Project Strangeangel's Shite-tastic Shenanigans 12/12 NEW MOTOR - ACHIEVED.

[Zelandeth]

I'm wondering if one of the batteries has gone open circuit/high impedance allowing the charging voltage to climb too high?

There aren't all that many batteries are there (48V, string of four assuming they're 12V each)...charging them individually on a good quality intelligent charger is probably a good shout in the short term, and should help highlight any duff ones.

Other thing which springs to mind is does that charger just dump straight 50Hz rectified DC into the charging side, or does it use an inverter/switchmode supply?  I know some digital meters can struggle when reading circuits where there's a lot of high frequency noise or odd spiky waveforms.

Please don't offer it to me...I know I'd not be able to say no, but I've nowhere to put it, already have one car in need of a not insubstantial amount of work once the parts arrive, and I'd be skinned alive for getting it... probably still would volunteer though!

[strangeangel]

25 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

please offer it to @Zelandeth before scrapping it/writing it off!

I know he expressed interest in one, and I imagine it would make for some excellent content in his thread as he revived it  

 

is the last remaining issue the charger? if so perhaps id just get another one and see what it does? (although im not sure how much these things cost!)

if push come to shove you could perhaps try and charge all 4 batteries together by hooking each one up to its own 12V charger?

the charger connects directly to the batteries right? so technically the car is not at fault then?  the fault is either the batteries or the charger

 

 

It has to be the charger, the batteries charged OK with the old one on. I can't find any specifications for it online, so I don't know if it's for a different battery type. It shouldn't be, as it came with a load of dead SLA batteries and a speed controller etc. from an abandoned EV build. There is the name of the firm that sold it on the side though, so I'm going to contact them and see if they can help. Not dead yet!

 

8 minutes ago, UltraWomble said:

Rip the batteries out & weigh in.
Rip the wiring out & weigh in.
Fabricate a mounting for a Stomp 125 Honda Clone engine ( with the 12v electrics)
Fit same with chain drive to rear wheels.
Enjoy some slightly slow but probably mental fun with something registered as electric.

 

There's no back axle, so that would probably be as difficult as making the fecker work in it's current form...

 

25 minutes ago, Claire84 said:

Stick it in the corner and let’s all enjoy some more pics of that Ph1 Beige Beauty BX. 

 

That's got its own thread.

 

[strangeangel]

16 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

I'm wondering if one of the batteries has gone open circuit/high impedance allowing the charging voltage to climb too high?

There aren't all that many batteries are there (48V, string of four assuming they're 12V each)...charging them individually on a good quality intelligent charger is probably a good shout in the short term, and should help highlight any duff ones.

Other thing which springs to mind is does that charger just dump straight 50Hz rectified DC into the charging side, or does it use an inverter/switchmode supply?  I know some digital meters can struggle when reading circuits where there's a lot of high frequency noise or odd spiky waveforms.

Please don't offer it to me...I know I'd not be able to say no, but I've nowhere to put it, already have one car in need of a not insubstantial amount of work once the parts arrive, and I'd be skinned alive for getting it... probably still would volunteer though!

 

Sorry, I missed your post earlier! I could have sworn it wasn't there when I posted the reply below it.

 

It's possible I guess... I'd need to unlace the whole battery pack to check? It's got 12 batteries, so 4 lots of 4 I guess. I've got an intelligent 12V charger, so I suppose it could be done.

 

I'm afraid I don't know anything about the charger yet, other than its a 48V one. I have got an old analogue meter I could try next time though.

 

[strangeangel]

Oh yeah.

 

 

[strangeangel]

Finding more dates on the Tula... some things that are supposed to be dated are not (e.g. the headlamp and ignition lock), but the tail light is, and so is the tin cover on the horrible mechanical voltage regulator (both '62). Can you spot it?

 

 

Plus a chap on a Russian scooter forum has given me a frame number higher than mine that's on a 1962 reg'd bike, so it's all pointing towards that year. Bikes earlier than 1961 look obviously different so those are out.

 

[strangeangel]

So the new solid state regulator arrived today and I thought I'd have a crack at fitting it and the new battery. The first thing I noticed is that the starter still turns over reeeeeaaaalllyy slooooooooowly, so the probably isn't anything wrong with the old battery; it's the starter that's on the way out. Still, the old regulator needs to go as it was overcharging the battery significantly.

 

The second unwelcome discovery was that the battery isn't charging. At all. Here's the wiring diagram, I'm pretty convinced I wired everything up right:

 

 

Earth connected to black, DYN on the dynamo connected to yellow, F to green and the fused (15A) goes to the live wire (the remaining one attached to the old regulator. When you unplug the red wire, my meter was showing the output of the regulator as 0.6V at tickover, revving the car produced 2V. Also, when I revved the engine up, the big red charge light on the dash got brighter. Argh.

 

If anyone's got any ideas I'm all ears.

 

[strangeangel]

The plot thickens. I assumed that the dynamo was OK, given that it had previously been charging the knackers off the battery at 8V+. Once the mechanical regulator was replaced with a new, solid state one the system now produces a maximum of 2V - so, naturally I suspected the aforementioned regulator.

