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Tweety went swimming!!

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Tweety went swimming!

You may have noticed, in the weather news, that Texas has been really
hammered with rain. Earlier this month we have had more than our share
of water!

Anyway, during one of those rainy days, I was out, in Tweety, running
errands during lunch. On the way back to work, the bottom dropped out
of the clouds and it was poring so hard the streets were completely
covered in water. I was driving down the middle of the road which was
the only way I could tell where I was. I could barely see the yellow
stripe under the water. The rest of the road was a raging river that
went all the way across business parking lots. When I got back to
work, I noticed that raging river was flowing across the dip at the
entrance of the parking lot entrance. I thought I can’t cross that!
But there were cars behind me waiting for me to go. So I went for it.
The water was much deeper than I thought! A wall of water gushed over
the top of the car and I couldn’t see anything! I knew Tweety’s motor
was completely under water at that point. Water was flowing in around
the bottom of the door, but, it drove along as if nothing unusual was
going on. It drove back up and out of the “river”. I parked it and
ran inside. I came back out after the rain slacked off and plugged it
in. It was still raining hard after work, but, not flooding as bad.
Tweety drove home as if nothing had happened. The next day, I crawled
under and looked at the motor. I lifted a connector boot and water
pored out. All four connector boots were full of water, even the two
on top. No water in the brush guard. I guess the fan sucked it out as
I drove.

Everything still seems to be ok, but I was wondering if there is
anything that should be done for a motor that has been submerged –
while driving.

Ken

http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/983

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Hey Ken

This kind of reminded me of some of FT's stories when
he was boat racing and would submerge the motors to
cool them off 8^) Personally I think you're racing
those gassers to much if you're resorting to FT's old
motor cooling tricks, LMAO!

Here's my take on this type of issue. First off, I
use a soap and water parts washer (a lot easier on
enviroment and me 8^) but I also bake the parts out in
my industrial oven to quickly remove all the water.

Your bearings are (I'm sure) sealed and doubt much
water got into them as you tried to teach tweety to
swim. The moisture remaining in the motor is another
concern though! Rust will form and if it forms around
and behind your poles and fields it can cause
insulation to break down as the rust acts as an
abrasive as EVen minor vibrations and bouncing occur.

I know it's easier for me to bust it down and dry it
out but this is in fact what I'd do. If allowed to
remain and fester it could cause you problem years
from now. This is in fact one of the areas I'm trying
to beef up (coatings) so that the motors don't suffer
as much from wet weather and having to drive in it.
If you don't or can't pull the motor try and keep an
eye out for rust and pull it if you start to see it
developing.

Anyway Tweeties fly, so stop trying to teach it how to
swim, either that or call FT up and get some boating
tips 8^P From what I've seen in the news about what
you guys are getting down there, this might be a
needed idea if the rain doesn't stop pounding you
there soon!

Just to recap, if this were my motor, I'd pull it and
pull the armature / DE plate assy out and blow the
motor out and make sure it as dry as you can get it.
If this is not an option please feel free to grab some
pics as time goes by and I'll offer an eye for you so
that you don't run into a really bad scenario.
Hopefully the motors heat helped to dry it out well
enough to prevent the moisture from remaining, heck
maybe, just maybe you got a free motor cleaning out of
it 8^o

Hope this helps
Jim Husted
Hi-Torque Electric



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I wonder what else besides the motor got soaked? There probably is
water in everything. Tweety needs to be cleaned up and dried out.
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What if you just go for a good cruise with some fast acceleration and
high rpm's to heat the thing up and dry it out?

Mind you, I haven't really got a clue what I'm talking about.

--
Tehben
'90 Toyota 4x4 Pickup
'hElix EV'
evalbum: http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/1225
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Thanks Jim. No problem pulling the motor except time!!

My commute has a five mile stretch that is a 50 MPH zone that I usually
cruise along between 65 and 70... oops, never mind that - well except that it
spins near 5600 RPM for about half my commute. The last few days have been in the
mid to upper 90's so I suspect it is probably dry by now??

Anyway, as soon as I get some time I will pull the motor and check it out. I
have already checked everything else - pulled all the batteries and checked
all the wiring and connections. Tweety's battery compartments have good
drainage! Nothing in the controller compartment got wet at all.

