Nice work! Stay away from 2in1 drill bits... Instead buy spiral thread cutters! I always use them for expensive parts, it never fails, even without cutting fluid. Subscribed:) best regards from Ukraine!! Many thanks for supporting our country!
When threading aluminum there's a product called tap magic that is a light cutting oil that's good for aluminum. The stuff you used is designed for cutting steel. A good cheap option though is straight WD-40. I've tapped a lot of holes in aluminum with it and I get good results. A good sharp high quality tap is key. Your recommendation to tap by hand is a good one, and I would not use that combo drill/tap for this. It's very easy to cause damage during power tapping and even skilled machinists are reluctant to do it on anything critical or expensive. These combination drill/tap tools are not good for material that's of any thickness too. A lot of chip material is created from the drill point and then you stack more chips on top of that cutting the thread and the likelihood of something getting caught up in the cutting edge of the tap as it turns increases exponentially. You're almost guaranteed to get galled threads with one on a thick casting like this.
I personally wouldn't use epoxy. I'd use RTV as an adhesive. It's water proof and can easily be removed with no damage when needed. Only real drawback is it takes a long time to cure.
@@diyEVguyI suggest BEKO's "Gecko Hybrid POP". We use this on wind turbines since decades. Applyable even under water. Non toxic. Nearly does not shrink. After drying it is really like rubber! Much better then RTV silicone.
It was mentioned by AJ from QCCharge that 5 drains are added to the LDU's on the teslamotorclub forum. This was the first I heard this. It seems like your setup is robust but I wonder where 3 more would be added?
I am looking at using the motor of an LDU in a vertical application. Can you discuss the modifications required to do so? Like the spring seal, I’d imagine needs to be replaced with something stronger since the weight of the rotor would be sitting on it. But now the torque and vibrations would be applied laterally to the bearings. I’m not an engineer in any sense, any guidance is appreciated.
Does anyone happen to have OEM or alternative part numbers for the circlips and spring washers sandwiched between the shaft seal and the (front/outer) bearing? My motor had one fragmented, as well as the clip.
Question: Looking at the coolant reservoir the cap is of the pressurized design meaning a pressure (to raise the boiling point of the coolant) is building up first before excess pressure is released. I wonder if that is really necessary in the EV application and if it would help the seal if the cap would be modified to vent without building up pressure.
@@diyEVguy I guess if the temps in the coolant loop for the motor stay well below boiling point (must be above 100°C for the G48) it could assist the seal to not pressurize. I loose 5mm level of coolant every 1000km and my 3 seals have arrived. So I will do it shortly.
If I wanted to add a drain at the inverter side, without dropping the engine, do you think it would be feasible? Guessing I should pull the firemans loop first, completely powering off the car, just to be on the safe side, right?
@@diyEVguy The hose barb: I'm not sure what the intended sealing surface is supposed to be. The threads appear to be parallel, so ineffective for sealing, and the hex base does not appear to have any significant gasket area (and you're not installing them with that surface mating to the parent anyway). All in all, it doesn't seem a robust way to divert fluids under pressure. Perfectly adequate for your use -- non-pressurized -- but kind of an odd item. Mechanically, you're depending upon the Loc-Tite, which is my only concern with this install. --- You've really thought through a lot of things that I would likely miss, these vids are great!
@@alsavage1 Thanks again for the comment! Yes the barb ridges are parallel to each other. The silicone hose slides over it very snug so it is difficult to remove it. The silicone is so flexible that that provides a seal. I assume zero pressure because both the reluctor wheel chamber as well as the inverter chamber are vented to the ambient air. Yeah the loctite may not be the best choice. A "thread sealant" may be much better, but at the cost of the mechanical properties. Maybe a flexible epoxy would be better.
@@diyEVguy Ah, I was referring to the threads, not the hose end. Agreed: epoxy, as the threads being parallel, this is like a bolt and nut. If the fitting is not fastened so that the threads are in tension, only the Loc-Tite is retaining the fitting to the case, which does not seem optimum. --- I see I've been hyphenating "Loc-Tite" when Wikipedia doesn't reference that: correct is "Loctite". I have been doing it wrong for decades! I'll learn and do better ;)
Amazing pioneering work! Simple question- what do You expect, how long is the lifetime extended with this solution? The main problem is still the boiling point water solution at contact area of the rubber seal and the shafts, right?
Thanks! Yeah its is a 50/50 mix of water and glycol, boils at roughly 107°C (when at atmospheric pressure). Actual pressure and boiling temperature are likely higher due to the overpressure. My very coarse thermal calculations suggest that the seal lip (PTFE, not rubber) contact area is also in that temperature ballpark. So the coolant mayyy boil and bubble out towards the dry side, but I have not observed that in my own LDU yet bc is's bone dry after the first 2000mi. For longevity statistics (mind you: there may be many installation errors, so it may not be representative of professional interventions), see our website here: sites.google.com/view/teslaldu/longevity
Nice work, you improved the factory.
Haha thanks!
Nice work! Stay away from 2in1 drill bits... Instead buy spiral thread cutters! I always use them for expensive parts, it never fails, even without cutting fluid. Subscribed:) best regards from Ukraine!! Many thanks for supporting our country!
Tesla should hire this guy
That’s what I was thinking! 😆
Damn! You must be a real engineer! This seems to be really thought through. Thank you! ❤
This is absolutely amazing work, thanks for sharing
You're welcome!
