Lack of interest in repairs - knowing repairs can increase your value

 This post has a very poor readership.  While there are plenty of articles that may interest a handyman, the stat on viewership does not match the effort that went into the posting. There are only 49 views after sometime

Maybe this is not an interesting topic, or people would not invest time and effort for the repair.   They would spend thousands in a repair shop rather than get their hands dirty or bang their heads thinking of how to know the parts, get the tools, and get the repair done

Learning to repair is:

1.  Self improvement -  we must improve everyday;

2.  This increases your value - to your employer and community even your family.  You save money in repairs.

3.   This knowledge comes in handy if your are travelling to far away places and no mechanic is around. You will be thankful that you did

Pick up headaches finally over

 After several trips to various p up service center nearly 6 digits in repair costs (labor and changing sensor) today our agony with the pick up truck which is nearly new, is over. The trouble was with stuck and dirty turbo actuator (the variable turbo actuator is prone to problems)

The expense this time was lower:   cost of scanning and the teardown and cleaning.  

A grab businessman who used to be HE operator, worker in car manufacturer, and head mechanics of car rental company said that most of car mechanics of service centers up sell, or sometimes outright doing guess work for the repair:   not methodical or critical thinker.

Today we spent only P800.00 for scanner and the rubo actuator cleaning   We can use the pick up again.  Before the brand was the go to brand:   we bought two vans and one pick up from them,   Now we are thinking hard whether we should stick to them.   

One advice to avoid this turbo problem is to allow the cooldown of the engine for 5 to 10 minutes before turning this off.   Otherwise you cook the oil which cools down the turbo shaft.

Repairs are getting more expensive; it is easier to repair older engines but not the modern, electronically controlled ones

 Matt of Diesel Creek shows how simple and straightforward the repairs of mechanical engine  Those that are all ready electronically controlled looks complicated and expensive to repair.

Most of the engines of Heavy Equipment repaired by Matt are diesel.  The electric part only is about battery and starter.   That is all.    (The only complicated ones are bulldozers that have pony engine.  First you have to start the pony engine and then the pony engine will start the main diesel engine)  Then it is a straighforward checking and replacing oil, fuel, oil and fuel filter.   That is it.

But  there are two main paths to pursue in electonically controlled engine:   fuel (which is also electonically controlled by ECU fuel injectors and sensors)  EGR valve, crankshaft position sensor.   And they are not cheap

Thus Matz had to resort palit (change) parts (no more repairs) that involve sensor, ECU (which cost 6 numbers) And a day repair by Matz can cost upwards from P5K to P100k.    That is not my type of repair.

Our Navarra pick up repair tab runs up by 6 numbers too.  Huhuhu

Hydraulic cylinder repair by Matt at Diesel Creek

Matt showed how to repair the hydraulic cyclinders of D4 Komatsu bulldozer. He had deferred such repair for 5 years, although it cost him much in terms of lost hydraulic fluid that leaked.

As usual, it is demonstrated that disassembly was mostly hard and challenging.  He improvised:

     1.  How to remove the cylinder cover by welding a flatbar which he hammered;

     2.  Pulling out the internal rod by using a back hoe.

The seals and glands were bought from the store and Matt reinstalled them well.  

Summary of options for various repairs

 From what I have read so far on repairs, these are some of my thoughts:

1.  Vehicles and equipment that should be prioritized or given attention in repairs:

    1.  Those that were not used for a long time and probably used as nest and residence of mice.  Their nests and feces fouls up the intake and exhaust manifold, and feces cause corrosion.  Mice likes to chew plastic cover of electrical wires

    2.  Exposed to elements:    rain snow, sunlight, or overgrown with weeds

    3.  Those that are used constantly and heavy conditions

2.   Steps in repair and revival of vehicle or heavy equipment:

    1.  Removal of growth vegetation on the equipment

    2.  Clean the debris:  stones, grasses, rust dust on the equipment

    3.  Check fuel, oil and filters;   replace.   Check fuel lines:   for loose and leaking copper, plastic or rubber tubings.  Check for blockages, kinks and or stuck parts especially for injectors and fuel feed lines.  

