21 G's for an oil change on a Bugatti? Mamma mia! `
Looks like I'll be keeping the Hy-yun-dai-yay for a while!
BaltACDReminds me of 'bikers' going to Bike Week in Daytona - their bikes on trailers behind their motorhomes. Real BIKERS have bugs on their teeth (or at least Love Bugs splattered all over their helmet's visor).
Went to a conference in Myrtle Beach some years ago, coincidentally the same week as their (now defunct, I believe) Bike Week.
At the airport we saw crated bikes being unloaded from aircraft...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Surely the first oil change is free.. no?
I bet servicing the nightmare box on the T1's cost $21,000 in 1948 dollars.
Meanwhile back on the sailboat, all is well. We had a terrific five days in Camden during the repairs, and everything was fixed well by a mechanic who is just a great guy, and wicked thorough.
We are now in Southwest Harbor, adjacent Acadia National Park. The sailing was super today on a crystal clear day. For the last half hour the wind was really honkin! A few white-knuckle moments.
Glad to hear you're on your way again. What exactly caused the overheat problem?
Fair winds and following seas!
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
It turns out there were two places where air could get into the raw water system. Plus, the Groco raw water strainer was mounted too high in the boat, so that its top few inches were not below the water line when the boat is on port tack (for the non-sailors: wind coming from port side).
Apparently this had happened. It was blowing 15-18 knots when we left Seven Hundred Acre Island. The initial part, through a narrow passage, was about 15 degrees off of directly windward, so we motor-sailed that part. The seas were pretty big so we heeled and rolled a lot, with the wind off the port bow. The water intake is on the port side of the hull, and apparently at some point the thru-hull came out of the water. The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder. That, combined with the two air leaks (air could get sucked in), meant we lost raw water fllow; but we did not realize it it the time, probably because the engine had gotten so cold overnight, and the fact that shortly afterward, we fell off onto a close reach, and turned off the engine and just sailed. When we got to Camden about an hour later and turned on the engine, it quickly overheated.
The mechanic eliminated the system’s air leaks, and re-mounted the strainer lower in the boat.
Amazingly, the mechanic gave us his cell number and said if we had issues or questions we could call him any time, 24/7. Lyman Morse in Camden is the classiest marine facility we have ever encountere. So in a week or so on our return trip, we are going to stop in and have them replace our water-lift muffler and its mount, plus do a few other smaller chores. In the past I would have waited to get back to our home yard, but I am really impressed with LM. Lyman Morse has been known mainly as a top-drawer builder of large upscale custom yachts. But recently they bought the Wayfarer marina/yard facility in Camden. Surprisingly their labor rates are slightly below what we are used to.
Lithonia OperatorThe system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder.
It's a problem we often have when drafting with a fire engine. We're usually drawing such volumes that it corrects itself. Nowadays, we use near-transparent suction hose, too, so you can see if it happens.
tree68 Lithonia Operator The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder. It's a problem we often have when drafting with a fire engine. We're usually drawing such volumes that it corrects itself. Nowadays, we use near-transparent suction hose, too, so you can see if it happens.
Lithonia Operator The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder.
Is “drafting” a fire engine filling it?
Lithonia OperatorIs “drafting” a fire engine filling it?
I believe it's when you're 'sucking up' or drawing water from a source below the level of the engine or pump, as opposed to taking it from a hydrant or other pressure source or from something that gravity-feeds to the pump inlet.
Lithonia OperatorApparently this had happened. It was blowing 15-18 knots when we left Seven Hundred Acre Island. The initial part, through a narrow passage, was about 15 degrees off of directly windward, so we motor-sailed that part. The seas were pretty big so we heeled and rolled a lot, with the wind off the port bow. The water intake is on the port side of the hull, and apparently at some point the thru-hull came out of the water. The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder. That, combined with the two air leaks (air could get sucked in), meant we lost raw water fllow; but we did not realize it it the time, probably because the engine had gotten so cold overnight, and the fact that shortly afterward, we fell off onto a close reach, and turned off the engine and just sailed. When we got to Camden about an hour later and turned on the engine, it quickly overheated.
