Simple Fixes

[Jstpssng]

My wife called and said her car had quit. I asked, "does it have gas?", she said, "Yes, 1/2 tank".

I took the car trailer and loaded it up. Got it home and checked the fuel pressure and it had none. Ordered a new fuel pump. Of course it was in tank and I had to put the car on jack stands and drop the tank. Rolled the floor jack under the car to support the tank. Took off the straps and unhooked the fuel lines. Lowered the jack to the ground and rolled it out from under the car. Had my wife help me pick up the tank, as it was 1/2 full and would be heavy. We almost knocked ourselves out. It was bone dry. :drool:

Took the sending ring off the tank and pulled out the sending unit and fuel pump. One of the baffles in the tank (plastic) had broken loose and was wedged under the float arm.

I went ahead and installed the new pump, filter, and screen since I had gone that far. And removed the piece of broken baffle from the tank.

Chris

An aquaintence (sp?) had his pickup dragged to the garage and said "the fuel pump's gone."
You don't argue with Harry' so they did what they were told. On a pickup it's often easier to lift the bed than it is to drain and drop the tank. After replacing the fuel pump, they then added enough gas to the empty tank so that it would run.


I told that story to stay on topic, now an aside.
You list a '69 Mustang in your profile... it would be great if you would post a pic in the thread on the "Front Porch" titled "My Classic Car."

(I'd include a link, except it won't be started until I finish this.)

 

[groundcover]

How about the woman that called her husband out of a meeting to come to the mall because she locked her keys in the station wagon. While waiting for him to arrive she found the rear hatch unlocked. She knew he would be ripped so she just locked the hatch and waited !

 

[boxygen]

A few months ago, the front windows in my fiance's car stopped working. The rear windows worked fine along with most of the other things in the switchpack, I ordered two used window motors off ebay, didnt help. I took apart the switchpack and cleaned it, didnt help. I ordered a used switchpack off ebay, didnt help. I then changed the blown undersized fuse for the FRONT WINDOWS! It never occurred to me when I started to troubleshoot that front and rear windows would be on a different circuit! :ashamed::ashamed::ashamed:

 

[Johnbro]

Years and years ago we had some relatives with a chrysler something or other. He drove it, no problem. She drove it, car would croak and wouldn't restart. I asked to look at her keyring and solved the problem.

Flash back a zillion years ago. We bought a farm house and found a trove of old Popular Science magazines former owner had saved. I got to reading them as a kid, and loved the column called "Model Garage." Remember that, anyone? There was a mechanic would would solve a riddle and a domestic issue every month.

Well, the problem with this woman's car was right out of one of those episodes I had read as a kid--the woman had a HUGE keyring with a zillion keys on it like ladies will do. The husband only had car key, house key, that's it. The heavier keyring would short out the ignition switch by its weight, so when the wife drove it the car would croak. I remembered the story and sure enough, that was the problem. they thought I was a wizard. Hah!

 

[ustmd]

I preface this by saying I love my in-laws. I have been married for 19 years and the in-laws have lived on the next plot over for the last4 years and it has been great.

My father in law, however, is not mechanically inclined. As a matter of fact, his mechanical ability is pretty much exhausted by the refrigator door.

I will give you two father in law stories:

1. I get a call that he is having major computer problems and that he has some virus that is keeping him for logging on to a web site. I run done the hill to find that he has a book laying on part of the keyboard that is constantly pressing a key.

2. Another desparate call--the power is out in half the kitchen. Again, I rush down the hilll. He is talking about having blown out a breaker and seeing if he can get an electrician out. I check the breaker no problem. I ask if he checked the GFI...yes, the one in the bathroom. I find the GFI behind the toaster, reset it, and we are back in business.

 

[DAY]

I, too, remember the "Model Garage". I guess that makes me a geezer.

As to the Older Generation being out of touch with GFI circuits and such, I find it interesting that us "adults" have to read the manual, step by step, be it a new camera, computer, or CUT, while the "kids" just grab it and go at it, intuitively.

