What did YOU do today?

[scotts90ranger]

There was one review of someone that just drilled a hole in the case but that defeats the purpose... For the 10 minutes you use the thing the 1/10th of a cfm it leaks through the non sealed threads is not an issue... if I used it every day it would just hang on something instead of being shoved in the case... I don't remember if I was able to fit the inlet screen thing in coolant bottles or not but I think I did since I'm lazy like that and I hate handling coolant... not as bad as brake fluid or gear oil but it's up there...

 

[Snoranger]

I bought an AirLift about 20 years ago and haven’t filled a coolant system the old school way since. It’s a life saver when you have to fill a 20+ gallon coolant system on a piece of equipment with 2 separate cabins and heater cores.
The sometimes you get fancy with it and adapt it to the fuel fill neck on a Humvee, pull a vacuum, then quickly replace the leaking fuel tank drain without emptying the tank first.

 

[superj]

i always run copper or pvc because that is what was used when i used to do plumbing. i have used shark bite fittings when replacing water heaters but sometimes they don't seal well so i would rather just solder in new copper. my favorite jobs, when i did plumbing professionally, were the commercial jobs that were 100% copper supply lines. solder just looks so nice and is easy to do.

even building supermarkets and hardware stores were supply lines were 2" and larger, with a good burner and a larger gas supply tank, you can get beautiful smooth solder joints that just make the lines look so nice.


when i moved the smaller water heater from upstairs and put it down in the garage under the bathroom, i ran everything in pvc and copper. you are better using cpvc on the hot side of hte water heater though because pvc can soften and come apart right above the outlet for the hot if the water temp is set to high.



last night we spent the whole day after work at the dealership. my son found a 2022 xlt f150 that looked like it was owned by an older couple. the truck was spotless inside and only 2 tiny chips in the leading edge of hte hood from rock strikes. the underside was spotless, the tires were very nice, the bed looked like it was never used, and the interior looked brand new.

the salesman said an older guy brought it in because his wife had a hard time getting in it now and they got a lower van.

so we drove it and liked it. the carfax showed all maintenance was done at the local ford dealer and on time for the mileage in the book, even diff fluid changes so that made me think the older fella story was right since younger folks generally aren't particular about following the maintenance properly.

the truck has so many packages on it. tech, convenience, tow, chrome, it has so much junk on it that i was even impressed.

anyways, my son got it. my wife told them he wasn't paying over 30, period. no 30 plus ttl, 30 was all or it was staying with them. they tried to balk and say this and that but in the end, she got it for 30 out the door and zero down. i feel its a good deal since hte truck looks like it came off teh showroom floor.


its funny whats acceptable for prices on vehicles now days. 30k is hte cost of a new truck, to me, but i know its really not. its just so crazy to think used costs so much

 

[pjtoledo]

Currently at the oncology office.
It’s going to get rough for a while as we deal with an issue.

EDIT
her prospect for recovery is very good. surgery in mid November.

 

[Rick W]

Currently at the oncology office.
It’s going to get rough for a while as we deal with an issue.

EDIT
her prospect for recovery is very good. surgery in mid November.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Yesterday after work I went to my brothers to first try to find a deer (two doe, nothing following them yet) then went over to help him find the #2 misfire, we first tried intake gaskets which didn't do it then came out the leak down tester which showed a little on that cylinder, then put more air pressure to the cylinder which pointed to an exhaust valve. We then pulled the valve cover again and noticed one the "bucket" was contacting all the way around so has no lash... then we pulled the exhaust cam to measure that "bucket"

 

[sgtsandman]

Yesterday after work I went to my brothers to first try to find a deer (two doe, nothing following them yet) then went over to help him find the #2 misfire, we first tried intake gaskets which didn't do it then came out the leak down tester which showed a little on that cylinder, then put more air pressure to the cylinder which pointed to an exhaust valve. We then pulled the valve cover again and noticed one the "bucket" was contacting all the way around so has no lash... then we pulled the exhaust cam to measure that "bucket"

Speaking deer hunting, I need to take my rifle out to the range and see why I missed a doe last year. I'm really hoping the scope got knocked out of zero and it wasn't me. It was only 20ish yards, up hill when I took the shot.

 

[pacstud]

Started the day at 4am with my dog having diarrhea. Transitioned to mowing the neighbor's yard and then an annual physical with a shingles vaccine. My arm friggin hurts lol.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Well my attempt at half assing the valve "bucket" replacement on my brothers Escape was unsuccessful, time to transition to the full ass attempt... We were unable to pry the cam sprocket up to the camshaft so there must be ledges on the guides that it is stuck on, that and we can't verify the cam to crank timing correctly with zero timing marks on these dang things... so the alignment tools will be here tomorrow, got a good start on getting everything apart but the crank bolt WILL NOT come off, tried 3 different impacts, two different air compressors (one higher pressure than the other) and nada... I have some high tech redneck ideas to try tomorrow, going to weld a nut to a short 1/2" drive extension to be able to add more torque than an impact can give, might try to make an "inertia socket", I say make because there is roughly jack in the way of 20mm sockets made, 13/16" fits good though so I'll go through my spare socket bin... my brother donated a pre ground on 1 1/4" Pittsburgh impact socket to weld one into...

We did manage to source a shorter bucket but things went sideways fast...

And to top it off it's the last weekend of deer season so I'll be a good brother and take time out of that to help... I mean I'm going to go hunting over at his place anyway... it's a solid 15 minutes from my place.

 

[Curious Hound]

WOrked pretty hard in the junk yard for a while. Harvested a 4406 t-case for an upcoming project.

 

[SenorNoob]

Stumbled across this:

Looks like a cheap tool for lug nuts in case of a flat. The battery can be charged by USB.

