Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

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Amskeptic
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Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Jun 22, 2012 2:08 pm

. . . yes, Glasseye, I did try to re-magnetize the speedometer. I drove for a couple of hours to cool down and the whole time, that speedometer was taunting me, "oh so you think I was too slow to get up to speed? Here, try this! I will never ever get up to speed." So I indeed did pull over at a Texas roadside rest area (thank-you, Ladybird Johnson) and pulled the speedometer apart again. I got the magnetic dish magnet off the dish, and rubbed it over the speedometer magnet. The dish magnet could actually pull the rotating magnet around. That was good enough for me. Reassembled it and set the needle to the 30 mph mark where the tachometer had been telling me that the car was doing a true 60, held the drum securely and triumphantly cranked the needle clockwise "now you SHALL read 60 mph!" Put it all back together.

"Hey mister, that's a nice van, what are you doing?"
"Calibrating the speedometer."
"No kidding, you can do that?"
"Not really, I am learning as I go."
"All the way from New York?"
"Yep."
"WILL YOU JUST GOD DAMN WAIT A GOD DAMN MINUTE?"
. . . and he moseyed back to his apparently hot and irritated companion in the Jeep Cherokee.

I hit the road and glared at the speedometer, "now you shall do my bidding!!" Nope.
Oh, I just forgot to insert the speedometer cable, "now you shall do my bidding!!" Nope.
Now the speedometer refuses to do anything at all at any speed.
"You're DEAD," I hiss at it. I am sure it would have said, ahh duh.

Without a grossly erroneous speedometer annoying me now, I found driving to be more enjoyable. I had not been on an interstate at any point between Lousiana and here just outside of Austin. Chloe has won me over with an incredibly polite demeanor and willingness to plod along in hypo-drive mode while passing motorists seem to suck towards the horizon. Who needs a speedometer? Shift into fourth, floor it while counting to sixty, and you're doing sixty, or so, who cares?

Arrived in Austin with the realization that I am multiplying itches and bubbles of exploding dermatological warfare and sweat. My socks have glued themselves to my insteps, and my tank-top (never an attractive sight to begin with) has pizza-colored dots at every raging bug bite. Forecast is calling for high humidity and temperatures in the mid-90s. Perfect recipe for insane irritation.

Had an excellent day with jblair630 Jeffrey ("feffwy" see prev post) and Grateful Phred the bus with the razor-blade align-bored dual port rebuild now at 30,000+ miles. This guy is a walking encyclopedia of historical information. His mind is a feast after the famine of modern American convenience store/gas station stop interaction.
Image

We decided to put Chloe's original 38a generator into Grateful Phred after discovering that its "professionally rebuilt" generator had a shorted wire in the field windings:
Image

But, Chloe's original generator I had yanked in October at Barb/Elwood's because of a bad bearing.
"Not to worry," said Jeffrey," I've got spares."
Image

With his handy little puller, we did a bang-up generator bearing replacement and got wholly mired in great Mysteries of Mis-fitment. The 38a generator would not fit with any of the fan housing plates at our disposal (concave for 38a and flat for 30a and neither would let us shim the fan close enough)

So I thought to pull out my generator too, to both see why my fan fits and what the heck, see about the high frequency vibration that has gnawed at me since last October:
Image

Yes. The mystery turns out to be a different fan mounting hub. 30a generators have a little collar that the doghouse deals do not. And Jeffrey doesn't even know it yet, neither did I at the time, but I actually fixed that horrible high speed vibration in Chloe's engine just by taking off the paint on the fan where it mounts to the hub and cleaning the shims and hub flanges. I fancy that I see fretting here, near the rust spots:
Image

Our day evaporated into dark, ushering the appearance of Texas Flying Bugs About The Trouble Light, and I left Jeffrey with his old 30a generator back in his bus and a shopping list for a doghouse fan hub and track down why cylinder #3 wasn't firing.

I was so damn sick of the itching humidity that I swore to get west NOW! here at 10:30PM after a twelve hour work day! and hit I-35 north for a couple of exits . . . until my Speedometer Neurosis inflamed me to make a rueful decision. I decided I just had to buy a used speedometer at Austin Veedub before heading out west. I camped out in the exact spot (not a hundred yards from Austin Veedub) where I had painted the deflector tins in October trying to resolve those insanely high CHT readings (the last operation before I finally pulled the heads in Dallas). What a terrible decision.

