Re: (ET) Dead on the road

["Tim Humphrey" <hump evgrin com>]

If the previous troubleshooting ideas don't pan out.....

Try checking the metal shunt that is behind the panel in front of the
shifter, in where the contactors are. Pay attention to the connections on
it, the may be corroded and weak.

Maybe the C-185 doesn't have one, I don't know. But I do know that there
is one on my I-5 and when it's contacts got bad it displayed the same
symptoms as you described. This differs greatly from the no field
error.... The no field problem is high current - low power - low speed, 
while a bad shunt will exhibit low current - low power - low speed (feel
free to substitute low with no).

I first noticed my problem last year while plowing snow, everything worked
great for awhile, then it just went dead. I checked breakers, fuses,
battery connections(which will do it too, you didn't say you checked them)
but, after it cooled off a little it came back on and worked ok. Happened
a few times throughout the winter, very frustrating. It's damned hard to
troubleshoot intermittent faults.

So this past summer it did it again, only this time it didn't reset. THEN
I found the problem, my connections on that metal plate shunt were rotten.

It was FUN to replace, I'm sure glad it wasn't winter....  ;-$

-- 

Stay Charged!
Hump
"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right!" --Henry Ford



>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu
> [mailto:elec-trak-bounces cosmos phy tufts edu] On Behalf Of Klein Robert
> W
> NPRI
> Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 8:48 AM
> To: 'Chris Zach'; Elec-trak list
> Subject: (ET) Dead on the road
>
> First let me say that I've never been so impressed with my Wheelhorse
> C-185
> (E-20) then during this last two snow dumps here in New England.  The
> combination of snowthrower for removal of the high volumn light and 
> fluffy
> coupled with the quick change to the plow for the removal of hardpack on
> pavement has impressed the entire neighborhood.
>
> Now for the bad news...  One of my favorite neighbors missed all this
> blizzard action by being in Hawaii on vacation (Talk about timing ).
> Being
> the good simaritan, I fired up the snowthrower and headed off to make 
> sure
> he had a way to get in his driveway and into the house.  This entailed 
> the
> removal of 4-5' high snow drifts over a loose gravel driveway.  After two
> hours I had removed a car width of snow 75' long as well as hand shoveled
> his walk, stairs, and front porch.  Fully exhausted I backed out and did 
> a
> couple of passes in front of the mailbox.  It was at this time that I
> pushed
> into a pile of snow left from the plow, the engine and blower motor 
> loaded
> down big time.  By the time I removed my foot from the pedal all was
> quiet.
> The I figured I had over  heated the motor so gave it a 20 minute rest...
> But the motor was only warm to the touch.  Physically disconnected the
> snowblower.  Checked the fuses and 50amp circuit breaker... All OK.
> Walked
> home, got my IC Wheelhorse and with the help of another neighbor towed 
> the
> C-185 (E-20) back home.  Put the charger on.  Pulled the thermal circuit
> breaker off the motor and checked with a VOM meter... Everything OK.  Put
> the transmission in neutral and pushed the throttle pedal and the motor
> barely moved... Like it wasn't getting any real power.
>
> The front lift vcontinues to work fine.  No smoke or smell of burning
> wires.
>
> HELP!  Could it be that I've fried a contactor/solenoid?
>
> Bob Klein
> Really Snowbound in Charlestown, RI
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elec-trak mailing list
> Elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu
> https://cosmos.phy.tufts.edu/mailman/listinfo/elec-trak
>