 

[Giles]

I, too, remember the "Model Garage". I guess that makes me a geezer.

As to the Older Generation being out of touch with GFI circuits and such, I find it interesting that us "adults" have to read the manual, step by step, be it a new camera, computer, or CUT, while the "kids" just grab it and go at it, intuitively.

My wife and I got new cell phones and could not make them work properly. After reading the manual over and over, my wife called our daughter and our 13 year old granddaughter answered the phone.
She just guided my wife through the process and never had to read anything:thumbsup:

 

[DAY]

My wife and I got new cell phones and could not make them work properly. After reading the manual over and over, my wife called our daughter and our 13 year old granddaughter answered the phone.
She just guided my wife through the process and never had to read anything:thumbsup:

Have you considered that there may be a CONSPIRACY among our 13 year grandchildren and the 13 year olds that are WRITING the manuals? While we are deciphering the instructions, they are taking over the world! (remember when we we young, and the mantra was "Never trust anyone over 30"?)

 

[CrownHawg]

Last summer, we had a terrible lightening storm at our lake house. The next morning, we found that the Directv wouldn't work, it would just say "no signal", indicating the dish was not working. The reciever would come on, and SAY no signal so surely it HAD to be the dish. After replacing the dish, (at $150), then about 100ft of coax trenched to the house, I find out it is in fact the reciever!! Direct sent me a new box, I plugged it in and all was fine. So, now I have a spare dish and a couple hundred feet of coax for when it REALLY IS the other stuff....

 

[mjarrels]

I once used a coat hanger (wire) to unglog a airconditioner unit in a 100 man berthing compartment on a aircraft carrier while in the middle east. Don't think I had to buy a beer for the rest of the cruise. Chiefs always save the day.

mark

 

[groundcover]

Had a neighbor once that was out in the drive with the hood up on the old Dodge. I walked over to see if he needed a hand. He had a bag of sealed beam bulbs and was clearly upset. Wife returned from work the night before and all the headlights had "burned out". He was replacing them but the new ones were "defective" . He had checked fuses and breakers so it had to be the bulbs. I walked back, got my jumper cables,got a good ground and the lights came to life, gave me god of the auto world status for the day !

 

[SPYDERLK]

As a mechanic, I still believe a large percentage of automotive sensor problems are caused by faulty wiring contact. Of course the new sensor fixes the problem with 1/2 new contacts

Good point!
larry

 

[SPYDERLK]

I, too, remember the "Model Garage". I guess that makes me a geezer.

As to the Older Generation being out of touch with GFI circuits and such, I find it interesting that us "adults" have to read the manual, step by step, be it a new camera, computer, or CUT, while the "kids" just grab it and go at it, intuitively.

You have to get to the "you cant hurt it by doing it wrong" point. They are just acclimated to making mistakes at the highest speed possible so that they quickly happen on the correct combination.
larry

 

[SPIKER]

I been in maintenance & repair for years. so there have been a lot of DUH moments for sure.

One was done by me was when retro fitting a OLD gas fired heater system with a all new burner & control system I designed & built wouldn't run right. start for 2 or 3 seconds & shut off. (ya had a switch in wrong position

a different one was one of the machines was acting up. I went over & it was right at quitting time & saw the problem was a relay was going out. hot & rattling bad. I pointed it out to the guy coming on shift that it was bad needed replaced but was at the moment working. This guy was past retirement age & didnt like us whipper snappers telling him what to do. well he walked away saying he would get to it soon as the run was done. well it was working so he didnt do anything till it quit an hour into his shift. Him and the other mechanics who wasnt there when I told the first one what was wrong. They worked on & off all night attempting to find the issue. the Son of the old guy came in and relieved his dad 2 hours before I got to work & spend the rest of the morning working on it. we had maintenance carts & I drove by & saw they "know-it-all's" son (nick name was Big Dummy) & 2nd mechanic was working on the machine. I stopped to see what was going on & was greeted with a rather nasty attitude & they could handle it. So I went on my way about an hour later the floor supervisor came & got me said that production was getting hampered with the machine down & that the machine was down all night. He took me over there and told big dummy to let me look at it. I walked up saw the relay was still the one from last night. I took out my screw driver & rapped on the relay & the machine took off. everyone just looked like daaa with their mouths dropped open. Now flash forward about 3 or 4 days I come in again a different machine is not working and I walk up here is big dummy with a screw driver rapping on every relay in the panel I say whats wrong & the nasty attitude is back from him and he mumbles if I think I can do any better then go a head & fix it. I look at it and about 30 seconds later I see the control wire that came off the back side of one of the switches in the door he had propped open with his back & back into production it goes hahah.

