h4nd

Gen 1 insights are getting spendy. https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/honda/insight/listing/3387292126?bof=PrIcPo52 $20k asking

I have a couple of watch timing (mic) apps on the phone, haven't got them working yet, but perhaps worth a try for adjusting.

Nice little vid on fixing seals in a trolley jack

Solderjoint somewhere around a switchmode PSU would make sense, maybe?

PM your addy, I'll send you the milk bottle. That was exactly it. I couldn't see it at first, just had a nagging feeling in my head. I just realised I have a bunch of videos of this, I could drop 'em in a playlist on youtube if folks want.

Of course, the next day, on the way to the xmas BBQ, my rash fit of piston cleaning caught up with me so I was down to one cylinder again, but that only took a couple of minutes to sort out. Good. So now I can go sort out that shitty carpet...

it was this: Ah, ok, some bogan had put the bolts in the wrong place, and the long one eventually wore through the water jacket. I had a think, and realised the cooling is only 15psi at ~100deg C, so, JB Weld! Tickle up the top of the piston Button up the top of the engine Then decorate the front of the Prius...

Except it wasn't So, I popped the top to have a look. HMMMMMMMMMM Yuck LHS cylinder, ooookkkkaaaay..... RHS: It took me a day to realise, but something about that RHS was just scratching my brain. (More story later, Milk bottle lolly prize if you can spot the problem already).

Then it started leaking coolant at work. I'd only just got the rad patched up, so, damn. Then I realised it was just the always wet leaky gutter at work:

Damned Posties intimidating other road users...

Set the points and check the dwell with the meter @governorsam gave me (thanks man!) running out the bonnet: Sweet, set.

Except, no. I got to pondering the battery fail. I have a phone charger with a V meter. So I plug it in, and start watching. After a start it's between 13.8 and 14.5 as it should. Then after 5 min (replacing the charge taken by the starter motor), it started climbing, the gauge started flashing at 15V (nice feature), so at 15.7V, it's pretty clear why the battery was boiling off and putting white crusty around the terminals. Ah, oops. 5 or 8 years ago, it had that problem, and I took it to an auto-sparky, but now I think about it, it's killed a couple of batteries since then. Testing, testing: I put it on a variable power supply, it makes a cute buzzy noise. OK, looking closer, he'd bent the high-V contact away (incorrect, there's a spec gap), but the switching V was also incorrect (too high). So I set the gap in the contacts at the bottom correctly, and adjusted the switching voltage by bending the tab holding the resisting spring (per online guides). It Bench tests OK now. Tossed it back in the car. It's a shade low at start when idling, but now comes up to correct V, and doesn't over-charge. Golden. I wandered down to the battery merchant who'd been a GC, and told him it was a car electrical fault that killed the battery. He wouldn't accept payment for it, just told me to let him know if I was ever selling! Cool. People can be really good, if you treat them right.

Got the Dai running 5m after this was 'sposed to begin. Even got the other cyl running 1/2h after that LoL. Thanks Karl, EJ, cookers and drinkers good to see e'ryone.

Heads-up: Marshland road is closed for part of the way. Find another way, pizza boy! https://ccc.govt.nz/transport/traffic-updates/travel-news/show/222

^A1 dad there, protecting bubs. Top marks.

Is this one of those, 'all easy if you lift the body off the k-frame' jobbies?

Kinda impressed that you ticked up +10°C ECT in 15 seconds!

This guy did it, (below). These servos should track 0-full in ~1/2 second (test 'em first) https://www.jaycar.co.nz/arduino-compatible-9g-micro-servo-motor/p/YM2758?pos=1&queryId=fd47b6f1a1e862373396fd71c281927d https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDLsrjLIHxM

The right time to test it would have been when everything else was working, but, meh, er'body too busy. I blame the trillionaires.

The other one is here with a set of bodgy repairs, exclusive warranty! (excludes damned near everything). Will cost beer.

pics? (joking, honest)

Low key underbody preventive work, no big deal.

Thanks folks, appreciate the support for both our tin benders.