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[PWM]

The main thing I want to know is if I will I have any issues getting to the DCFC fuse with my normal hand tools.  That's all I care about for now. I was assuming I only need to undo the bolts around the battery to get into it.

Yes, agreed you should be able to split housing by removing fasteners holding the two halves together.

Don't split open unless pack is resting on its side or in a fixture, upright orientation, but on its side will likely be easier.

Per attachment a schematic representation of fuse location relative to contactors as derived from illustration previously sent.

Insulate all hand-tools w/ good quality electrical tape if you don't have proper tools, use single ended wrenches w/ short handles fully taped up, no sockets drivers or adjustable wrenches...plastic mallet to help loosen / tighten fasteners, tap lightly instead of trying torque by hand...

[DonTom]

Yes, agreed you should be able to split housing by removing fasteners holding the two halves together.

Don't split open unless pack is resting on its side or in a fixture, upright orientation, but on its side will likely be easier.

Per attachment a schematic representation of fuse location relative to contactors as derived from illustration previously sent.

Insulate all hand-tools w/ good quality electrical tape if you don't have proper tools, use single ended wrenches w/ short handles fully taped up, no sockets drivers or adjustable wrenches...plastic mallet to help loosen / tighten fasteners, tap lightly instead of trying torque by hand...

Thanks for the info. I wonder if I will need to use the crane to simply get the pack on its side.


I could work on it a bit more later today. I will probably get the battery out from the bike today and then get to the fuse.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

I will be taking the battery out today, as I did enough riding yesterday, 300 miles/ 480KM, on my 2023 Experia. So I will stay here and work on the bike. Kinda warm in my garage, so I just came inside to cool off and take a break and post a photo of where I now am with the bike.


I have the battery lowered as low as my lift will go and I started to lift up the bike. If the battery wants to stay where it is at, I will continue, if not, I will see what I can do and decide if I need help from one of my neighbors or whatever for a couple of minutes.


Before I lift the bike off, I will have thick cloth moving blankets around the battery just in case it falls over or whatever. If the battery was flat on the bottom this would not even be an issue, but it is not flat.


Anyway, see photo for where I am now at:




-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

Taking a break again, so time for some more photos and comments. I have the battery totally removed, next to the bike, where I am now working on it. I have all the battery bolts removed, but it looks like it is sealed together with a gasket or whatever and doesn't want to come apart. That is where I am now, not sure how much force I should use on trying to get it apart or the best way to do this. I am hoping to hear from anybody who has opened one of these battery packs.


Removing the battery is an easy one-man job (IMO) if one is careful. Just time consuming.


Here is my advice, stuff not in the book, but is what I did.


After the battery is lowered, raise the bike a little at time, checking to make sure all is fine, and the battery is balanced. It didn't feel right to me, so I removed the little stud on top of the battery pack and ran a bungle cord to the crane to help keep it balanced. I just wasn't 100% sure if it would fall, but took very little to keep it perfectly balanced from the top of the battery, and that simple trick worked. Then I slowly cranked higher and higher, checking things to make sure all is okay.


The very bottom of the front tire must be around 20" (500 mm) off the ground to be able to get the battery out of the bike.


Some photos:


-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

Some more photos, for those who do not already know this stuff.  The three cables on the rear side of the battery are for the charging. A two-conductor cable on top, which is the DC input to the battery from the 3KW AC charger. The other two thick single cables are for the neg and positive battery input from the DCFC pins of the bike's CCS receptacle.




The two cables on the opposite of the battery are for the high current, high voltage battery output to the inverter (motor controller).


The two top connectors are for the very low current DC stuff, such as the voltage to turn the bike on when the contactor is still open, and for whatever else. There are more low current connections from the HV battery than I would have expected.




See the filenames:

[DonTom]

One more thing I should mention. The HFT crane (I bought the two-ton crane, SKU:58755) is foldable, but there is no need to fold it.  A motorcycle fits perfectly inside, just remove the top thingies and use it as a parking space. I have no doubt I will use this for many other things, such as to remove and reinstall front and rear motorcycle wheels. The fact that it can instantly be put at any height is very helpful for a lot of motorcycle work.

The other thingy I have is for when we want things perfectly balanced. That is HFT SKU: 60659  Not really necessary for this battery removal job,  but it can be helpful.

I hear it takes 16 hours of shop labor for the Energica shop to replace this fuse.  That will cost a lot more than buying all the stuff to do the job ourselves and no doubt we will find this stuff useful for many other jobs as well. And it takes up almost no room when used as a motorcycle parking space.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[DonTom]

[ Don: I was just at Energica HQ during the open house/clearance and noticed a specialized tool in the back corner of the room. It's specifically designed to grab all the mounting points of 13.4 packs so you can crack open the shell and to cell repair. Maybe see if you can rent it from them. Bring a truck over, haul it back, play with it, and then return it. Or buy it altogether!

I think I discovered today what you mean there. I just discovered the most difficult part of this job is trying to get the pack open. But I am not trying to open it to replace cells, just to replace the 75-amp fast charge fuse.


I am stuck here at this point, but I do have some ideas to get it open after I buy a few small parts. But first, I need to know for sure it is possible for me to do without that shell cracker they use in SSF. I have all the battery case bolts removed, and I am wondering what is holding it so tight together.


I don't know why I named this thread "replacing" as I meant "removing". The battery cells are as good as new, at least my range is around the same since new. I cannot notice any difference in range since new.


I plan on replacing the 75-amp fuse with a 100-amp fuse inside the battery pack and then put an additional 75-amp fuse in series with it externally where it is easy to replace so it will protect the 100-amp fuse in the battery pack. That is if I can find all the required parts. I will probably mount this fuse to the right of the motor, where I think there is more than enough space for the fuse and encloser. The idea is that I will be able to replace this 75-amp fuse even on the road by carrying a spare.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Specter]

A fuse for a fuse?  wow.
can't wait to hear the story about this arc flash first rainy day, especially when the battery does not seal back up properly because you did something wrong, but hey, at least they are not screwing you for 16 hours time right?

why not just jumper the fuse inside and just move it outside for that matter since you want to breach the integrity of the hv system.  better yet get a circuit breaker, that way if the fuse does blow, you won't be out the 75 cents for a new one.

Aaron who already knows which critical faults this is going to throw within a few days.