[Bricklin] Air door problem

[Scott Isensee]

I had a few minutes to work on the Bricklin today and did this additional
troubleshooting. I slowly added air to the tank and tried the passenger door
every 10 pounds. The solenoid works fine up until the pressure hits 80 pounds
then stops working. So the problem is definitely somehow related to pressure.



 I removed the output air line from the solenoid and that had no effect. So
the problem does not lie with the door cylinder or latch.

I ran a ground directly to the battery with no effect so it is not a ground
problem.

I haven't had time to try the other things you suggested yet.

When I talked to Terry last month, he said that many Bricklins still have
electric latches which pull a lot of current and the wires in that circuit
aren't as heavy as they ought to be. As a result, the solenoids in the air box
are often getting only around 6 volts yet they typically work just fine with
that. I have air latches so am getting a full 12 volts to the solenoids which
should be more than enough.

This is really puzzling.

Scott



-----Original Message-----
From: John T. Blair <jblair1948 at cox.net>
To: bricklin <bricklin at autox.team.net>
Sent: Mon, Dec 19, 2011 9:42 am
Subject: Re: [Bricklin] Air door problem


At 10:10 AM 12/19/2011, you wrote:

 >The passenger door unlatches fine.

Scott,

Shucks.  It sure would have been easy for the latch not to be firing
so the door
wouldn't open.  But then how would the air pressure effect that?

Speaking of Air pressure, that doesn't make any sense if it's a bad
ground.  The
air pressure should not effect how the solednoid would fire.  But
that's the only
thing left we can thing of.

 >I clipped a jumper from the solenoid to ground at the mounting bolt
for the air
 >controls, but I'll try running it right to the ground terminal on
the battery to rule out a
 >weak ground on the air control panel.

Air lines, power (clip leaded both power and grounds), the solenoid -
cleaned and
replaced, switches (bypassed by clip leads).

 >I'll try cleaning connections and using dielectric paste, as you suggest.

That's about all I can thing of now.

 >Another thing that might be relevant is that I installed one of the
oilers that John
 >Martin sells a couple of years ago. Maybe oil in the air system is
causing problems?
 >I removed the oiler yesterday.

I don't think that would really effect it.  Terry has recommended an
oiler/lubicrator for
years.

I'm starting to lean back to a clogged / kinked air line.   But even
that  doesn't make
sense.  The higher the air pressure, the more air should be able to
get through the
clog, or tend to unkink the air line to all more air flow.

You may just have to go back to the beginning and start over.

1. to test the air lines, we'd need to see how much air is going
through the lines.  The
only thing I can think of there is a balloon held onto the air line
where it attaches to the lift ram.  Fire the latch for a few seconds
and see how big the balloon gets.  Try that on the other side
also.  That should give us some rough idea.

Does the solenoid fire if the air line is disconnected from the lift
ram at full pressure?

2. clip leading from the battery (both hot and ground) to the
solenoid would rule out
the wiring and switches.

3.  The only thing I can think of that would make it pressure
sensative is if the
solenoid were in backwards.  But you say you hadn't pulled the
solenoid out and it
has worked for 25 yrs.

The more I think about it, the pressure has to have something to do
with it, but what?
I can't think of a thing.  I'll keep thinking on it.

John


John T. Blair  WA4OHZ     email:  jblair1948 at cox.net
Va. Beach, Va
Phone:  (757) 495-8229

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