   4.  Check and rewire electricals:    battery terminals, batteries, starters, 

   5.  If the motor is not stuck, try restarting.   Spray ether on intake manifold

3.   Process action on various items:

     Item                    Keypoints           Action         Other Options                     Preventive Measures

     Electricals

     1.  Spark plug    spark no spark  use other sp     use aprk indicator                 check use multimeter

                                                         no spark          replace spark plug, cable

                                                         no spark          replace ignition coil

   2.  Batteries          12.6 volt or ++ charge                                                          disconnect batteries when

                                 not charging    replace                                                         not used

                                                         check alternator

   3. Wiring           check loose connection   use new connectors                       put napthalene balls to 

                                                                      replace the harness                        drive off rats

3.  Fuel lines

    Leaks                                                     replace copper, plastic tubes            regular tpm for fuel filter

    Air in system                                         flush                                                 use trusted fuel brands

    Stale fuel                                              replace                                               add additives

    Water in fuel                                        drain the fuel tank

    Blocks kinks in lines                           replace lines

4.  Mechanical parts

     missing gear tooth                              replace;  machine shop

     loose bearings                                     replace                                                 lubricate often, clean

     loose fit                                               build up,, add washer/shim                  tpm, avoid corrosion

     broken shaft/axle                                replace, rebuild at machine shop          bullet proof repair

The old Volvo mechanic advice on gasoline engine repairs was right and his advice is forever!

 Several decades ago we had a gasollne Datsun and when it conked out at Carebi I had the chance to call a mechanic around, a Concrete Aggregates specializing in Volvo machinery who obliged to repair the old Datsun car.  He said that so that I will save money and so that I will not disturb him (he is being petitioned to work at Canada for Volvo Canada) I should remember two things:

    When a gasoline engine conks out there are two possible sources:   fuel line and electrical

    1,  For fuel

         1.  Is there fuel in the tank

         2.  Is the fuel of good quality (like its not stale, no water or dirt, other contaminants?

         3.  Are the fuel filters:   inline or main filters functional (they could be blocked) allowing fuel to pass through?

        4.  Fuel lines:    are they clogged, kinked or allowing air in the line?

 2.  For electricity:

      1.  Is there electricity coming out into the spark plugs?

      2.  is the coil functional?

      3.  Is the breaker working?

      4  Is the spark plug working

In many of the repair videos that I watched today on small engine, lawn mower repair, these kept being repeated as a meaningful advice

Repairing lawn mowers

 This post saw 2 videos on repair of lawn mower:   one was hydraulic,  one was simply a Kohler powered rider type lawn mower.   The hydraulic was more complicated but more robust.  The buyer handyman did to the hydraulic system:

    1.  The hydraulic assembly attached to the wheel was sent to a hydraulic shop for repairs and cost him $600.00.  For the hydraulic pumps, he did it himself.  All that he did was to replace the seals which had worn out over the years.  It looked complicated because it seemed hard to remove the shaft and there were so many parts and it took time to remove disassemble all of them.   As it is common with say bicycle hydraulic brake set repair, there was this snap ring remover.   It took probably weeks to have the lawn mower repaired,   However it gave the new owner months of enjoyable grass cutting.   He had a home made sun shade made for the lawn mower

   2.  The zero turn Kohler unit had these two problems;   wheels that seemed to leak air, and non firing second cylinder, and discharging battery.

      1.  For the tires, he initially tried to find the leak.  His final solution buy a new set of tubeless tires

      2.  For the battery, he bought a new one

For most Americans, it is throw away and buy a new one.   For the tires we will find a way to patch or get a set of interior tires.

For the one cyclinder that did not fire, using testers, after removing the air filter assembly, he found out that the left coil had no connection to the spark plug (there was no spark).  So he bought two new coils, installed and presto the lawn mower had 100% power again.   

So repair can give such helpful machine 3 to 5 years lease of life

Let us see how quickly and how cheaply were they able to complete the repair

Here we have to tow the truck and buy the parts.  Perhaps, they cant afford to do that.  They have to make do with the resource they have:   resourceful technicians and craftsman and machine shops (they build their own lathe machines).    How useful they are to their economy  and society at large.

Mahal yata ang BN headlight set mga P40,000 - pag aralang gawin ito.

 

Yong intermittent sa wiper madaling masira; ayaw gawin sa mga repair shop

Repair of gear shafts by Pakistani craftsmen using thread. Amazing only at $10.00!

 Here we see the repair of gear shaft.   They bore holes in the steel good shaft, put thread and insert a metal siffener with thread  and then weld.  Strong eh.  Good for next 5 years?