Another concern is both battery compartment's have muffin fans which were
submerged. Both are now dry and work fine, but I know they are not water proof!
Will keep an eye on them. Also need to check the wheel bearings! Soo much
to do - no time!! Grrr. Ever have that feeling? :)

Ken




In a message dated 7/31/2007 11:50:40 AM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:

Snip, Snip>>
Just to recap, if this were my motor, I'd pull it and
pull the armature / DE plate assy out and blow the
motor out and make sure it as dry as you can get it.
If this is not an option please feel free to grab some
pics as time goes by and I'll offer an eye for you so
that you don't run into a really bad scenario.
Hopefully the motors heat helped to dry it out well
enough to prevent the moisture from remaining, heck
maybe, just maybe you got a free motor cleaning out of
it 8^o

Hope this helps
Jim Husted
Hi-Torque Electric



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Jim Husted wrote:

> Here's my take on this type of issue. First off, I
> use a soap and water parts washer (a lot easier on
> enviroment and me 8^) but I also bake the parts out in
> my industrial oven to quickly remove all the water.

Well I'd certainly listen to Jim before me but I don't see a problem
with a good dunking. The reality of driving an EV in the winter in
the north west can't be much better <g>.

I actually wash my Prestolite motor out every couple of years. I use
clean soapy water and pour it over the brush area while I run the
motor in neutral. Then I run it while I spray the garden hose inside
(the pot box is within reach.) The fan effectively removes a large
percentage of the water (I look like I tried to take a bath with my
clothes on.) After that I take it for a drive in 3rd gear to warm up
the motor. I've done this 4 times over the last 8 years to keep the
motor pretty to look at :)

Of course its entirely possible that Jim is gonna spank me now <LMAO>

Paul Gooch
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Ken,
When I installed a Zilla in a Sparrow several years
ago I took the liberty of taking apart the Zilla and
took several pictures (sorry Dan, they are for my
personal design interest). The Zilla 1K I took apart
did not have any seals against water intrusion.
Hopefully water did not get into the access door and
flood the Zilla, but if it did I would be concerned
about problems down the road. If you think water
flooded the controller I would contact Otmar and get
some suggestions on how to prevent future problems.
Good luck, hopefully you won't have any problems down
the road!
Rod
--- [email protected] wrote:

> Thanks Jim. No problem pulling the motor except
> time!!
>
> My commute has a five mile stretch that is a 50 MPH
> zone that I usually
> cruise along between 65 and 70... oops, never mind
> that - well except that it
> spins near 5600 RPM for about half my commute. The
> last few days have been in the
> mid to upper 90's so I suspect it is probably dry by
> now??
>
> Anyway, as soon as I get some time I will pull the
> motor and check it out. I
> have already checked everything else - pulled all
> the batteries and checked
> all the wiring and connections. Tweety's battery
> compartments have good
> drainage! Nothing in the controller compartment got
> wet at all.
>
> Another concern is both battery compartment's have
> muffin fans which were
> submerged. Both are now dry and work fine, but I
> know they are not water proof!
> Will keep an eye on them. Also need to check the
> wheel bearings! Soo much
> to do - no time!! Grrr. Ever have that feeling?
> :)
>
> Ken
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 7/31/2007 11:50:40 AM Central
> Daylight Time,
> [email protected] writes:
>
> Snip, Snip>>
> Just to recap, if this were my motor, I'd pull it
> and
> pull the armature / DE plate assy out and blow the
> motor out and make sure it as dry as you can get it.
>
> If this is not an option please feel free to grab
> some
> pics as time goes by and I'll offer an eye for you
> so
> that you don't run into a really bad scenario.
> Hopefully the motors heat helped to dry it out well
> enough to prevent the moisture from remaining, heck
> maybe, just maybe you got a free motor cleaning out
> of
> it 8^o
>
> Hope this helps
> Jim Husted
> Hi-Torque Electric
>
>
>
> ************************************** Get a sneak
> peek of the all-new AOL at
> http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
>
>
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Thanks Rod,

As I mentioned, nothing in the controller compartment got wet at all. It is
quite well sealed. The air entrance for the controller compartment is inside
the trunk. Dry as a bone in there!