When threading aluminum there's a product called tap magic that is a light cutting oil that's good for aluminum. The stuff you used is designed for cutting steel. A good cheap option though is straight WD-40. I've tapped a lot of holes in aluminum with it and I get good results. A good sharp high quality tap is key. Your recommendation to tap by hand is a good one, and I would not use that combo drill/tap for this. It's very easy to cause damage during power tapping and even skilled machinists are reluctant to do it on anything critical or expensive. These combination drill/tap tools are not good for material that's of any thickness too. A lot of chip material is created from the drill point and then you stack more chips on top of that cutting the thread and the likelihood of something getting caught up in the cutting edge of the tap as it turns increases exponentially. You're almost guaranteed to get galled threads with one on a thick casting like this.
Thanks for the clarification!
I personally wouldn't use epoxy. I'd use RTV as an adhesive. It's water proof and can easily be removed with no damage when needed. Only real drawback is it takes a long time to cure.
Interesting, thanks! I can see your point in context of ageing of the epoxy, higher brittleness, differences in thermal expansion etc.
@@diyEVguyI suggest BEKO's "Gecko Hybrid POP". We use this on wind turbines since decades. Applyable even under water. Non toxic. Nearly does not shrink. After drying it is really like rubber! Much better then RTV silicone.
It was mentioned by AJ from QCCharge that 5 drains are added to the LDU's on the teslamotorclub forum. This was the first I heard this. It seems like your setup is robust but I wonder where 3 more would be added?
do you have a parts list for seals and orings for this drive unit?
Partially here: sites.google.com/view/teslaldu/parts
FERSA seels a kit too I believe
very impressive, thanks for sharing.
I am looking at using the motor of an LDU in a vertical application. Can you discuss the modifications required to do so? Like the spring seal, I’d imagine needs to be replaced with something stronger since the weight of the rotor would be sitting on it. But now the torque and vibrations would be applied laterally to the bearings. I’m not an engineer in any sense, any guidance is appreciated.
Does anyone happen to have OEM or alternative part numbers for the circlips and spring washers sandwiched between the shaft seal and the (front/outer) bearing? My motor had one fragmented, as well as the clip.
No sorry...but you should be able to get them from salvage LDUs...
@@diyEVguy I might need to look around hardware stores or McMaster. They've got to be $5-$10 in hardware...
Like!
Thank you!!
Question: Looking at the coolant reservoir the cap is of the pressurized design meaning a pressure (to raise the boiling point of the coolant) is building up first before excess pressure is released. I wonder if that is really necessary in the EV application and if it would help the seal if the cap would be modified to vent without building up pressure.
Good question... Not sure about the answer...
@@diyEVguy I guess if the temps in the coolant loop for the motor stay well below boiling point (must be above 100°C for the G48) it could assist the seal to not pressurize.
I loose 5mm level of coolant every 1000km and my 3 seals have arrived. So I will do it shortly.
If I wanted to add a drain at the inverter side, without dropping the engine, do you think it would be feasible? Guessing I should pull the firemans loop first, completely powering off the car, just to be on the safe side, right?
If you disconnect the 12 Volt battery, the 2 HV contactors can't switch on, so 0 Volt at the drive unit. That is enough.
@@Stefan_Dahn Thank you 😊 I must pull the motor soon. The noise is getting Worse 😩
I'd love to see some more detail on the emergency drains. Be careful with the blue locktite, I have see it destroy certain plastics very quickly.
www.ebay.com/itm/185147142629
@@diyEVguy The hose barb: I'm not sure what the intended sealing surface is supposed to be. The threads appear to be parallel, so ineffective for sealing, and the hex base does not appear to have any significant gasket area (and you're not installing them with that surface mating to the parent anyway).
All in all, it doesn't seem a robust way to divert fluids under pressure. Perfectly adequate for your use -- non-pressurized -- but kind of an odd item. Mechanically, you're depending upon the Loc-Tite, which is my only concern with this install.
---
You've really thought through a lot of things that I would likely miss, these vids are great!
@@alsavage1 Thanks again for the comment! Yes the barb ridges are parallel to each other. The silicone hose slides over it very snug so it is difficult to remove it. The silicone is so flexible that that provides a seal. I assume zero pressure because both the reluctor wheel chamber as well as the inverter chamber are vented to the ambient air. Yeah the loctite may not be the best choice. A "thread sealant" may be much better, but at the cost of the mechanical properties. Maybe a flexible epoxy would be better.
@@diyEVguy Ah, I was referring to the threads, not the hose end. Agreed: epoxy, as the threads being parallel, this is like a bolt and nut. If the fitting is not fastened so that the threads are in tension, only the Loc-Tite is retaining the fitting to the case, which does not seem optimum.
---
I see I've been hyphenating "Loc-Tite" when Wikipedia doesn't reference that: correct is "Loctite". I have been doing it wrong for decades! I'll learn and do better ;)
@@alsavage1 Yes the threads are not tapered. I added a description update. Thanks again!
Amazing pioneering work! Simple question- what do You expect, how long is the lifetime extended with this solution? The main problem is still the boiling point water solution at contact area of the rubber seal and the shafts, right?
Thanks! Yeah its is a 50/50 mix of water and glycol, boils at roughly 107°C (when at atmospheric pressure). Actual pressure and boiling temperature are likely higher due to the overpressure. My very coarse thermal calculations suggest that the seal lip (PTFE, not rubber) contact area is also in that temperature ballpark. So the coolant mayyy boil and bubble out towards the dry side, but I have not observed that in my own LDU yet bc is's bone dry after the first 2000mi.
For longevity statistics (mind you: there may be many installation errors, so it may not be representative of professional interventions), see our website here: sites.google.com/view/teslaldu/longevity
Can I just add emergency drains ?
Yes. Still, what you will do then is experimental too.
Please remove your concept to be TESLA!!!!
@@Potet578 What do you mean?