The Demise of my diesel

[Edison]

I get depressed sometimes ( a dying GLD will do it to anyone ), and so opening it up takes me ages. Plus where is difficult, as I have no garage, just the roadside, which is ok cause the car is rego'd. I wanted the head off but only got as far as the top timing belt covers, the bottom cog is still covered, looks hard to get at.
the electric motors can be overloaded to about 10x their continuous rating for normal driving it seems and the 3 is 2.25 i had another look, i always forget, so it's like 20hp or so which is a lot of old cars... enough for an experiment anyhow...
the batteries are no problem and taken care of already, except for the specialist computer design for charging individual cells.
The electric conversion is for economy in this case, it saves about $50,000 + over a 10 year lifespan. although yes, electric cars are usually built for enviromental or racing reasons (an electric beats any petrol on quartermile type races, because of the smooth torque curve and megawatt engines)
Still that bottom cover for the timing belt, how do i get that off without feeling around by hand (it is like SOO messy down there, the whole engine needs serious degreasing, hard to do when i can't move it).
Ed.

[Edison]

If you're going to go down the road of a fully electric golf, check out www.electroauto.com
They have a full kit for conversion of a golf to fully electric (about 70miles range).

That's way too expensive an option, I'm more going to be stumbling over the registration and engineering certification i think, i don't know what is involved. The motor, I have a small one 2.25hp cont, so about 20hp peak, and batteries on the way and controller/charger will take some building by me. Mounts i'll make at tafe.
I'll also head for a 400+kms range, or at least 200 to start, that won't be too hard to do.

And if you're going to sell your diesel parts, make sure you sell them here!

If it comes to that I'm sure loon can find good homes for them, if not me.

[Edison]

Here is a site, I think the datsun goes from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, i think it might be MPH not kph
plasmaboyracing

[smithy010]

You've got little chance in getting 400km range. Say if you've got 2kW of motor, then to run for an hour at 60kph (assuming 2kW is enough to do this,-which it isn't) would take 2kWh, which at 24V is 83Ah- so you need about 50kg of batteries just to do this.

I've done the drag calc, and it appears you need about 7-10hp to keep the car at 60-85kph.

so if we redo the calc for say, 7hp (5.25kW), you need 218AH to run for an hour.

These calcs are only representative, because the current would be way too much for a 24V supply at 7hp- more practical to run at 96-120V.

Also, when you calculate costs over a 10 year period, you would need to factor in a cost for at least i'd say 2 new sets of batteries.

There are big problems with EV's today, and i tend to agree with people's past posts in that you don't make an EV for an economic reason.

[Golf Loon]

stop dreaming and fix the damn diesel. can you get it out here? although i have never pulled the head off a diesel. degreaser is $2 at supercheep, good investment

[syncro]

The electric conversion is for economy in this case, it saves about $50,000 + over a 10 year lifespan. Ed.

How do you work that out

[brackie]

stop dreaming and fix the damn diesel. can you get it out here? although i have never pulled the head off a diesel. degreaser is $2 at supercheep, good investment

It's about time you got nice, black diesel engine oil into your pores, Loon
There's plenty of advice on this forum so for God's sake help the guy! Check out the number of notches on the head gasket. I have a selection here.

[Golf Loon]

Wont the head be rooted tho?
I`ll help him, but dont want to take tools across half of Sydney and then find that the one I need is at home.
If you bring the car here Edison, I`ll get into it with you and I know a good head reconditioner, who is cheap.
I just dont want another damn car here for ages, although the silver 16v is going today, leaving more room
I can bring my car trailer and collect the cursed beast if you like, but you`ll have to pay me petol money.

[Edison]

I just dont want another damn car here for ages, although the silver 16v is going today, leaving more room

It's registered, it can sit a few blocks away on the roadside. legally, just not outside someone silly's house. But it can't take long to know if it is screwed totally or not... Just opening it (the marking out of the timing belt is the tricky thing really)

I can bring my car trailer and collect the cursed beast if you like, but you`ll have to pay me petol money.

Argh!! no curses on my white car I told you Loon! (recalling "little red car of death")
Easy peasy, and when it comes to petrol money I don't barter, I use proper cash. surprising eh? I'd love that, when there is plenty of time for you, I'll clear my agenda completely, as **ANY** alternate energy car is my TOP priority.

Loon> Wont the head be rooted tho?
I reckon that'll be the thing thats gone... but to not know is worse than to know.

Check out the number of notches on the head gasket. I have a selection here.

*Drool* I can't believe it! how much would you want for one? they cost heaps like $100 up here,... I was looking at it thinking I could make one, and I later spoke to someone who has done that many a time but I think $100 is fine, but if a head gasket is all I need, I'll be happy to buy it. the genius told me and it rings true that I can reduce compression by putting in a four notch instead of a three (the vw place loon sent me to says you can get them up to 5 notch) and reduced compression will let me use the multiple strange oils with less risk to the head, at a cost of less power/economy ( a good tradeoff when fuel is free )

$50,000 in ten years ...How do you work that out

$50 a tank twice a week times ten years

Smithy, I was re-reading an old cancelled library book today that I have, about fuel economy it was written in the 70's fuel crisis, and is an american book, anyhow, the cars that were modified for the economy rally competitions you could just push the car with one finger on level ground, it made me think because the cars had to be like 2 tons or something minimum. Anyhow, you reduce all sorts of things like making the brakepads not drag when they aren't applied, using thinner oil in the drivetrain and bearings, different tires overinflated, anyhow, theres a heap of things, I figure I can do some of those. The batteries aren't lead ones, they are ones I'm getting cheap as, also you can get lead ones some places for the scrap value pretty much if you know how to test them out. I hate the lead one in my regular car, they ALWAYS fail on me, but I often get given them for free from people who i help. 7-10hp for cruising speed, I couldn't do that, I'd have to reduce it good and proper, make a skirt, whatever...

Oh and I resurrected a chucked out whipper snipper(petrol) today. I like resurrecting things, i did it at pastors house and now he has a new toy. I just get bored and depressed by myself is all...

[Golf Loon]

OK. How about this for a mission
I`ll bring everything I need and we`ll rip the head off at your place Edison, or wherever the car is.
Then it can sit there while we get the head etc sorted out and we can bring it back here with all the bits at a later date fror reassembly.

What I need from you diesel freaks is a list of all the tools I need to pull a head off. I`m assuming everything I need for a petrol golf + ????

Also Edison you need to work out the timing for the diesel pump and other such things. I`m a Petrol head, I dont know about Diesels.

I do know Golfs though.

How about Thursday or Friday? You might have to get up early in the arvo tho Mik