This is a read-only archive of the old Madabout Kitcars forum. New posts and replies are no longer possible, but every thread is still here to browse and read.
I spent a happy hour yesterday on my 2.8 undoing jubilee clips whose heads I couldn't see to release the pictured items into the wild. The car exhibited the start/not run symptoms but unplugging the MAF sorted that. I think that the splits have been present for some time. Nice surprise- £25 the pair on eBay.
Air Intake Hose 13541705209 (the one on the left)
Air Intake Hose 13541435627 (the one on the right)
Just be grateful your intake rubbers are standard. I had to 'join' some 2.8 intakes with some 2.5 intakes when I changed the intake system to get better breathing and more power.
Jubilee clips, silicon beading, bicycle innertubes and much swearing finally got an air tight flow and another 1/2 second of the 20-80mph time
I think you'll find that electric cars are almost silent !!! (gets coat).
The guy is obviously an electrical/electronics engineer to be playing about with CANBUS signalling, etc.
Simpler times- a guy in the Jago club electrified his Fiat 850 by replacing (just) the engine with a forklift truck motor. Even used the standard clutch and gearbox. Controlling the battery output was the hardest part, trying to emulate the throttle via the right hand pedal.
Whilst I like the idea of electric cars from a performance point of view, the complexity of putting a safe and reliable system together is beyond me ! The chances of shorting something out and having a fire you can't put out would give me sleepless nights as well as the cost of building it !
Whilst I like the idea of electric cars from a performance point of view, the complexity of putting a safe and reliable system together is beyond me ! The chances of shorting something out and having a fire you can't put out would give me sleepless nights as well as the cost of building it !
I'm in the process of replacing a battery-to-fusebox lead on a Z3. It's a 40mm2 cable rated at 300A that goes to a busbar behind the glove box. There is a good number of 200A, 100A and 80A fuses before you get to the "small" fuses under the bonnet.
One of blokes I worked with a while back was into model quadcopters / drones. The battery in one of those was the size of a match box and he dropped a fully charged one onto the concrete floor. It must have shorted out internally because it burst into flames, burned ferociously for 10 minutes and the fumes were horrendous. The same battery technology is in an electric car but hundreds of times bigger !
Tread with caution if planning to build an electric kit car - you have to know what's what ( I certainly don't) and a steep learning curve that kills you is to be avoided! For a short while I worked where electric cars (and IC cars) were being assembled and there were large GRP "shepherd's crooks" at regular points along the line for fishing out 'zapped' staff - scarey stuff.
GRP shepherd's crooks!!! It's surprising just how low a current is required to kill if applied in the wrong place.
That's why I was so glad to see how heavily fused the Z3 is. It's a relatively large battery and even cheap ones can provide a cranking current >400A. That's probably why the later cars have the "explosive" cutout in the starter circuit.
I'm no electrician but I believe it's the current and length of time exposed that kill, the voltage is only relevant in terms of being able to 'push' enough current to do the job. Hence, police tasers run at around 50,000 volts and 18 amps, but it's delivered in bursts measured in microseconds, so is non-lethal (in most circumstances), while a domestic, 13amp, 240v socket is likely to kill you if you touch its insides without an RCD in the line.
As for electric cars, Trumpton are bloody terrified of them. We had a Nissan Leaf involved in a minor shunt (no pun intended) on my patch when I was a plod and the fire service treated it like an unexploded bomb, cordoning off the area, leaving it time to 'soak' and looking very anxious indeed when they started trying to disconnect things.
God help us all when everyone's driving electric...
On the electrical installations I've been involved with, we're talking 800kVA here, there's been an easily accessible breaker capable of handling that to shut it down. Usually some big red buttons, suitably relayed to do it as well.
My Fury has a battery isolator on the dash. I have a "magnetic ball" cut-out for my Jago.
I'm very pleased my 12V 600 cca car battery won't kill me, even if I put my thumbs on both terminals at once (contrary to what the missus would expect), but I wonder what 'combination' is required? I'm not about to experiment (contrary to what the missus may hope ). In addition to my car battery I'm also aware I've had shocks involving probably several thousand Volts, but miniscule amps from static electricity. Somewhere in the mix is the lethal voltage/current mix - does anyone here know?
I touched an electric fence as a kid just to see what it felt like ! Knocked me off my feet ! As an adult I've put my fingers in the wrong place on several occasions but I'm still here !
I got a kick from an electric fence when I tried to fry a grass hopper. I learned that the current went straight through the grass hooper AND me before earthing. It was a learning experience I still remember.
I have had a few kicks from 240V domestic such as the time I was working on the pump in the pond and the wife thought turning the power back on so the garden lights might help. Tingles a bit as long as it is only a quick connection but the 3 or 4 seconds before she realised did seem quite a long time.
Remember holding the square 9V batteries against my tongue as a bet when I was a kid which also was refreshing.
I have had a few kicks from 240V domestic such as the time I was working on the pump in the pond and the wife thought turning the power back on so the garden lights might help.
"Oh, you're okay. I mean, thank goodness! I, er, thought the garden lights might help..."
I did get an interesting belt once from a moped engine I was playing with. Kept me doubled up for a few seconds. It was a Powerpak 50cc bicycle add-on. Basic Wipac magneto ignition.
Some of us are on the ZRoadster forum but I'm posting this here for those who are not.
I've been having intermittent starting problems. It was even dollied home by an AA man when it failed after an 8mile run from home to a spares shop.
My C110 scanner consistently showed an exhaust cam position sensor error. Clearing that allowed it to start.
So I went out to the Z300S yesterday morning and it would not start. I'd researched exhaust cam position sensors and their price range from £25 to £152. I cleaned up around the existing one- it's easy to get at on the front of the engine. I removed it and gave it a good go with WD40 and got it very clean. I replaced it and the engine started. Having been out for the day in another car, upon my return I tried- it started again. This could be a fix. I think if I'd got it to a BMW dealer they would have replaced the sensor regardless and charged about £300 for the OBD scanner diagnostic, full price sensor and labour to fit. Phew!!! And so much for the AA man's diagnosis of a fuel tank or pump problem... (I didn't have my scanner with me.)
I don't think that cleaning the sensor itself solved the problem. More likely is that cleaning and exercising the electrical plug/socket connection was the real cure. My point is that a simple maintenance/cleaning activity based on the OBD scanner evidence has renewed confidence in the car, saved me money and taught me to keep a scanner on board.
). In addition to my car battery I'm also aware I've had shocks involving probably several thousand Volts, but miniscule amps from static electricity. Somewhere in the mix is the lethal voltage/current mix - does anyone here know? 
)