George_D:

fikfik,

i have 12 pcs of 260ah batteries in total. my panels are all 200w each.


for 8 batteries you can start with 4 pcs of 200w panels and increase from there.

Uncle George, where do you get your suntech from or joy panel? can i use a 45amp MPPT for 12 250Watt panels?

uncle Bodejohn, please what make are your charge controllers and how many amps? how many array you have on each (how many solar panels).

With 12 no 250 watt panels what recommended MPPT charge controller I should put (8 battery 48V array) in hybrid charging setup.

Where can i get solar panels and mronign start charge controller?

Thanks

George_D:

hello abunafiu,

i earlier on reverted to a single charge controller setup by combining all my arrays (back facing strings
and front facing strings) into one. with this over-current alarm i'm presently facing i think it will be
wise to split back the array into two like i earlier did and re-commission the second charge controller in
order to handle the extra power coming from the modules.

this i will do over the weekend - and with pictures as usual.

uncle george, please remind me, how many batteries (and in what array) you have to mac your 60amp MPPT controller? What is the wattage and spec of your panels? How many panels you sugegst for a 48V 200Amp (8 nos) battery array? Thanks.

UPDATE

Thanks @bravolad. The car is running great now. Here's what I did:

1. Got this lime green dye that you add to the radiator water and run the engine. After running for a wile, you wear ultraviolet goggles and look around all the engine to see where parts of the die are. This revealed a leak under my water pump. I changed the water pump and no visible leaks anywhere else. Finally I do not have to top up water every week.

2. The power doors are all working great. That Francis guy is amazing, he redid the whole assembly of both doors. Changed many tiny parts and now everything's fine. Though I just noticed that when on a hill sloping downwards, one of the doors doesn't hold when opened, but I'll take that to Francis within the week. Its like heaven to have these doors working seamlessly again.

fikfik: HI everyone,

i was wondering, my electricity bill has increased since i started using my inverter. How does an inverter work? If I plug it in to input and its only powering a phone charger, will it pull its full 5KVA from the meter? no matter whats conencted to it? What about those 10KVA stabs? Does connecting a load of say 500VA to it not matter to the NEPA meter (will the stab still pull 10KVA?)

Without all this I was averaging 6-9k a month, now I'm paying 12-16k.... Thanks

ok thanks @earthrealm. I figured since I now have 24 hr electricity, I'm paying PHCN for storing the electricity. So, in essence, I'm paying as if NEPA never cuts power... Still much cheaper than the costs and hassle of buying fuel and maintaining the generator (by the way, sold it 2 weeks back).....

Next step, generating my own power. But i'm still at a rented house. Does it make sense to get solar panels on my landlords roof, for me to detach them when I move into my own house? any thoughts would be welcome. Is everybody with solar panels here, doing it in your own houses?

HI everyone,

i was wondering, my electricity bill has increased since i started using my inverter. How does an inverter work? If I plug it in to input and its only powering a phone charger, will it pull its full 5KVA from the meter? no matter whats conencted to it? What about those 10KVA stabs? Does connecting a load of say 500VA to it not matter to the NEPA meter (will the stab still pull 10KVA?)

Without all this I was averaging 6-9k a month, now I'm paying 12-16k.... Thanks

bravolad:

I have sent the two numbers (AutoGenesis & the power door) repair guys. I trust they would be helpful. Please update the house when your vehicle problems are resolved.

Meanwhile, I could not post their phone numbers here because as I said in my earlier posts, I do not have their permission to do so. Even though posting the numbers here could generate further business for them but people frown at such without the express permission of the owners. Personally, I would not take it so I would not do same to another person.

@bravolad, thanks. I'll let everyone know how it goes.

bravolad:

If you live in Abuja, take your van to AutoGenesis, they will fix whatever problem you have with it. They are in Wuse 2. For your sliding door, I have tried sending an email through your profile but it requires you to be online at the time of sending the mail.

Thanks, have sent you an anonymous message, just reply it and we'll be connected. Where is Autogenesis? I think if you put both phoen numbers here (for autogenesis and the sliding doors guy), it will be of benefit for other with similar probs and also help promote the company.

sultaan: How reliable these Toyotas are

When you start digging into your engine your mechanic won't stop, you had a simple problem, misfire and over heat.

now you are still losing coolant and other things are creeping up.When the mechanic went into the engine he took out the spark plugs cleaned them then reinstalled them which could have fixed your p0306 in the first place cyl 6 misfire.

Guess who is going to make more money with your upcoming problems

This is nothing, trust me. I used to drive a Honda Oddyssey and that was HELL....

