I’m a bit appalled at myself for neglecting the Changli content all of you so richly deserve, and for that I apologize. Getting The Autopian going has been a lot of work, and some things slip through the cracks. Why, just earlier this morning David yelled at me for starting edits on Shitbox Showdown late, because I got caught up looking for a contact at an Austrian technical museum that has an 1875 car I want – no, need – to know more about for an upcoming story. I fucked up. I falter, I stumble. But, I can also attempt to make amends, so, with that in mind, let’s talk Changli, mothertrusters!
The sad truth is that at this moment, the Changli may be my most reliable vehicle. The Pao’s body is recovered from the deer-smack incident, but there was an undetected radiator crack from the wreck that caused a coolant leak and subsequent overheating, so now I need to replace the head gasket. My wife’s Tiguan is currently driving me fucking clamshit because the PCV valve clogged and I just dropped a bunch of money to replace blown seals, and now another seems to have blown.
[Editor’s note: What a lot of people don’t realize is that Jason’s car situation is far worse than mine. I have more broken cars, yes. But I also have more non-broken cars (that’s the genius behind buying so many vehicles), and what’s more, I’m just a single dude. Jason has a family and responsibilities!
We all know that the severity of one’s automotive problems can be approximated by one’s Car Situation Index (CSI), which is calculated via the equation CSI = (number of working cars) / (number of broken cars * responsibilities). You want to maximize this number: If you have a lot of working cars, you’re good. If you have few responsibilities, you’re probably okay, and if you’ve got few broken cars, then naturally you’re fine. -DT].Â
The Yugo runs and is usable, but, you know, it’s still a Yugo. I love it, but it’s a bit, um, marginal. The Beetle’s carbs are off and awaiting me to clean them, which I’ve been very effectively putting off, and it’s been sitting a while.Â
[Editor’s note: I don’t know why Jason is neglecting to mention this. The Beetle’s engine is seized. Possibly in need of a full rebuild if he doesn’t get it unstuck. I don’t know if his wife is reading this and he’s trying to keep this on the downlow. If so, sorry Torch! -DT]
[Editor’s note-note: I put Marvel Mystery Oil in the Beetle’s engine a while ago, hopefully to de-gunk and un-seize it. If I don’t check on it, I can assume it worked! So that’s where I am: assuming it’s freed, and just needs the carbs back on. This is the same method I’m using by avoiding getting a colonoscopy.]
I’m not proud of any of this, of course, it’s just the reality of where I am. David left his manual ZJ here, so that’s been very handy to have around, and, yes, the humble little Changli has been filling in for all kinds of in-town duties.
I’ve been driving that little 1.1 horsepower goofball around a lot. In fact, on some weekends, it’s all I drive! I’ve been using it so much around town, people have started taking grainy, Sasquatch-like videos of it and putting them online:
A friend sent me this video a few weeks ago & I think lives in your neck of the woods. Any time he spots a car he doesn’t recognize, he sends me a text asking if I know what it is. I said not only do I know WHAT it is, I think I know WHO it is, and linked him to your YT. pic.twitter.com/LlGzCHNc4R
— Mark WEEN Pelto (@Mark_the_Z_spot) April 3, 2022
You can ignore the upper tweet there, just watch that bottom video. I was dropping my kid Otto off at his friend’s place when I was spotted there. For getting around the smallish college town where I live, I’ve proven all you need is an electric horse and a fractional horse, four wheels, and a funny-looking shell to cover it all up. I even took the ol’ ‘Li through a fast food drive-through for the first time, and hardly anyone batted an eye.
It’s been fantastic. You really don’t need to push around 4,000 pounds of car – electric or combustion – to do most of what you need to do.
While the Changli has been just about trouble-free, it hasn’t been completely trouble-free. There’s been one new problem that’s cropped up, and while it’s not especially severe, it’s very annoying. It’s this:
See what’s going on there? When you try to use the turn indicators or wiper, the whole unit that houses the control stalks rotates as well, so instead of, say, indicating a right turn, you’re rotating the whole damn thing 70° clockwise. It’s so annoying.
I figured this should be an easy fix, right? Probably just some loose screws, so that’s what I checked first:
I thought these two screws might be what clamps the unit to the steering column, but nope. Tightening them did nothing. So, I removed them, thinking maybe the plastic housing would split in half, revealing whatever clamps the stalks to the column, but no again. In fact, I have no idea just what these two screws do at all.
So, I kept looking. While searching, I did solve one minor mystery: Why does the steering wheel make that funny squeaky-scrapey sound when I turn it? Turns out, this is why:
See those little spring-loaded brass contacts? Those are the electrical contacts for the horn! They’re a little noisy when they rub against their contact rings, but overall it’s a pretty clever solution.
