Entropy

Relax in southern comfort on the east bank of the Mississippi. You're just around the corner from Beale Street and Sun Records. Watch the ducks, throw back a few and tell us what's on your mind.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

The combination flash flood warning + wind advisory from a recent tropical storm caused some new rain ditch drama... A couple days later when I decided to reset my silt collection buckets, I noticed that the 10' length of drain pipe used to channel water into the lower silt bucket was gone. :lol:

The buckets are secured to a tree with a line so the buckets remain, but the 10' piece of pipe is long gone. After one previous storm I found the pipe about 50' down the ditch. This time it is completely gone... I find it unlikely that it would easily flow through the smaller culvert on that end of my rain ditches.

Later I will need to look into that smaller culvert. It is often clogged up with trash, but all that water may have given it a flush.

-----

I am still trying to restore my 22YO car to like new performance. No success yet... several incremental improvements as I replaced things that weren't 100% operational, but haven't found the smoking gun yet. :oops:

Next project is replacing the spark plugs, wires, and PCV....

I am running out of things to replace.

JR
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terkio
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Re: Entropy

Post by terkio »

What's wrong with the old car ?
Just in case...On an old car, gasoline fuel injection, I had those sneaky ones
_One of the four plugs wire wrong, looking good and measured all good as the others with a multimeter. Swapping that wire with a crummy one from a junk car fixed the trouble.
_The fuel filter clogged, giving hard unpredictable engine starting.
A new fuel filter fixed the trouble.
_A dry solder joint in the relay activating the fuel pump.
That one had cost me previously a towing and a new fuel pump.
Sneaky one because this relay had worked right over some 25 years.
All that was actually needed was, finding the fault, open the relay, redo the bad solder joint.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

terkio wrote: Tue Oct 29, 2019 4:33 pm What's wrong with the old car ?
I thought I have described the play by play on this...

symptom is runs puny when cold, and after 10 minutes (typically 8 miles away) it pulls like a mule...

Just in case...On an old car, gasoline fuel injection, I had those sneaky ones
I've owned it since new...

My first theory was faulty temp sending unit... After much difficulty I replaced both, no bueno.

I also replace the fuel pressure regulator... ran better but not 100% fixed.
_One of the four plugs wire wrong, looking good and measured all good as the others with a multimeter. Swapping that wire with a crummy one from a junk car fixed the trouble.
I replaced the plugs once but now with > 100k due for new plugs and wires... Plugs in hand, wires on order.
_The fuel filter clogged, giving hard unpredictable engine starting.
I replaced the fuel filter a month or two ago.... no bueno.

I also cleaned the MAF sensor, that helped too, but not 100% yet.
A new fuel filter fixed the trouble.
_A dry solder joint in the relay activating the fuel pump.
fuel pump apparently works.
That one had cost me previously a towing and a new fuel pump.
Sneaky one because this relay had worked right over some 25 years.
All that was actually needed was, finding the fault, open the relay, redo the bad solder joint.
In addition to plugs and wires I am replacing the PCV also way past due. Supposed to last 50k miles so I should be on #3.

My wiring harness sux... I haven't been able to use the stock car alarm for over a decade. If I lock the car, in the middle of the night my horn starts blowing... no doubt a crappy wire/switch contact.

If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of my ride. :lol:

JR
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terkio
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Re: Entropy

Post by terkio »

Before I found the clogged fuel filter, I was suspecting dirt in the fuel system.
I was going to follow advices about dirt that could be eliminated by recirculating the fuel.
On this car, the pump is inside the gas tank, pushing gas to the engine stuff that takes care of it and there the unused gas returns back to the tank. The idea is a mod to run the pump without running the engine to have gas recirculation to hopefully get all dirt out.
BTW that was on a Golf GTI type 2, I owned from new more than 25 years. An excellent fuel injection asking for well regulated fuel pressures.
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

symptom is runs puny when cold, and after 10 minutes (typically 8 miles away) it pulls like a mule...
JR - What about the O2 sensor(s)? IIRC they have a pre-heater. Maybe the O2 sensor is OK but the pre-heater isn't?