I now work as engineer in a different company & one of the shop techs had needed help on a control system they had worked on 2 days. Said that the design was bad the machine didnt work. went out & about 3 min into looking I found they had wired a control relay contact set backwards. just ONE relay too, tech who is very similar back ground as I have was impressed, I found something so simple so fast. (I didnt tell him that it was dumb luck though...

back to me had a nice car AMP wired up & working when clutch went out of the car. I pulled the system out for my other car but never installed it after a year or so my nephew asked if he could buy it (cheap) and wanted to try it out. so I let him take it home & put it in. but couldnt make it work. He brought it back & said it was dead. I figured maybe it got wet dropped or he wired it up wrong. So I tried it out & sure enough it wouldnt work. then I looked at the directions & saw the control wire ON wasnt hooked up on the 2nd go around ya it works good lol...

Mark

 

[Mace Canute]

I didnt tell him that it was dumb luck though...

You NEVER!!! tell them it was just luck! You put a very self satisified look on your face, look at them and tell them "That's why they pay me the big bucks!" :laughing:

 

[NativeSon]

I once used a coat hanger (wire) to unglog a airconditioner unit in a 100 man berthing compartment on a aircraft carrier while in the middle east. Don't think I had to buy a beer for the rest of the cruise. Chiefs always save the day.

mark

Any body that's been there knows Chiefs run the Navy, they just let the Officers think that they do.

Charlie

 

[vaskeet]

Any body that's been there knows Chiefs run the Navy, they just let the Officers think that they do.

Charlie

A good chief tells his first class what needs to happen and then goes to get coffee. If he has a good first class he never has to think about it again Randy
AT1 retired

 

[MNBobcat]

I have a friend who has a trike (like a hanglider with an engine) that he flys. He called up one day saying he took off and almost crashed because it wouldn't climb. He said it was scary as heck and he barely made it around the patch and back to the field to land.

He wanted to bring it over and have me put a thrust tester on it. He thought maybe there was something wrong with the engine and it wasn't making enough power.

I looked at it for about 30 seconds.....ready?.....he had the propeller on backwards. :laughing:

He made me swear never to tell any of the guys we fly with.

 

[groundcover]

Went to the dump one day to find the forklift dead in the middle of the drive. The guys were cranking and cranking to no avail. I asked if it was out of propane. No they just changed the tank! I unhooked the tank, bled the line, replaced the fuel hose,opened the gas valve slowly and started the forklift right up. If I had made it fly they wouldn't have been anymore shocked I love those moments.

 

[JDgreen227]

Went to the dump one day to find the forklift dead in the middle of the drive. The guys were cranking and cranking to no avail. I asked if it was out of propane. No they just changed the tank! I unhooked the tank, bled the line, replaced the fuel hose,opened the gas valve slowly and started the forklift right up. If I had made it fly they wouldn't have been anymore shocked I love those moments.

Reminds me of the time my brother came out to borrow my Coleman 10 hp generator two years ago. I demonstrated how to open the gas shut off valve under the gas tank, how to set the choke, how to pull start it, shut it down, close the valve, etc. and even gave him the manual. Well he took off, came back an hour later with it, saying: "Something is wrong with this, it ran for a few minutes and wouldn't restart.

I asked. "Did you open the gas shut off valve...." OOOPS...he forgot that one thing.