Think City EV
The rear sidemarkers over the rear wheels are identical to the turn signals over the front wheels except for their color.
The turn signals are fairly simple to access with the same-side headlight assembly removed. They are also easier to photograph in situ, so here they are:
Some Thinks suffer from headliners that droop down and irritate tall drivers. We’ve consulted a local auto upholstery shop about this and were told that it is common for the thin plastic foam type to deform after sitting in the heat of a closed car in the sun. We have attempted to repair the headliners by gluing plastic foam stiffeners to the top side of the headliners, but some of these have come back only to have a much more firmly sagging headliner. I am not certain whether it was my choice of material (dumb, I know to use basically the same material that had already failed) or adhesive (dumb, I know, to use hot glue in a high temperature application) or both that failed. Continue reading Headliner Sagging – Updated January 2016
I recently requested help from the Google group in tracking down as much information as I could about these cars in an email with the subject line “Bounty Hunters Wanted.” I’ve been meaning to send out a similar plea to the Yahoo group, but I’ve put it off because I want to familiarize myself with the documents they already have before I do so.
The documents linked below were provided to me, and now I am sharing them with you. (I’ve tried to remove any evidence of the individuals that created or leaked them, so if you find anyone’s name or initials anywhere on them other than mine, please let me know and I’ll sanitize it.) There are definitely some pieces of information that I did not have before, but I’m still hungry for more– please keep tracking down people and documents so we can keep these cars on the road as long as possible. Many thanks,
JM
A customer recently complained of their car occasionally dying while driving, then starting only intermittently, and finally not starting at all. We kept the car for quite awhile to make sure that the repairs we made would fix all of the problems. Continue reading Open circuit splices
To start a Think you need two things (assuming everything is working properly): a key that is cut to match the key cylinder installed in the car, and a radio frequency transponder that is programmed (learned) to the computers in the car. Continue reading Transponder Relearning
First, the things you never do: Continue reading Think Technician ESSENTIALS
I have seen 2 versions of Think TechCentre, and they are almost exactly the same, except the I believe the second version lost some live data capability. Otherwise the differences are just aesthetic.
First, connect the VIM to the car and to the computer that will be running TechCentre and turn the key on. Order is not important. (A few years ago Hondas were very finicky about what got plugged in first.)
Only after everything is connected and the car is on (can be key-on or ready-on), then start the Think TechCentre software. You will see a splash screen and then the home screen, but it may take a good 30 seconds or a minute to load/start-up. Continue reading Think TechCentre
Long story short, I previously advocated in this post that fuses in the PCU should be replaced by higher rated fuses and the correctly rated fuses should be installed in the wire harness where they are easily accessible. I am amending that recommendation to say that the fuses inside the PCU should be removed and replaced with a simple jumper wire– no fuse at all inside the PCU, only one in the wire harness.
Why the change of heart? Continue reading EVSE Fuse Retrofit — IMPORTANT CORRECTION
Unless you are extremely height-challenged, you could probably benefit from having a little Fresnel lens on your windshield. (I learned from watching Hell Baby (which is about as good of a movie as you might expect with that title) that Kegen-Michael Key’s character’s name is pronounced something like fre-NELL– the s is silent.)
This handy invention helps you to see stoplights and other important aids to driving that are visually impeded by the top of your windshield. Without it you may find yourself craning far forward and down or resting your chin on the steering wheel as you wait for a red light to turn green.
I think I tried ordering one once from this website, but there was some technical difficulty at the time:
I have seen Think owners with the same lens without the brand name, but I’m not sure where one might buy them.
This post summarizes the cables/adapters that are used for various functions in Think service. I refer to a cable as a simple conductor with a connector at either end. When a piece of hardware incorporates electronics that perform some sort of signal conversion I call it an adapter, converter, module, etc. Continue reading Technicians’ diagnostic hardware