James Jarrett wrote:
I have two ETs that are both in need of repairs. For one, I know exactly what I need, for the other I'm not so sure. For the I5 I need a new emergency disconnect switch. It failed this weekend and I replaced it with a 48v DC rated heavy duty toggle switch. I could leave it like this, but I really had plans for that switch elsewhere.
Harold Zimmerman is your go-to person for this.
Also for the I5 I need two lifter motors. One to replace the front deck lift, and one for the rear lift. If someone could tell me *exactly* what model car motor would work I'll modify them myself. Be a good project, but I have heard conflicting info and don't want to go to the junkyard and come back with stuff I can't use.
Hm. I have a *lot* of experience with the Buick motors and have had mixed results. Note that they are wound differently from the Elec-trak motors; you cannot put an elec-trak armature into a buick field for example without weird things happening.
That said my rear lift is a 12 volt buick motor (70's vintage) that works at 12 volts. However the tiller is not as heavy as the snowblower.
When I ran another one a 18 volts it turned the armature windings into carmelized carbon within 10 minutes of use. As in destroyed. Ran a second one at 12 volts and it works just fine. You have to file down that protrusion; get a ryobi bench grinder down at Home Despot or something like that.
Now for real fun: I have one of the last of the Bill Gunn lift motors, and it cost a pretty penny. It's "new" all right; looks like Bill took the last model of the Buick motor (with a nice spring buffered gear and all), opened it for some reason (hopefully to rewind the motor) and put pigtails in a plug in the back (it's not the classic Elec-trak 3 pin rear). I'm going to install it this weekend for snowblower service, and run at right at 18 volts. I really hope it works.
Oh by the way, to anyone who is reading this: if you have a blown lift motor, I'll buy it for $20 bucks. Maybe I can make a living fixing these :-)
For my E-12M I have a problem that I can't find. I am a very poor electronics diagnostician, so it might be obvious to someone els on the list. The problem started as the mower not wanting to go forward. I'd back up a big from a mowing run and then put it in forward, and I would hear the relay click but it would not move. Sometimes just going in reverse for a moment, letting it stop and then going back forward wouldfix it. Then it died for good. Everything else works (including reverse) but Ihave no forward power. I backed it into the shop and noticed the contacts to one of the relays were badly corroded. I removed the relay,cleaned the contacts and put it back in. It worked for a few days but now it's back to the same problem. Suggestinons?
Standard E12 suggestion: You blew up one or two of the diodes that control the field. Check it out. Radio shack 7amp Si diodes should work.
Chris