Still, that’s not what I need. I kept looking, and eventually found this:
There’s a nice, meaty screw! That’s probably the set screw to keep this unit tight! So I tightened it. And, nothing. Huh. I then removed it, to see what was going on, and this is what I found:
There was a strange little threaded cuff on the screw, and that seemed to be restricting the screw’s ability to make hard contact with the shaft to keep the stalk unit in position. I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t an issue before, so I removed the cuff, thinking I’d then be able to screw the set screw far enough in to make a strong lock. But, again, no luck.
You see, what I didn’t realize was that there’s no threaded hole on the stalk unit itself; that cuff-thing is the threaded hole!
I suppose it was cheaper to buy a little fitting like that than to mold threads into the plastic? Or maybe the plastic is just too soft to make screw threads effective? Probably both.
What seems to have happened is the threaded cuff worked its way out of the hole in the plastic meant for the set screw, and now it’s all loose. I tried hammering the cuff back in, but it only worked a bit, and the thing is still kinda loose. That hole must have just worn itself a bit larger over time.
I think I’ll JB weld the cuff in there to make up for the enlarged hole in the plastic, and try the screw again. This should make a more stable threaded hole for that set screw, and keep everything tight.
I’m just happy to have figured it out, because it was driving me nuts. Still, as far as problems go, this is really minor, especially with all the use I’ve been giving this $1,200 miracle.
We have interesting future plans for the Changli, so, as always, stay tuned, pals.
“I put Marvel Mystery Oil in the Beetle’s engine … This is the same method I’m using by avoiding getting a colonoscopy.”
O_o
I’m sure I can’t be the only one that was skimming this article, had to stop, and re-read that paragraph a few times. 😀
I really wondered where he was putting the Marvel Mystery Oil, and if that was a legit remedy for colon issues…
As someone who also got up close and personal with a NC deer last fall can confirm that automatic emergency braking does not make a difference when one them wanders out in front of you, especially if you’re going 65.
I’d love to race your Changli with my custom-built pedal-electric microcar. I bet I’d out-gun it purely under pedal power! Using 2.5 kW of electric motor plus pedaling, it probably wouldn’t be a contest. The entire car weighs 91 lbs.
You can see pics of it in my profile. I also sent you an email 3 weeks ago.
Truly yours,
Stan
PS We should be together too.
????
Ah, emojis don’t work! The ??? should be a winking emoji.
It can’t do 90 mph on the freeway yet though. Once I add a rear suspension to compliment the front gas shocks, 16×1.4″ light-duty motorcycle wheels/hubs with Cotter pin axles, solar car tires, roll cage, hydraulic disk brakes, lighter/more dense/more powerful battery pack, high voltage FOC controller, Schlumpf drive bottom bracket, and more streamlined body shell, it will certainly be able to do that, with mechanical reliability. The goal is to keep the complete vehicle at or under 100 lbs.
Right now, it does 0-30 mph in 6.5 seconds and tops out at 50 mph, getting a 150-200 mile range on a 1.5 kWh battery. With 10 kW and a body with aerodynamic drag factor 2x that of a Milan velomobile, it should be capable of 0-60 mph in under 8 seconds and a top speed of 100+ mph, with a 300+ mile range on a 2 kWh battery.
Either way, the Changli wouldn’t stand a chance, so it would only be fair that in either guise, I race it with nothing but my legs powering the microcar via pedaling. I can currently sprint to 35 mph on flat ground with the motor shut off and holding 22 mph on flat ground is easy, with nothing but me powering it.
And yes, I am bordering on being a crazy stalker/fan or “Stan” that loves Torchinsky’s articles. We share a similar love for ugly deathtrap shitboxes. Hell, I was dedicated enough to design and BUILD one from scratch.
Whoa, wait! Does the suffix ‘Stan’ used for someone who’s heavily into something come from the song? I’ve never made that connection for some reason!
Ha, glad you took the comment in the good natured way it was intended. I worried it seemed I was taking the piss.
Thank you for the Chang-Li update. The world is a little brighter now.
After you get the screw in place maybe try to put a hose clamp around the entire thing.
You do know we all want to see a Tesla upgrade in this don’t you Jason. Go whole hog buddy. Reinforce the frame and load that puppy up with batteries. Do you have any idea of the bragging rights you would have with a Chang-whatever-the-fuck that does 0-60 in 3 sec?
CHANGLI!
