That phrase hurts my brain. I could name more.
I blame it on the human psyche and a part called the starter.
To me, if it turns over, it does that. You turn the key and the engine turns... over and over and over. The "starter" works fine but the engine wont run. What's up with that?

I get to look at all kinds of vehicles which wont go.
You know that when you take it to your mechanic (or tow it) the problem can suddenly disappear.

People and their phrases can confuse me. Communication is key.

"starts but wont run" hurts too sometimes... same reason. Your definition of that might be very different from one of your neighbors'

"Turns over but wont start" causes much less pain for some reason, though usually they all mean the same thing.

Posted by Scott Korb at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Everybody wins!
My friend and somewhat nearby neighbor Ty is a landscaper. I need someone to take care of my lawn. He needs someone to take care of his family's vehicles. win/ win

He thinks I'm getting the raw end, and maybe I am, seeing as I've been working on his 1986 Bronco II - ick. But for me it beats yard work.

The thing is, every time I go to fix something I find something else broken, or something breaks.

Case in point... and I don't even know for sure I was fixing something- mystery stall/throw parts at it.
Now, I don't like to do that, but I'm not driving an unregistered vehicle around all day so I can get stranded in it while I diagnose it and wait for it to cool down and start. His symptoms reminded me of this:
http://www.autosafety.org/ford-tfi-module-national-class-settlement
and I've had to replace these ignition modules before.

So I decided to replace it and let him drive it. My condition on this "fix" is that the vehicle needs to be registered for me to find/fix it if it does it again.

I also replaced his hall effects sensor (pickup coil). This sensor does the job of sending a signal to the coil to fire for each cylinder and it requires disassembly of the distributor- where I found a cracked roll pin... a disaster waiting to happen. The pin holds the distributor's drive gear in place. If it breaks the vehicle needs a tow.

All this time I have to jump start the vehicle almost every time I want to start it. Ty says "It does that sometimes." Well now it does it every time. And with the new ignition parts installed the thing starts on the tick but the battery light wants to come on and the battery keeps going dead after sitting a few hours.

Disconnect the alternator- BTW the connector is broken- The battery drain goes away. OK. We need a new alternator
... and a connector. I'm still waiting on the connector but the parasitic drain is gone and the battery light is out with the new alternator.

Next potential catastrophic failure- upper radiator hose was rubbing on the alternator belt. I found this as I was installing the new alternator. I loosened the hose clamps and rotated the hose away from the belt, but it's worn through to the cords. So now I need an upper radiator hose. What's next?

It still beats yard work.

Oh, and I made this tonight from some 4.3L Chevy engine parts:

Posted by Scott Korb at 9:30 PM | Permalink

I made a monkey.
I sang a song about making a monkey butt.
I forget how it goes now.

Here's some monkey pictures:

Posted by Scott Korb at 9:13 PM | Permalink

Yesterday I learned a bit about AC wiring for the home (thanks Pher!). Now I have my 220V welder plugged in. Soon I plan to have a 220V A/C unit in the garage.

So I'm building an army of bears.

Are they Zombie Robot Bears or Robot Zombie Bears? I can't decide. I must build more.

I also made a bird.

jump

i gotta few more old favorite's to make, then some new stuff. Zombie Bears!

Posted by Scott Korb at 12:04 AM | Permalink