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The "What Did You Work On Today" thread

3M views 36K replies 388 participants last post by  cerial 
#1 ·
4 hour work day for me at the shop. Used the time to do a valve body swap on a '01 Jetta 1.8t auto .... I successfully installed a transbrake on the car .... that however wasn't my intention.

Its in 2 gears at once in park, all other gears (R/N/D/2/1) are forward gears.... they all seam to be first gear.

I have it torn back down most of the way. Tuesday I'll actually get the VB back out and see whats up.... but part of me wants to take it out for a test drive the way it is just for the fun of it.
 
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#13,181 ·
John I've got the answer for you!! A while back you were saying how you want to ride your Harley and not drive it. Well I've found the accessory for you! And it's priced right! You and your Sweetie are going to look sharp going down the road together

BB :thumbup::thumbup:

Take a look! Remember we want pictures!
Wow, now why didn't that take off like wildfire I wonder.

Brian
Would you want to trust your sweetie to put her foot down? (on the motorcycle of course) No way me and mine work that well together. :D:nono::thumbup::drunk::):boxing:


John
 
#13,182 ·
tired from all the heat this week but will still go do a couple hours of side work before heading to metal mart for more sheet. I would like to get started on some bead rolling for my bike and come up with a gimmick. I might go to a skate shop and try to trade some product for some soft wheels to get a cool affect from the bead roller. Had a good time after work yesterday. The water park had an exclusive opening yesterday and it was 100 degrees and very few kids. The family loved it. I had my time with both boogers and they equally loved the time. My daughter can now dive under water and starting to tread water. Her swim lessons have helped.
 
#13,183 ·
Well... Today I had an "interesting" issue crop up

I had started out to cut the lawn - despite the fact that it is all brown & parched, but was still getting tall in some places. So - hop on the ol' garden tractor and have at it.

As always, it exhibited a bad "Detroit Roll" at anything other than full throttle and needed about half choke to keep going at idle. I knew a carb rebuild was going to be in order soon.

Anyway - finished up, dumped the grass catchers and just as I jumped back on to drive it to the garage and put it away, it quit cold. Would not restart, no matter what I did. It was getting gas, but NO spark at the plugs. Hmmmm....

Thought maybe it might be one of the numerous safety switches for clutch/brake or seat, or blade engagement. Nope-they all tested out OK.

A bit of disassembly and it seems the magnets on the flywheel that do the magneto thing were all covered in rust. Some work with a drill-mounted wire wheel and then space the magneto out from the flywheel with a 3X thickness of printer paper and it fired right up - and the Detroit Roll is gone, too! Win!

Just proves what others on here have said - about 90% of carb issues are actually ignition issues!
 
#13,184 ·
Well... Today I had an "interesting" issue crop up

I had started out to cut the lawn - despite the fact that it is all brown & parched, but was still getting tall in some places. So - hop on the ol' garden tractor and have at it.

As always, it exhibited a bad "Detroit Roll" at anything other than full throttle and needed about half choke to keep going at idle. I knew a carb rebuild was going to be in order soon.

Anyway - finished up, dumped the grass catchers and just as I jumped back on to drive it to the garage and put it away, it quit cold. Would not restart, no matter what I did. It was getting gas, but NO spark at the plugs. Hmmmm....

Thought maybe it might be one of the numerous safety switches for clutch/brake or seat, or blade engagement. Nope-they all tested out OK.

A bit of disassembly and it seems the magnets on the flywheel that do the magneto thing were all covered in rust. Some work with a drill-mounted wire wheel and then space the magneto out from the flywheel with a 3X thickness of printer paper and it fired right up - and the Detroit Roll is gone, too! Win!

Just proves what others on here have said - about 90% of carb issues are actually ignition issues!
Dave,

I don't know how to break this to you, but rust has little to no effect on magnetism. what kind of tractor is it? what engine? if it works it works, but there was something else going on there besides rust on the magnets. if you removed the lamination to clean it then you may have cured a grounding issue at the mounting bolts.

Too hot to mow a lawn here again. 106* today and forecast for more of the same for the next week+.
this heat sucks.

Russ
 
#13,187 ·
Dave,

I don't know how to break this to you, but rust has little to no effect on magnetism. what kind of tractor is it? what engine? if it works it works, but there was something else going on there besides rust on the magnets. if you removed the lamination to clean it then you may have cured a grounding issue at the mounting bolts.

Too hot to mow a lawn here again. 106* today and forecast for more of the same for the next week+.
this heat sucks.