My Changli story:
I’m on a volunteer fire department in Iowa. Every year we have a “Iowa Fire Convention” which equates to some firefighter skill competitions, a business meeting nobody goes to, golf, bowling, camping, and excessive amount of unhinged drinking. Picture 1500 campers in a mowed hayfield with temporary electricity plumbed in and once you park your camper everybody rides around on crazy/wacky modified golf carts. Except one guy…. in 2021. Driving my lifted Yamaha G2 on ridiculous but handy off road tires, I saw up the dirt “road” ahead of me what appeared to be a throbbing, bouncing bright red… CHANGLI…. going to the same concert tent we were. I made sure to park right behind him where we went into a Q&A session on his Changli purchase, ownership, usage around town, and finished it off with a shotgun ride in the beast. The owner even delighted as he convinced me to sit in the back; “it’s not that bad” he said…. he’s right; better than anticipated. I had mentioned you and your writing at some online car blog that I’ve forgotten the name of. He knew of you and the moral of the story is I believe I have to be one of very few in the United States who knows of not one, but TWO U.S. Changli owners.
Yes! Just what I needed today! Thanks
I live for Changli content
“fucking clamshit” is my new epithet of choice
That video of the Changli driving through the neighborhood makes me smile.
I just ran across some of those shitty inserts recently myself. I was removing an old, clouded set of fog lights and one of the nuts kept turning and turning without getting any looser. When the insert came out of the plastic housing of the old fog light I finally understood what was happening.
You’ve probably covered this elsewhere, but my real question is, “can this thing be registered and legally driven on public roads?”
The girlfriend has already veto’d me buying one, but it’s small and cheap enough I could probably hide in in my woodshop garage and she wouldn’t even notice, haha!
Yes, if your state allows ‘neighbourhood electric vehicles’ or ‘low-speed neighbourhood vehicles’ or the like, then they are legal there! They only max out at like 45kph and I don’t think you need to insure…or even register them?
Jason would be able to give you a better answer…
These are generally classified as LSVs, so they’re usually legal on roads with 35mph speed limits or below. So go forth and Chang that Li!
It’d about double the price, but a pack of LFP batteries would probably double or triple the range and be basically drop-in replacements.
My Mom lives in a retirement community in Arizona… surprised I have not seen a Changli yet…. the Golf Cart dealer has a chokehold down there!
As I live in a small city in Oregon myself, a Changli might be the way to go! As long as it could go the 20 miles uphill to the ski hill, there are chargers at the top, so would be A OK on the way down, gravity and all.
CSI = (number of working cars) / (number of broken cars * responsibilities)
Divide by zero error.
I was going to suggest that what he really wanted was (working cars)/ 1+(broken cars*responsibilities)
David literally couldn’t imagine having 0 broken cars
You’re right. I came up with that equation because literally the idea of no broken cars wasn’t an option.
Define “Broken”
Anything DT has deemed reliable and/or referred to as a “Holy Grail”.
He wouldn’t know what to do with himself. I imagine he would just sit in a room eating saltines.
If you have no broken cars you’re either A) living your life perfectly, or B) living your life all wrong.
B.
For fixing the thread in the column, Bondic LED UV Liquid Plastic Welder!
Really tempted to make some smug comment about having four completely functional vehicles in our household fleet, including the 51 year old British one, but I know better than to taunt the car gods like that. Especially since the wheel bearing noise in my Corolla gets a little more ominous-sounding by the day…
Nice update! Maybe David can lend you a few pointers on accumulating more spare cars that might run somewhat. Surprised you don’t have a Type 2 at least, or a Rabbit Truck or some such.
VW never sold the Polo in the US did they? I think one of those would suit Jason quite well. Assuming he’s ok with the concept of a water-cooled VW of course.
Forget the JB Weld, it’s time for a Sugru renaissance on this site.
What can we do with Sugru? It’s a miracle product!!!
Wow – I’d never heard of it before, but Sugru looks like the real deal. I’m gonna have to check it out. I’m not sure that a flexible bond is what Jason needs in this particular case, so I’d go with the JB Weld in that case, I think.
Sugru is pretty handy.
My only complaint is that the shelf life is relatively short, and based on the manufacturing date. I’ve also not been able to find it sold as a single pack, so I usually end up having to buy a 3 pack and 1 packet inevitably becomes unusable before I have a need for it.
I try to prolong the shelf life by keeping it in the fridge, but same! And I never need a full pack of it.
It’s not flexible, but it is moldable and sandable.
I’d use a thinner epoxy than JB weld. You’ll want to make sure all the gaps are filled.
Or
Throw BMW badges on it, as BMW’S appear exempt from needing turn signals.
As a BMW driver, I can confirm. The $4500 “indicator package” just isn’t worth it to most folks. It’s much more common to put that money towards the driver comforts package instead :p
Now this is some forward thinking!
