Power surge with the ford think

Ford Electric Car Forum Ford NEVs
1

Any idea what may be causing a battery surge on the Ford Think. It is the cord that keeps getting fried that attaches to the battery and what I assume is the alternator. I just replaced one bad battery before this happened. It have replaced two cords in two days. Thanks for your help.

2

Can you take a picture of the cord that you are talking about so we can see what your talking about?

1 Like
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I had it towed in to have a mechanic look at it today. I changed a few cords and gave up. The cords have an orange covering and the fire burned straight through the covering. I will let you know what they say the problem was when it is fixed. The guy at auto zone said it was likely corrosion on the battery that caused it to heat up but the batteries are only 6 months old. I took his advice and poured very hot water on the batteries to remove the corrosion but that did not work. I paid 3500 for it and now have around 9000 into it. Not the best investment on my life. I see on alibana that they will ship a new one from China for 5-6000 dollars.

4

Rodney…

Sorry to hear of your problems… especially the cash expenditure.

I too paid about the same for mine and had to replace the batteries after a few months… making the cost for mile driven ridiculous.

I installed 6 NAPA Marine batteries at about $900 bucks and so far, so good. They’ve been in over a year now and I understand life expectancy is 2 or 3 years. Hopefully much longer as that would equate to about a dollar per mile for me…

As David replied above, if you send a photo and a more detailed description (i.e. Happens when charging, or happens when running, etc.) we may be able to help.

IMG_1761

I just copied and pasted a photo of mine to see if it can be done. Doesn’t show up in this panel where I am typing but appears to be OK in the panel that uploads.

We’ll see…

My regular email is natolial@pacbell.net if you wanna try me direct.

Couple of other comments:

  1. Diet Coke or dissolved Baking Soda will NEUTRALIZE battery acid and corrosion. If you have an older maintenance-type battery where you need to add distilled water, just be sure none of the Coke or Soda gets inside it. Most batteries now are sealed and its not a problem. Let it sit a few minuted and then rinse it off. (Regular Coke can leave a sticky sugary mess…)

  2. WIring that is burned INTERNALLY is caused by to great of an amperage draw, or a “short”. If one (or more) of your new batteries is shorted internally it could cause a high current draw that is causing your problem. IN OTHER WORDS, the burned cable is the EFFECT, not the cause. Its acting like a FUSE. Replacing the cable or fuse without repairing the cause will lead you into the experience you just had.

  3. Corroded terminals usually ISOLATE or INSULATE the cables from the batteries, or causes an OPEN. If partial current is passing through because of the DEMAND of the motor, it could cause the entire system to overheat with a higher than normal draw.

  4. Items 2 and 3 above when pursued, should determine if the CHARGING system is the problem or if the MOTOR is the problem.

Hopefully your mechanic is well versed in these particular carts and you don’t haveta dump more huge amounts of $$$ into it.

I really LOVE my TH!NK and it also grabs attention wherever I go. I don’t believe there is a finer looking/driving “factory” cart produced, customs excepted but most of them are just “fluff”.

You really have a lot into this cart but not so much as if you went to buy a new cart of “equal” character. AsS for the Chinese imports (used TH!NKs or their brand?) I haven’t priced or driver any of the newer Chinese carts but if they are used TH!NKs, I think I would wanna actually SEE one before I bought one. Return shipping has gotta be a ■■■■■.

Good luck, keep in touch and hopefully your day will get brighter.

Tony