Was watching 'Drain the Oceans' last night on NatGeo. The story of the English War ship Mary Rose - the first of the ships designed to 'blast the opposition out of the water'. In a fight against the French in 1545 it fired a salvo from one side of the vessel and was manuvering to fire the guns on the other side of the vessel when a gust of wind caught it and heeled it over more than intended - water poured in through the cannon port doors and the vessel capsized. English then learned not to have their cannon so close to the water line.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD Lithonia Operator Apparently this had happened. It was blowing 15-18 knots when we left Seven Hundred Acre Island. The initial part, through a narrow passage, was about 15 degrees off of directly windward, so we motor-sailed that part. The seas were pretty big so we heeled and rolled a lot, with the wind off the port bow. The water intake is on the port side of the hull, and apparently at some point the thru-hull came out of the water. The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder. That, combined with the two air leaks (air could get sucked in), meant we lost raw water fllow; but we did not realize it it the time, probably because the engine had gotten so cold overnight, and the fact that shortly afterward, we fell off onto a close reach, and turned off the engine and just sailed. When we got to Camden about an hour later and turned on the engine, it quickly overheated. Was watching 'Drain the Oceans' last night on NatGeo. The story of the English War ship Mary Rose - the first of the ships designed to 'blast the opposition out of the water'. In a fight against the French in 1545 it fired a salvo from one side of the vessel and was manuvering to fire the guns on the other side of the vessel when a gust of wind caught it and heeled it over more than intended - water poured in through the cannon port doors and the vessel capsized. English then learned not to have their cannon so close to the water line.
Lithonia Operator Apparently this had happened. It was blowing 15-18 knots when we left Seven Hundred Acre Island. The initial part, through a narrow passage, was about 15 degrees off of directly windward, so we motor-sailed that part. The seas were pretty big so we heeled and rolled a lot, with the wind off the port bow. The water intake is on the port side of the hull, and apparently at some point the thru-hull came out of the water. The system sucked air in, and an air bubble took up residence in the top of the strainer cylinder. That, combined with the two air leaks (air could get sucked in), meant we lost raw water fllow; but we did not realize it it the time, probably because the engine had gotten so cold overnight, and the fact that shortly afterward, we fell off onto a close reach, and turned off the engine and just sailed. When we got to Camden about an hour later and turned on the engine, it quickly overheated.
Kinda the opposite of our problem.
Watching that video on the Bugatti oil change made my issue with my Chevrolet Chevette's design trivial. Loved that little car but when they added air conditioning, they put the compressor right above the distributor and to check the points and/or rotor, one had to get the compressor out of the way. Nothing compared to the Bugatti.
Electroliner 1935Loved that little car but when they added air conditioning, they put the compressor right above the distributor and to check the points and/or rotor, one had to get the compressor out of the way.
That would have been '70s, pre-HEI, and with the inflation since then the cost might be comparable. On the other hand, in those days it was relatively easy to slip the belt off and take the bracket bolts out to flip the compressor out of the way on its hoses...
One of my favorite cars was a '91 Saturn (with the dual-cam engine and manual transmission) that I bought as a work car for the wife's business from a hairdresser for $300 when she decided to move. Someone had done lots of aftermarket work on that thing to make it go much faster than anyone would expect, but Lord! was that thing tiny.
The alternator went out in the middle of winter while a crew was out in the country on a call, leaving the car sitting in a bank parking lot. The component was all the way down under all the other auxiliaries, almost in the right lower front corner of the engine bay, under everything else including the smog pump. But as it turned out, pull a few screws and plastic rivets out of the fender liner and there is is, right above the frame rail, easy to get to when you jackstand it up. Took me no more than a few minutes, at 14 degrees in a snowstorm, with hand tools. Sometimes you have to outguess DFM-ignorant engineers and think outside the box...
Seriously, more cars than you might think have 'your' problem with failure of cooling-system prime: when servicing the coolant, you have to physically remove a bleeder and wait for air to purge out of part of the water circulation before the engine won't show signs of overheating. Should any air be sucked in through a leaky connection or hose pinhole, or gas blown out via a puking head gasket, water may be preferentially forced out of the 'bled' portion over a period of time, leading to repeated bleeding, which can be a bore.
Before I had a remote oil filter installed for the boat‘s engine this past winter, I had to remove the alternator to change the oil filter. Sometimes it took me an hour or more (the tight space everything is packed into makes most jobs a bear) to change it. I finally had enough of that.
Electroliner 1935 Watching that video on the Bugatti oil change made my issue with my Chevrolet Chevette's design trivial. Loved that little car but when they added air conditioning, they put the compressor right above the distributor and to check the points and/or rotor, one had to get the compressor out of the way. Nothing compared to the Bugatti.