Ken


In a message dated 7/31/2007 8:30:42 PM Central Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:

Ken,
When I installed a Zilla in a Sparrow several years
ago I took the liberty of taking apart the Zilla and
took several pictures (sorry Dan, they are for my
personal design interest). The Zilla 1K I took apart
did not have any seals against water intrusion.
Hopefully water did not get into the access door and
flood the Zilla, but if it did I would be concerned
about problems down the road. If you think water
flooded the controller I would contact Otmar and get
some suggestions on how to prevent future problems.
Good luck, hopefully you won't have any problems down
the road!
Rod
--- [email protected] wrote:

> Thanks Jim. No problem pulling the motor except
> time!!
>
> My commute has a five mile stretch that is a 50 MPH
> zone that I usually
> cruise along between 65 and 70... oops, never mind
> that - well except that it
> spins near 5600 RPM for about half my commute. The
> last few days have been in the
> mid to upper 90's so I suspect it is probably dry by
> now??
>
> Anyway, as soon as I get some time I will pull the
> motor and check it out. I
> have already checked everything else - pulled all
> the batteries and checked
> all the wiring and connections. Tweety's battery
> compartments have good
> drainage! Nothing in the controller compartment got
> wet at all.



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--- Paul <[email protected]> wrote:

> Well I'd certainly listen to Jim before me but I
> don't see a problem
> with a good dunking. The reality of driving an EV in
> the winter in
> the north west can't be much better <g>.
>
> I actually wash my Prestolite motor out every couple
> of years. I use
> clean soapy water and pour it over the brush area
> while I run the
> motor in neutral. Then I run it while I spray the
> garden hose inside
> (the pot box is within reach.) The fan effectively
> removes a large
> percentage of the water (I look like I tried to take
> a bath with my
> clothes on.) After that I take it for a drive in 3rd
> gear to warm up
> the motor. I've done this 4 times over the last 8
> years to keep the
> motor pretty to look at :)
>
> Of course its entirely possible that Jim is gonna
> spank me now <LMAO>
>
> Paul Gooch

Hey Paul and all 8^)

Many of my forklift accounts mechanics have done this
for decades. Of course they usually have a steady
stream of hydraulic fluid flowing through them (misc
leaks on the truck) keeping the rust at bay!

Although it's not a huge problem and one that takes
years to happen I've seen a fair amount of motors
where the rust eats away the housing metal behind the
coils and they are no longer held tight against the
housing. They flop around until they wear out the
insulation (in two places) and then Blamo, no more
happy camper 8^( unless your a motor guy then it's
Cha-Ching 8^) LMAO!

Now this is one thing on a lift using 36 /48 volt but
as voltages increase so should ones attitude toward
maintaining it's insulation integrity. I also think
of motors as having a resale value if one isn't a
motor bastard to it 8^o

Being one who enjoys reading of Tweetys / Daffys
adventures I know that this vehicle has loving and
pride filled owners and it would suck for it to fade
from it's glory (even cosmetically).

As members of a small and growing community of misfits
trying to change the world I see it as important to
represent and fly our colors to the best of our
abilities. I think EVeryone here has an anti-EV story
or two so we do need to be at our best all the time
IMO. Bad press or impressions for one are sometimes
applied to all.
Then again maybe I'm anal compulsive 8^P

As an FYI I've been finding that ADC's been painting a
lot of the inside housings which should offer decent
protection against rust. Knowing od Tweetys driving
habits there is a chance that the water just sizzled
right off like water on a duck.
Anyway being Tweety's still a young bird I would like
to see it live a long and fruitful life of adventures
8^)

If the rain don't stop there he is gonna have to paint
it black and rename it Daffy, LMAO In general the
dryer the motor remains the happier it'll be.

Cya
Jim Husted
Hi-Torque Electric


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This is actually very good advice. Gasoline cars routinely spray water all
over their series wound motors and occasionally totally submerge them. In
climates like the Pacific Northwest no one thinks anything about it and they
keep on cranking that gas motor over for years. We used to routinely take
our electric British Land Rover up rivers with the motor totally submerged
and even in mud bogs. Only when the water rose above the level of the
batteries which were mounted well above the motor did we have a problem.
Once I had to reach down to near the floor where the circuit breaker was to
turn off the power. The water level in the cab was up to my elbow when I
reached down to switch it off. The water had entered our non sealed DC to DC
converter mounted above the batteries and blew the caps. In Texas the sun
eventually comes out and it gets warm. In Washington sometimes things never
dry out. There are even people here who have moss growing on them.. Ken, I
would personally recommend checking it out as you have done, lifting boots,
blow drying where you can, but I would personally not consider taking the
motor apart. If you keep driving it once the weather dries out there should
be not much chance of rust. Maybe a little surface rust but not the kind
that would separate the pole shoes from the case. Maybe here in Washington
or in Oregon where Jim lives. Just another of my opinions of course :)

Roderick

Roderick Wilde, President, EV Parts Inc.
Your Online EV Superstore
www.evparts.com
1-360-385-7082
Phone: 360-582-1270 Fax: 360-582-1272
PO Box 834, Carlsborg, WA 98324
108-B Business Park Loop, Sequim, WA 98382



----- Original Message -----
From: "Tehben Dean" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 12:28 PM
Subject: Re: Tweety went swimming!!


