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Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

I have my BMV relay set to activate a Cyrix LI-CT (not the LI-charge) based on leisure battery charge level.??It is only able to charge once the battery drops below a certain point and then cuts off when it¡¯s full.??This does change the battery icon range unfortunately, so that shows empty at a low discharge level but the % gauge is still ok.
On 8 Aug 2021, 03:53 +0200, Steve via groups.io <seaweedsteve@...>, wrote:

I'm back in my van and now I see the issue I have with my setup.? ?I use the BMV 702 relay programming to manage the Cyrix. Li-charge.? ? I like having control from my phone and the ability to manually open and close the relay depending.? ? ? ?So, I have found that with my vehicle, if I set (the BMV-702)? relay to close at 13.4 volts coming from the starter battery then it connects the Cyrix charging when my engine is on and the alternator is putting out some volts.? ?But I then have to set it to 13. 3 or lower to open the relay back up when the engine shuts off.? Problem is, sometimes the starter battery has that surface charge and when I shut off the motor it stays above 13.3, stays closed and the starter is actually sucking charge from the house battery.? ?And the other day, I actually plugged in my solar before the relay opened and it just stayed closed all day, effectively over charging the starter battery.? ? I can't really set my parameters any lower or it won't charge from the alternator.? ? I guess the easy thing to do would just be to wire the Li-charge to an ignition on? wire tap like the original relay does.? But I would lose control from the app for times when I want to do some custom management.?


Re: Mechanic for 01 EV WK in Chicago?

Jonathan
 

Hi all.

I brought my van to Import Services in Glenview and met with Dan the owner. Both he and his partner Austin looked over the van. First, a bit of background:

I bought this van new in 2001 from Autobarn in Mt. Prospect. Every single service has been performed by their shop up to this point. (Oil, filter, tune, etc.) Yes, I was one of those people that thought that the only reliable place to take care of my van was the dealer. I had a great relationship with one of their service managers., and felt I was being treated honestly and fairly. A few things recently caused me to consider looking for an independent shop. The dealership changed hands a few times in the span of 2 years. My service guy was gone. I was also given some misleading info about a "new" Interstate battery that they installed, but in fact was a VW branded battery, that looked much smaller than the space it was in. Since the battery cover is always on, I never noticed this until recently. I also had the oil leak mentioned above and after leaving the van a few days, was told not to worry about it. They didn't find anything terrible. But it always bothered me.

Over to Import Service I go. After a few days, I got a call that the leak was coming from the head gasket. But it is not a leak, more like seepage they said. As soon as I heard head gasket, I immediately thought here goes thousands of dollars. In fact, to replace the head gasket, you apparently have to drop the transmission and engine to replace the $200US gasket. There was a possibility they could do it without all that, depending on a few factors. They said total cost would be ~$2000US to do that. That actually was not as bad as I thought it would be!

BUT, their recommendation was to not do all that. Again, they said the seepage was minimal and they have seen worse on other EV's. What they did recommend was driving the van MORE! My EV tends to only go out of the garage to go on camping trips locally. Our trusty Toyota Corolla is the daily driver.

My van has under 82000 miles on it. Most of that is highway miles. Or miles to drive to get the oil and filter! I still have 50% of my original brakes! Oil and filter is done by time, usually changed about every 6 months. I do baby this thing: zero to sixty in 90 seconds, coast to stoplights and signs, and leave about 20 car lengths between me and you. Yeah I am one of those guys!

So I think I am going to just leave things as they are, try and drive a bit more. Apparently, this may even help slow down said leak. This shop is fully capable of doing the head gasket and they could have just as easily said yeah, do it. And maybe if around a few thousand, I would have. When I asked what I owed for the diagnostic, they said I don't owe them anything! I was not going to take the van unless they take some of my dough, so i told them to spend some time going over the entire van since the only service to look at it for 20 years was Autobarn. They did that and reported back that I have been taking really good care of this thing. OK, how about changing the battery since it died once over last winter?Been fine since. Since the battery was pretty new, losing charge once was probably more forgiving than one might think. They said to put a new battery when this one sounds taxed or doesn't start the van. How about wheel alignment? They asked if van was pulling left/right, un-even tire wear? I said no. They said save your money. My total cost for all this, plus my talking and asking questions endlessly was a whopping $66.00US!

