new member 2007 Miles ZX40S

[cbaker]

I've been lurking here lately to become more informed on the Miles ZX40S. I was lucky to find a used one at a good price and it will be here in the next week or so. They said the battery indicator shows a full charge and that they were replaced in 2010, but don't know about the maximum milage. I'm afraid that doesn't sound too good, so wish me luck!
Thanks.

[MetroMPG]

Welcome to the forum.

Hope you don't mind I moved your intro from the "intro" section to the EV section, since it'll probably get more eyeballs there.

Here's hoping your pack is good. I'm about to swap out the pack on my DIY EV (with some other used, but less old batteries).

[cbaker]

Thanks, and good luck!

[rmay635703]

Those batteries are very good if you use the car every day and charge but
Use it or Loose it.

I strongly recommend you DO NOT drive the car when you get it home!

Buy a $3 DVM at harbor freight.

Check the batteries with the DVM, if they are more than about .2 volts off from each other fully charge each battery with a normal 12v battery charger.

Then drive the car "lightly" under a half mile or so and check the batteries, if any are significantly off from the others it is best to go home then discharge and recharge that battery about 10 times (discharge to about 11.8 volts then recharge), a 12v light will work (or if you monitor the battery you can slowly drive it down), you discharge/recharge repeat.

Over time that battery should come back strong, if not you can pull the caps with a razor blade and add a tablespoon of battery acid or distilled water to each cell. If you want to get real techical you could check the intercell voltage.

The batteries as I can attest are very long lived if you take care of them, do not overdischarge, overcharge or let them set.

Good Luck
Ryan

[MetroMPG]

I also STRONGLY recommend an LED pack monitor which graphically displays the state of charge of each battery in your pack WHILE UNDER LOAD.

It's particularly important for an older or "mystery" pack to know which battery is the weakest when pulling serious amps, so you can adjust your driving style and trip length to protect it from damage (ie drawing the voltage too low under load - below 5.25v for a 6v lead acid battery, for example).

Otherwise you WILL commit battricide - just a matter of time!

EG:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHlq1J5dbb4

You can also get commercial versions of this, eg Pak-trakr. (Probably others by now.)

[cbaker]

You can also get commercial versions of this, eg Pak-trakr. (Probably others by now.)[/QUOTE]


They seem to have quit making them. Do you know of any others?

[MetroMPG]

I didn't know that. Check with this distributor? Econogics, Inc. Products and Services

I don't know of any others. (Doesn't mean that there aren't any.)

[cbaker]

[QUOTE=rmay635703;305166]Those batteries are very good if you use the car every day and charge but
Use it or Loose it.

Thanks Ryan, I'll do that first. Did you ever have any luck with a transmission upgrade, or anything to get to 35 or so mph?
Thanks again

[rmay635703]

[QUOTE=cbaker;305315]

Originally Posted by rmay635703

Those batteries are very good if you use the car every day and charge but
Use it or Loose it.

Thanks Ryan, I'll do that first. Did you ever have any luck with a transmission upgrade, or anything to get to 35 or so mph?
Thanks again

Your car likely has the larger motor (8hp 72v style). Though the small motor also came in a 72v variety (5hp)

If you have the less efficient but larger motor (bigger than 6.5" diameter) your best bet is simple field reduction combined with 60psi in the tires, take care not to overdue field reduction because there are NO PARTS AVAILABLE FOR THE MOTOR. I learned that the hard way and ended up with a $500 bill for blasted brushes, springs and holders due to lack of communication and a fabrication fee

Nothing like turning a $30 job into a $500 job!

In any event I located a $500 car that had everything I would have needed for the conversion but now that its my fathers car he was not real interested because he wants to push the gas pedal in neutral and thinks he would blow the motor inadvertantly. He also likes the fact that although slow our car is very efficient pulling about 144wthr per mile when it isn't driven in intense wind or hills. Faster efficiency drops

I guess the xmsn swap is relatively easy, just find a Daihatsu charade and swap.

You should be able to get roughly 50-55mph out of the car after that swap with no other changes. If you do it make sure you also install an antique 300-600amp ammeter to make sure you aren't zorching anything.

Cheers
Ryan

[cbaker]

Ryan, you are a genius! Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Charley