Great advice from Mark Farver

December 20, 2006 by Rob.

I wrote to the AustinEV list:

In searching for a power system, I’m trying to narrow it down to Solectra (ElectroAuto) or Siemens (MetricMind).  There is a BIG price difference, but I’m more concerned about the quality and installation experience.  Does anyone in the group have experience with either system?

Mark said:

I did a 1999 Ranger using the MetricMind system.  Other than the difficulty in building an adapter the system work well, and is designed from the ground up to go into a vehicle, so the interface and safety systems were well done and easy to use.

BTW: The AC systems fit my project objectives and provide the type of computer interface that is a core requirement for me.

Define what you want here.. the Siemens system has a computer interface, but it is closed/undocumented and is not terribly useful beyond configuring the system.  (The included software is also tricky to make work with modern computers.)

The Zilla DC controller also has a computer interface, and while it has very few built in features it is much more open to interfacing with other products.  (A skilled engineer could get around all of its limitations by replacing the Hairball with a custom controller.
Something I’ve often talked about doing)

How long does an engine removal take?

Few hours depending on how well you have prepared.  Before removing the engine and while the vehicle is drivable:

You should recover the refrigerant from the AC system.  We have a automotive technician in the group who will probably do this for you for little cost.

Clean the engine compartment.  At the very least go to one of the U-wash locations and spend $20 in quarters pressure washing/degreasing the engine.  You’ll thank me.

I would not remove the engine until the controller/motor are already here.  Nothing annoys the SO more than having an engineless vehicle in the garage for months…and it is frustrating for you to see the car sitting there.  Only the rear battery boxes can be worked on during this time, and its not enough to keep you busy.  (Instead you end up dismantling the dash and making a mess out of the passenger compartment)

Once you’re ready to remove the engine:

Drain all of the fluids: Tranny oil, coolant, engine oil, power steering, everything with a drain plug.  Recycle the resulting mess.

Drain the gas tank, usually the easiest way to do this is buy a few feet of fuel line hose. Disconnect the line from the fuel pump at the fuel rail inlet atop the engine, extend it with your new hose and stick the
other end into a gas can.   You’ll probably need to short the fuel pump
relay, since the computer generally won’t run the pump unless the engine is turning.  The factory wiring diagram comes in real handy.

Drop the gas tank.  The gas tank is usually strapped to the bottom of the car with two straps held in place with bolts or pins.  Don’t forget to disconnect the fuel pump, fuel lines and fuel sender wiring before removing the tank.  On many vehicles this requires opening an access panel above the tank and inside the passenger compartment.  On sedans this is usually under the back seat, other vehicles it could be anywhere near the tank.  Factory manual or a Chilton’s can help here.

Remove the exhaust system.  If the car is old the bolts are going to be frozen, you can fight them, or just cut the pipes with a Sawzall.
Generally you want the car up in the air for this part, on jackstands in all four corners.

Front wheel drive: Pull the halfshafts.  This is a real pain.  You’ll need to remove the big nut on the inside of the wheels.  Sometimes this can be done tires on the ground (so you have something to work against) sometimes you have to remove the tire.  (In which case hope the brakes work well enough for a partner to hold the system from turning).  Impact wrench is really handy here.

Once you get the axle nut off, you have to pull the brake caliper, and most of the tie rods.  Then the wheel can be swung out of the way and you can pull the axle off the tranny, or unbolt it from the carrier.
Note that once the axles are removed the car cannot be moved for any distance without destroying the wheel bearings.  In fact, the car really shouldn’t have any weight on the wheels.

Rear wheel drive: remove the drive shaft.  This is easy, as long as you were careful draining the tranny oil.  (RAV is Front Wheel)

Next, spend a few hours finding every harness, pipe and whatnot connecting the engine to the chassis.  Noteable items are the tranny shift cables, throttle cable, radiator and heater hoses, power steering
hoses, tranny cooler, and engine harness.   Remove the radiator and fan,
since they will be in the way.  Also you can remove stuff like the coolant recovery tank, battery, and anything else that might be in the way.  Save all of you nuts and bolts in marked baggies, and sorted into boxes labeled for each area of the car they came out of.  Take lots of pictures… when you need to put stuff back in 12 months you’re need some of this to remember what came from where.

Rear wheel drive:  Make some marks on the firewall and take measurements so you’ll be able to reposition the transmission in exactly the same spot.

Once you reach this point all of the time consuming stuff is done.  Get a few friends and an engine hoist.  Chain the engine to the hoist and remove the engine mounts.  (Typically 3 or 4).  Usually only an hour or so.

Mark

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