The Kindness of Stangers (and New Friends)

July 11 – July 15, 2008

It’s been quite a week, and I have lots to report on. That dreaded ICE wiring has been solved. The kindness of strangers cannot be overstated. A fellow Fiero owner wanting to do a conversion contacted me and helped me through my mess. Adam, from Marion, OH, is a wiring genius. He has done several Fiero upgrades (bigger, badder engines) and is very verse in the art of wire removal. I went from two jumbo bundles of wires plus the ECM to a handful of wires and everything working as needed – a big thanks to Adam. My engine bay is respectable now and the only things zipped-tied are things I still needed.

Because of my new fondness for wiring, I set out to fix some things, install some others and plan ahead. For some reason a previous owner hot wired some things (the heater fan and radiator fan). After digging through a mess of wires under the dash, I found the one that was cut. I checked it and thought it was dead. But after tracing it down to it origin (a relay in the front trunk area), it proved to be alive and well. I reattached it and now have a properly functional heater fan (no heat, but the fan works). The radiator fan was pulled with the other parts and I just pulled its mystery wire back then. I found my needed “Run and Start” wires off of the key switch. With those, I was able to install my throttle assembly. The Belktronix throttle is different than the PB-6 you often see. It is more of a spring loaded plunger that is activated by your gas pedal directly instead of the old ICE throttle cable. The ICE throttle cable is still used just to make the gas pedal return to an “off” position when released, but nothing more under the hood. I made a bracket with an arm attached to the gas pedal arm. From there, the throttled is positioned under the arm and depressed when you step on the gas pedal – quite simple. I hooked up all of the wires and ran a long lead back to the rear trunk area (this is where I will put the Vehicle Integrator Module). I tapped fuse panel for power and ran a new ground wire to use under the dash. Again, Adam made me a very confident wiring novice! While I had everything open, I found places for my E-meter and Palm Pilot. I discovered two empty switch bays that I plan on using for my rear area ventilation system (more later) and my vacuum pump.

Next up was the rear engine area where I started more heavy wiring. I pulled all of the batteries to have better access (they are still heavy). Since everything was opened I figured it was a good time to put in my ventilation system. This amounts to two 5.25”, 12V fans mounted in the inner wall of the rear trunk. One pulls in air while the other blows it out. The controller will be in this area and a cool controller is a happy controller. I am going to close up this area as much as possible to keep things clean and dry and the extra air will help. The other part of the ventilation system is my motor cooler. There is a shroud available for the WarP9 that lets you force air through the motor to keep it cooler (and a cool motor is a happy motor). The Fiero has a functional air duct on the drivers side (originally went to the air filter) and I hated to see it go to waste. I took a smaller 2.5 inch fan, enclosed it in a Coro-Plas box and ran the vent hose to it. The fan will draw outside air to the motor and pushes it through from the commutator end to the drive end. According to Netgain, this can make big improvements in motor performance – I am anxious to see. All three fans draw about one amp from the car battery (not the traction pack), something I hope to offset with some LED light replacements. Initially, I am using a switch to run these fans, but plan on using some simple thermostats to activate them later on.

When I ran out of the 2/0 cable I ordered another 12 feet (plenty, I thought). I figured I needed 8-10 feet and got a couple extra to make sure. I ended up with exactly zero inches left. I could call that good planning, but in reality I wish I had a few more feet left. I bought 42 feet total. The next price break was at 50’. If I just bought 50’ to begin with, it would have been cheaper (considering the extra shipping for the second order) – live and learn. The plus of the second order was buying a crimping tool (less than $9.00) and it really works. I am still a solderer, but by crimping first, it takes less solder, things stay in place while soldering, and the finished product look better. I made the other motor leads to the controller and ran them into the trunk. I built a frame out of a product called 8020, http://www.8020.net/. It’s very modular and with the right hardware, things slide in the channels. I attached my controller (with its fan), my main fuse, shunt (for the E-meter) and main contactor to this frame to be installed as a single unit bolted in the trunk. I fit in between to the two rear batteries and that made a short run for my dwindling 2/0 cable supply (remember, I had zero inches left). With big, fat green cable going everywhere, I managed to get everything in its place (a lot of trial and error, with an emphasis on error). Next up I re-installed all of the batteries, but did not hook them up. Things are getting real tight back there and I still have more parts coming in my last shipment that need to be installed first. The last thing I need is for my car to take off without a chance to get a short EV grin behind the wheel. I don’t think it counts if your car is going through your backyard being chased as an actual first drive – others may disagree.

I’m taking a few days off to tend to other business at work and with family. Hopefully my other stuff will arrive this week or next and I can hit the road real soon. So until next time…

Got Air???

July 10, 2008

This entry is a bit early, but I just wanted to let everyone know about my air shocks.

