Originally Posted by El Camexican
Aren't those things illegal?
Power User
Got the holeshot
Aren't those things illegal?
The story of three wheels and a man...
Power User
Got the holeshot
The trailer parks there look different from ours, but at least it looks like they have the broken down vehicles scattered about.
The story of three wheels and a man...
Power User
Catch me if you can
Man-made fresh water reefs are very cool. Come back next summer in your scuba gear and collect $500 worth of jigs and lures that will be hooked to it lol!
It sucks to get old
Power User
Roostin Away
Figuring out why the RV won't start.
I thought it was a low battery so i gave it a full chanrge then........"click..click..click". Installed known good battery ...."Click..click..click". I thought it might have been the starter so I had Autozone warranty it out for me....."click..click..click".
I dug in a little deeper only to see ugly cables.
Also the ground seems week.
Sorry Autozone
Power User
Got the holeshot
I know the first thing most people go to is checking the battery voltage and that's not really useful because a bad battery can still show good voltage. Not that's how you do it, but I've noticed that a lot.
Old, clunky carbon piles aren't practical for a lot of things anymore and most people would just ruin something by using them anyway. They certainly aren't portable for something to always carry on the vehicle for roadside diagnostics.
I bought one of these modern testers a few months back and it's been awesome.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22420682099...3ABFBMqp-qivxf
It even does basic waveform testing and would show a bad alternator diode. There's a start test, last saved test (stored in device), motorcycle battery selection, and it's updateable. When I go on trips, it fits in the tool bag or glovebox. Fast, accurate and has plenty of functionality in a compact size. The build quality is good and the clamps have the sensing portion separate from the main clamp body so they'll read more accurately.
The other thing that's of superior help is a voltage drop test using a multimeter or plain voltage meter. A resistance test (ohm) is practically useless because one strand of wire in a cable is all it needs to pass the test, but the cable won't carry current and is actually bad.
This is my first choice when diagnosing questionable cables and connections. It doesn't require disassembly of the circuit and only the most basic of electrical tools are needed. Although a basic voltage meter will work, a PowerProbe can be a huge benefit because of the long leads and built in voltage meter.
This is pretty good video showing how a voltage drop test works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APLic9F7ZsA
PowerProbe, this is the standard one: https://www.powerprobe.com/na/en/pro...t/308EbfcE6f63
It's incredibly useful. One of those tools that if you don't already own, you'll wish you would have much sooner.
They're on the expensive side but they'll save minutes to hours of work the first time you have a more complex issue to diagnose.
Edit: Here's a couple more voltage drop test video links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xjLtg3FLoA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMXENKujYtc
Last thing is about making your own cables, because unless you're replacing OE with OE, if they're even available, you'll either be using some ill fitting generic cable or making your own.
I've used one of these terminal crimpers and they're pretty good. Maybe not this exactly one, but you get the idea.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/11380755658...3ABFBM2sDljPxf
The other thing is buying battery cable in bulk and getting the good stuff. Stay away from the cheaper copper clad aluminum cable and get the good stuff from the start. The copper clad will work OK for a while but once the cladding is compromised the aluminum wire will deteriorate very quickly and loose performance to the point of failing.
Last edited by ATC King; 03-31-2022 at 12:31 PM.
The story of three wheels and a man...
Power User
Roostin Away
Spent the last two days (2-3 hrs a day) The truck hit 80,000 miles. Time to do brakes- all four wheels+sway bar bushings and end links. My body is sore today i'm not as young as i used to be......But it's done.
Going on a road trip in two weeks so i had to refresh some things. One end link was snapped off (pot hole) recently.
Also removed the bed liner to find about 5lbs of dirt/sand- re-installed it but i will need to check it more often-i would like a spray on liner but in my line of work the liner actually does do its job i guess. The 2016 silverado has treated me well, looking like doing the front struts/shocks is next in line though(getting crusty) new rear shocks last yr-
Alright back to work, hope everyone's doing well.
shep
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited by Shep1970; 03-31-2022 at 02:12 PM.
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
From barnett
"I went slumming today and bought yet ANOTHER honda 3 wheeler, even though I told myself I wouldn't after I sold the last one. I couldn't tell what size it was in the photo on my phone, and the ad didn't say. I figured it was a 90, and when the seller called me back, he told me it was a 125, AND that it even ran and shifted, AND the electric starter even worked, I told him I would take it, and was lucky enough to be able to talk him into holding it for me for a couple hours while all the other sharks were trying to buy it from him. Paid a whopping $500.00 for it, so take that knappyfeet!"