We had a Chevette! Bought it "no-frills," standard transmission, no AC. We lived in New Jersey at the time and you only need AC three months out of the year in Jersey anyway. During the summer we used the "2/55" AC option.
I got 165,000 miles out of that car before some ignoramus ran a stop sign and assassinated it. Too bad, I was going to try for 200,000.
I DID get 200,000+ out of a Cavalier.
Overmod But as it turned out, pull a few screws and plastic rivets out of the fender liner and there is is, right above the frame rail, easy to get to when you jackstand it up. Took me no more than a few minutes, at 14 degrees in a snowstorm, with hand tools. Sometimes you have to outguess DFM-ignorant engineers and think outside the box...
Actually, it was probably designed for that. From what I read, Saturn took a lot of input from mechanics when designing their cars.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
OvermodLithonia Operator Is “drafting” a fire engine filling it? I believe it's when you're 'sucking up' or drawing water from a source below the level of the engine or pump, as opposed to taking it from a hydrant or other pressure source or from something that gravity-feeds to the pump inlet.
That's exactly correct.
Taking water from a pressurized source (fire hydrant) can use regular fire hose. Drafting from a "static" water source (pond, swimming pool, lake, river, "port-a-tank", etc.) requires "hard suction" - rather like a drinking straw. It won't collapse when a vacuum is introduced.
When drafting (or drinking through a straw) you're not really "sucking" the liquid in - you're removing the air and atmospheric pressure is pushing it.
zugmann Overmod But as it turned out, pull a few screws and plastic rivets out of the fender liner and there is is, right above the frame rail, easy to get to when you jackstand it up. Took me no more than a few minutes, at 14 degrees in a snowstorm, with hand tools. Sometimes you have to outguess DFM-ignorant engineers and think outside the box... Actually, it was probably designed for that. From what I read, Saturn took a lot of input from mechanics when designing their cars.
Lady Firestorm had a Saturn, a 2003 model she drove for close to ten years. Good car, and she got a lot of good service out of it.
Until the transmission started to go. Well, $3,000 to fix the tranny, book value on the car was $2,000. Good-bye Saturn.
Lithonia Operator Before I had a remote oil filter installed for the boat‘s engine this past winter, I had to remove the alternator to change the oil filter. Sometimes it took me an hour or more (the tight space everything is packed into makes most jobs a bear) to change it. I finally had enough of that.
I think one reason sailors seem to have so many problems with their motors is because they are wedged into cramped spaces which make it almost impossible to get to for maintenance. One joke in the owner's manual said I should check the oil in the engine and reverse gear every time I started it. To get to the reverse gear oil, I had to empty the starboard cockpit locker, remove the access panel and climb down and lie on my back with my feet up in the air. Then I could barely reach the plug with a wrench to loosen it, but could not reach it with my fingers. I had to climb out and get back in with my head facing the opposite direction. Now I could reach the plug with my fingers. (It was too close to use the wrench from this position.) Needless to say, I didn't do this too often (more like never).
One more thing about engines--you said you had a three-cylinder, which I understand were pretty smooth-running. Mine was a two-cylinder which ran pretty rough, but on a cold day, when coming back chilled to the bone, when you started the engine, and the cockpit seat started vibrating under you, it was a welcome butt-warmer.
When you describe that trip down through the locker, it is so real to me. Our Camden mechanic was too big to fit back there, so I had to do some behind-the-engine work while he directed. I have been under there many, many times; and I virtually never emerge without having drawn blood in one or two places.
Yes, the three-cylinder engine is nice, much smoother than the 2-cyl Yanmar in our previous boat.
Lithonia OperatorWhen you describe that trip down through the locker, it is so real to me. Our Camden mechanic was too big to fit back there, so I had to do some behind-the-engine work while he directed. I have been under there many, many times; and I virtually never emerge without having drawn blood in one or two places. Yes, the three-cylinder engine is nice, much smoother than the 2-cyl Yanmar in our previous boat.
When I started into racing, I was required to get a current Tetnus shot. My think at the time was, for those occasions when I may get injured in a crash.
I shed more blood working on the car than I ever have in any of the on track misfortunes I have encountered over 30 years of racing.
I shed enough blood working on Japanese copiers over thirty years to qualify for a Purple Heart and a Pacific Theater ribbon!
That's not counting the burns...