After properly doing my homework, I did get the right air shocks (this time). For anyone out there wanting to do this but is either told you can’t (as I was) or can’t find the right shocks here is my tip of the day. Most shocks come is just a few varieties. Some have bushings, a steel insert through a rubber bushing. Usually a bolt goes through this insert. Some have a flat tab (with holes or slots) that takes two bolts (with or without nuts) and the third type is a straight shaft that is threaded at the end. The flat tabs and steel inserts that go through a rubber bushing are fairly interchangeable. For instance, my car requires a flat tab at the top and a steel insert at the bottom – both go through the rubber bushing. The shocks I ordered had steel inserts at both ends and they were not the right size, but the rubber bushings were the same. I removed the pieces I needed from my old shocks (which were actually brand new) and replaced the ones on the air shocks with these pieces. Now everything matches my car. Monroe has a good website and I was able to find shocks that had the right type of ends and the approximate length I needed. It took me about 2 ½ hours to do everything and they work.

The shocks range from 10 – 150 PSI and with just 70 PSI my car was level again. The shock have good recoil and I can actually get under the car from the front – well as good as I could before I added the batteries. The two pictures don’t appear to show much difference in height (I failed to get a before air shock picture), but in reality it was about 1to1.5 inches and that is at 70 PSI. If I did 120 PSI, it might add another inch to that!

These two web pages will get you to a wealth of information. The first will tell you if air shocks are available for your EV. If not, write down the model numbers of what will work and go to the second link. On this page, click on the “mounting and length” info and find your shocks. Note the compressed and extended lengths and type of mounting at each end – and start searching.

http://www.monroe.com/catalog_lookup/ocl_default.asp

http://www.monroe.com/catalog_lookup/ocl_miscappinfo.asp

I know this will probably not work with struts because of the types of mounting they have, but with a little engineering, you might find a solution. I spent $61.00 to do this upgrade and it was worth every cent. If you look at air bags for your suspension or coilovers, you can spend a fortune going this route. For you Fiero converters, the model was Monroe – MA803.

Until later….

And Then There Were Sparks....

July 2 – July 8, 2008

It was another one of those weeks. The 2nd was my anniversary and as hard as it was to take the day off from working on the car, I did – just kidding honey! Then it rained for two days. My car is parked in a low spot and I can tell when it rains a lot because of the small pond under the car. So now it’s Saturday and I have been off my bike (summer exercise program) for too many days and the weather is cooperating. With other things to do, this day is shot. Got an early start on Sunday and I spent the entire day working on the car – yeah.

With only one day to report on, it will be a short blog. I finished the wiring – done. Ok, a few more details. As you know, the Fiero is a low car. With the added weight of the batteries, it’s really low. As you may recall, I did order some air shock to reduce my front end sag and I should have done my homework better. Those great Ebay shocks weren’t so great. The guy did read the specifications right and if I would have been looking at the same spec’s, I would have never bought them. The top and bottom mounting hardware was good, but the length was not. Fully extended the Fiero shocks were just 1/8” longer than the air shocks – this is the equivalent of putting a solid piece of metal in there as a shock. It would have raised the front end up until I hit a bump, and who knows what would have broken. This was my mistake and while I am at it: anyone need some air shocks? Strange as this sounds, my wonderful wife got me an Amazon gift card for our anniversary and in a search for the “right” pair of shocks (I did my homework this time), I found a pair on Amazon for $1.00 less than the gift card. My wife really knows me. So unless I screwed up again, I should have these installed next week.

But back to the low Fiero…

I needed to connect the front batteries to the back and this involved a long run underneath the car. I originally planned on using the old coolant tubes, but 2/0 cable would have been a challenge. I needed to get the car airborne, so I got out all four jack stands and got it off the ground. While checking out several websites, I saw one of a guy testing out his motor in his car. Netgain has a bench test just to let you see the motor go around using a 12V battery or power supply. So I figured while I had it off the ground, why not! I got out my old car battery, a set of jumper cables and followed the instructions – it worked. With the car in second gear (make sure you are in some gear), and a spark or two later, the wheels were spinning – cool stuff. I showed my wife and then it was time to get to work. (As you can see, I am dragging this out.)

I bought 30’ of 2/0 cable figuring it was more than I needed – I was wrong (again). The long runs were longer than expected with the twists and turns. I had enough cable to make the connections, but I was short to make the motor connections, so I ordered more. With the two long runs in I made the front to back connections. With one in, I started the second one and I got to see the famous melting socket wrench handle I have heard so much about. It was a quick spark (at 72V) and a small shock. I was not paying attention and lost focus for about one second. These two batteries are side-by-side and with one side of the front pack installed, things were electrically hot. I was giving the nut one last turn to tighten things up and “zap”. Tape your handles, pay attention and take your time – plus add whatever words of caution you choose. It melted a 3/8” stainless steel nut to the terminal that I had to cut off with a Dremel tool. I re-threaded the post and pray that I did not kill the battery. It still tightens down and the voltage is still there, but I really won’t know until it is under load if it is still a good battery. The rest of the installation went without a hitch (or spark). I taped my melted handle and moved ever so cautiously and before you know it, I had over 150V on my pack (it’s only a 144V pack, but batteries when fully charged will always be higher). With that done and only a foot of 2/0 cable left, it was time to call it a day. The car was returned to earth from its lofty perch and I retired to the computer to order more cable.