Not sure what I will do with it, but I will likely add it to my rental fleet and try to rent it out at first, although I am a little worried about the notorious shft spring boss breaking off.
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Last edited by rpeters; 03-31-2022 at 09:17 PM.
Power User
Roostin Away
Nice find Barns.From barnett
"I went slumming today and bought yet ANOTHER honda 3 wheeler, even though I told myself I wouldn't after I sold the last one. I couldn't tell what size it was in the photo on my phone, and the ad didn't say. I figured it was a 90, and when the seller called me back, he told me it was a 125, AND that it even ran and shifted, AND the electric starter even worked, I told him I would take it, and was lucky enough to be able to talk him into holding it for me for a couple hours while all the other sharks were trying to buy it from him. Paid a whopping $500.00 for it, so take that knappyfeet!"
You snuck a fast ball by me......savor the moment cause it sure won't happen again.
King....thank you for the info.
I've never made battery cables before......I want to try it. Can't be that difficult.
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
oops, too late...bought this 2008 Suzuki GZ250 a few days ago in near showroom condition with only 3k miles AND a full tank of gas (now valued at over $32.00) , for a whopping...wait for it...$900.00.
Don't worry though, I know I can only celebrate for the moment because the "Wolves are at the door!", so I need to remain ever vigilant.
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Last edited by rpeters; 04-02-2022 at 12:42 AM.
Power User
Got the holeshot
Maybe I got the home AC to work for another summer. The outdoor unit ceased functioning at the very end of last summer and I just got around to looking at it a week ago.
The contacts were rough looking, but the solenoid was still functioning. The way they are constructed allowed me to completely disassemble them for a thorough cleaning.
The start and run capacitors for the compressor were toast. The numbers were still legible on them, but the original paperwork was inside the unit housing and in great condition which had a part number list. All the diagrams/schematics were in the paperwork too; lucky me.
I replaced the switching relay because the whole system is about 30 years old. That and the capacitors got it running again. What, if any damage or wear to the compressor or motor is yet to be seen, but I'm not equipped to replace the compressor and evacuate/charge the system. If that goes out, it's a phone call.
I may replace the fan capacitor to give the unit every fighting chance of lasting through another summer.
I was able to employ the use of my Ames (Harbor Freight) multimeter.
https://www.harborfreight.com/electr...ter-64017.html
It has a capacitance test function, which made diagnosing the bad ones very quick and safe. The new ones got tested too and one was spot on and the other a good bit over specification which isn't really a bad thing. I wrote the installation dates on them, so if they go out before the rest of the unit, I'll know for certain.
Yea for self home repair and earning myself a beer (or six) later tonight. Also, hooray for all the parts showing up today.
Last edited by ATC King; 04-01-2022 at 04:50 PM.
The story of three wheels and a man...
Power User
Roostin Away
You win......I don't want to play no more.
oops, too late...bought this 2008 Suzuki GZ250 a few days ago in near showroom condition with only 3k miles AND a full tank of gas (now valued at over $32.00
Don't worry though, I know I can only celebrate for the moment because the "Wolves are at the door!", so I need to remain ever vigilant.
...............................................
Did you fire up the DeLorean and go back to 2017?....... because that's prepandemic pricing.
Power User
Roostin Away
Check this company out. I find you can't buy and make your own for what they offered. You pick AWG, terminal ends, etc. They ship quick and don't charge excessive for freight. USA based
https://www.batterycablesusa.com/
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
Cmon' don't give up so easy!
I picked up this nice 1994 Virago 535 with only 2,224 miles on it, in De Luz yesterday for $1350.00.
Shop till you drop!
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Power User
Catch me if you can
Barns let’s you use his trailer?Cmon' don't give up so easy!
I picked up this nice 1994 Virago 535 with only 2,224 miles on it, in De Luz yesterday for $1350.00.
Shop till you drop!
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So how many of these “Barne” finds (See what I did there?) actually have working brakes at the time of purchase? I figure with so few miles most of the calipers would be locked up.
It sucks to get old
First Time Rider
Arm chair racerNew to the board
I'll ask him about the brakes tomorrow but from the ones I have seen him buy the brakes usually work and he just has to fix the carbs and put new tires on them. The last 4 he bought had the original tires.
He lets me use his trailer and his truck but I rarely need it.
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