> What if you just go for a good cruise with some fast acceleration and
> high rpm's to heat the thing up and dry it out?
>
> Mind you, I haven't really got a clue what I'm talking about.
>
> --
> Tehben
> '90 Toyota 4x4 Pickup
> 'hElix EV'
> evalbum: http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/1225
>
>
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.476 / Virus Database: 269.10.25/926 - Release Date: 7/29/2007
> 11:14 PM
>
>
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I would still replace the bearings if you're going to take it apart at all -
bearings dont cost much, and if the got some moisture in them, they would
fail sooner reather than later, and give you motor issues. Jim, you live
over there in dry country, so you wouldn't see much of this, but we see
flooded AC pump motors all the time - I have one sitting in my yard right
now that I will pressure wash out, then replace the bearings and check the
windings for the customer before I am satisfied that it is alright to run!

Joseph H. Strubhar

Web: www.gremcoinc.com

E-mail: [email protected]
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Husted" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2007 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: Tweety went swimming!!


> Hey Ken
>
> This kind of reminded me of some of FT's stories when
> he was boat racing and would submerge the motors to
> cool them off 8^) Personally I think you're racing
> those gassers to much if you're resorting to FT's old
> motor cooling tricks, LMAO!
>
> Here's my take on this type of issue. First off, I
> use a soap and water parts washer (a lot easier on
> enviroment and me 8^) but I also bake the parts out in
> my industrial oven to quickly remove all the water.
>
> Your bearings are (I'm sure) sealed and doubt much
> water got into them as you tried to teach tweety to
> swim. The moisture remaining in the motor is another
> concern though! Rust will form and if it forms around
> and behind your poles and fields it can cause
> insulation to break down as the rust acts as an
> abrasive as EVen minor vibrations and bouncing occur.
>
> I know it's easier for me to bust it down and dry it
> out but this is in fact what I'd do. If allowed to
> remain and fester it could cause you problem years
> from now. This is in fact one of the areas I'm trying
> to beef up (coatings) so that the motors don't suffer
> as much from wet weather and having to drive in it.
> If you don't or can't pull the motor try and keep an
> eye out for rust and pull it if you start to see it
> developing.
>
> Anyway Tweeties fly, so stop trying to teach it how to
> swim, either that or call FT up and get some boating
> tips 8^P From what I've seen in the news about what
> you guys are getting down there, this might be a
> needed idea if the rain doesn't stop pounding you
> there soon!
>
> Just to recap, if this were my motor, I'd pull it and
> pull the armature / DE plate assy out and blow the
> motor out and make sure it as dry as you can get it.
> If this is not an option please feel free to grab some
> pics as time goes by and I'll offer an eye for you so
> that you don't run into a really bad scenario.
> Hopefully the motors heat helped to dry it out well
> enough to prevent the moisture from remaining, heck
> maybe, just maybe you got a free motor cleaning out of
> it 8^o
>
> Hope this helps
> Jim Husted
> Hi-Torque Electric
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________________________________
> Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who
> knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
> http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545469
>
>
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-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Husted <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:01 pm
Subject: Re: Tweety went swimming!!


>>>Snip, Snip...

Being one who enjoys reading of Tweetys / Daffys
adventures I know that this vehicle has loving and
pride filled owners and it would suck for it to fade
from it's glory (even cosmetically).

As members of a small and growing community of misfits
trying to change the world I see it as important to
represent and fly our colors to the best of our
abilities. I think EVeryone here has an anti-EV story
or two so we do need to be at our best all the time
IMO. Bad press or impressions for one are sometimes
applied to all.
Then again maybe I'm anal compulsive 8^P

>>>Snip, Snip...
Anyway being Tweety's still a young bird I would like
to see it live a long and fruitful life of adventures
8^)


Cya
Jim Husted
Hi-Torque Electric

<<<

Hey Jim, That is something you don't even have to worry about! "Fading
from glory" is simply not an option - not going to happen. Tweety is
going to be around for a very, very.... very long time!

Eventually, when financial conditions are restored, Tweety's side kick
will come to life. That, of course will be Sylvester - a WarP-11'nd
Fiero. Then Tweety won't have to terrorize the streets all by himself!

Ken



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