Monday, August 6, 2007

Shifting Fixed and Charger Outlet Installed

Things just keep getting better and better with this car. I did some experiments this morning with operating the transmission and found that my clutch wasn't fully disengaging. After adjusting the clutch to fully release this evening, the car shifts MUCH better and I don't grind gears anymore! What a relief!

I also took this evening to finish up the wiring for the external charging outlet on the front fender of the car. This means I don't have to open the hood to charge the car.



The instructions call for cutting a 1 7/8" hole. Sears only had a 1 3/4" hole saw, so I cut the smaller hole and then used a grinding wheel to grind off the plastic threads on the outlet insert down to 1 3/4". I believe the fit to be much more solid.

I also didn't have a 9/16" drill for the power cord hole, so I used a 1/2" drill and greased up the cable with silicone spray so that it would easily slip through the slightly smaller grommet. The silicone spray also helped get the cord through the weather seal on the backside of the outlet insert.

After rummaging around in my leftover parts from ElectroAuto, I also found a temperature sensor for the Zivan NG3 charger, plugged it in and tie wrapped it to the inside of the front battery box.

I just sent an e-mail to a local guy who has helped a few folks out with mechanical issues on their electric vehicles. I'm hoping he will be able to help me with my flywheel balancing issue. Craig from camp914 suggested I take the flywheel/clutch assembly to a shop for balancing too.

In preparation for EV awareness day in Portland this coming weekend, I plan to label all the components so I can better explain things to interested people.

Several folks have asked about 0-60 time, range and top-speed specifications for this car. I haven't really pushed it yet, and probably don't intend to, but I'll capture more data over the next few weeks.

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