Mechanical things hate me lately

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
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first the transmission output bearings go on the daily whip. so steal the trans from the Luddite build
a rash of gear and shaft failures due to below spec materials at work - pay a local CNC machine shop an insane amount of money to get the project back on tract.
the AC goes out on the truck - documented here
now, the Riding lawnmower ate another push rod (that means the valve guides have come loose again - typical Briggs intek V engine)
and checking the brakes on the truck, the right rear caliper appears to be wearing the pads faster than the left rear and we have at trip coming up.

Ordered another set of head gaskets and push rods for the mower. will soon call my buddy if he still has his old Kawasaki 27hp sitting in his garage

Tomorrow will be brake job on the truck, have front pads in stock, just need to pick up rear pads.
 

aspeck

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just mechanical things? LOL! Sorry about your string of not so good luck ...
 

airshot

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Jul 22, 2008
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Some days you catch the elevator, other days you get the shaft ! Pretty sure we have all been there on mire than one ocassion. My weakness is plumbing...when I start a project with plumbing, I always end up redoing the whole damn house before the leaks stop !
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Joined
Jul 23, 2011
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51,129
truck pads changed between rain storms. measured the rotors, while still 0.050 thicker than minimum in the front and 0.030" in the rear, will be getting new rotors along with extra pads for when I do the next change.

no hung calipers or pins. no idea why the right rear pads were worn more then the other side, Front was slightly thinner as well.... other than there is more rust on that side.... it is the side that gets most of the rain when storms come thru. could just be the rust.

new head gaskets for the lawnmower showed up.
 

rolmops

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Feb 24, 2002
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5,565
I suspect that there are no new pieces of machinery involved in your string of bad luck on the equipment front.
Old stuff usually has been through a few rough spots and no matter how good a mechanic you are, it is only possible to repair the parts,not the structure that holds everything together. there is always the hidden part that slowly gets eaten up. And if you put new next to old you create ever so slightly an imbalance.
And no I am not some hippie guru, I am the grandson of a blacksmith. And grandpa always talked about slight changes in order to balance old and new.
Grandpa was old school, after all he was born in 1879.
 
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Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
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51,129
I switched from ceramic brakes (standard offering) to semi-mets (police package) because the stopping distance is shorter. especially for the tow pig (AKA the GMC ). because of the semi-mets, the rotors will not last as long as they would with ceramic. and the wheels are no longer clean, but get covered in brake dust. however its the shortest stopping distance combination.

that way when the idiot in the BMW 7 series pulls in front of me as I am coming to a stop, and I have to stand on the brakes with 800# in the bed and 5K-6k on the ball, I can stop before rear ending the idiot in the BMW and ruining the vacation
 

cyclops222

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Mar 21, 2024
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Stock Honda brakes are the biggest crap after a light rain at night. Just touch the pedal ? And you are pulled out of your seat and pressed against the steering wheel. DANGEROUS in snow and ice.
 
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