[AT] Rant and stuff

Thu May 19 12:14:13 PDT 2016

Steve, that is exactly why I ask you so many vehicle questions.
Around here there are bad shops and worse shops and all are way too
expensive.  I have one that is decent and reasonable as long as we all
know what the problem is but no way would I take it to them to trouble
shoot something.  It's not that I enjoy working on my stuff.  I don't 
anymore,
it hurts too bad but I can hurt for a couple of hours to save a few hundred 
or
thousand bucks.

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Steve W.
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2016 4:21 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Rant and stuff

Cecil Bearden wrote:
> Greg:
> I have the same problem.  here with getting parts or trying ot get
> someone to work on anything.  If I can't do it myself, It just does not
> get done.  My f150 that I had a used engne installed in a year or so
> ago, is finally running right.  I spent over $3000 on getting the engine
> installed and then the a/c working right, then the flex plate cracked.
> I was using a small independent shop, but the mechanic who was working
> on my truck was wanting the old engine for his own, so he did not check
> out the engine that was in my truck, and just stuck the new one in
> without the salvage flex plate that had been banged around.   Then, the
> a/c compressor clutch was bad, so for another $200 they installed a new
> one. Total, $1800 and I furnished the new engine.  3 months later the
> engine making a bad clicking noise that sounded much like an A/C clutch
> dragging, A/c was blowing cold air.  Same mechanic installed a new
> compressor and some new hoses $800..  When I picked up the truck, it
> still made the same noise....   He said just drive it........
> I took it to a transmission shop where it had to sit for a week until
> the guy could get to it.  He is an older fellow and has one helper, he
> is a little slow, but good.    He found that I had a broken section on
> the cross member under the tailshaft.  He left it outside so I could
> come by and take it home and weld it.  I brought it back at 8:30 am next
> morning and he and helper had it on lift looking at  flex plate.  It
> appeared to be a small crack...   I picked it up later that evening.
> $650 with new updated plate.   If I had driven the truck, I would have
> been stranded.  With my back I cannot walk more than 100 ft at a time
> and then I have to have a cane...
> a month later, a fuel injector plugged. I installed 4 new ones and
> changed the fuel filter.   2 weeks later same thing and again changed
> fuel filter.   I made a trip to the other farm with the semi and had my
> wife follow me in my f150.  An injector plugged and it  would not run
> with the A/C on and it was a warm day... I had enough!!  Ordered a new
> fuel tank from Amazon and another set of injectors.  When I dropped the
> tank it had 1/2 inch of gravel in it.  I changed the filter again
> installed new injectors, new fuel and it is still running fine.  I now
> wonder if maybe my old engine is not so bad, it just needed fuel
> injectors and maybe a new lifter...
>
> The stealerships are the worst places to take anything.  If they cannot
> hook a computer to whatever, they cannot do anything.... The "mechanics"
> are just kids out of a tech school who never had any idea how to really
> repair anything, all they do is change parts.  Sometimes the new parts
> are bad also..........  I spent $3500+ at the new Holland dealer on my
> TS110 on a mis-diagnosis. I am still working with the problems they
> created.  I have to bleed the fuel system if it sits longer than an
> hour.  They lost the hood brace and a new one is over $200.  The fuel
> gauge quit, and I had to buy another windshield wiper motor since they
> installed the wiper arms wrong and burned out the wiper motor.  I also
> now have a noise whenever I reverse the shifter...
>
> I want to say thanks to Bo Hinch and NCWayne ion the YT forum for the
> help they gave me on my Ingersoll compressor.  I got it running right
> this afternoon.  Short version of the story is the unloader actuator
> diaphragm was trashed.  When I finally got it apart, I searched for a
> truck air brake diaphragm.  Finally cut a diaphragm out of a piece of
> 10inch dia PVC discharge hose.  It works fine now...
>
> Sure feels good when they finally start working.......
>
> Cecil in OKla
>
>
>
>
> On 5/18/2016 2:06 PM, Greg Hass wrote:
>> Night before last I was in my office and heard something like a truck in
>> the driveway, a while later I heard it again and went out to check. It
>> was the air compressor in the shop running; during the summer months I
>> don't shut it off. Anyway, last year I installed a water separator in