Texas doesn't like it when I say "what a nice soft evening with the crickets singing." That was a call to mosquito arms and they arrived in squadrons after midnight to assist in the torment of my every bite and poison oak bubble Don't-Scratch! But Scratched Anyway night itching. I finally gave myself a sponge bath of Chlorox and water to alleviate the itch with the pain of mild chemical burns. Then a big big airplane flew overhead on the approach to Austin Bergstrom International Keep Colin Awakeport. The heat and the humidity and the bugs and the itching and the heat and the loud Harleys out on US 283 and the whine of mosquitoes and why is Jeffrey's engine running on three cylinders? and I gave it up at 4:50AM. Packed up and hit the road up towards the airport. Well guess what? Everybody and His Contractor Brother was out there at 5:00AM. The traffic was fast and impatient, I was tired and crabby and not in a safe driving state, so I dived into a Quality Inn parking lot and lay down on the floor with all windows open and took a nap. Woke up and bought a wreck of a speedometer for $15.00 and drove 290 West for six hours free . . . free . . . free at last . . . free! of the humidity! by Junction, Texas! My first pure blue sky! Stripped nekked (a more horrendous assault against aesthetics than usual since I am getting old and tubby) and let the sun dry me and the car out. Beautiful breezy sunny dry day in West Texas! I am beginning once more to remember what it is like not to be in a state of constant irritability.

Stayed in a motel that night. Enjoyed the air-conditioning!!!! Took a non-Chlorox shower with Real Fresh Water Rinse (what luxury). Gotta remember not to smoke in bed when I am tired!
Image

The next morning, I drove into the headwinds on the way to my next call in Albuquerque, and because I had just given away my genuine Continental 900 x 15 spare fanbelt to Jeffrey, wouldn't you know that mine went bad not 24 hours later? on Interstate 10? in the 110* afternoon heat? 108 miles out of El Paso?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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hambone
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by hambone » Fri Jun 22, 2012 3:27 pm

You are living the life my friend. Living the life.
It's funny how nice it all seems from the outside, until you get into the fractal-universe of things tangible, with a microscope eye even - one can almost see the atoms separating, flying and falling back to the Earth. Things don't really hold together for very long; planets, solar systems, galaxies...and nothing static, not ever. It's messed up I tells ya. I LIKE being Bob and driving my bus. Forget it, it's just a cartoon cell flickering for a spell.

Today I was working on a guy's poor lowered '65 Beetle with Pertronix. Had it lovely tuned and timed, then the timing light fell off and the engine died. Wouldn't start. "I fried the Pertronix" I naturally assumed.
Later, after replacing a fuse (much later) it fired right up. Yes. Illness and panic did not let me see clearly. How do you handle those "I SCREWED THE POOCH!" moments when you have to pull someone's engine unexpectedly? That is my Achilles heel: dumb panic and doubt.
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it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
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Amskeptic
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:31 pm

hambone wrote:How do you handle those "I SCREWED THE POOCH!" moments when you have to pull someone's engine unexpectedly? That is my Achilles heel: dumb panic and doubt.
Well Bob, I have actually been incredibly fortunate to not have screwed any pooches yet . . . almost grilled one last Mother's Day.

I did have to pull Susan I Forget Her Username's engine twice in a row in 2005 I think. My back had given out that morning, and it was exactly the wrong ailment to have that day. At 5:00PM, when her clutch would not release to let me into reverse, I told her calmly to feel free to take a couple of hours break. When she came back out, the engine was taken out and put back in, and I had a new Don't Forget To Check The Input Shaft Splines With The Clutch Disk Test to utilize at every subsequent clutch job. (previous clutch job had slammed the input shaft with the engine and nicked a spline that made the new clutch disk hang up)

Most of my learning has been through some . . . interesting challenges.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by aopisa » Sat Jun 23, 2012 7:44 am

Amskeptic wrote:
hambone wrote:How do you handle those "I SCREWED THE POOCH!" moments when you have to pull someone's engine unexpectedly? That is my Achilles heel: dumb panic and doubt.
Well Bob, I have actually been incredibly fortunate to not have screwed any pooches yet . . . almost grilled one last Mother's Day.

I did have to pull Susan I Forget Her Username's engine twice in a row in 2005 I think. My back had given out that morning, and it was exactly the wrong ailment to have that day. At 5:00PM, when her clutch would not release to let me into reverse, I told her calmly to feel free to take a couple of hours break. When she came back out, the engine was taken out and put back in, and I had a new Don't Forget To Check The Input Shaft Splines With The Clutch Disk Test to utilize at every subsequent clutch job. (previous clutch job had slammed the input shaft with the engine and nicked a spline that made the new clutch disk hang up)

Most of my learning has been through some . . . interesting challenges.
Colin
I seem to recall a close call with a water cooled Vanagon a while back or is that the Mother's Day event you are referring to?
1977 Westy 2.0L F.I.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. - Chuang Tzu