My experience with O2 sensors is based on Fords. (Fortunately we now own Toyotas.)
The Fords usually have pre-catalytic converter upstream O2 sensors and a downstream O2 sensor which is post-catalytic convertor.
If an O2 sensor failed or the catalytic convertor efficiency self-test fails it will produce an error code.
It might not produce a code if the pre-heater fails and just provide bad readings until the exhaust system warms it up.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

mediatechnology wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 6:01 am
symptom is runs puny when cold, and after 10 minutes (typically 8 miles away) it pulls like a mule...
JR - What about the O2 sensor(s)? IIRC they have a pre-heater. Maybe the O2 sensor is OK but the pre-heater isn't?

My experience with O2 sensors is based on Fords. (Fortunately we now own Toyotas.)
The Fords usually have pre-catalytic converter upstream O2 sensors and a downstream O2 sensor which is post-catalytic convertor.
If an O2 sensor failed or the catalytic convertor efficiency self-test fails it will produce an error code.
It might not produce a code if the pre-heater fails and just provide bad readings until the exhaust system warms it up.
Thanks, I guess I haven't run out of things to replace..

I quick web search suggests bad 02 data can affect timing and mix, so a likely suspect.

Not looking forward to anything associated with exhaust system on a 22YO car... Another problem is figuring out how many and what kind... apparently two kinds, and either 2 or 4....but I'll figure it out.

Good suggestion Wayne, thanks

JR

[edit- OK finished the easy part... 4x 02 sensors on order 2 pre and 2 post.... won't be as easy replacing them

also in the advice about testing them they say to let them warm up for 10-15 minutes.... hmm that sounds familiar. :lol: /edit]
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mediatechnology
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Re: Entropy

Post by mediatechnology »

You may want to get an "O2 sensor" socket.
IIRC mine is an offset socket due to the depth and axial wire exit.
I wouldn't rule out a fault in the wiring harness for the pre-heater.
billshurv
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Re: Entropy

Post by billshurv »

Generally older EFI cars run open loop until warm, then the 02 sensors kick. I would expect a lamdba sensor issue to be the other way round and runs fine until hot then goes squirrelly.
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JR.
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Re: Entropy

Post by JR. »

mediatechnology wrote: Wed Oct 30, 2019 11:33 am You may want to get an "O2 sensor" socket.
IIRC mine is an offset socket due to the depth and axial wire exit.
I wouldn't rule out a fault in the wiring harness for the pre-heater.
My neighbor has offset o2 sockets I can borrow, I recall looking at them when I had to buy a crow foot socket to remove my temp sending unit.

I do not have torch or induction heater that can help removing sensors after a couple decades in a hot exhaust pipe. :oops:

====

@Bill symptom definitely clears after warmed up... preheater wiring fault is not crazy, but over 100k miles means the sensors could just be bad. Looks like another 50k miles part, so past due for second replacement.

JR
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Re: Entropy

Post by Gold »

It’s been over two years since we got the garden shed we are using as the kitchen. When we just had one cabin the setup was tight and efficient. When we moved the cooking setup and table to the new cabin we left everything in a state of disarray. We wanted to take our time.

We had just spent two years killing our selves to get the place habitable. We needed a rest. This past trip we went back to work.

I made a staircase up to the sleeping loft to replace the step ladder. The loft and the steps are made from T-slot framing. We moved the wood stove position. We are glad we waited to install it because the new location is much better. That cabin is looking good again.

I’m going to make a small table from a cedar log and some glass that someone in my building threw away. It’s about $1200 in 24”x24”x 1/4” pieces.

We also insulated the kitchen cabin. Blue styrofoam on the ceiling covered with industrial felt sheets. Blue styrofoam on the floor covered with birch ply. We didn’t do the walls yet. Now we are set up for the winter.
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