All that said, they will be handling all work for our 2017 Corrola from here on as well. Great guys. Most of their clients come from referrals and word of mouth. I am luck to have found Import Service. Here is to a happy marriage with them! I am hesitant to share this. I want them all to myself.

Jonathan



Re: Objet : Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

 

Yves Desilets via groups.io wrote:
Hi Lee,
Interesting your idea ! Have you got a picture (photo) of your setup to show me ?
Yes, I can send you some photos; but they are big. Send your email address to me at leeahart@... and I can email them to you.

Lee

--
We aren't devoting nearly enough scientific research to find a cure for
the most recent pandemic; contagious stupidity.
-- paraphrased from Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin and Hobbes")
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.


Objet : Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

Yves Desilets
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi Lee,

?

Interesting your idea ! Have you got a picture (photo) of your setup to show me ?

?

YVes

?

Provenance?: pour Windows 10

?

De?: Lee Hart
Envoy¨¦ le?:8 ao?t 2021 13:54
??: [email protected]
Objet?:Re: Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

?

Yves Desilets via groups.io wrote:

> That¡¯s me (the someone) who has a flexible panel made by

> www.eco-worthy.com <http://www.eco-worthy.com>. It folds like a suitcase

> and has 120 W output. I like it so much...

?

Sounds good, Yves!

?

If height and weight are an issue, there are some flexible PV panels

that are very flat and light. I bought a roll of Unisolar PVL144 "solar

roofing" that I use on the roof of my camper. It's not even 1/8" thick

and has an adhesive backing. I bought it on ebay.

?

It's nominally 24v, and 18' long by 15" wide; so I cut it in half and

spliced into the copper foil to make two 9' 12v panels, wired in parallel.

?

Lee Hart

?

--

We aren't devoting nearly enough scientific research to find a cure for

the most recent pandemic; contagious stupidity.

???? -- paraphrased from Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin and Hobbes")

--

Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com

?

--

This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.

https://www.avast.com/antivirus

?

?

?

?

?

?


Re: Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

 

Yves Desilets via groups.io wrote:
That¡¯s me (the someone) who has a flexible panel made by www.eco-worthy.com <>. It folds like a suitcase and has 120 W output. I like it so much...
Sounds good, Yves!

If height and weight are an issue, there are some flexible PV panels that are very flat and light. I bought a roll of Unisolar PVL144 "solar roofing" that I use on the roof of my camper. It's not even 1/8" thick and has an adhesive backing. I bought it on ebay.

It's nominally 24v, and 18' long by 15" wide; so I cut it in half and spliced into the copper foil to make two 9' 12v panels, wired in parallel.

Lee Hart

--
We aren't devoting nearly enough scientific research to find a cure for
the most recent pandemic; contagious stupidity.
-- paraphrased from Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin and Hobbes")
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.


Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

Yves Desilets
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

That¡¯s me (the someone) who has a flexible panel made by . It folds like a suitcase and has 120 W output. I like it so much. My house battery is Always topped off with that setup. I used to put it either over the hatch door at the rear when it¡¯s opened or on the top bunk in the front. I had a shop made me a long cable (gauge 12 I think) to replace the one that came with the kit and that was too short.

I think it¡¯s a better idea than a solar panel fixed permanently on the roof of the camper. Two good reasons helped in my decision. First, if I had gone with the permanent setup, my EV wouldn¡¯t have fit into my carport at home because of the height and second, with that portable solar panel, I can put it everywhere on a campground so it can catch the sun rays !!! I use a microwave and a LED TV in my camper all day long. The only thing we don¡¯t have (compared to a Rialta) is the SHOWER....but I¡¯m planning to buy a Reimo tent for the rear of the van so it would be dedicated for a shower setup !!

?

Yves

¡¯97 EVC

Canada

?

Provenance?: pour Windows 10

?

De?: Steve via groups.io
Envoy¨¦ le?:7 ao?t 2021 21:36
??: [email protected]
Objet?:Re: [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

?

Absolutely!? That's typically how it's done.? ?And most solar controllers will have a load control that disconnects the load when the battery is low.? So the controller can be hard wired into the system.

Someone mentioned using the clamps on the cable that came with their solar suitcase.? Those typically have the charge controller mounted right on the panels.? This is convenient in some cases and certainly flexible for multiple situations, but ideally, you really want that charge controller as close to the battery as possible.? Longer cables from the panel to the charge controller are a better option than from controller to battery.? ?Less voltage drop between panels and controller and it matters far less.?

