August 29, 2011 by Rob.

Alex and I spent the pre-100 morning checking the circuits in the RAVolt to isolate the drive system failure.  We confirmed it was not the traction voltage, aux voltage, motor continuity, key lockout or pot box.  Sadly, that only left the Curtis 1231C controller.  We removed it and I’ll send it out to be remanufactured.

In the process, I did manage to fry one of my contactors.  Note to self: do not create a short between the battery and the motor - the contactors cannot handle the arc.  On the positive side, I’m certain Alex will never forget today’s efforts together.

Posted in Safety, Parts, Storyline | 5 Comments »

April 8, 2011 by Rob.

Now that the brakes are fixed!!  I took Alex for his first RAVolt drive.  With the old batteries, it takes a very careful foot.  He’s excited to have the RAVolt has his daily, so we’re getting new batteries.The current range is just about 2-4 miles (of very timid driving).It’s been 4 years since we got the first set (about this same date in 2007) and prices are up about 50%.  Each cell will cost $150 for the T1275.  If I tried to order the old J150 cells, they would be a special item and $200.The T1275 is the same weight and amp-hours.  It’s slightly shorter (13″ vs 13.75″).  That difference may come from the lack of useless lifting edges on the sides.   My big concern is the terminal posts, but those _appear_ to be the same.We’ll find out on Tuesday - that’s when the J150s go to the big smelter in the sky.  It will take a few days before I find the time for the install.BTW: My supplier is Continental Battery in Belton.   Thanks to Bill Gooch on the AustinEV list for the recommendation.

Posted in Batteries, Parts, Improvements | 5 Comments »

March 27, 2011 by Rob.

Last month I was able to repair the brake line.  Some acid had leaded onto the steel lines and eaten a hole in one.  Alex and I had to remove the batteries from the front and disassemble the brake line junction.  It was easy and cheap to buy a replacement line.  The replacement lines can be hand bent to route them past the leaking area.  The bigger challenge was the double flair needed to connect the cut line into the replacement section.Once I’d mastered the flair, we just had to bleed the brake lines (surprisingly easy) and replace the batteries.After that, the brakes held pressure and we were able to take a short 2 mile cruise to prove out the system.   Now that Alex has his learner’s permit, he can actually take the RAVolt out around the block.That’s about as far as we can go until I order some new batteries.  I’m planning to do that THIS WEEK.The RAVolt has been idle for over 18 months.  With $4 gas around the corner, my timing is looking very good.

Posted in Brakes, Safety, Parts, Storyline | 3 Comments »

September 28, 2010 by Rob.

On Saturday, Joe K came over to salvage my MR2 PS pump that I’d installed and never used in the RAVolt.  Joe’s working on a B2600 pickup conversion.  We hooked up through the AustinEV list, but it turns out that we have mutual friends through the Roller Derby!Removing the pump turned out to be a real pain in the ass.  It was behind the motor and locked between the axle supports.  After 2 hours of dirty work, we did manage to liberate it from the RAVolt.   I hope Joe has better luck with it than I did.

Posted in Parts | 2 Comments »

July 29, 2008 by Rob.

I was watering the RAVolt’s batteries this weekend (as usual, 1 basterfull per cell) when I noticed that one of the battery terminals is corroded.  The powered is bluish and there is no acid splash around the terminal.  I’m not sure what to do yet, just reporting the problem.  I’ll ask AustinEV for help.

Corroded:

Clean:

Posted in Safety, Batteries, Daily Use, Parts, Pictures, AustinEV | 2 Comments »

May 24, 2008 by Rob.

It took longer that I’d hoped to stop chasing the wrong problems before I finally found the real cause. After about 3 hours of hunting, I found two problems: one was a design issue and the other was a blown fuse caused by the design issue.

The design issue was the way I’d wired the charger “still plugged in” relay to the key safety interlock (KSI) on the controller. I need both charger relays (see older posts for detail) to turn on the vent fans. I’d been using the same relay to turn on the controller KSI relay. Unfortunately, that sent 12 volts to the relay even when the car was parked. This was effectively BY PASSING my contactor so that traction voltage (144 v) was still present for the controller, volt meter, and the DC-DC converter. That was not supposed to happen so I disabled it and hooked the KSI to the key on. Now the motor could go even if I’m plugged in (oops), but I always coast down my driveway to start so it was not really much of a safety benefit.

The second issue was a blown fuse (it should be clear not white) in the DC-DC converter. At least, that was easy to find and fix

Now the RAVolt and I are happy again.

Posted in Safety, Parts, Improvements, Pictures, Storyline | 1 Comment »

November 26, 2007 by Rob.

I bought myself a little heater / defroster from Fry’s last week. It was just $10 and has already proven to be valuable. It’s not very powerful, but it does the trick to defrost the windshield or warm up my hands.

I especially liked that Fry’s sticker described the heater as “for heat w/o engine.” I’m certain that they did not mean it was a heater for cars without engines, but it describes my application perfectly! Fry’s can caulk up one sale due to poor English.

Note: That little heater is pretty minor so I’m considering putting an AC box heater in the car to warm it up on cold mornings. That would make it nice and toasty!

Posted in Daily Use, Parts, Improvements, Pictures | 1 Comment »

September 21, 2007 by Rob.

One thing I’ve noticed about the RAVolt is that there are times when pushing on the accelerator does not produce more power.  Typically this happens on hills when I really want that extra power.   I’m moving along OK, but my ammeter is pulling a low 200 and the voltage is hardly sagging.  Normally, I can put my foot down and get some extra “go.”  It’s common for me to burst over 400 amps going up a hill.

It turns out that my Curtis controller’s current limiter is on the OUTPUT side of the controller while my ammeter is on the INPUT side.  The PWM (pulse width modulation) going on inside the black box does not always translate directly back into readings on my analog gauges.

I knew that the Curtis had a current limit - I’m just surprised how it shows up.

Posted in Daily Use, Parts, EV Tech | 1 Comment »

July 31, 2007 by Rob.

I have sold my soul to the Dark Wizard, WaldeMart, in exchange for expelling the demon in my auxiliary battery. Under his ever watchful eye (and for $37), I transformed the demonic battery into a non-jinxed battery that is slightly smaller flooded Pb than the original.
Hopefully this will finally cure the Laura EV jinx: I had not driven the RAVolt for a week and the battery was completely shot. Of course, I only discovered that AFTER Laura asked to go for a ride.

Posted in Parts, Improvements, Storyline | 1 Comment »

July 14, 2007 by Rob.

Alex and I installed the air springs today. They are really just hard balloons that fit inside the rear springs. They don’t provide much extra lift because their max pressures is just 25 lbs. Even so, they did manage to lift the RAVolt a little and correct some of the wheel cant. This may work for a while, but I’ll need new springs eventually.

That’s a little better, but still canted.

Posted in Parts, Pictures, Conversion, Planning | 2 Comments »