Busy day, just not on my car

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Bamamav

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 29, 2012
Messages
6,171
Location
Berry, Alabama
Had a bunch of stuff I needed to do to the big truck today. Changed the AC compressor, can't charge the system until my tool kit comes in so I can change the charge port schrader valve. I've had a bad cab mount for as long as I've had the truck, just never broke down and changed it, decided today was the day. Wasn't as hard as I was afraid it would be, the old mount was completely devoid of any rubber and had worn the 3/8" thick bushing down to a 1/8" thick in spots! Now maybe my cab won't rock in the wind so bad! I also changed out the solenoid that controls the cooling fan, now it will cycle like it is supposed to and not run all the time.

Did one more thing, it was more a fun thing......I put on my train horn finally![ddd I've had the thing for several years, bought it with fuel card points at a truckstop, just never have gotten around to putting it on anything. It's not as loud as a real train horn, but it has the same sound. I'd love to have a real one, but they are mucho bucks and hard to find. Mine is supposedly 130 db, so it's supposed to be legal everywhere. It's loud enough to get your attention for sure![ddd[ddd[ddd

Already feeling it in my joints , will probably be sure enough stiff in the morning.:rolleyes: Felt good to get out and get my hands dirty![cl
 
So far, only missed two days in the last two months. One was because the customer didn't receive on Fridays, the other was we just didn't have anything to load. It has fallen way off, with everybody being off, nobody is spending much, they've been saving it. Me too, I've got the money to get my transmission built, but I'm hanging onto it a while to see how it goes.
 
grandson found my train horn (real) and is trying to figure out how to put it on his pickup. i'm not giving him no pointers and i haven't told him i have the valve yet either. if he does figure it out i'll bet he gets in trouble with it.
 
Idle hands are.. are....the...you know the rest.

Nice to gets things checked off your "To Do" list.
 
grandson found my train horn (real) and is trying to figure out how to put it on his pickup. i'm not giving him no pointers and i haven't told him i have the valve yet either. if he does figure it out i'll bet he gets in trouble with it.

From what I've heard, it takes a lot of air to work a real one. Most guys end up putting on a separate tank just for the horn and big air lines to feed it. Too much trouble for me, mine just has a small 1/4" air line, I connected it to the seat air line with a T. I'e also heard you better have a serial number plate on a real one to prove it wasn't stolen from the railroad. Your Grandson would be better off with a small one like I have, he could use a small tank and compressor like they use with the air ride kits. Bet he'd get into trouble with it, too! [ddd
 
Tool kit came in Monday, but didn't do me any good.:( Darn Schrader valve broke off, no way to get it out.:mad: Even if I got it out, the threads would have probably been toast in the aluminum junction block, so had to order a new junction block. Another $200.:( Put that bad boy on today, vacuumed the system for an hour or more, it leaked, changed the charge hose on my gauge set to a short one I had in a drawer, vacuumed it down again, still leaked, took off the high pressure charge hose and vacuumed it again, no leak this time. My gauge set is no telling how old, and the hoses have started crumbling at the fittings, time for a new set. No telling how many AC units I've serviced with this set, I knew last year it was on it's last legs, was hoping to use it a few more times, but it's done.:rolleyes: Just hope the system doesn't leak. All new seals everywhere I broke a connection, so hope I'm ok.

Also put in a couple of on-off-on momentary contact switches, one for the starter and one for the train horn. Starter one I just hooked up one side, it's a backup to bypass the clutch safety switch that is about impossible to replace. Horn switch I hooked up both sides, so I can blow it by pushing up or down on the switch, if I want to blow, pause, then blow again I can push it up, then push it down, it is spring loaded off to the center. Lots easier than the toggle switch I had on it, no way to bump this one on and it stay on.

After all that, I gave the old girl a much needed bath. Now I'm so dang tired and stiff I can't hardly move. These old joints and muscles don't get worked out as much as they need to anymore, I sit on my butt driving too much, LOL.:D Maybe next weekend I won't have to work on the truck and can do some fun stuff again!
 
So far, it looks as if I was successful, I still have cold air today, so maybe no leaks![cl Need to buy one of those leak checkers, just haven’t ever done it. Does look like a new gauge set is in my future though. Anybody got any experience with the Harbor Freight ones? I’m more worried about the hoses rotting too fast, I figure the manifolds are all pretty much the same. I haven’t had much luck with Chinese rubber having a long lifetime, but that’s all I’m finding.....
 
So far, it looks as if I was successful, I still have cold air today, so maybe no leaks![cl Need to buy one of those leak checkers, just haven’t ever done it. Does look like a new gauge set is in my future though. Anybody got any experience with the Harbor Freight ones? I’m more worried about the hoses rotting too fast, I figure the manifolds are all pretty much the same. I haven’t had much luck with Chinese rubber having a long lifetime, but that’s all I’m finding.....

I bought one of the HF gauge sets and love it. Would I buy another if need be absolutely.
 
So far, it looks as if I was successful, I still have cold air today, so maybe no leaks![cl Need to buy one of those leak checkers, just haven’t ever done it. Does look like a new gauge set is in my future though. Anybody got any experience with the Harbor Freight ones? I’m more worried about the hoses rotting too fast, I figure the manifolds are all pretty much the same. I haven’t had much luck with Chinese rubber having a long lifetime, but that’s all I’m finding.....

Chinese rubber there's a good one. I have a Poulan snow blower that was used 5 times one winter the last 4 it sat in my garage out of the sun, three years ago the sidewalls cracked right out of the tires and you can stick your hand in them. Bought two new tires for my hand cart last summer, this spring they are both flat and full of cracks.:(:(
 
I can’t say how old this gauge set is, I’m thinking 20-25 years old, maybe older. It’s a Inter Dynamics, got it at Advance Auto. The hoses are crumbling, the gauges , the plastic on them has all fell off as has the knobs, have to use vice grips to open the valves. I think I might have gotten my money out of it.:rolleyes:

Glen, I’ve had the same experience with Chinese rubber tires. Even in the dry they rot in just a short time. I bought a solid tire for my hand truck, going to get another when the other one goes. That’s why I’m scared of the lines from China. Even ID and other brand names have the China made lines. Sux that nothing is made here anymore.
 
From what I've heard, it takes a lot of air to work a real one. Most guys end up putting on a separate tank just for the horn and big air lines to feed it. Too much trouble for me, mine just has a small 1/4" air line, I connected it to the seat air line with a T. I'e also heard you better have a serial number plate on a real one to prove it wasn't stolen from the railroad. Your Grandson would be better off with a small one like I have, he could use a small tank and compressor like they use with the air ride kits. Bet he'd get into trouble with it, too! [ddd

mine came off a blast drill, boss man gave it to me 15 years ago.
 

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