 

I've just done the dynamo output test - join D and F together and measure voltage to earth - and the fucking dynamo is producing... 0.6V-2V when revved. So this points to the regulator being OK, and the dynamo being faulty, which must have only just happened?? Could the old, duff regulator cause damage to the dynamo by allowing it to output too high a voltage? Puzzling.

 

Second hand starters boasting unknown provenance and no warranty are £150... so it seems as though the next job is to get the starter and dynamo rebuilt. The first place I rang in Huddersfield said they would normally do that, but not at the moment because lockdown.

 

On the plus side, the BX is home. The cloud that goes with that particular silver lining is the 4-digit bill that accompanied the car:

• complete exhaust system
• front discs and pads
• bottom arm rear bushes
• 1 x strut top mount
• n/s/f inner CV boot
• n/s/r suspension gaiter
• o/s/r brake pipe
• n/s handbrake cable
• a lot of LHM
• some gearbox oil
• 2 x Uniroyals
• weldage to n/s sill

 

"Just bring 'er back when you want the rear spheres doing!"

"Yeah, that might be in a month or two" ?

 

[Cleon-Fonte]

On 5/13/2020 at 4:54 PM, strangeangel said:

the 4-digit bill that accompanied the car:

 

Fuck, that's dedication right there. Congratulations on having the car back and condolonces for the loss of the contents of your wallet.

[strangeangel]

39 minutes ago, Cleon-Fonte said:

 

Fuck, that's dedication right there. Congratulations on having the car back and condolonces for the loss of the contents of your wallet.

 

Well, last year's MOT and associated business was £900, this year was just shy of £1050 (and many repairs did they make for this sum) but let's just think about this for a minute. I already own the car, so a grand over the year is less than £100 a month. I know you can imagine how desperately unhappy I'd be driving to the library in the sort of miserable modern shitbox £100 a month on the tick buys you*. No, the BX is an absolute bargain in this context ?

 

*factor in also that the money goes to a real, live local business as opposed to some evil multinational corporation that doesn't pay any f***ing tax, and we're all winning.

 

[Dave_Q]

I think as well you have to put some value on your own time, obviously you could have maybe halved the bill by messing about under the car for hours getting rust in your eyes and setting your hair on fire doing your own welding. I'm less and less convinced that that is actually any fun.

Also it must be great to have a garage you can trust to just fix up an old crock for you rather than telling you to SCRAP IT M8 at the first 3 figure bill or shitting themselves when you present them with a 5L drum of strange green liquid.

[strangeangel]

10 minutes ago, Dave_Q said:

Also it must be great to have a garage you can trust to just fix up an old crock for you rather than telling you to SCRAP IT M8 at the first 3 figure bill or shitting themselves when you present them with a 5L drum of strange green liquid.

 

They're actually Citroen specialists, so they have plenty of the green in stock! But, yeah, they've been great. In my head the BX is my modern, so it goes to the garage and gets what's needed, leaving me to waste my precious leisure time trying (and failing miserably) to recommission shit like the Aixam or, on a more positive note, getting the Trail 90 and the Tula up and running.

 

 

[barrett]

Somewhere there is a short piece in CAR magazine where my boss Blain hammered an Ami Super across the country and did some ridiculous average speed like 75mph over 200 miles. He was much more complimentary than the What Car? bods and I trust his judgement on these things. Wish I could find it but I don't think it's online anywhere

[strangeangel]

Pulling away from a set of lights this afternoon, heading for home, there was a loud metallic knocking followed by a total loss of drive. Luckily there was a bus stop, and I managed to roll the BX backwards into it, revealing a huge puddle of gearbox oil as I did. Fuck.

 

Off (back) to the garage it went, but I had to make my own way home because COVID, walking 1.5 miles to the nearest train station. At least it was a nice day! This shit is sent to try us, I suppose, but given the times in which we live none of it seems like much of a big deal.

 

In other news, the Honda Caren that's been hanging around at the back of the garage for about 3 years left today, and the Aixam will be leaving soon (one way or another). I think this thinning down is a Good Thing.

 

[vulgalour]

Well, bum, that's rubbish.

[richykitchy]

13 hours ago, strangeangel said:

Pulling away from a set of lights this afternoon, heading for home, there was a loud metallic knocking followed by a total loss of drive. Luckily there was a bus stop, and I managed to roll the BX backwards into it, revealing a huge puddle of gearbox oil as I did. Fuck.

 

Off (back) to the garage it went, but I had to make my own way home because COVID, walking 1.5 miles to the nearest train station. At least it was a nice day! This shit is sent to try us, I suppose, but given the times in which we live none of it seems like much of a big deal.

 

In other news, the Honda Caren that's been hanging around at the back of the garage for about 3 years left today, and the Aixam will be leaving soon (one way or another). I think this thinning down is a Good Thing.

 

Sounds like the diff's jacked itself in. Luckily, they're removable, without needing to take the gearbox out. In fact, they're actually not too bad at all to replace.