Still, use something thick from the panels too.? I like the low voltage lighting cable they sell at home depot etc.? ?Get 10 ga if you can, 12 is still good enough for 15-20 feet.? I put an anderson connector on the panel extension end and a matching connector at my vehicle with a "bulkhead" or panel mount.? Works well.??
Expensive version but there are cheaper ways:?

?


Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

Kudos to Bill Watterson.


-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Hart <leeahart@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sat, Aug 7, 2021 2:36 pm
Subject: Re: [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

Mike Stroobandt wrote:
> A question on the comment about the battery?being only at ~85% SOC
> following a day of driving.? The alternator output at $13.4V is
> equivalent to the float charge voltage provided by either the 120VAC
> charger or solar charger and the purpose of float cycle is to keep a
> constant voltage on the battery to maintain full charge w/o
> overcharging.? My thinking was/is that the battery?would maintain it
> level of charge while driving if fully charged.? Can you help me
> understand why the SOC would drop tp 85% when driving?

There are significant voltage drops in the wiring. The alternator could
be outputting 13.4v while driving, but only 13.0v of that gets to the
battery.

Voltage is actually a rather poor indicator of state-of-charge for a
lead-acid battery. Voltage is affect not only by state-of-carge, but
also by current flow in/out of the battery, temperature, type and age of
the battery, and other factors. But with a sealed battery, that's about
all we've got.

A meter that measures amp-hours in/out is more accurate, but also more
expensive. The best one I've found is the Xantrex Link-10 family (which
used to be the Heart Interface Link-10, which used to be the Cruising
Equipment E-Meter). They measure not only battery voltage, but also
battery temperature, current, and count amphours in/out to provide a
better estimate of state-of-charge.

Lee Hart
--
We aren't devoting nearly enough scientific research to find a cure for
the most recent pandemic; contagious stupidity.
? ? -- paraphrased from Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin and Hobbes")
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.








Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

I'm back in my van and now I see the issue I have with my setup.? ?I use the BMV 702 relay programming to manage the Cyrix. Li-charge.? ? I like having control from my phone and the ability to manually open and close the relay depending.? ? ? ?So, I have found that with my vehicle, if I set (the BMV-702)? relay to close at 13.4 volts coming from the starter battery then it connects the Cyrix charging when my engine is on and the alternator is putting out some volts.? ?But I then have to set it to 13. 3 or lower to open the relay back up when the engine shuts off.? Problem is, sometimes the starter battery has that surface charge and when I shut off the motor it stays above 13.3, stays closed and the starter is actually sucking charge from the house battery.? ?And the other day, I actually plugged in my solar before the relay opened and it just stayed closed all day, effectively over charging the starter battery.? ? I can't really set my parameters any lower or it won't charge from the alternator.? ? I guess the easy thing to do would just be to wire the Li-charge to an ignition on? wire tap like the original relay does.? But I would lose control from the app for times when I want to do some custom management.?


Re: No start: 2001 GLS.

 

****Update****

I cleaned the ¡°thingy¡± located near the whosiwhats¡­.as per Duane¡¯s good guidance.?

It started right up!!! Multiple times so far but will check again before putting the belly pan back on.

Duane , much thanks and appreciation!! I¡¯ve owned it 20 years this month!! So glad to have it running. One more college trip in 2 weeks for freshmen kid #5¡­.and wife says sell it as 900 miles a year can¡¯t be good exercise.?

Thanks again.?

/Mark?

On Tuesday, August 3, 2021, 10:41:33 AM EDT, Duane <txpigeon@...> wrote:


On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 08:38 AM, sascph wrote:
Is this also the neutral safety switch?
Yes.? It's called the Multifunction Switch, Neutral Safety Switch, and F125.? It's at the left, rear corner of the transmission, just above the pan gasket.?? When I take them off, I use a probe to try to bend the tabs in the wiring connector toward each other, in an attempt to grab the switch pin better.
--
Duane
05HD Rialta
208K Miles


Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

Mike Stroobandt wrote:
A question on the comment about the battery?being only at ~85% SOC following a day of driving.? The alternator output at $13.4V is equivalent to the float charge voltage provided by either the 120VAC charger or solar charger and the purpose of float cycle is to keep a constant voltage on the battery to maintain full charge w/o overcharging.? My thinking was/is that the battery?would maintain it level of charge while driving if fully charged.? Can you help me understand why the SOC would drop tp 85% when driving?
There are significant voltage drops in the wiring. The alternator could be outputting 13.4v while driving, but only 13.0v of that gets to the battery.

