What are you doing today? [Part II]

[Mooseman]

I wanted some Rock Tamers for when I'm towing to stop rocks and limit water thrown onto the trailer when towing. I wasn't going to pay $400 for a pair of mud flaps so, got me a pair of semi truck mud flaps ($20 vis DIL's discount), $35 for black pipe, about $30 in u-clamps and lock nuts, cut a piece off a received I had lying around, some welding and paint and voilà, trailering mud guards for under $100.

 

[azswiss]

voilà, trailering mud guards for under $100.

Genuine, original, & (should be) patented . . . MooseGuards!

 

[Matt]

Taking the Sportage in for a recall on the trailer wiring harness, which I don't have, and also the security system update.

They finally figured out how to update the system without screwing up the remote start, that's why I hadn't had it done.

 

[Sparky]

Doing the work thing and hoping I stay awake. Was up since 4 AM because kids doing weird wakeful things at night. And if a kid wakes up, they'll wake everyone else up! Only fair, right?

 

[Mooseman]

Received a CNG/propane conversion kit for my 6500w generator and may see how that works out. The generator is rock solid reliable with gas but last year, we had an outage so bad that it was difficult finding an open gas station and prices were jacked. I have a natural gas hookup for the BBQ so that would be perfect to be able to run it non-stop. And propane would be useful if needed to use elsewhere. And it's due for an oil change.

Edit: Nix that. Rain killed that plan. I'll probably spend the day fixing the sled in the garage.

 

[Blckshdw]

Felt like repurposing one of my old UPS boxes that was tossed in a box. Been having random power glitches and my bedroom TV takes annoyingly long to reboot when that happens. It's originally made for a 3ah battery, which you can't find anymore. When looking at my bin of dead batteries to recycle I noticed a larger one for one of my bigger UPS boxes, which gave me the idea to mod this one for it to fit.

On closer look, there were a number of plastic baffles, and the larger battery rested on top of them perfectly, so all I should need to do is cut them out. Went ahead and ordered a 10 Ah LiFePo battery that matched the same dimensions. To the sauna of a garage, and broke out the Dremel. After some initial cuts, needed to do some more to make the space deeper, as the cover wouldn't slide on.

After some fine trimming and cleaning, the larger battery fit comfortably, and the cover was able to slide on, although there was some force required to do it. May break out a sanding drum and take out a little more plastic, we'll see when the new battery gets here 🤞

 

[Mooseman]

Edit: Nix that. Rain killed that plan. I'll probably spend the day fixing the sled in the garage.

There was enough of a break in the rain for me to do this. Well, it worked, kinda. On propane, it worked fine. Just had to put half choke, hit the purge/prime button and crank. After starting, turn off the choke and it ran great. Put 4500W to it and no problem at all. Just had to adjust the engine speed a bit so that it ran at 60hz. On natural gas though, it wouldn't start but it was trying with a puff here and there. Tried with and without choke, priming and no priming, nada. I put some gas in the carb to start it and it then ran on NG. Even after running and warm, it wouldn't start without a shot of gas. My generator is a pull start only but I have a feeling that if it had an electric start, it would work. I also have my son's generator that uses the same carb and has electric start so I'll order another one for his.

 

[Blckshdw]

More electrical mod bug snacking, cuz why not? In my dead battery pile, I had a 5Ah Ryobi 40V battery that stopped working last summer. It got jammed in my string trimmer, and after fighting to get it out, my chargers wouldn't recognize it.

Looked up some vids on these things not charging, and they all talked about flashing error lights, which wasn't my situation. Decided to take it apart anyway, and it's a good thing I did. I had noticed some deformed plastic around the + pin before so I had a hunch where to look. After getting the cover open, I got a clearer picture of the problem. When the battery got hot last summer and melted some of the plastic, some of it also attached itself to the + pin. So when putting it on the charger, it simply wasn't making contact



Put a grinding stone in the Dremel, and cleaned off the pin as much as I could. Should have probably cleaned up the plastic on the case, we'll see if that becomes an issue when I go to use the battery again.



After reassembly, putting it on the charger did give me the flashing error lights. Most of the videos suggested repeated seating and reseating of the battery in the charger, so that's what I did. After the 4th time, it went from alternating red/green lights, to just a blinking green and it began charging. Glad it was a simple fix, this was my only "high" capacity battery for this line.

Now, what else around here can I try to fix... The mod bug has been snacking quite a bit lately

 

[northcreek]

There was enough of a break in the rain for me to do this. Well, it worked, kinda. On propane, it worked fine. Just had to put half choke, hit the purge/prime button and crank. After starting, turn off the choke and it ran great. Put 4500W to it and no problem at all. Just had to adjust the engine speed a bit so that it ran at 60hz. On natural gas though, it wouldn't start but it was trying with a puff here and there. Tried with and without choke, priming and no priming, nada. I put some gas in the carb to start it and it then ran on NG. Even after running and warm, it wouldn't start without a shot of gas. My generator is a pull start only but I have a feeling that if it had an electric start, it would work. I also have my son's generator that uses the same carb and has electric start so I'll order another one for his.