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:04 am

aopisa wrote: I seem to recall a close call with a water cooled Vanagon a while back or is that the Mother's Day event you are referring to?
That was just good improvisational fun on Father's Day at Maupin, 2008? The guy, Gary, had a tow truck waiting there as back-up.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =56&t=4350
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by aopisa » Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:57 am

Amskeptic wrote:
aopisa wrote: I seem to recall a close call with a water cooled Vanagon a while back or is that the Mother's Day event you are referring to?
That was just good improvisational fun on Father's Day at Maupin, 2008? The guy, Gary, had a tow truck waiting there as back-up.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =56&t=4350
That's not the one I was thinking about. I don't remember who it was, but I think he had his father helping and you had your hands full at one point and maybe water gushing? I just remember that one had more of a panicked tone to it. I checked through some older posts, but came up empty.
1977 Westy 2.0L F.I.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. - Chuang Tzu

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:09 am

aopisa wrote:
Amskeptic wrote:
aopisa wrote: I seem to recall a close call with a water cooled Vanagon a while back or is that the Mother's Day event you are referring to?
That was just good improvisational fun on Father's Day at Maupin, 2008? The guy, Gary, had a tow truck waiting there as back-up.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =56&t=4350
That's not the one I was thinking about. I don't remember who it was, but I think he had his father helping and you had your hands full at one point and maybe water gushing? I just remember that one had more of a panicked tone to it. I checked through some older posts, but came up empty.
Oh THAT Vanagon Panic . . . :blackeye:

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =58&t=8228
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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aopisa
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by aopisa » Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:18 am

Amskeptic wrote:
aopisa wrote:
Amskeptic wrote:
aopisa wrote: I seem to recall a close call with a water cooled Vanagon a while back or is that the Mother's Day event you are referring to?
That was just good improvisational fun on Father's Day at Maupin, 2008? The guy, Gary, had a tow truck waiting there as back-up.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =56&t=4350
That's not the one I was thinking about. I don't remember who it was, but I think he had his father helping and you had your hands full at one point and maybe water gushing? I just remember that one had more of a panicked tone to it. I checked through some older posts, but came up empty.
Oh THAT Vanagon Panic . . . :blackeye:

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =58&t=8228
That's it! Crisis narrowly averted and hero status reinstated! Just another day at the office...
1977 Westy 2.0L F.I.

Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate. - Chuang Tzu

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Lanval » Sat Jun 23, 2012 3:50 pm

Amskeptic wrote:Woke up and bought a wreck of a speedometer for $15.00 Colin
Why didn't you wait and buy a good one in Elsinore?

ML

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:55 am

Lanval wrote:
Amskeptic wrote:Woke up and bought a wreck of a speedometer for $15.00 Colin
Why didn't you wait and buy a good one in Elsinore?

ML
I only wanted the magnet. The rest of my speedometer is magnificent with actual white on the tenths wheel instead of the usual yellowed and a beautiful dial. Now, with the new magnet and hair spring (man, try that replacement in the broiling sun :angryfire: ) it is optimistic to 30 mph, then gets pessimistic above 60, good nuff.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Hippie » Tue Jun 26, 2012 5:33 am

You happen to know which side is N and which is S on that magnet? I know they can lose magnetism over a long time.
I bet you could remagnetize it, if you get the polarity right, by coiling insulated wire around it. Hook the wire in series with the starter motor, and crank the engine briefly. I can't thiink of any other way to get a massive dose of DC current out there on the road, and of course the wire might heat up fast, depending on its size, so be careful of that. Just thinking out loud.
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by sped372 » Tue Jun 26, 2012 6:06 am

Hippie wrote:I can't thiink of any other way to get a massive dose of DC current out there on the road, and of course the wire might heat up fast, depending on its size, so be careful of that. Just thinking out loud.
Just plain shorting the wire across the battery terminals will give you all the current you can handle. Minimal resistance in the wire and all.
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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by hambone » Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:38 pm

Rare earth magnets? Aren't they pretty powerful?
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Amskeptic » Wed Jun 27, 2012 6:25 am

hambone wrote:Rare earth magnets? Aren't they pretty powerful?
That all is too complexity-like for me and my speedometer. I will give one more go at the hair spring when I come up for air.

The Mission . . .
Which way to go with the hair spring.

The Presenting Symptom
too fast at slow speed/too slow at high speed

The Adjustments
move the needle statically on the shaft
move the spring through the anchor pin to make it either shorter or longer
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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Re: Itinerant Air-Cooled Greetings From Texas II

Post by Xelmon » Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:56 am

Amskeptic wrote:That was just good improvisational fun on Father's Day at Maupin, 2008? The guy, Gary, had a tow truck waiting there as back-up.

http://itinerant-air-cooled.com/viewtop ... =56&t=4350
Holy shiznit... Has it been that long? My my, how time flies.

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