Battery Vehicle Society

Time to update progress! Did an equalisation charge about a week ago which brought the charge up to 100% and a bit more. Used the car over three days and kept a record of the state of charge before and after each use. Overnight it was losing around 2 to 3%. At the next recharge it seemed that the to...

Hhmmm! Car has been performing happily for the last few days. BUT, for the last two days the recharging has refused to go past 94%. No nasty warning lights coming on as before and averaging about 20 miles between recharges to get the whole thing used to so much action after what was most of a year's...

Checked the rear hand brakes out as suggested. The hand brake cable to the right hand rear wheel had come adrift - it just hooks over its anchorage. Checked adjustment with wheel in air and then did the left hand one to be sure. So thats sorted - no strange noises and it stays put on a hill now. Rea...

Two round trips to and from Ashburton completed in the last two days plus demonstration outings for interested people at the railway and trip to the voting station last night. Total 26 miles and charge down to 47%. Didn't mean to get it quite that low but, anyway, put on charge last night and in 3 h...

Here's a picture of 'Sparky' outside the station at Buckfastleigh on his first day back in traffic after the battery problem was sorted.

Awaiting new small picture link, ChrisB

Latest update - and questions. Everything back together and ready for test run. Charge level showing 17% after two weeks lay up (about 20% before). I put it on charge and everything whirred into life as it should. But the charging system cut out at 38%. No better after a break so it wasn't some sort...

Have done as suggested - checked the flow through each run on the top of the batteries. All well. The three pipes that had come off are now fixed in place with cable ties. They were on the outer corners of the pack. Don't know if that was significant - or did I just leave them off!! Self inflicted t...

Progress of a sort! Everything back together yesterday and ready for lift off. I turn on the ignition and everything bursts into life. BUT accompanied by the sound of running water - out of the drain hole of the big battery!! Drat, drat and double drat!! (Or words to that effect) OK, I take it all a...

Will send a picture of my weld repairs! First I welded the crack directly with the soldering iron, then I cut slivers of the plastic from pieces blown out of the dead cells and welded them along the length of the crack to give it added strength as I don't expect the weld penetration will have been d...

Yes, pretty stunning attempt at a bodge. The less disastrous looking battery I have poked all the fibre glass off and its 'only' got a cracked watering ramp. It looks as if it was broken from above rather than exploded. As mentioned in the last posting the electrolyte levels are as they should be an...