Good Morning!!!! 66F @ 7:00AM. Sunny to partly cloudy. Areas of smoke and haze are possible, reducing visibility at times. High 91F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Most gasoline engines will RUN ok on E15, but with continued use the higher level of alcohol will damage the plastic and rubber parts in the engine, voiding the warranty. And there are currently NO motorcycle or ATV manufacturers that approve E15 for use in their engines. Since space at the island is at a premium, most stations are using "blender" pumps that leave a large slug of the last fuel pumped in the hose. With E15 added to the possible choices, there's a good chance that even people that choose a lower concentration or even alcohol free will still get a sizable dose of E15 if the previous user pumped it with that hose. If your tank only holds a gallon or two (like my Honda Trail 90), you'll be replacing fuel lines and carb parts in not too long at all. It's too bad the sham of ethanol laced fuels continues in this country, especially since we're currently enjoying an abundance of petroleum due to our advancements in drilling technology. Just goes to show how strong the corn and environmental lobbies are, I guess.
That's a nice painting, Don. Lots of talent in your family! I forget the name of the welt on those new boots of yours, but it makes them easily resoleable. I never cared for the contrasting color of the stitching, though, and always darkened it with shoe polish once I was sure the boots were keepers.
Fun day out in the shop trying to come up with a way of flattening the ends of a tube without weakening it. Made up a set of dies using a ball end mill and a pair of guide pins, but didn't count on how wide the flattened end would be.
Also didn't make the die long enough in the flattening section, and the hydraulics in the press started acting up before I could flatten the rest of the end, but the technique shows promise. It's either do it this way or machine up ends to slip into the ends that are shaped the same way, or just cut the tube ends at an angle and weld them to a flat bar. Always more than one way to skin a cat!
I have an eye appointment this afternoon to check the prescription in these new glasses. While using the computer yesterday, I closed my left (dominant) eye and couldn't see any of the text on the screen with the right one. I told the doc during the exam that I was having trouble with that eye at the time, but he just went right on along and changed the prescription anyway to something I couldn't see out of.:confused2: I'll be seeing a different ophthalmologist this time.
But first I get to spend three hours at the local DMV trying to get a permit so the mechanic can drive the van without a license plate. He tells me it has to be driven several cycles of drive, warm up, and stop before the Engine Control Unit can map the fuel injection and ignition curves and stop setting error codes, and it won't pass smog with error codes. A real Catch-22 situation that I'm sure NOBODY at the DMV has ever heard of, right?
ullinghair: The excuses just keep on comin'. The GPS tracker in the van tells me it has only been driven once, and that was very late last Friday night. And I got a text message from his last remaining helper, who I dubbed metal face for all the pins and bolts and hoops he's decorated with, that tomorrow will be his last day. He just can't stand all the animosity directed his way when customers show up looking for the mechanic and he's nowhere to be found.
Hang in there, gang, Friday's comin'!