Maybe a few drops of conductive grease might cure the squeaky-scrapey sound on your steering wheel? In the picture, it also looks like the contact is not perpendicular to the sliding surface. That might contribute to the noise, but I’m not sure I’d dare bending it back…
Also known as dielectric grease.
And, yes, the off-axis mating of the contact is probably adding to the noise, due to wiping an edge instead of the intended contact surface.
A small point of information that I learned not too long ago. Dielectric grease isn’t any more conducting than normal grease (absolutely non-conducting to be fair).
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/what-is-dielectric-grease/
Dielectric grease is meant to be non-conductive, that’s what dielectric means. The purpose of it is to keep water, debris, condensation etc from accumulating on a contact and causing it to corrode, or to displace air for the same purpose.
The smart thing to do would be to buy a good sensible car and cast the Tiguan into the sea.
I also appreciate Schrodinger’s VW Engine.
I know, but Sally loves that Tiguan, and I cannot tell anyone what car to love or not, no matter what. I gave that right up years ago. So, I gotta deal with it.
@Jason, as one of the resident VW enthusiasts/apologists the correct answer is to replace every picture in your house with ones of a 17-19 golf sportwagen 4mo with 6 speed manual and no sunroof. Unicorn wagon, unfortunately not brown or diesel but best VW made since ’99. She will either divorce you or make you find her one.
I wish, I wish with all of my heart that I didn’t have a sunroof on my ’12 JSW TDI. The panoramic roof announces my stupidity.
If she’s going to insist on a modern VW, then you need to adopt my strategy when my daily was a Peugeot 405 and get an old Civic or Corolla as backup.
Of course, I ended up driving a no a/c 4-speed manual Civic for three years before I could afford a new car payment.
But what attributes of the Tiguan does she love? I’m sure there are better vehicles out there that also have those attributes. Perhaps in a vehicle that will love you guys back. That Tiguan is just giving bad vibes. We don’t need those in 2022.
Jason, I hate to recommend anyone buying a larger car, but when you can consider yourself lucky that the deer ran into the Pao, come on man…
I mean, look at your fleet. Typically a car would take out a deer. In your case a deer would stampede thought the Yugo, or Changli brush itself off and walk away. Maybe a backup family vehicle isn’t a bad of an idea? Maybe a cheap electric with some sort of crash rating?
P.S. I still wanna see a joystick hood ornament, and a claw from a claw machine game hanging off the rear view mirror of the Changli.
Or tame a few deer and have them pull the Changli around at Christmas time.
With the top speed of the Changli, I’d like to see him even try to hit a deer! I think the only deer at risk are the green kind that mow lawns.
Agree – you can’t risk your life in that death trap! Red light runners are everywhere. Keep the changli in the neighborhood and drive something with at least a 1-star or higher rating, please.
YES! CHANGLI UPDATE!
I am so happy that this is the newest content on the world’s newest and best car blog!
Seriously!
I can so relate!
Those little threaded cuffs are “heat set inserts” and are fairly popular with the 3D printing crowd. I’m not that surprised that it came out of your setup given the origins, but normally they are fairly robust
When I realized what it was I actually wondered if he could just press it back in with a soldering iron. Or maybe get one the next size up instead if the hole is too stripped out.
JB weld for the win there. Heat press already failed. Duct tape will also be ineffective.
I used to do exactly that to fix inserts on certain monitor cases, way back when fixing those things was profitable. Just have to make sure you don’t press so hard that the soldering iron tip gets jammed into the insert. This was also typically a permanent fix.
YES, please listen to this thread of comments, Jason. Drill out a NEW hole, then with a soldering iron, press (melt) in the new insert. The hole should probably be about the size of the smaller diameter of the insert.
https://markforged.com/resources/blog/heat-set-inserts
https://blog.trimech.com/installing-heat-set-inserts-into-fdm-parts
https://hackaday.com/2019/02/28/threading-3d-printed-parts-how-to-use-heat-set-inserts/
Medical device manufacturers love them too. Heat staking for getting threads in plastics
I’ve always wondered why no one has made a version with deeper splines for softer materials or for heat set applications.
They actually do make a good amount of variations based on materials and installation. The guys that designed the changli probably just use this particular one in a lot of other locations and in other products to reduce cost and stocking multiple different parts.
Those inserts can also be molded into an injection molded part. I can’t tell from the picture if that ring was molded or not, but the best way to fix it in Torch’s situation would be to slightly oversize the hole and fill it with epoxy and put the insert back in. I would also suggest a little indexing slot like a keyhole to prevent the epoxy from rotating. Or you could figure out what the thread of the screw is and glue a nut there too.