Russ
Throw some of it down here russ
Later gator
Russ
 
#13,188 · (Edited)
Dave,

I don't know how to break this to you, but rust has little to no effect on magnetism. what kind of tractor is it? what engine? if it works it works, but there was something else going on there besides rust on the magnets. if you removed the lamination to clean it then you may have cured a grounding issue at the mounting bolts.

Too hot to mow a lawn here again. 106* today and forecast for more of the same for the next week+.
this heat sucks.

Russ
Its a Sears Craftsman - 20 HP, Briggs twin. All's I knows is that I have had the same issue and results on simple little 3.5 Briggs engines on walk-behind mowers in the past too. Lotsa rust on the surface of the magnets, a bit of sandpaper (or in this case - a wire brush) and voila!

On some of the 3.5's - I never even moved or re-gapped the magnetic pickup and got 'em running reliably again.

In this case, yes, pulled the U-shaped thingy that is part & parcel of the magneto, so, yes, putting it back on again it may have cured a grounding issue. I'm just happy it works now and the "Detroit Roll" is also cleared up!

It was predicted to be about +35* to 38* C here today - felt like it too! Too hot to do very much outside. Tomorrow is forecast for 40* C (38C is just about exactly 100F and 40C is 104 *F)
 
#13,189 ·
Come to think about it - even on the li'l 3.5's - even when I didn't move the magneto, I had sanded things clean (incl the magneto pick-ups) by shoving folded sandpaper into the gap - which likely would have stressed/slightly moved the magneto so if it was grounding issue, that would have resolved it. Never thot of it until You mentioned it and then I thot about it some more after posting my reply
 
#13,190 ·
106??? Here it's rainy, windy and generally crappy, and oh yes 52 degrees!!:( I've never understood how the left coast gets so much better weather than we do here at roughly the same lattitude?
Ha ha. ya I know, I often think the same thing when it's nice on the right coast and crappy here…… which provides the answer actually, as we probably average about the same, but because of the usual wave of the jet stream the weather, at any given time, is often opposite from one coast to the other.
why YES… I did stay at a Holliday Inn express last night…………. :D

Russ
 
#13,191 ·
It was predicted to be about +35* to 38* C here today - felt like it too! Too hot to do very much outside. Tomorrow is forecast for 40* C (38C is just about exactly 100F and 40C is 104 *F)
Thanks for rubbing it in:D I'm sitting in my foyer in jeans with a flannel shirt on and I'm damn cold!

I have to admit that it's been decent until today. This week has consisted of a lot of 70 degree weather and two days it broke 80- just not today. FWIW, it shouldn't be 50 in June!
 
#13,192 · (Edited)
Come to think about it - even on the li'l 3.5's - even when I didn't move the magneto, I had sanded things clean (incl the magneto pick-ups) by shoving folded sandpaper into the gap - which likely would have stressed/slightly moved the magneto so if it was grounding issue, that would have resolved it. Never thot of it until You mentioned it and then I thot about it some more after posting my reply
Even though I did own an outdoor power equipment business for 31 years, I admit that I can't always explain these things either. Your's is certainly not the first time I've heard of "cleaning the magnets" working.

Btw. Jennifer is sore as heck after her surgery, but I downloaded, and we both filled out, our Passport application papers today to be submitted on Monday. ;)

Russ

PS: is that an opposed twin Briggs or V twin?
 
#13,194 ·
Dave,

I don't know how to break this to you, but rust has little to no effect on magnetism. what kind of tractor is it? what engine? if it works it works, but there was something else going on there besides rust on the magnets. if you removed the lamination to clean it then you may have cured a grounding issue at the mounting bolts.

Too hot to mow a lawn here again. 106* today and forecast for more of the same for the next week+.
this heat sucks.

Russ
I had one that had a bit of play in the key way ,taking it apart and carefully placing it back in the proper place with a larger key did the trick. it was slightly out of time.
 
#13,195 ·
picked up a new bike today, i actually got it in a trade for repairing a neighbors truck , he got sick and hasnt been able to rid for years , bike has been parked for 5 years , right before it was parked it had 4 brand new carbs put on it


it needs to be cleaned up , blinkers fixed/new ones put on , all the chrome on the bike is mint just dirty , my friend does upulstry so ill have make a new seat cover for it.

this isnt my style bike so this will be one i sell , since the paint on the tank is faded im thinking about repainting all the painted parts white/blue pearl and having my friend do the seat in white leather
i think the bike would look really good with the white seat/white paint-blue pearl with all the chrome thats on it
 
#13,196 ·
Could not help my self ,I found this 63 Vw in a barn today,and it followed me home,

A TRUE Barn fing been there almost 3 years looks like he drove it on his honnymoon ,she would not ride in it with No Air ,,,lol:thumbup:
 

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