All Parts Are here

It turns out that the transmission is the same as a Geo Metro so they got the bearings and seals easily.
They are starting to put it back together today and I should have him back as early as Friday. He showed me the bad bearing which I will try and get some good pictures of and post them here. The ball bearings and the surfaces that they ride on were very pitted. I am not sure what caused the premature failure but when I get the bearing apart and inspect the wear pattern it should give me a clue. My guess is that it is excessive side loading of the bearing.

As soon as he is all back to normal I am going to get back on the trailer hitch installation, and wiring.

There is a light at the end of the tunel

I just heard from the transmission place that it was a bearing that was bad, and they have it on order. All they have to do is find the axle seal, and Mac will be on the road again. They said as early as this Friday, or early next week.
YA WHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The search is on

Well bad news. The transmission is broken. It is not the seal. The axle shaft has side play and is coming part way out of the seal causing the leak. The transmission will have to come out, and I can not have them do that until I can find a place to get parts. The good thing is I found out that it is out of a car in China called "Chery QQ sweet .8l. I have been doing searches, but have not found a place to get parts yet. I did find a place to buy a new transmission but with a minimum order of 10.
If I can not find a place to get parts I will probably look for a different trany that I can easily get parts for and retro fit it to Mac. I really do not want to scrap him. It all depends on the cost because I also wanted to change motor and controller.
I did get a contact person that has contact with the person that bought out all Green Vehicles inventory when they went bankrupt. I might be able to pick up a good trany through them.
If I end up going the retro fit I will likely have to do all the work myself to make it affordable. Unfortunately my garage will not be built for about 6 months so I will have to wait. I suppose I could just keep driving him with the leak :(

Mac has been broke for two months now

Well I have been to busy to get Mac fixed. He started to leak transmission fluid, and I stopped driving him because I do not want anything to break. Now I have the time, and money to get him into the doctor. The company "Green Vehicles" is no more so I am on my own. I am sure if it is just a seal that a good transmission shop will be able to find one. I stopped in at Kirkland Transmission, and they were very exited to work on him. They assured me that it would not be a problem getting the correct seal. I have had work done there before, and they are very good, and professional.
I am going to get it scheduled today and get him back on the road. Then maybe I can get back to the trailer hitch work.
The last two months I have been selling my house, buying another, and moving. Finally I have settled in, and things are almost back to normal. I do not have a carport, or garage though so I am going t o get plans drawn up for a garage, and apply for permit so Mac will have a great place to rest, and I will have a great place to work on him, and prep for building a new EV.

Hitch at the welders shop

Here are a few pics of the hitch assembly at the welders shop. It is all assembled, and just needs cleaning, and painting. It is a bit clunky looking, but it will tuck up undernieth the back and should not be too visable when not in use.

The next step will be to have it welded onto Mac, and then I have to get the wiring done.

Trailer hitch finally started

Well I finally got my design finished. I made a mockup out of wood first so I could see how it looks, and fits. I took it to the Welding shop which at first said they would do it but when I got all the pieces cut and ready to weld they changed there minds and did not want to do it.
I did find a place to do it and dropped off the pieces along with my wood mockup as a visual aid. When they get it done I will get it painted and then bring it back to have it welded to Mac.

Mockup


Cutting the pieces


Ready for welding

No more Triac's

It was sad to read the other day that Green Vehicles has closed its doors. I am surprised that they did not notify me beings I have worked closely with them during the development over the last year and a half, but I guess they had bigger things to deal with. I am sure there is going to be a lot of negative things said about the company as many people are quick to point a finger and say bad things. They had a vision and tried to make it come true. Some make it and some do not. I think they should have made different decisions along the way, but we all make our own decisions. I made the decision to buy a Triac, and I am still glad I did. It is a great little vehicle, and a joy to drive. It has had its problems along the way, but they fixed them and we moved on. I am hoping to get some info from them, but it looks unlikely I will be able to get a hold of them.
I would like to say to Green Vehicles thank you for all your support, and choosing me as one of the lucky people to purchase the Triac. I love it, and plan on keeping it for a long time. It may be difficult getting aftermarket parts for it but I will do my best to keep it on the road as long as possible.

As far as Mac goes, I am still working on the trailer hitch, and am planning on putting him in a car show next month. He is technically not a car, but people love to see him even if it is just for a good laugh.