Flintlock76 I shed enough blood working on Japanese copiers over thirty years to qualify for a Purple Heart and a Pacific Theater ribbon! That's not counting the burns...
Lord knows, you might have also been breathing toxic chemicals.
(I‘m just trying to cheer you up.)
You think boats are tough try some of the positions that my companies mechanics have to get into to change parts into on the trucks. I know my husband has a few horror stories about parts in hard to reach locations. The slave cylinders on top of the transmissions are a real treat on all conventional style trucks with a sleeper. The mechanic has to shove his head and chest in between the frame and cab to get to the top of the transmission disconnect the air lines on the slave clyinder causing the truck to loose all air pressure in the system and then replace the parts. It's even better on the newer automated manual transmissions when the ECM of the transmission needs replaced. They are located between the firewall and transmission behind the engine in a space that the only way to get to it is literally drop the entire exhaust and transmission out of the truck to get to 1 bolt that you can not get to any other way. So that means you are pulling the DEF SCR and everything to get to 1 freaking bolt on the transmission ECM that is on it. We normally send those to the dealer to have fun fixing. Or the best one is the air clyinder for the sliding fifth wheels that are located under it. You have to remove the fifth wheel to get to the cylinder and the plate itself weighs over 400 pounds and it is held on by 1 inch thick pins that are held in by roll pins also located under the fifth wheel that is inbetween the drive axles. Oh yeah the fun of working on some of these things.
Shadow the Cats ownerYou think boats are tough try some of the positions that my companies mechanics have to get into to change parts into on the trucks. I know my husband has a few horror stories about parts in hard to reach locations. The slave cylinders on top of the transmissions are a real treat on all conventional style trucks with a sleeper. The mechanic has to shove his head and chest in between the frame and cab to get to the top of the transmission disconnect the air lines on the slave clyinder causing the truck to loose all air pressure in the system and then replace the parts. It's even better on the newer automated manual transmissions when the ECM of the transmission needs replaced. They are located between the firewall and transmission behind the engine in a space that the only way to get to it is literally drop the entire exhaust and transmission out of the truck to get to 1 bolt that you can not get to any other way. So that means you are pulling the DEF SCR and everything to get to 1 freaking bolt on the transmission ECM that is on it. We normally send those to the dealer to have fun fixing. Or the best one is the air clyinder for the sliding fifth wheels that are located under it. You have to remove the fifth wheel to get to the cylinder and the plate itself weighs over 400 pounds and it is held on by 1 inch thick pins that are held in by roll pins also located under the fifth wheel that is inbetween the drive axles. Oh yeah the fun of working on some of these things.
All one has to do is watch some videos of how various things get built. The 'building block' approach. Various sub-assemblies are constructed - with each part in a easy place for the technician to attach it. Then the sub-assembly gets attached to another sub-assembly or the ultimate product and then the 'easily attached' parts get placed in virtually unreachable locations in the final product.
Lithonia Operator Flintlock76 I shed enough blood working on Japanese copiers over thirty years to qualify for a Purple Heart and a Pacific Theater ribbon! That's not counting the burns... Lord knows, you might have also been breathing toxic chemicals. (I‘m just trying to cheer you up.)
No biggie. If toner was toxic I'd be dead by now!
Ever blow your nose and have it come out black?
The color copier guys usually get a Technicolor effect!
Flintlock76No biggie. If toner was toxic I'd be dead by now!
Toner is just finely divided, fancily formulated black plastic. The SRC used in the coal-burning Eldorados looks just like it, but doesn't fuse like it.
A significant example of a hazardous 'chemical' in your business would be ozone from the corona wires. And I'll bet you had a lot of exposure to that without a mask over the years...
Flintlock76Ever blow your nose and have it come out black?
Unfortunately, dye mixed with plastic pellets in a plastic moulding firm has the same effect. So I had black, red (Milwaukee Electric Tool red), green, etc.
Overmod Flintlock76 No biggie. If toner was toxic I'd be dead by now! Toner is just finely divided, fancily formulated black plastic. The SRC used in the coal-burning Eldorados looks just like it, but doesn't fuse like it. A significant example of a hazardous 'chemical' in your business would be ozone from the corona wires. And I'll bet you had a lot of exposure to that without a mask over the years...
Flintlock76 No biggie. If toner was toxic I'd be dead by now!
I never worried about ozone. I figured it was protecting me from any loose cosmic rays that may have been floating around the office!
Lithonia Operator
What places have you been the past several days?
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.