Delta's Tea-Break Natter (The Lighter Side) 2011/12

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

This was in the 'pop' charts when you last had a bath Iain!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=vHiK8EAs7IU

Far to modern for me, and that bass player looks like he's on something !

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Someone once told me 5 years was the designed lifespan of most white goods.

Fooled them last time- I ordered all my kitchen stuff in black!

I think the Silver ones last longer as well - which is why they ask more for them than for white ones.

Isn't it?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by delta

Here we go. As a kid we did not have anything like a fridge or washing machine. Bath night Sunday evening I was 2nd in line.Dad finnaly got a tely when I was 14. I can remember now 46 years ago sitting with my sister and brother waiting for the test card to go. I was so excited as I could now watch Bonaza on Saturday. Happy days.

I think we got a fridge about 1956 until then ice cream from the Walls van on a Sunday was kept wrapped up in newspaper and a blanket for a while, as for a Tele we had a 12 inch stand alone job in the mid 50s that cost a fortune and had it on the "never never" .

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Most white goods are not made to last these days just think back, my parents had a washing machine and a fridge that lasted at least 30 years and a fridge that Sue and I had second hand when we got married is still going strong at school, we only changed it to get a bigger one and since then we have had three as they clap out every 5 or 6 years.
I know that white goods are cheaper now pro rata than 40 years ago but even the dearer ones don't last !

Yeah but they are much more Eco friendly Gordon. A+++ rated and stuff. Sip 'tricity you know - well, they have to produce their own when the disturbines stop turning so they are all made to be super efficient and that's why the powers that be keep changing the laws to make them ever more efficient and stop people fixing old ones.

Bit like cars really ...


It's a funny old world in which to live.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by grantp

Yeah but they are much more Eco friendly Gordon. A+++ rated and stuff.

.

Maybe they are but the walls are so thick you can't get sod all in them !

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Far to modern for me, and that bass player looks like he's on something !

A stage.

I think he was on a stage.

Great bass lines in that recording. Damn good quality cylinder must have been used to capture that!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Maybe they are but the walls are so thick you can't get sod all in them !

Ah, form over function.

[grantp]

As it's 'that time of year' when important thing go wrong just as you most want to use them ....

Our CH and HW boiler threw a paddy on Friday night. Last thing. As they do. Lots of clunking and overheating noises and stuff.

Got it calmed down but it's a condensing thing and is meant to modulate around the required temp - but wouldn't. Fires up, runs for a few seconds, temps passes the variable upper limit before the modulation kicks in effectively so the overheat sensor shuts it off. Wait about a minute and repeat.

So the bathroom towel rail is red hot (it's the nearest radiator) but the rest of the house hardly tepid.

My tame heating system installer offered the advice that it must be a circulation problem and would be a good idea to fit a new pump. Was it possibly a thermistor failure I asked, since it seemed to be a case of the unit not getting an early warning of output temp in time to reduce the gas flow.

No, he says, it's never a thermistor ...


Took the pump out of the system and had a look. It's not very old but some things looked a bit manky though not fatally so. Still, middle of winter and management rather worked up about it - bit of a challenge.

So I went out and obtained a new circulation pump and fitted it. No difference.

Had a few more thoughts about thermistors.

You can probably guess the rest.







(Though to be fair there is and nearly always has been a circulation problem with a couple of the radiators - but that a whole different matter ...)

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

No, he says, it's never a thermistor ...

So I went out and obtained a new circulation pump and fitted it. No difference.

Had a few more thoughts about thermistors.

You can probably guess the rest.

Mmm, reminds me of something....

[zefarelly]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Far to modern for me, and that bass player looks like he's on something !

It was the first song of the evening . . and I was keeping an eye on our questionable Keyboard player . . . . soon to be replaced!

We've been quite lucky with cooling appliances, its dishwashers and washing machines that die on us, especially washing machines, they don't like iron dust and swarf in them long term.

[midgetman]

I had a bit of luck with the central heating pump in the summer. It stopped so I did the Google search for prices, and the next door neighbour is a plumber so I went and asked his advice. He reached into the back of his van and pulls out a second-hand, good condition water pump of the correct type. "I was just about to junk this" he said, "the previous owner had a completely new system. You may as well fit it."