Voltage is actually a rather poor indicator of state-of-charge for a lead-acid battery. Voltage is affect not only by state-of-carge, but also by current flow in/out of the battery, temperature, type and age of the battery, and other factors. But with a sealed battery, that's about all we've got.

A meter that measures amp-hours in/out is more accurate, but also more expensive. The best one I've found is the Xantrex Link-10 family (which used to be the Heart Interface Link-10, which used to be the Cruising Equipment E-Meter). They measure not only battery voltage, but also battery temperature, current, and count amphours in/out to provide a better estimate of state-of-charge.

Lee Hart
--
We aren't devoting nearly enough scientific research to find a cure for
the most recent pandemic; contagious stupidity.
-- paraphrased from Bill Watterson (creator of "Calvin and Hobbes")
--
Lee Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, www.sunrise-ev.com

--
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.


Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

Hey Mike,

A question on the comment about the battery?being only at ~85% SOC following a day of driving.? The alternator output at $13.4V is equivalent to the float charge voltage provided by either the 120VAC charger or solar charger and the purpose of float cycle is to keep a constant voltage on the battery to maintain full charge w/o overcharging.? My thinking was/is that the battery?would maintain it level of charge while driving if fully charged.? Can you help me understand why the SOC would drop tp 85% when driving?? There are trips where I am 3or 4 days off grid and would like to start at full SOC.? Maybe a battery disconnect for the house battery makes sense if departing with fully charged house battery.

Thanks!

On Fri, Aug 6, 2021 at 8:05 PM Michael Diehr <md03@...> wrote:
The basic answer is "yes" - solar charge controllers (SCCs), and other chargers, including ones that run off 120VAC (such as the Magnetek, or a newer charger) as well as just the van's 12VDC alternator, can coexist happily. ??

In some cases you may encounter difficulties, but they are generally not dangerous: the more common issue would be that you end up with a slight undercharge. ?

As an example, my SCC wants to charge the house battery to 14.6V.? But while driving, the house and starter batteries are connected by the relay so both are connected to the alternator.? The alternator runs at a lower voltage (closer to 13.8V). ? At the end of a long day driving, the house battery may be only ~85% charged.? Not perfect, but good enough.


On Aug 6, 2021, at 7:18 PM, W. Li via <wli98122@...> wrote:

Mike:

Can a solar controller be left connected to the coach battery when the house AC charger is active?
My plan is to have a portable solar panel for occasional use when away from AC, which I would disconnect and store when it is not needed.
I think it can be done, but would appreciate your input
Thanks in advance

W. Li
95 EVC 5-speed


Objet : [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

Yves Desilets
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Hi,

?

I have a portable suitcase solar panel (120W) and I Always disconnect the alligator clips from my house battery when not in use. Since being connected to shore will automatically charge the house battery, I think that it¡¯s not necessary or useless to have the portable solar panel controller connected at the same time !!!

?

Yves

¡¯97 EVC

Canada

?

Provenance?: pour Windows 10

?

De?: W. Li via groups.io
Envoy¨¦ le?:6 ao?t 2021 22:18
??: [email protected]
Objet?:Re: [eurovanupdate] EVC Solar Power 2021

?

Mike:

Can a solar controller be left connected to the coach battery when the house AC charger is active?
My plan is to have a portable solar panel for occasional use when away from AC, which I would disconnect and store when it is not needed.
I think it can be done, but would appreciate your input
Thanks in advance

W. Li
95 EVC 5-speed

?


Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

The basic answer is "yes" - solar charge controllers (SCCs), and other chargers, including ones that run off 120VAC (such as the Magnetek, or a newer charger) as well as just the van's 12VDC alternator, can coexist happily. ??

In some cases you may encounter difficulties, but they are generally not dangerous: the more common issue would be that you end up with a slight undercharge. ?

As an example, my SCC wants to charge the house battery to 14.6V. ?But while driving, the house and starter batteries are connected by the relay so both are connected to the alternator. ?The alternator runs at a lower voltage (closer to 13.8V). ? At the end of a long day driving, the house battery may be only ~85% charged. ?Not perfect, but good enough.


