Last night I finally had the time to jack up the Fiero and remove all of the fasteners holding the battery module to the rack and even got four of them out of the car. To my surprise, all of the modules that were removed were still at 8.06-8.08 volts.
FIERO ON JACK STANDS
FIRST 8 CELLS REMOVED
FIRST 4 CELLS REMOVED
VOLTAGE AT 8.06 VOLTS
The voltage reading was actually higher than expected as they were originally charged to this level but the car had been driven for 6 miles then went through a short period high current draw when the controller blew. The car was trying to move against the parking brake and then the brakes when I applied them so the amp draw must have been over 700 amps for a couple of seconds. Also puzzling, was that the fuse did not blow but it still has continuity.
All of the cells have been removed and the rack rinsed off, so the next step will be to remove the cradle.
When the new motor is mounted, adjustable coil over struts, new transmission mounts, and cradle modifications will be made to that the ride height can be adjusted, and the battery modules can be mounted lower. Also the transaxle is going to a transmission shop to be gone over and a new shift cable will be installed.
Also, a new AC motor and controller is going to be purchased and am trying to calculate the most cost effective way to go. This will take into consideration the cost of the components and the efficiency of the set up. The AC 50 or 51 would be the easiest to install and probably the least expensive but upon looking at the specs, is only around 88% efficient. I would think there are setups in the low to mid 90% efficiency available now.
More to come!
