Castor shims

[ashcloud]

You see, I have some tendency for disorderly
conduct but a few years back I decided to enjoy
life at its fullest and so I do race these streets
once in a while.
When we drive to France, once crossing
the borders of Luxenburg, I swap seats and let dear
wifeee drive. First, she runs speed limit and that
really saves money on french highways and second
she runs the XKR on one tank from Lux to Epernay and back
to Lux on only one tank of gas.
Just in case You run up from Bordeaux to the
Champagne festival (2nd Weekend in July) maybe we can
meet. I will go with the XKR unless I find the source of the fuel/oil
smell in my MK2 that keeps my wife at a distance.
Greetings Bernhard

[ashcloud]

Gentlemen
Sorry that I have not posted anything lately BUT I had so much trouble with parts that is hard to describe.
Two weeks ago it started with the water temperatur: my car keeps the temperatur always nicely around 70 but here it started to drop about 10degrees on each new drive. The instrument was fine and the wireing as well it ended up to be the new (1 year old) thermo sesor. Now the old one is back running at 70 again. The next day I drove around and everything worked well until I entered the garage in the evening and the engine idled rough. Later that night I saw that at least 3 out of six new (less then 1 year) Bosch sparkplugs (made in Kroatia or so) started a tiny firework with the zylinderhead.
Just one day later I wanted to go for a spin and the starter-relay switched but nothing else (of course the current dropped). Some testing showed that the new (less then 1 year) starter was frozen in engaged position and only some massive pushing and pulling persuaded the guy to let go. Since than it make ugly noises during starts. So far so good, I was ready for some driving. The car ran nice and the usuall vibration kept my attention alive .... got it, the tire wobbled. Of with the wheels and down to my favourite wirewheel specialist. He checked and said that a little wobble is always there and he would not suggest to call and order new Daytons (on sale). He said that he was 90% sure that they dont cause that vibration but rebalanced them to less then 5gramms for free (nice job).
Oh, did I mention that fuel smell that my dear wifee always complained, the pump was dripping some minor amount of gas at the valve seal (just a drop every few minutes but it smelled bad in the trunk. Lucky me that in the parts box that came with the car there was a new pump. Perfetto, now my wife is happy too.
At this point I should stop but I could not drive with that vibration and when I showed a friend the engine bay there it was a serious vibration oszillating in and out, his was my chance. I had a stethoskope and sure enough it was the generator (Lucas converted alternater (Dynalite) less then 1 year old). I took the belt off and started the engine, smooooooth as silk. When I took it out: first the fanwheel should have been on the key in the shaft but was pushed beyond it and kept slipping and I think this caused some of the vibration. The shaft has good play in it and I guess according to the sound it made, the bearings are shoot. Now with the shaft sliding back and forth it released the fan and than when it slid to the other side clamped it again. Oszillating off and on.
The generator is off for repair and my friend is making a better fitting ring for the fan.
I am really getting good at fixing things that I installed recently to make that car more reliable. The parts quality is simply JUNK and expensive.
I also own an old Saab that is rusty and ugly but my kids can drive it every day and with 200000Miles on it, it stárts and runns every day reliably.
Bernhard

[piman]

Hello Bernhard,

I have rebuilt a few cars over the years and often find that a shakedown period occurs where minor problems need ironing out. You do seem to have been unlucky with new parts though.
Once the initial phase is over I find the car runs reliably for a long time but my cars are used every day and I believe this helps. A car that is only occasionally used is less reliable I think?

Alec
P.S. Peculiar events with MH370?

[ashcloud]

Thanks Alec
I admit that the last 2 weeks where a pain in the butt and the reliability that I wanted to gain with all these part did not materialize. So I will run down to the Champagne festival in the XKR instead. I do drive the MK2 almost every day but not to work (I do need to get there and be clean too).

About MH370, I should not even comment since there are to many "wannabe Pilots and Experts" on TV every day passing really stupid sh...t around. From all the things I did hear as facts, there was an airplane diverting from its planned course doing climbs and descents that it was not programmed to do.

Fact 1) the flight must have been programmed all the way to his destination before Take-Off. After the Autopilot is engaged it would follow this route basically to a point short of the runway and thereafter fly until fuel is empty.

Fact 2) Autopilots can disengage (e.g. severe turbulence), and if not reengaged it could divert and do odd things (caused by maybe Stormes that it inadvertantly entered, just speculation) but normally it would still continue straight and mostly level (this did not). It appears that the plane was not contolled by a pilot or maybe by someone not knowing what he was doing. Flying is not difficult but does require some feel for a plane to control it stable at higher altitudes.

odd Fact 3) this plane crossed a whole country whitout a word of communication but nobody bothered to send a fighter up to see what this thing is doing. Normally if we dont report withing 5 minutes they start bugging every airplane around to contact them or set of an alarm if unable. Not here!!!

odd Fact 4) anyone knowing how to pilot an aircraft wanting to Hijack it would not head towards the South Pole!!!!

odd Fact 5) for some reason they knew that the Transponder and other equippment was turned off by a human but at the same time they had no idea where it went on primary radar?

Not enough facts to make sense.
Greeting,
Bernhard