Just get one with the right final drive, otherwise you'll kill either the performance of the 1.9n/a diesel power unit, or the economy!

[dollywobbler]

Would it be too cheeky to ask them to crack the rear spheres so you can replace them yourself? Rear ones can be an utter sod to release, but if they've been cracked off recently, should be easy DIY.

[strangeangel]

17 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Would it be too cheeky to ask them to crack the rear spheres so you can replace them yourself? Rear ones can be an utter sod to release, but if they've been cracked off recently, should be easy DIY.

 

Bigger fish to fry at the moment... sounds like a new diff is required.

 

[Tamworthbay]

Bloody ell mate, you aren't having much luck at the mo.

[Talbot]

3 hours ago, strangeangel said:

Bigger fish to fry at the moment... sounds like a new diff is required.

That is a complete bastard.  I was going to say "at least BE3/5 gearboxes are plentiful and cheap" but I realised that was 15 years ago.  They used to be so plentiful I think I had about 8 at one point.

There must be someone breaking an appropriate vehicle somewhere who can sell you a box (or just a diff, depends which bit is broken).  Changing a gearbox on a BX is thankfully fairly straightforward.

[strangeangel]

4 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

Bloody ell mate, you aren't having much luck at the mo.

 

True, but ATEOTD it's just old cars innit. Some poor bastards have Coronavirus, or cancer or something else that's really going to spoil their day.

 

[strangeangel]

8 hours ago, richykitchy said:

Just get one with the right final drive, otherwise you'll kill either the performance of the 1.9n/a diesel power unit, or the economy!

 

 

They've not rung to confirm this yet at the garage, but just in case they do... do you know which models the diff from mine is common to?

 

[Tamworthbay]

19 minutes ago, strangeangel said:

 

True, but ATEOTD it's just old cars innit. Some poor bastards have Coronavirus, or cancer or something else that's really going to spoil their day.

 

Only way to look at it but often hard to do that when you are in the middle! Sometimes cars just fight you all the way and then run for ages without a glitch. Fingers crossed you can find a BX diff easy.

[strangeangel]

1 minute ago, Tamworthbay said:

Only way to look at it but often hard to do that when you are in the middle! Sometimes cars just fight you all the way and then run for ages without a glitch. Fingers crossed you can find a BX diff easy.

 

Cheers. For balance, the BX has never failed to get home in the four years I've owned it before all this, and you have to expect hassles with a car as old as the Ami (but it's still well in the black as far as enjoyment of ownership is concerned). As for the Aixam, that'll be gone by the end of the BH weekend, one way or another. If it's not sold it'll be cut up for spares and punted on.

 

 

[Tamworthbay]

Just now, strangeangel said:

 

Cheers. For balance, the BX has never failed to get home in the four years I've owned it before all this, and you have to expect hassles with a car as old as the Ami (but it's still well in the black as far as enjoyment of ownership is concerned). As for the Aixam, that'll be gone by the end of the BH weekend, one way or another. If it's not sold it'll be cut up for spares and punted on.

 

 

Much as I have loved seeing the Aixam and willed you to get it sorted, some cars you just have to accept you won’t win with and punt them on for your sanity. I keep thinking about the Aixam but thankfully a completely lack of space and my determination to finish the Capri after 6 years has meant I have (for once) been sensible and resisted temptation.

[strangeangel]

2 hours ago, Tamworthbay said:

Much as I have loved seeing the Aixam and willed you to get it sorted, some cars you just have to accept you won’t win with and punt them on for your sanity. I keep thinking about the Aixam but thankfully a completely lack of space and my determination to finish the Capri after 6 years has meant I have (for once) been sensible and resisted temptation.

 

It's been an interesting (albeit frustrating) learning experience; I'm still overall glad I did it, but it's no fun anymore and I only do this stuff for fun - it's not bangernomics. I'd rather spend my time and money on something I'll enjoy, e.g. the Tula etc.

 

[strangeangel]

The garage have just rung - the gearbox is TOTALLY FUCKING FUCKED M8. It managed to smash the diff housing and destroy the diff, which is how it shat all its oil all over the road.

 

Anyone who has such a thing lying around, or knows the whereabouts of one please get in touch! 

 

[Meter rat]

If this is any help. I think the BX in Looms in Derby is a 1.9. Not sure if they are open though. May be worth a ring.

[barrett]

@richykitchy do you know of any suitable cars being broken at the moment, or somebody likely to have a gearbox for this?

[strangeangel]

6 minutes ago, Meter rat said:

If this is any help. I think the BX in Looms in Derby is a 1.9. Not sure if they are open though. May be worth a ring.

 

Just checked their website - it's a TD unfortunately, which has a different final drive ratio to mine. Thanks anyway ?

 

[Dave_Q]

Does it have to be a BX gearbag? Would any non-turbo XUD be alright?

Eg a Berlingo, should be plenty about.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-berlingo-1-9-hdi-gearbox-96-02-20TD70/383267057683?hash=item593c7f3013:g:GeYAAOSwL4VdzbNs