You might have to enlarge the carb jets when on nat gas. I think a dedicated regulator would also work if bumped up but, that's hard to do unless near the source and might be against code.
If jets aren't available you can do a gradual increase with small precision drill bits, I have done it.

 

[Mooseman]

It has a switch from LPG to NG so I think that's already taken care of. I ordered another one from a different seller and will see if it starts any easier. My son will be using propane only so he can have it.

 

[BrianF]

Just got up from my daily nap. I am back working a stretch of night shifts and it's kicking me down a bit. I haven't worked nights since October, so it's an adjustment again and I forgot how much they affect me.

So in my waking time, we got prep to do around here as we are hosting one last cattle team penning event for the season. Also getting ready for my wife and oldest to go to the last big horse show of the season. So my vehicle maintenance I was doing has to wait.

I got the ps leak on my rusty Dodge van fixed as I think I will take it to meet my wife and kids at the show next week. I have better vehicles but damn is that thing handy.

 

[northcreek]

It has a switch from LPG to NG so I think that's already taken care of.

Might be, I know whenever I've done a conversion they usually supply you with a crap load of different orifices, I suppose for different service pressures and demands, so might need a custom tune.
I'm by no means an expert on this...or anything else for that matter...

 

[Blckshdw]

Still dealing with the intermittent stop/start issues with the riding mower, and got tired or squeezing my way around a cramped shed space, so over the weekend, left the EXT in the driveway, so I could bring the mower up front to the garage. At least now all my tools and gadgets are close by, and I'm not trekking back and forth if I forgot something, or need something different than what I brought.

Problem in a nutshell, it will randomly act like the drive motor has its power cut off, but everything else is on. Sometimes hitting the brake switch will bring it back, sometimes switching from forward to reverse does it, most often than not, I have to cut the key and turn it back on.

Got the front up on ramps, and the rear on jack stands so I can test the drive motor. So far:

• Variable voltage output from the accelerator: tested good
• Inputs to the drive motor controller: tested good
• Controller heavy phase output wires to the drive motor: tested good
• Drive motor hall effect sensor: tested good.
• Drive motor: tested good

Kind of at a loss at this point. Only thing that stands out is the variable voltage from the go pedal, doesn't match what's seen on the same color wire going into the motor controller. It's mostly constant voltage, but drops to zero when the brake pedal is depressed. So somewhere in between the pedals and controller there's got to be some sort of logic board, maybe converts the signal to PWM, but it's not on the wiring diagram.

Will probably spend some time probing some of the other inputs to the drive controller and see how things look when it's playing nice vs when it isn't. Maybe that will give me some clues where the gremlin is hiding.

 

[Mooseman]

Left work early today. Tired of the shit show and basically doing nothing. There's just too many of us and not enough work, nor enough vehicles. And also had enough of the mismanagement of personnel. One guy had left yesterday with the keys to one car and we couldn't use it this morning. He wouldn't come in early to drop them off and when he did show up, instead of benching him, he gets to drive while I've been there all morning. And we don't have an area where we can sit while we wait. Bored shitless, I went home. Also tired of the kids working there too.

I might take the rest of the month off when the "kids" will be gone back to school and business will pick up with tire changes. This job is losing its lustre real fast.

 

[Mooseman]

Our grandson Colten was born this afternoon. 7 lb, 10 oz but was mooning the world coming out so c-section. All doing fine. Also means we're heading up for a few days to visit so I was prepping the trailer to leave in the morning.

Good thing I'm not working

 

[azswiss]

Our grandson Colten was born this afternoon.

Congrats to the grand Mooses (mom, dad & baby moose as well)!!

 

[Sparky]

Getting 2 new tires on the van today. They're getting thin enough I don't want to go through an upcoming winter as they're getting a little close to the wear bars. For the first time ever I'll have mismatched tires but I can't bring myself to replace the other two that were brand new when we got the van not quite a year ago. I'm guessing the two they replaced were really worn and they couldn't sell the van with them as-is (at least not certified used anyway). It has Defender LTX on it now, but Michelin discontinued those, so I'm getting a pair of Defender 2s to replace the shot ones. Personally I would have gone with other tires, but these are decent enough and at least they won't be a major mismatch.

Come 50k-60k miles later (whenever that is) maybe I'll throw some Falken Wildpeaks on it hahaha.

 

[Matt]

Our grandson Colten was born this afternoon. 7 lb, 10 oz but was mooning the world coming out so c-section. All doing fine. Also means we're heading up for a few days to visit so I was prepping the trailer to leave in the morning.

