# EVA HPEVS AC51 Conversion - Motor not running



## ngyh (Aug 30, 2014)

Hello there,

Me and the other students have done a electric conversion of a sedan car using the EVA HPEVS AC51 conversion kit, with all the peripherals. The engine has been installed and all the transmission coupling and wiring are done. Only thing left is the engine won't start despite the Curtis controller giving a "good signal". 

What we have seen on the gauge is "0 RPM" only.

And what have we tested:

The voltages between the U-V and V-W on the controller terminal is around 40-60V.
The input voltage from the battery is approximately 150V, which is more than the 144V.

Earlier, the precharge resistor is added because there was a "Code 14" error in the Curtis Spyglass.

Could the controller (Curtis 1239-8501) is defective, or the settings are not correct? From what I know, the controller is already configured in the package too.

Looking forward to hear the opinions.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

ngyh said:


> Hello there,
> 
> Me and the other students have done a electric conversion of a sedan car using the EVA HPEVS AC51 conversion kit, with all the peripherals. The engine has been installed and all the transmission coupling and wiring are done. Only thing left is the engine won't start despite the Curtis controller giving a "good signal".
> 
> ...


My opinion is that the English language instruction at your school has failed miserably in your case. I suggest you enroll in grammar class.

Have you read the manual? On page #108, the table indicates that error code 14 concerns the precharge. Unless you have altered the program, adding an external precharge resistor will certainly cause a fault.

When soliciting assistance here it is helpful to indicate your location, include photos of the equipment, and use good grammar. Go to User CP, Your Profile, Edit Your Details and fill in Location. Then it will show up whenever you post and the reader can better understand things like your probable native language. 

Often we see students come here in an attempt to quickly solve a problem as if it is needed to complete a homework assignment or past due project. Many of the senior members are not inclined to help in those cases. However, if you can demonstrate with photos and clearly composed description of the problem, members may determine you have actually done the work and deserve some help.

Also, the equipment you are using (AC-51 kit) was no doubt purchased from a vendor. He makes a profit by selling it to you. Most of us here feel that vendor has some responsibility to provide technical assistance to his customers. Have you contacted him concerning you difficulty?


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## ngyh (Aug 30, 2014)

major said:


> My opinion is that the English language instruction at your school has failed miserably in your case. I suggest you enroll in grammar class.
> 
> Have you read the manual? On page #108, the table indicates that error code 14 concerns the precharge. Unless you have altered the program, adding an external precharge resistor will certainly cause a fault.
> 
> ...


Hello,

I apologize for the lack of information - it's not a homework assignment. It's just a main project we are doing. By the way, we are in Malaysia and just have obtained the conversion kit a few months ago from USA.

I will post the photoes as soon as the students have taken them.

Plus, we have actually contacted the vendor too and we would like to get your opinions.

Thanks.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

Hi ngyh,

I apologize for being so critical. Your English was good enough to lead me to believe you were American.

What prompted you to add the external precharge resistor? How does the system behave when you remove it?

Regards,

major


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## ngyh (Aug 30, 2014)

major said:


> Hi ngyh,
> 
> I apologize for being so critical. Your English was good enough to lead me to believe you were American.
> 
> ...


Ah, it's okay. We all make mistakes sometimes. 

Actually, before adding the resistor, it gives a "Code 14".

Then we added a smaller resistor at start, and it snapped into half. 

Afterwards, we added a bigger one and the "Code 14" went away, showing "RPM 0", but no engine activity.

According to the EVA, they have said that we needed to connect the precharge resistor. Surprisingly in the manual, the solution said "external load present - please remove", which contradicts to the company's solution.

I will discuss about that with the students later as for now it is a public holiday in my nation.

Thanks.


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

I know on the 1238 models, the precharge is done by the controller and the addition of an external resistor will cause a fault. This may may altered with a program change but I would be surprised if that has been done to your unit. Did the contactor and wiring harness come with your kit? Did a wiring diagram? 

What are you using for battery? Photos of the system will help.


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## ngyh (Aug 30, 2014)

major said:


> I know on the 1238 models, the precharge is done by the controller and the addition of an external resistor will cause a fault. This may may altered with a program change but I would be surprised if that has been done to your unit. Did the contactor and wiring harness come with your kit? Did a wiring diagram?
> 
> What are you using for battery? Photos of the system will help.


All the contactors and wiring harness are inside the kit. We followed exactly what is on the wiring diagram too. The 12 batteries are "Trojan T-1275" (12V, 150AH @ 20Hours / 120AH @ 5Hours).

Please be patient as I need to retake the pictures of the controller box and I will take more pictures of the wiring too. I'll come back with the pictures within a day or two.

Thanks.


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## 67BGTEV (Nov 1, 2013)

Major, ngyh, mentioned the reason for adding the pre-charge resistor in his 1st post.. you may have missed it, but let's go ease on him


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## major (Apr 4, 2008)

67BGTEV said:


> Major, ngyh, mentioned the reason for adding the pre-charge resistor in his 1st post.. you may have missed it, but let's go ease on him


That was because there was an error code 14, right? I did see that. And I also looked up 14 in the manual. Why would you add a precharge resistor to clear that code? Apparently because someone told him to 

And I did apologize for harping on him about grammar. I am just trying to get enough information to help him  If he and his group are putting in the work and a legitimate effort, I don't mind spending some time to help.


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## evmetro (Apr 9, 2012)

I don't know much about your additional precharge resistor, but if you really do have the blinking light that says everything is good to go. I would verify that you have your throttle type programmed in.


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## Moltenmetal (Mar 20, 2014)

Another vote to check the throttle type setting- mine was wrong out of the box relative to what I had wired. It seems their default is type 3 (three wire pot).

Can't help with the error code 14.

Do you have the 5.13 or newer software that let's you program and run the diagnostic mode with the Spyglass? Takes some getting used to but works well enough for troubleshooting and minor adjustments.


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## ngyh (Aug 30, 2014)

Hello,

Apologies for the late reply - apparently we got the car running already. We contacted the distributor and the technician, and they replied that we have forgotten to hold the certain button during the starting of the vehicle. Luckily we are now cleaning up and do the remaining peripheral wiring in the car.

As for the settings, I do not see any command list to be sent to the CAN bus in the respective Curtis 1239 controller programmer's manual. All I did only see is the "Vehicle Control Language" and it requires the Curtis 1314 software plus the serial adapter for that.

Are there any way I could retrieve the settings and other data like motor speed from the Curtis 1239 controller through CAN bus?

Thanks.


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## crackerjackz (Jun 26, 2009)

ngyh said:


> Hello,
> 
> Apologies for the late reply - apparently we got the car running already. We contacted the distributor and the technician, and they replied that we have forgotten to hold the certain button during the starting of the vehicle. Luckily we are now cleaning up and do the remaining peripheral wiring in the car.
> 
> ...


programming is done with the spyglass and programming button ... in my kit they sent a red momentary switch to connect . The same switch when the system is running is used to navigate temperature . Rpm . Voltage ect by simply pressing it . 

You do need to set your settings this way ... throttle type , regen settings , max amps ect .... i had an issue a bit like yours in the beginninh hpevs helped me in less than 3 minutes by phone  ...


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## maxmatic (Apr 30, 2011)

Shout-out to all of you nice people... I had the same problem that ngyh had a year and a half ago, and moltenmetal's answer (that the 1239 is, by default, programmed for three-wire not two-wire pot) solved the problem that the motor wouldn't spin despite the status lights cheerfully declaring that all was well.

Now I have to figure out why the controller thinks the motor is ready to cook (or burn!) pizza (496C or 925F)... but one step at a time!

See you on the road.


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