Re: (ET) Trouble with battreis, speed control, and mower???

[Allan <allanhv worldnet att net>]

The ET's use resistors to provide the lower speeds.  These resistors 
dissapate a
lot of energy, but, generally, the ET's spend most of their time at the 
middle
speed, where the resistors are not in use.

If your ET is running in one of the lower speeds, where the resistors are 
in
use, you will find that you have low torque and that the batteries don't 
last
very long.  You could probably check to see if this is the case by feeling 
for
heat comming from the resistors, which are mounted under the hood forward 
of the
batteries. (They are the large metal straps.)

I've never seen low batteries cause the speeds not to operate. You 
probably have
some relay problems.  You may want to remove the covers and check for mouse
nests, etc..  I've seen lots of damage from mice, especially if they chew 
on the
wiring.

You may want to check the voltage of each battery (each cell if possible) 
after
the ET has been run a little.  Checking with a full charge may not give 
you the
whole story.  You may find that one or more cells are much lower (even
completely dead) relative to the others.

I hope this helps!

Allan



G McPherson wrote:

> Greetings,
>
> We have an eco centre where we endevour to demonstrate eco technology at
> work.  However I am still very much a student when it comes to the care 
> and
> feeding of the technology.
>
> I do love our ET-15 but it has been laid up for a year waiting for some
> parts and it did get rained on a couple of times before I stored in our
> shed. Over the winter I charged the batteries a couple of times and put a
> light bulb under its cover to keep it cosy during the coldest months.
>
> I am afraid that the dampness or the cold got the better of it.  When 
> did my
> repairs and started to prepare to put it to work I discovered a few 
> things
> that concerned me.  I found no referance in the owners manual that
> enlightened me on these issues.  Please share with me any insights you 
> may
> have into its issues issues.
>
> 1. The power pack appeared to be fully charged but when I checked the 
> cells
> their specific gravity would range from 1125- 1175.   The spread 
> concerned
> me a little but the low level concerned me more.  No plates were exposed 
> but
> the electrolite was generally low.  I charged it for a few hours with no
> appreciable change in the ?fuel level? meter.   When I started to use the
> tractor I noticed that it seemed listless and under powered the fuel 
> level
> meter immediately ?full? to ?low ? and it seems to struggle under load.  
> So
> I stopped and checked for undue friction. However  the wheels were free 
> and
> the brake was not dragging so put it on charge again and toped up the 
> cells
> with distilled water.  After a ?6 to 10 ? year? charge (7 hours) it only
> showed 85% full.  I do not want to over charge the pack.  But something
> seems amis.  Are my batteries toast or just out of shape?  Do I continue 
> to
> charge them or  am I facing replacing them?
>
> 2. The Speed Control lever would shift from forward to reverse normally 
> but
> would not accelerate to a higher speed at all just ?on or off?  All the
> graduated speed control had disappeared.  Could this be related to the 
> low
> battery level or are there switch contacts that need to be cleaned?
>
> 3. When I inspected the mover I discovered that one of the blades was a
> little stiff and when I tried it under power the motor would heat up.  Is
> this a lubrication issue (if so where do I lubricate?) or could  the 
> shaft
> or bearing be worn or damaged?  What are the possibilities and how 
> should I
> approach it.?
>
> Help!
>
> Garnet McPherson ? lifesmith hotmail com
> Green Planet Foundation ? Eco Centre
> Colborne Ontario
> (ET15 & Commuta-Car)
>
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