Good thing I'm not working

Congratulations Grandpa and Grandma!

 

[Mooseman]

Yesterday, drive the trailer to North Bay and set up. Got a nice spot at the campground. After dinner, went to see the grandson and also drop off my son's generator before the rain came as I couldn't close the tonneau cover with it in the truck bed.

Today is an absolute shit day with lots of rain. More time with the grandson however I can't stay in their house too long as I'm alergic to their cat.

 

[northcreek]

Cute little bugger….

 

[mrrsm]

Just being distracted ...watching THESE Muppets stealing Bait Cars up in British Columbia. Did NOT know they had such a serious problem with this issue up the GWN. These Kids look like they have nothing better to do... They're Well Dressed, Fairly Healthy and just ..."Bored to Death....so WTF, Right? ...Let's Do Some CRIME !!!"

Bait cars

A bait car is a vehicle owned by the police and designed to be stolen. Once the bait has been taken, the location, speed and direction of travel of the vehicle are monitored by police dispatchers through GPS. Everything that takes place inside the bait car is recorded on audio and video as the...

www2.gov.bc.ca

 

[Mooseman]

Doesn't beat this one before they put a remote kill switch. Absolute crazy!

 

[Tony's_04]

Doesn't beat this one before they put a remote kill switch. Absolute crazy!

Psycho meth head. Scarry to think this psycho is back out among us.

 

[Mooseman]

If he's a druggie in Vancouver, he's likely dead now.

 

[Sparky]

I want a tool chest to organize my stuff. Tired of digging around multiple cases, boxes, etc. Thing is, I don't know what size to get, which one to get, and I don't want to spend the big $$$ to get one just to find out I got the wrong one. Bah.

 

[Mooseman]

I had bought some plastic restorer for the TB however thought I'd give it a try on the propane tank cover as it was more grey than black, which made the trailer look old. It made quite a difference. Did this while Mrs Moose was at the pool with the granddaughter. Not perfect but a helluva lot better.

 

[Matt]

I want a tool chest to organize my stuff. Tired of digging around multiple cases, boxes, etc. Thing is, I don't know what size to get, which one to get, and I don't want to spend the big $$$ to get one just to find out I got the wrong one. Bah.

Start counting tools would be my suggestion. Also, the new chests from Harbor Freight are apparently pretty good these days.

 

[Redbeard]

Sparky said:


I want a tool chest to organize my stuff. Tired of digging around multiple cases, boxes, etc. Thing is, I don't know what size to get, which one to get, and I don't want to spend the big $$$ to get one just to find out I got the wrong one. Bah.

A little over two years ago I picked up a Yukon tool box with ball bearing drawers and I still like my choice. Drawers still move smoothly and freely. I believe "on sale" I paid about $350 for it and if you have the room for it-it will do you well. Mines 46" wide and about 3' tall. The two bottom drawers are nice and deep. They work well for drills or pnuematic tools. With the top drawer nice and long it holds large chanel locks and pry bars easily. The middle drawers are good size for sockets and wrenches. The photo below is from harbor freight, but mine says "ball bearing drawers" on it. With the wheels it moves freely around my garage.

 

[Tony's_04]

There's one at Lowes that is a hidden gem for about $700. I got a good deal on a different box last year from Home Depot (on sale for $450) thinking it would be big enough but it turned out not to be. I didn't think I had many tools but dang, that thing filled up quick! The Lowes chest has nice deep drawers and a deep upper lid compartment. The perfect size for a home chest. If it goes on sale anytime soon I'm getting it. The question is, do I keep the original box or sell it 😅.
36". I know, it's Kobalt... but it's pretty solid.

 

[flyboy2610]

I bought a US General roller cabinet from Harbor Freight. I've had no issues with it. Lots of room for tools. I already had a Craftsman cabinet and two top chests.
It's amazing how many tools a guy can collect over 30 years!

26 in. x 22 in. Single Bank Roller Cabinet, Red

Amazing deals on this 26In. Single Bank Roller Cabinet, Red at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[BrianF]

I've got to pick up dad's tool chest and drawers. He's had it as long as I can remember so it's early '80s minimum. He's pairing down his stuff as he ages. He's got lots of tools for me, lots of automotive and piles of wood working. Just have to find time for a visit.

Seeing as I have been really busy, the Trailblazer still has to wait before I continue with its ac issues, because..... now my diesel has developed a front ends vibration that is felt in the steering wheel. It's quite visible as well.

There is no mud buildup in the wheels so I'll check the tires for roundness and get it up on stands to check the tie rods and ball joints. This spring, the tire shop said there was some minor play in the ball joints. If it is my issue, I've been looking at press kits and what joints I'd use. All I can say is $$$$$$$.

