Hi guys, My electric 88GT has the original MG2 5 speed transaxle in it. The trans is getting ready to take a dump. As it turns out the 85-86 M17 four speed has a more ideal set of gear ratios for my electric motor. What sort of problems should I anticipate when swapping in the M17? Also, where might I find a rebuild kit for either of these transaxles?
Wouldn't it be better to have no transmission? I thought that was the best thing about electric motors in cars, they have their greatest torque at stall, so you don't need a transmission to get up to speed. Instead of rebuilding your transmission, maybe you should adapt it so it essentially just connects your motor to the axles at the optimum ratio.
There is another thread on here about a similar problem .I wish I could remember the OP name .Anyway , he ran a transmission because his motor and battery pack was not big enough to do a decent job in direct drive configuration .
Wouldn't it be better to have no transmission? I thought that was the best thing about electric motors in cars, they have their greatest torque at stall, so you don't need a transmission to get up to speed. Instead of rebuilding your transmission, maybe you should adapt it so it essentially just connects your motor to the axles at the optimum ratio.
It depends on the setup.
And personally, i'd find it pretty boring driving an oversize electric golf cart. A transmission makes it more fun to drive, because you can row through the gears, even if you don't need to.
Isn't it hard shifting without the aural cues, i.e., the sound of the engine? In the summer, with the windows open, under an overpass, next a truck I find it very difficult to get off to a smooth start (translation, "without stalling"). With the stereo blasting have you never found yourself cruising at fifty in third gear? Besides, without the sound of the engine I don't see much joy in shifting.
How much torque does your motor have? You may be tearing it up just driving easy. Because the motor has peak torque at stall starting out slow is like popping the clutch at peak rpm. Except I assume your motor doesn't idle, so the problem might be in second and third. Any truth to that?
[This message has been edited by 85 SE VIN 9 (edited 02-17-2015).]
Guys sorry for the spotty replies, life is very busy at this end. Anyhow, I knew this thread would likely wander off topic. People do find an electric Fiero interesting. So, I'll talk briefly about a few of the above comments before I attempt to get us back on track. When this build first hit the streets in November of 2011, I got a bit of a surprise. Hiding behind that marvelous V6 exhaust note was a whole bunch of noises. Transaxles and clutches make their own host of sounds. A not perfectly balanced clutch and flywheel combo can make a hell of a lot of noise. Expensive lesson learned, they have to be spin balanced together prior to installation. So I had to have mine pulled, balanced, and put back in. The transaxle is another source of noise. Especially when decelerating in re-gen mode and in first gear. Mine sounds a bit like a WW-2 jeep. Lately however the drive train has been making some very wired sounds that have me worried. Clunks and whirs that weren't there at the start of it all. I've had new shafts, wheel bearings, mounts, and CVs put in not long ago so it has to be the output end of the trans that's doing it. The drive train gets progressively more quiet the higher the gear you are in.
About the driving experience: Because even at freeway speeds you can still hear the drivetrain, I seldom catch myself forgetting to upshift. Fortunately the AC motor controller self limits the RPM to a perfect 6500. You figure it out when you press harder on the pedal and you don't gain any more speed. Someone commented about accidentally cruising on the freeway in third. As it turns out third gear is the perfect gear for that. Only when I'm trying to test the car's limit do I ever use fourth gear. Fifth gear is totally useless. You actually reduce the car's top speed by trying to use it. There just isn't enough HP being produced at the lower motor RPM that results in fifth.
Ok, back to the topic. What I really need to know is whether or not the 85-86 four speed will mount up with my 88 cradle, half shafts, and mounts? I've already discovered one pain in the but which is the reverse lamp switch. The Getrag has it in the trans while the 4 speed has it on the shifter. I'll have to run some wires.
Ok, back to the topic. What I really need to know is whether or not the 85-86 four speed will mount up with my 88 cradle, half shafts, and mounts? I've already discovered one pain in the but which is the reverse lamp switch. The Getrag has it in the trans while the 4 speed has it on the shifter. I'll have to run some wires.
The axles are the same for all manual Fieros I think. I don't recall if the manual trans mount points are the same for all transmissions, but I think so. The slave cylinder might be a little pain as well. I can't remember if the Isuzu and 4 speed slaves are interchangeable or not.