>> the air line for the compressor and it has a hard plastic sight tube so
>> you know when to drain the water. Well, that tube split and air just
>> gushed out. The separator is rated for 250 lbs. and I run at 175 so
>> pressure was not excessive. Yesterday I stopped where I bought it; it is
>> like an auto parts store but they sell heavy duty truck parts. The guy
>> at the desk knew nothing but he did the right thing and called the
>> distributor who said the part was not available separately but you had
>> to buy the assembly for $55. I didn't really believe him because I
>> though I remembered a parts list in the instructions. Also the
>> distributor said the parts would be special order. When I got home, I
>> told the wife and she took the numbers off the assembly and in less than
>> 5 minutes she had a parts list printed out for me. We called about 4
>> yesterday afternoon and gave them the part number. Not only was it
>> available, but they had it in the warehouse and it was here at 8 this
>> morning for $11. I said something about their distributor but got a
>> dirty look  so said no more as I can see that the fact I could have been
>> out $50 means nothing to these workers. I am getting so sick of people
>> not doing their jobs. I don't expect miracles but I expect people to do
>> their job; no more no less. I recently sold all 3 of the IH 715 combines
>> I had. A guy wanted them to run in the combine demolition derby. I
>> basically got junk price but they are gone. One was a parts machine, one
>> was my soybean machine and the third was for wheat and corn. When last
>> used a year ago the soybean machine had a straw walker go out and the
>> bearing ripped a hole in the side of the machine; When doing corn, that
>> machine had some heavy metal over the cylinder come loose. I never was
>> able to get it out and would have to remove the feeder house and
>> cylinder to get at it. My intention was to fix them as I have most of
>> the parts either new or used but decided they were in such bad shape I
>> would fix one thing and two would break .  Just to give you an idea, on
>> the corn combine, the engine manifold is cracked and in cold weather had
>> to run it half choked to make up for air leaks; both elevator chains as
>> well as all the sprockets are bad; all of the straw walkers are shot;
>> the tailings auger is bad; the air cleaning fan is all bent, and the
>> transmission jumps out of gear twice each time across the field. The
>> diesel 715 has sat out for over a year and started fine (they had extra
>> batteries with them). The corn 715 was in the shed all  the time and I
>> wanted to run it to save possible mishaps in the shed. I had charged the
>> battery (I have it running in the fall to take off the corn head. It
>> turned over good but did not start. The fuel pump did not sound right so
>> I had them bang on it with a hammer. After a while the pump took off and
>> it started right up. That lousy fuel again, as it was a year and a half
>> old and had made the fuel pump stick. Last night they came  after dark
>> to get the  parts machine. I had removed one drive tire as well as other
>> parts. I thought they would tow it but they wanted to try and start it.
>> 6 or 7 years ago I drove it home 17 mile from where I bought it and
>> parked it behind the shed where it has stayed. They put a different
>> drive tire on and drained the gas (the whole yard smelled for hours even
>> thought they put it in a pail. They put in new gas and a battery and it
>> did nothing but cranked if you used a screwdriver on the starter. They
>> tried tying all the wires under the cab together; all the fuse stuff
>> underneath was rusted off. I gave them a bunch of new wire and they went
>> direct from the battery to the fuel pump and backfed the ignition . It
>> took about three good shots of starting  fluid and away it went. I never
>> thought it would run again. They headed for home with it about midnight.
>> It froze again last night as has been the case lately. It is to go into
>> the 30's again tonight and the corn is starting to come up. In the past
>> 2 weeks we have had several record or near record lows. One gets real
>> tired of this in a hurry.        P.S. for the combines a year ago I
>> bought a Used IH 1440 axial flow combine which I used last year and will
>> be my machine for now.
>>
>>
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Wow, If I was closer I'd give you a hand. Things are just as bad around
here. A new "auto shop" opened down the road, I wouldn't let them nail
two boards together let alone touch a vehicle... I've gained more than a
few folks asking me to correct the "repairs" they have done....

-- 
Steve W.
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