will get the job done. I still need to throw some paint on them. I also need to get a spring to attach to the throttle arm as a backup in case of a failure of its spring.
If I could smell the finish line last week, then the plate is on the table and the fork and knife are in my hands now. Christmas should come early this weekend and hopefully Santa will be bringing me the EV GRIN!
 |
| Control board sitting over the motor for a test fitting |
 |
| High Voltage power section |
 |
| DC-DC Converter and 12V terminal block |
 |
| Throttle box and cable |
If I could smell the finish line last week, then the plate is on the table and the fork and knife are in my hands now. Christmas should come early this weekend and hopefully Santa will be bringing me the EV GRIN!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Something smells good
Here is one picture from the last couple weeks. This is the rear battery boxes with the rear fuse and disconnect.
Yesterday I worked for about 9 hours on the control board. Mainly drilling the mounting holes for a couple items and some large holes for routing wiring as well as adding some grommets to protect the wiring.
I also made a couple pieces for the throttle cable assembly from angle iron. One piece was just a small bracket to mount to the PB-6 throttle arm, that had a hole for the throttle cable to go through, and the other was a mounting bracket to hold the cable in place. I had some trouble getting the cable in a good position to allow the throttle cable to move freely, but once I found the spot, the spring on the PB-6 easily drew the cable back. Now I have to find another spring to attach to the throttle arm as a backup in case the spring on the PB-6 breaks, or the throttle cable sticks some how. I have to find a small enough spring for the space I have, but also good tension, but not too much that it makes pressing the accelerator pedal tough.
I can smell the finish line, or at least the testing portion of the finish line. Next on the docket is wiring the control board, which I should be able to complete over Thanksgiving weekend. Then, connect all the batteries and start testing the system both on the jacks and then on the ground.
 |
| Rear battery boxes with fuse and disconnect |
I also made a couple pieces for the throttle cable assembly from angle iron. One piece was just a small bracket to mount to the PB-6 throttle arm, that had a hole for the throttle cable to go through, and the other was a mounting bracket to hold the cable in place. I had some trouble getting the cable in a good position to allow the throttle cable to move freely, but once I found the spot, the spring on the PB-6 easily drew the cable back. Now I have to find another spring to attach to the throttle arm as a backup in case the spring on the PB-6 breaks, or the throttle cable sticks some how. I have to find a small enough spring for the space I have, but also good tension, but not too much that it makes pressing the accelerator pedal tough.
I can smell the finish line, or at least the testing portion of the finish line. Next on the docket is wiring the control board, which I should be able to complete over Thanksgiving weekend. Then, connect all the batteries and start testing the system both on the jacks and then on the ground.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