Thanks though, I'll definitely continue to keep my head up moving forward.

icemann:


Really you use water? I would advice/advise Coolant. Its cheaper in the long run (considering the cost of a new water pump and flushing your radiator)

- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
Did He Double the gasket. Most time they use the wrong gasket and double it. WRONG MOVE

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!
The idea is to use coolant. Not rocket science, no other magic

-wont the coolant still just leak out? and coolant is much more expensive than water...
- No they didnt double the gasket. It was the right one (for 3MZ engine) and I dont see any oil in the water or vice versa.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

For those who are concerned about mechanics milking me, I'm an adventurist and am OK trouble shooting my car like this. I'm an engineer and to a large extent have done alot of research myself before I sanction these changes. Besides, I'm of the mentality if you dont give some other people opportunity to make money, how will you make money yourself.

That said, I've decided to:

1. Get coolant dye and use it with UV light to detect where the leak is coming from
2. Change the timing belt which will hopefully get rid of those OBD errors. (many people are saying a tooth on the belt is missing or misaligned).

bravolad:

Some of the problems you have on your mini van can be fixed seamlessly here in Abuja. That was exactly why I asked you in my earlier response to your post. There is man that can fix your power (sliding doors) here but I do not have his permission to give out his number on this forum. I use the same model of vehicle. Moreover, there is also a competent garage here that can handle your overheating problem. But as I said, I do not know how they would feel about my giving out there detail on a public forum. Better still, u can leave your email address here.

Regards.

Thanks, please send me a private message with the phone numbers and email

Update:

- I had the top cylinder gasket changed and no more p0306 code.
- But I noticed that every 3-5 days, my water level goes down and if i don't top-up my temp goes above half!
- Again, no visible leakage. Once the water is topped up in the car, the car can be in a go slow for probably days and not overheat. After about 5 days it'll take about half a 1.5L ragolis bottle
- Since the gasket change, i'm now getting error P0016 & P0018 from OBD (no noticeable misfires in engine)
- still havent found someone to fix my sliding door issue (dont mind changing the whole assembly with new)

Any idea on how i can stop having to add water every 5 days? Thanks everyone!

Pumps working fine. I now may have to begin asking the question; how much is a top cylinder head gasket for this car and what are the things i should make sur my mech adheres to when changining it...

fikfik: Will do that in the morning and give feedback. there are no water leaks too.

Will do that in the morning and give feedback. there are no water leaks too.

adanny01: Test the water pump.

Open the radiator cap, start engine and rev engine while observing the water. It should be turbulent and the level should go down with high rev. If the water is still while revving high, then the pump is bad.

U also need to know if there is a leakage or water overflowing from the reserve tank.

Who fixed it for you, can i have a name and number? thanks

bravolad:

Perhaps you did not purchase the exact model of the thermostat for your vehicle. You need to get an experienced auto mechanic to examine it. For your sliding doors, certainly, they can be fixed. I had similar problem sometime ago and got them sorted here in Abuja. You may need to state where you live. Regards.

Thanks @smartchoice. One of the fans is a little slower than the other so I installed an extra fan in front blowing into the engine. I just removed the new thermostat too, but it still overheated.

Hi everyone.

My car is an XLE Limited AWD year 04/05 .

Its over heating after about 3 days of use. Thermostat has ben changed with a new one I bought myself (from US).

OBD is also pulling p0306 "cylinder 6 misfire" every 2 days with CEL.

No milky discharge or wattery oil yet. no visible leakage of radiator water in engine area.

Is my gasket flat? should it be changed? how much does one cost for this engine? Or is there something else that causing this over heating.

Oh and as a side thought can ANYONE please fix the power sliding doors once and for all....

Thanks.

kdecifer:

U mite be right about your comment on mtn. afterall, one can only comment based on how fair one has been treated. I can say the same for airtel too. Very wonderful night plan at N833.33/gb or N2500 for 3GB, and the impressive all-day plan at N1200/GB. Both, when combined gives you 4GB(4096 MB) for just N3700. Airtel Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ur calculation is wrong. there is no 4Gb plan for 3,700

This is wonderful Goerge, well done! I hope you're neighbours dont plan on building storey buidlings though, LoL....

Seriously, at what NEPA is charging for electricity nowadays, it makes sense to start with solar... I use about 25 units a day!!!

Hi George, I plan on getting a 5KVA Cyberpower inverter (with 12 batteries) and 10KVA Prag Stabilizer for my house. Some of my equipment, TV, computer, network equipment, desktop already have individual UPSs. Will I retire these from the system once I deploy the inverter? or will the UPS still be needed maybe for the sensitive equipment since the inverter may not switch fast enough? what do you think?. Thanks.

@uau
Congrats, couple Qs.
so what department did you choose? What state are you from (or geo political zone), so at least we all know one spot is taken from your state
Was it the head of the panel that said they would definitely employ you or the big guy with glasses (Head of IT)?
How did you reply the "how much notice you have to give you current employer" Q?

@all
did anyone else get anyone immediate positive feedback during the interview?

Some guy also met me on the stairs on my way out and said he was a staff in HR and could help me! I asked the security guard and it turns out he was a freakin' cleaner! did this happen to anyone else? Beware 419 o,

@uau
so what department did you choose?