A little bit of me fannying around looking useless as usual and he got his spanners out and fitted it. Result

[compte deGraves]

Our shower pump stopped working. The engineer checked it over and told us we needed a new one at 850 euros. Off he went to order it. I then had a John Cleese moment and attacked the wretched thing with a large spanner. After a few blows and an equal number of expletives, it started working and hasn't stopped since. The engineer was not impressed when I phoned him to cancel the order.

[delta]

Originally Posted by zefarelly

It was the first song of the evening . . and I was keeping an eye on our questionable Keyboard player . . . . soon to be replaced!

We've been quite lucky with cooling appliances, its dishwashers and washing machines that die on us, especially washing machines, they don't like iron dust and swarf in them long term.

I know what I was keeping an eye on.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by delta

I know what I was keeping an eye on.

Too young for you mate, almost as bad as Jimmy Saville !!!!!
Anyway I wish everyone would stop criticising him, when I was 8, he fixed it for me to milk a cow blindfolded. !!!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Mmm, reminds me of something....

Thought it might.

Have to say that your tale is what prompted me to consider the problem in the first place. Couldn't work out how to get to a definitive diagnosis without buying a relatively expensive little part which is not available anywhere that's open over a weekend.

Late on Sunday night it suddenly occurred to me that swapping the 2 thermistors in the system should, if one was faulty in the way I now suspected, change the characteristics of the problem. First thing Monday morning I tried the swap and, hey presto, changed characteristics just as predicted.

Quite why I didn't think of that earlier I don't know. My expert might have thought of it but based on my description has pre-decided that it was all down to a circulation problem.

Oh well, off to sort out the rear brakes on Management's car now since it is forecast to be dry today. Wish me luck - I may be some time. Mind you if I don't finish it you may never hear from me again ...

[terence]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Too young for you mate, almost as bad as Jimmy Saville !!!!!
Anyway I wish everyone would stop criticising him, when I was 8, he fixed it for me to milk a cow blindfolded. !!!

But Cow Udders are soft Gordon.


Better get your claim in now.

[grantp]

Right.

Grant's Christmas challenge for all the Teabreak technical wizards.

Management has a 2005 Toyota Corolla. It has for many years exhibited a very weak handbrake action within a couple of thousand miles of adjustment. Mostly, come MLOT time, it just about passes with comments. Recently it has been unable to hold the car on our gently (ish) sloping drive.

Rear brake rotors (combined disks and drum for H/brake) look crap - disk pads touching less than 50% of the width of the swept area - so I thought I would change the lot. Disk, pads and shoes. All the stuff needed was delivered over a week ago. Today was the first opportunity for car to be available and the weather reasonable (no rain and not below freezing).

So I got in to move it ready to jack it up and .... handbrake absolutely perfect. Tried it a few times. Spot on each time. Hmm.

Changed direction and fitted the replacement piston slide pins for the front brakes - a couple of unexpected new challenges there - but job done. Noticed a bit of run out on one of the rotors. Didn't see that before wen I did the pads. Hmm. Odd?

Anyway, job done so down the road for a quick test. OK but strating to feel what I think are the effects of the rotor run out. 2 miles or so later, backl onto the drive, apply handbrake .... zip, nada, hardly any effect at all. I know if was OK before I left as I had to move the car back and get out to move the chocks out of the way.

So, 2 miles from cold and the handbrake goes from perfectly OK to hardly any effect at all.

Any ideas? Any similar experiences?

The only thing I can think of is that the cable from the handbrake lever to the balance bar runs right along the same centre channel as the exhaust. Might it be getting hot enough for the cable to expand and so un-adjust itself (in effect). By morning, now cold again and in the "on" position it would give good results I assume, both from the shrinkage and, when applied multiple times and still working, from the shorter cable.

Anyone else see that as a possibility?

[Tim Falce]

Check that the bell cranks which are bolted to the back plates aren't seized and the return springs are OK plus I think there's an adjuster under the hand brake lever itself. This is the same setup as my Landcruiser and generally the brakes are pretty woeful anyway, handbrake doubly so, I think an engineer from Jaguar must have moved to Japan and designed this system.

[GORDON STREETER]

Most problems with integral disk/drum handbrakes are down to people adjusting the cable on the handbrake itself, this should be slackened right off and the adjusters in the drums on the handbrake shoes should be adjusted up until the disk can't be turned, slacken it off a "gnats" so it will turn and only then adjust the cable.
Some disk/drum hand brakes only just pass an mot even when they are new, a Nissan X Trail is a prime example !!!!!

