[AT] Rant and stuff

[Cecil Bearden]

Charlie:
All I can say is "Me too!"
Cecil in OKla


On 5/19/2016 2:14 PM, charlie hill wrote:
> 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.
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> AT mailing list
>>> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>
> 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....
>