I still need the rest of my order to finish my installation, so it is on to the little things for next week. Hopefully it won’t be three’s a charm on the air shocks. I still need to find the right wires for the run and start hook ups and there are a bunch of things I want to get done on the car. So until next week…

I Can Almost See the Light...

June 23 – July 1, 2008

It was a slow week in terms of getting things done, but that’s what happens when you get toward the end of any project. There are still a million (ok – maybe a hundred) things to do, but each one seems to take forever. All of that old Ice wiring is still bugging me. Our local library has a subscription to http://www.alldatadiy.com/ so it might be worth checking to see if yours does also. They (alldata) will gladly take your money (about $20.00) to get this info online for your car, but I’m cheap. Their wiring diagrams are very detailed and I got a few select sheets to compare to Chilton’s and Haynes. All I (and most people doing a conversion) really need is to get power to the fuse panel so it can run the lights and basic stuff. I also need the key switches (start and run) to tie into the Vehicle Integration Module. I found one wire that was hooked to the starter and was supposed to be the keyed start wire, but after checking it with a multi-meter I am not so sure. To make things easier, I installed to distribution blocks – one positive and one negative. Both blocks have 4, 8 gauge points to tap off of, so when I find the right places to tap into, I am ready. Both blocks get the auxiliary battery cables hook to it. I also took the time to build a new battery box for this auxiliary battery. The old one had rusted away and I did a quick (and poor) job several months ago to keep it from flopping around – now it is in great shape made out of aluminum. As I said, there are lots of little things to do.

With all of those wires out of the way, I installed the rear racks. I already had them in once, but needed to modify the one over the motor with an extra brace. With it in, they were both ready for batteries. The two batteries over the motor dropped right in, but the other two in that rack did not. That extra brace I added was in the way – by about a half an inch. Drill another hole and get a longer bolt and it was in. For all of the battery box connection to the frame I used what are called ny-lock nuts. These nuts have a little nylon insert in them that works like a lock washer – it keeps the nut from vibrating off. The big advantage over a lock washer though is you do not have to make a real tight connection. So when I went through some frame points, I only tighten them enough, but not too much to crush frame and body parts. With all rear batteries installed, it was time to pad the batteries with the Coro-plas – I really like this stuff. I am not sure if it has any insulation value, but I will find out more about it this winter. I have been shopping for some cheap battery hold-downs without much luck. I will probably fabricate something at school.

I mentioned last week how low the front of the car was after putting six batteries up front and this has bugged me every since I did it. I originally wanted to put air shocks in the front, but couldn’t locate ones that would fit. So I did the next best thing and went shopping on Ebay. I knew what the top and bottom fittings looked like and spotted a pair on Ebay. The guy I bought them from has a specification catalog and match sizes for me and found something that will work. That’s on the agenda for this week when they arrive and will update later. All I really need is about 1.5 inches higher to give a little life back to the front springs.

And now to the battery wiring - just another thing on the list of things to do. My brother (the electronics genius in the family – I am just a “wanna be”) convinced me to use flat cable between the batteries. This is the same thing you see that is used as a grounding strap – a flat, braided cable. I found some really big stuff at the surplus store in town and decided to use it just for the short runs. It’s very flexible and just to be safe, I doubled it. Now what I am about to say will spark great debates out there among the EV community, but I am a solderer, not a crimper. If you are a reader of EVDL, they debate this subject at great lengths. Some believe that the only good connection is a crimped connection and some are very specific about what type of crimping. Others swear by soldering, and some ride the fence and say the only good crimped connection is also soldered. I feel a good soldered connection, like a good weld, will always work. It gives 100% contact with the wire and connector and it also “wicks” up the wire a bit to make it even stronger. The cable stays flexible in the middle to keep it from failing (breaking or bending) and unless the joint/connection takes some major heat, the solder will not melt. So as I said, this is a very debatable subject. You can see from the pictures that both types were used up front. The other cables are 2/0. All of the connectors you see are homemade. I used 1/2" and 3/4" copper tubing for each connection. I have some 2/0 connecters to use on the controller, but again, these homemade connectors are solid copper, and a lot cheaper than lugs. I added heat shrink (color coded) to each end just to pretty things up. The small gauge wire at each terminal is for the battery management system (BMS). There will be a circuit board added to each battery when they arrive and this was saving a step down the road. I know I mentioned this earlier in the blog about planning out how each battery connects to another, and it came into play again today. Positive to negative – positive to negative – it sounds so easy. When they are all in a row, it’s so straight forward. But just try to do it when they are in the boxes. Add the extra confusion of front and rear boxes and you have to be extra careful. You hear horror stories of an errant wrench or socket handle arcing across two terminals – well one of those homemade copper lugs (or one of those high priced ones) will make a nice 4th of July show if you make a mistake. And it might be hard to convince the battery store that it “wasn’t my fault” – and at $150-200 each, it might prove to be a bit expensive – be careful!
I have the two long runs to do next to connect the front batteries to the back and build a box for the main fuse and contactor.

So until next week….