EMF is my top choice. They come to about 950$ shipped for uppers and lowers. Blueprinted, solid steel, rebuildable and made next door in Alberta. If you need to rebuild them, you don't need to ever press the cups put again.

Either way, I don't want to have to rip that axle down.

 

[Sparky]

Seriously considering the 44" US General. I'll lay out all my tools before I buy anything but I can get the orange 44" for $499.99 right now (all the others are closer to $579.99). Orange isn't my favorite (I'd prefer the black one) but it isn't bad and saving $80 is worth it IMO.

 

[northcreek]

Just returned from a motorhome trip to Hocking Hills,Ohio. Pretty surreal place and worth the drive.

 

[BrianF]

Found some play in the passenger side ball joints on the 3500. I'll hit it up with a pry bar to get a better look at it.

Then did the update on my tuning. BD suggests every six months or so to download the latest firmware. It's been over two years..... about time. What I missed was you should uninstall the tuner first, then update it and finally reinstall the tuner. I updated first then uninstall/install. Still worked and took maybe 40 minutes total. No codes, didn't brick the ecu so it's a win.

And to top it off, made ribs. Melt off the bone good.

 

[Blckshdw]

The fix it bug has been pretty busy. My soldering station had developed a strange issue where the fan in the hot air handle wouldn't shut off when placed in the cradle. Not a major issue, since the heating element would still shut off, so it was fine. But I wanted to try and fix it, from my research the reed switch in the handle might have a broken solder joint, so I took it apart. Didn't find a problem, although I created a new one. After reassembly, the sensor that enables heat control wasn't working. This unit doesn't have an easily replaceable handle, so it's essentially shot.

I was planning to try replacing the HDMI port on my PS4 that died recently, and some videos on doing this with hot hair made it look much easier than I thought. Will be browsing the blue smile site for a better model later.

Since it was still early, did some work outside. The front of my house has 3 areas of the roof that come together above my dining room window, and those 2 valleys send a lot of water in heavy rains, that the gutters don't catch. I put up a pair of those gusher guards to try and deflect it into the gutters, but the valleys aren't centered on the corners. Some splashes to the side, or goes over the top. I bought a large sheet of aluminum last year, finally cut out a few plates to size to make extensions. Drilled a couple of holes, and attached them with zip ties.

With that tropical system entering the gulf this weekend, they're saying we should get a lot of rain mid week, so that will be a good test to see if these work as I hope they do. Still no word from Ryobi tech support about my mower issue, I'll probably have to spring for the drive motor controller and hope all my tests got me to the right conclusion. 🤞

 

[flyboy2610]

I don't know what your requirements are for a soldering station, but when my Weller WLC100 stopped reliably regulating the heat of the soldering iron a couple of months ago I replaced it with this one:

https://www.hobbytown.com/duratrax-trakpower-tk955-digital-soldering-iron-station-dtxr0955/p1007612

I've been very pleased with it. It heats up quickly and holds the temperature reliably. Duratrax also makes the TK950, which has a dial instead of a digital display. Tips from the TK950 will fit the TK955.

 

[BrianF]

Finished up the 3500. Brakes bled and slide pins greased. Test drive went fine as it drove just as good as it normally does. I will hook it back up to the trailer and test it again with some weight off the steer axle.

I was surprised to not be surprised with this thing. The brake fluid, while dark in the pictures was essentially the same shade as the fresh fluid going in. The brakes were still in amazing shape, which is a testament to use of the exhaust brake.

Once that was done I figured I should bleed the brakes on my quad again. They were acting spongy from time to time. I was just about to dig in and found a serious problem.... the bearing in the axle tube is shot and it was in the process of wiping put my diff bearings and rear brake.....

 

[Mooseman]

Been busy with the Caprice all weekend. Yesterday, took it drag racing (not racing in drag ). That was fun. Last time I took it was in 2018 and it did mid-14's. She's now doing 13.8's with a best of 13.6 in the 1/4 mile. Exhaust and tune work helped with that but I had traction problems. Need bigger tires .



And today, took it to the "Meat and Grease" car show. Not expecting to win anything but the proceeds went to the Children's Hospital. Got a lot of questions about it. One even thought it was a Taurus because of the fake side vents. I do need to do some restoration work on it and a good detail job.

 

[Blckshdw]

I miss the good ol' days where we used to do meets and car shows in the area. Everybody's gone now..

Pretty quiet day down here. Had noticed some large ants had made their way into the house over the last few days, and would scurry across the living room tile. Got out the garden sprayer and sprayed some pesticide around the perimeter of the house, and all the hard walkway surfaces, so I'll be good for another 6 months.

Moved the mower over near the laundry and tool chest side to make room for the EXT. We've got some weather headed our way in a couple of days, so I want the truck to be the garage queen that she is, in case the track shifts, it comes in stronger than forecasted, or both.

 

[Sparky]

Currently just hating myself over stupid stuff I've done.