 

[sgtsandman]

Well my attempt at half assing the valve "bucket" replacement on my brothers Escape was unsuccessful, time to transition to the full ass attempt... We were unable to pry the cam sprocket up to the camshaft so there must be ledges on the guides that it is stuck on, that and we can't verify the cam to crank timing correctly with zero timing marks on these dang things... so the alignment tools will be here tomorrow, got a good start on getting everything apart but the crank bolt WILL NOT come off, tried 3 different impacts, two different air compressors (one higher pressure than the other) and nada... I have some high tech redneck ideas to try tomorrow, going to weld a nut to a short 1/2" drive extension to be able to add more torque than an impact can give, might try to make an "inertia socket", I say make because there is roughly jack in the way of 20mm sockets made, 13/16" fits good though so I'll go through my spare socket bin... my brother donated a pre ground on 1 1/4" Pittsburgh impact socket to weld one into...

We did manage to source a shorter bucket but things went sideways fast...

And to top it off it's the last weekend of deer season so I'll be a good brother and take time out of that to help... I mean I'm going to go hunting over at his place anyway... it's a solid 15 minutes from my place.

I ended up getting a timing kit for the 2014 because there was a possibility that I may have to replace the water pump, which half of it is behind the timing belt. Thankfully, that did not end up being the coolant leak. So, now I have the kit for when I do need it. Apparently, the 1.6 doesn't have timing marks either, and if you don't have the kit, things can get real ugly, real fast.

 

[sgtsandman]

Well, the Escape is all back together and the cooling system has been purged and burped. For whatever reason, the coolant temperature sensor decided to take a dump. This whole repair is something I do not want to repeat. Putting everything back together wasn't much better than it was taking it apart. Whomever the previous owner knew that "could do it cheaper" was a real hack. Heck, it might have been the owner to did it all for all I know. Broken clips, broken air filter box, the intake connector hose was bent over when it connects to the air filter box. Thing are better than they were, but it going to take some time to put everything back to how it should be. I'm going to let the girlfriend drive for a bit before I tackle the valve cover gasket. One for me to recover, and two, I have other projects that need done that will make even more room in the garage so I can pull the Escape in there instead of being out in the driveway.

 

[pjtoledo]

Well my attempt at half assing the valve "bucket" replacement on my brothers Escape was unsuccessful, time to transition to the full ass attempt... We were unable to pry the cam sprocket up to the camshaft so there must be ledges on the guides that it is stuck on, that and we can't verify the cam to crank timing correctly with zero timing marks on these dang things... so the alignment tools will be here tomorrow, got a good start on getting everything apart but the crank bolt WILL NOT come off, tried 3 different impacts, two different air compressors (one higher pressure than the other) and nada... I have some high tech redneck ideas to try tomorrow, going to weld a nut to a short 1/2" drive extension to be able to add more torque than an impact can give, might try to make an "inertia socket", I say make because there is roughly jack in the way of 20mm sockets made, 13/16" fits good though so I'll go through my spare socket bin... my brother donated a pre ground on 1 1/4" Pittsburgh impact socket to weld one into...

We did manage to source a shorter bucket but things went sideways fast...

And to top it off it's the last weekend of deer season so I'll be a good brother and take time out of that to help... I mean I'm going to go hunting over at his place anyway... it's a solid 15 minutes from my place.

for 20mm equivalent try a 25/32"
oddly, they are available.

working on a 4cyl Duratec? timing is easy on those.

for the harmonic balancer bolt did you try the breaker bar against the frame while cranking starter method?

 

[JoshT]

Sounds like y'all had a more productive than me today, but it was still better than my usual Saturday. Slept in then hit the road to one of the bigger local gun shops. Wasn't on the hunt for any guns this time, but still fun to window shop. Mostly after ammunition and cleaning supplies. Ran into an old retired co-worker and good to see he was doing well.

Need some cheap 44 special range ammunition and this place was my last chance for finding it local. Mostly struck out. They did have two boxes of one brand/type, but don't like it. Already had some of that same stuff, it shoots dirty and not very accurate out of my gun. Still bought a box to keep me shooting until I find what I'm looking for. Looks like I'll be turning to buying that in bulk online. As popular as 44 special and magnum is/was, it is amazing how little of it is stocked locally.

It's also amazing how little this store had in the way of gun cleaning supplies for how many firearms it stocks and sells. Really the same could be said for most of the gun stores around here. Primarily in need of a cleaning rod for pistols and don;t like the little pistol cleaning kits that Walmart and Academy sell. I've been woefully inadequate about cleaning any of mine and most of the cleaning stuff I had has been missplaced/lost/broken over the years. Kind of wanted to get a big all in one universal kit, I actually have enough cailber variety that it would make sense, but every one of them from the big chain stores is lacking in some way. Still ended up getting a chain store pistol cleaning kit that'll work for my semi autos, but too short for the longer barrel revolvers. Ended up getting a nice 12" carbon fiber cleaning for those and the SBRs. I dug out an old tackle tray and will build the rest of my kit over time.

WOrked pretty hard in the junk yard for a while. Harvested a 4406 t-case for an upcoming project.
View attachment 135710

Is that a manual shift? I need to get an E-shift to put in storage to replace the AWD box in the Ranger.

Stumbled across this:

Looks like a cheap tool for lug nuts in case of a flat. The battery can be charged by USB.

Normally I wouldn;t even consider it having bought into the Ryobi batteries. Having said that, this would be a good one for camping with a camper. Cheap enough to toss in the storage compartment and leave it there. Enough power to run the stabilizing jacks and (maybe) remove lugnuts if necessary. Rechargable on USB-C so you don't need to carry extra battery or special charger, and it'll double as a portable charger for other devices if needed.