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Check that the bell cranks which are bolted to the back plates aren't seized and the return springs are OK plus I think there's an adjuster under the hand brake lever itself. This is the same setup as my Landcruiser and generally the brakes are pretty woeful anyway, handbrake doubly so, I think an engineer from Jaguar must have moved to Japan and designed this system.

Hi Tim,

Haynes says there is a 2 part adjustment - adjusters in the rear drum to set the shoes and then you dismantle the interior to get at the one on the handbrake lever. So that fits with your description. Maybe I'll try adjustment first ... but then again whenever Toyota have serviced it any adjustment has lasted almost no time at all.

For the first year this car was run by the wife of one of the Japanese people at Burnaston where it was built. Only did 5k miles. Now I know why. (Although to be fair as it has aged I've grown to like it more than I thought I would. Sort of like a bland meal where every now and again you find a peppercorn or a really hot bit of chilli or some thoroughly pleasant taste sensation that seems entirely out of place.)

I am thinking I may dismantle the interior though it might be easier to re-shell around an intact interior.

Landcruiser are similar eh? Hmm. Not sure I like the sound of that.

Thanks for the feedback.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Most problems with integral disk/drum handbrakes are down to people adjusting the cable on the handbrake itself, this should be slackened right off and the adjusters in the drums on the handbrake shoes should be adjusted up until the disk can't be turned, slacken it off a "gnats" so it will turn and only then adjust the cable.
Some disk/drum hand brakes only just pass an mot even when they are new, a Nissan X Trail is a prime example !!!!!

Cheers Gordon.

I think Toyota service were the last people to look at this - same time as the MOT - which it only just passed. No idea how it passed, we have to leave it in gear on the drive.

However by morning, if my experience this AM was typical, the things is working effortlessly.

Management says that driving into the village for work. (Half a mile, 5 mins tops) is enough to make the HB inoperable .

The thing is that even when a service has managed to get a "proper" handbrake it only lasts for a short peiod before reverting to normal rubbish performance.

Think I might head down to the local chandlery and buy an anchor.

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by grantp

Hi Tim,

Haynes says there is a 2 part adjustment - adjusters in the rear drum to set the shoes and then you dismantle the interior to get at the one on the handbrake lever. So that fits with your description. Maybe I'll try adjustment first ... but then again whenever Toyota have serviced it any adjustment has lasted almost no time at all.

There's the normal adjuster in the drum that is supposed to be self adjusting by pulling the handbrake up and down but in real life you have to stick a screwdriver through the inspection hole in the front of the drum and click it until it adjusts right up. Then there's the bell crank on the back plate that seizes up which may account for the handbrake working once only and then maybe settling back overnight. I renewed the disc/drum a couple of years ago, adjusted the handbrake and it was fine for about 2 days then went back to needing to pull the handbrake lever through the top of the car to make it work, I just leave it in park.

[GORDON STREETER]

Tim, very few handbrakes have self adjusters and most have to be adjusted manually.
Also you don't normally have to take the interior to pieces to get at the cable adjuster although you can't always see them you can get at them with flexible drives once you know where they are .

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

There's the normal adjuster in the drum that is supposed to be self adjusting by pulling the handbrake up and down but in real life you have to stick a screwdriver through the inspection hole in the front of the drum and click it until it adjusts right up. Then there's the bell crank on the back plate that seizes up which may account for the handbrake working once only and then maybe settling back overnight. I renewed the disc/drum a couple of years ago, adjusted the handbrake and it was fine for about 2 days then went back to needing to pull the handbrake lever through the top of the car to make it work, I just leave it in park.

Maybe I'll just have a go at adjusting it before getting involved with the changing everything. Would be a useful exercise anyway as practice for eventually changing stuff.

Had the interesting experience today of a bolt that moved readily enough last week deciding to seize solid. Took a lot of effort to get it to shift today - good job I was undoing it to replace it anyway. Interesting to watch the amount of caliper movement on the slider pins as it tracked the disk run out too. I'm sure it wasn't doing that a few days ago.

[zefarelly]

what an exciting path of conversation. . . . step back, 1963 . . . ford rear brakes, manwell . . .they work, and still do . . . . . come 66 . . .auto adjust . . .they don't, ansd still don't.