Re: (ET) My first E15 and a reversing problem

[John Charles Fedor <John Fedor net>]

Three possible things to check about the reversing problem.

1) First and simplest, check the fuses. I have had this problem and gone 
lookin
for complicated problems only to find one of the fuses under the hood blew
(sometimes hard to see by a quick visual inspection) Remove the fuses and 
inspect
them carefully, especially the middle of the three.

2) Check if the reversing relay is working correctly. To do this, open the 
hood,
drop down the circuit board panel (2 screws hold it at the top right where 
the
hood closes, behind the dash). With the power disconnect on, move the 
throttle
from forward to reverse and see if the relay moves. It should be visible 
and easy
to identify. I am not sure where it is on the e15, but on the e12 it is on 
the
left side, on the e20 it is in the middle.

3) the third and least likely choice is to test the switch bolted under 
the dash
that the throttle lever hits when you move it to reverse.

If option #2 is the problem, a new relay can be purchased for less than 20 
bucks
(if I remember correctly, less than 10) from Bill Gunn at Technical 
services and
takes about 10 minutes to replace. Be sure to ask bill for a list of 
terminal
locations, because the new relays are a bit different than the old - all 
the wires
are on the bottom on the new ones.

It may be possible to "repair" the relay if it is not welded in the forward
position. The contacts may simply be very dirty, but for the price, 
replacing it
is probably the best option.

good luck

Ken Olum wrote:

>    From: "Pieter Litchfield" <plitch attglobal net>
>    Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2001 17:20:15 -0500
>
>    It seems that I have caused problems with my e-15 by moving the speed
>    control to reverse while rolling (not necessarily under power) 
> forward.  Can
>    moving the speed control into reverse while the motor is still turning
>    forward cause a blown reverse relay?
>
> Yes.  It causes arcing and eventual welding of the contacts.  There's
> a circuit on the control board to prevent this from happening, but it
> doesn't work well enough.
>
>                         Ken