On Aug 6, 2021, at 7:18 PM, W. Li via <wli98122@...> wrote:

Mike:

Can a solar controller be left connected to the coach battery when the house AC charger is active?
My plan is to have a portable solar panel for occasional use when away from AC, which I would disconnect and store when it is not needed.
I think it can be done, but would appreciate your input
Thanks in advance

W. Li
95 EVC 5-speed


Re: EVC Solar Power 2021

W. Li
 

Mike:

Can a solar controller be left connected to the coach battery when the house AC charger is active?
My plan is to have a portable solar panel for occasional use when away from AC, which I would disconnect and store when it is not needed.
I think it can be done, but would appreciate your input
Thanks in advance

W. Li
95 EVC 5-speed


Wanted: lower timing cover for ACU engine #partswanted

 

Anyone have a lower timing cover for an ACU engine to sell? I could actually use the metal rear cover as well.
The lower timing cover is part number 074109127J, and the inner metal cover is 074109142B.


Re: No start: 2001 GLS.

 

On Tue, Aug 3, 2021 at 08:38 AM, sascph wrote:
Is this also the neutral safety switch?
Yes.? It's called the Multifunction Switch, Neutral Safety Switch, and F125.? It's at the left, rear corner of the transmission, just above the pan gasket.?? When I take them off, I use a probe to try to bend the tabs in the wiring connector toward each other, in an attempt to grab the switch pin better.
--
Duane
05HD Rialta
208K Miles


Re: No start: 2001 GLS.

 

Thanks Duane.?

I think I¡¯m going to take a look at this¡­.and try to find it!

I did notice last year that the PRNDL digital indicator ¡°reversed¡± color from black to white background. ?It¡¯s like that now.?

Is this also the neutral safety switch?

Best, Mark

On Saturday, July 31, 2021, 05:48:57 PM EDT, Duane <txpigeon@...> wrote:


On Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 09:23 AM, sascph wrote:

Neutral safety switch ? Reverse lights an indicator??
Take a look at the gear indicator on the dash.? If it's showing D instead of P, try cleaning the multifunction switch connector on the transmission.? That will keep the neutral safety circuit from allowing engine start.
--
Duane
05HD Rialta
207K Miles


Re: no a/c coming out of dash,

 

The foam rot happened to me 8 years ago.? I found that if I press the ac button and recirculate, I get hot air.?
If I never use the recirculate button it blows cool from the dash.? Point is I avoided dismantling the dash and it cools fine.? In winter? dont chnage the controls.? Just move the temperature control to warmer and the heat works fine too.

Burt 99 HD
BTW: Now for sale after 21 years of original ownership and garaged.. No rust nor any rubber rot.? New Jersey.


Re: no a/c coming out of dash

Phil
 

Roger
use some JB WELD PLASTIC version and reinforce it as well as bond it.
Phil B. 2003 EV WE 294 kmi


Re: no a/c coming out of dash

 

Thanks for the suggestions--seemed to me like the blend door cables were the likely culprit, so I took apart what I could of the dash/console and discovered that there are two cables that control the blend doors. One cable controls the windshield/floor option, and one cable controls the floor/dash blend. The piece of plastic (not reinforced, unfortunately) that holds the floor/dash blend in place with a retainer clip had broken off. I guess you could count on a little plastic fatigue in 24 years. So that cable is now just coming out from underneath the dash and can be operated manually. Funky, but works fine. There is def. some foam loss going on in there as well, but perhaps I can stave that off for a while longer.?
Roger

On Sun, Aug 1, 2021 at 3:02 PM Vance Stasna via <vancestasna=[email protected]> wrote:
There is less strain if you turn blower off when switching vents.


On Aug 1, 2021, at 9:02 AM, Kent Kirkley via <kgkirkley=[email protected]> wrote:

?
Roger
"no tension", probably the connecting cable has come off the lever for one of the blend doors or
the knob itself. Not as serious as the "foam" issue. Have you had any foam coming out of any of the dash vents?
It might also be foam has come off of one, but not all the blend doors.
Yours being a '97 (like mine) it's time to address recovering the blend doors and while at it, install a new
heater core, blower motor and heater valve. The parts are inexpensive, the labor not so much.
Kent Kirkley
'97EVC





-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Murphy <rogerwmurphy@...>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sun, Aug 1, 2021 7:08 am
Subject: [eurovanupdate] no a/c coming out of dash

1997 EVC w/135k approx. A/C still working, but only coming out of defrost and feet when using directional knob. There is no "tension" (if that is the right word) on the knob when it is moved to the dash. Is this the dreaded "foam" issue and I need to take apart the dash?