A dentist

Heidi and I are into this ABC series called Suburgatory.  One of the characters is a dentist--the stereotypical bumbling nerd guy who thinks he's cooler than he really is.  Well, this guy's wife was upset that the shower head  was broken and asked the dentist to fix it.  He didn't, and she left him.  Troubled, the dentist talked to his buddy and said, I'm not a plumber!  I'm a dentist!"

Tsk tsk.  I find dentistry and plumbing quite similar, they just involve different substrates.  First, you have to locate the problem.  Then you clean up the old interface and put in the new.  But what do people really think of dentists?

Years ago, we burned up the engine in my dad's boat.  He sold the toasted engine through the classifieds and the guy who bought it brought his 10 year old son.  The son said to me, "we checked out one guy's engine.  Some dentist blew it up.  Ugh, dentists."

I was like, "Yeah, those dentists."  Ha!  I didn't tell the kid that my dad was a dentist and that I was soon going to dental school.

I have always been into repairing things.  I got my first soldering iron at 7 years old and I was always making contraptions, but dental school gave me a new level of confidence.  If I couldn't find replacement parts, I could just make them.  Dentistry is a great career for me.   I don't care how nerdy I am or what people think of me because I'm happy.

Sienna subwoofer project, part 6

Finally carpeted the subwoofer.  Before, in Heidi's car:

 
Then Tyler wanted to climb in the box while I was gluing down the carpet.

 All done.  Stroller sits next to it.

And now I have to write about the good old VFR.  Last Sunday, I was cruising along Deer Valley on the VFR.  I spotted a guy pushing his motorcycle on the side of the road, so I pulled over and asked, "What seems to be the problem?"

Clutch cable broke.  It was an American motorcycle--a pretty new-looking one.  There was nothing I could do to help him, but he appreciated the gesture.  I fired up the VFR and sped off.

Then, the other day, I was driving the swagger wagon and some Toyota Tundra V-8 tried to race me.  I shut him down fair and square and then saw another guy pushing a different American motorcycle to the gas station.  Thumbs down.

I'm excited about the swagger wagon.  The ticking seems to be normal.  And it's not even that noticeable anymore.  99192 miles.

My tire pressure gauge

I used to carry a tire pressure gauge in my pocket in high school.  My friends started carrying them too.  Then, complete strangers began showing me the tire pressure gauges they were carrying in their pockets.  It was a cool fad.  Or was it a fad?  Well, I kept a tire pressure gauge in my pocket even when I went to church.  And college.  And dental school.

This morning, I was loading up my pockets.  I thought, "Do I need my tire pressure gauge?  Nah."

Then I parked the VFR at UOP and a student pulled up on his motorcycle.  I said, "Your tire is low.  But I don't have my tire pressure gauge!"

It was a fail.  I needed that tire pressure gauge.  Then Eric gave me one from his car trunk and I checked said motorcycle's pressure and it was low, but not that bad.  I like the one I have a home because it's pretty well calibrated.

Now I gotta have a nap before night clinic.  The VFR is running like a champ.  119156.

Bessie's tire

Scott and I dunked Bessie's front right tire in the water tub to diagnose the source of the leak.  Turns out a lot is coming from the stem and some from the bead.

Scott, Kira and I took the tire to Les Schwab yesterday and after about 30 minutes, the tech said, "It's a lost cause.  There was a lot of rust on the rim but the bead is so deteriorated that it won't hold.  Look, it's even leaking out the sidewall."

That's fine, because I was already in the market for new tires.  The current ones are cracking but have a plastic feel.  Not too rubbery.  No grip.  While we had Bessie jacked up, I evaluated the steering mechanism and it's quite primitive with no adjustments.  Bessie really needs a sharper turning radius but that would involve some welding.

Today in church, Scott asked, "Have you had time to think about painting Bessie?"

"Yes, I think we'll do it."

I mean, you can get a paint sprayer from China Freight for $20 and I have other things I want to paint, such as the VFR and White Lightning,  But we'll see.

Bessie

Scott and I changed the differential fluid on Bessie.  It came out real thick and this unique green color.  Probably hasn't ever been changed, so that's pushing 50 years.  We filled up the diff with 80w-90 gear oil.  Scott bored and went inside to watch the Lion King,

And Kira stayed with me to work on Bessie.  She waves and calls out, "Bye bye, Bessie!"

This morning, Scott was cruising around the back yard while I edged the lawn.  Then, he wanted to go in front to drive her.  He made several laps around the court and then ran out of gas.  We filled up Bessie, and I went to fire her up but the engine kicked back and started flooding.  About 100 mL of gas spewed out the exhaust pipe and I explained to Scott that Bessie had flooded, though I didn't know why it had occurred.  Maybe because we were getting ready to change the oil so I had parked her sideways on the sidewalk.

At any rate, I took out the fouled plug, dried it out, and replaced it.  Then I had to use some brake parts cleaner to get her started again.

Things Bessie needs:
1.  Front right tire needs patch or replacement
2.  Seat welded
3.  Steering gears fixed

Things Scott wants to do:
1.  Paint her (Ha, I painted Bessie in 1992).
2.  Foam cushion for seat.

Nu shooz

I have written about the failure of the eccos.  Despite the tears in the sole, I was still able to wear them.  Then, the medial heel detached and the foam crumbled in between the sole and the leather.  Now they're completely unwearable.

The photo I sent to Ecco.  Replace these or else!

So I bought some new shoes.

Well, used.  I got them from Goodwill and I am very happy with them.  Months ago, I was talking to a wealthy business owner about his shoes, and I said, "Hey, Mephisto!  Nice shoes!"

And he goes, "I bet you paid more for yours than I paid for these."

"I bet you're wrong."

"I got these at Goodwill,"  he said, proudly.

"I got these for free."  At the time, I was wearing the vintage shoes.

My new shoes were $9.99.  I tried on several pair and these were the most comfortable, but I didn't think they were the most durable.  Heidi said, "If they last you one year, it's worth it."  I guess that's true because the Ecco's cost about $20/year to own.  Laaaaame Ecco.  Now Heidi's talking about me re-soling the Eccos.  Eh, I don't know.  They were comfortable and they fit well on the VFR's pegs, but I'm just so disappointed in how fast they fell apart.  They're like Mercedes:  Expensive and flashy, but poorly built.

The van is still making the clicking noise.  People on the forum say it's the expansion of the aluminum engine components.  A valid theory.  I just don't know why it only does it under load when cold.  Oh well.

2008 Sienna Transmission Fluid Project

I did it.  I successfully did my transmission fluid and filter change with components purchased from Amazon and the Tracy Toyota dealership.  First, I drove the van halfway onto the sidewalk so the drain plug was on the bottom of the tilt.  Then, using the 10 mm hex wrench, I drained the fluid and lowered the pan.

The fluid was dark brown--almost black--and there was at least 2 mm of sludge and metal filings on the magnets.  Using some stoddard solvent, I cleaned the magnets and the pan and removed the old cork gasket.  I removed the pick-up strainer and o-ring and then installed a new strainer.  The Beck Arnley kit contained the strainer and rubber gasket, which I believe is better than cork.

I torqued the new strainer to 96 inch-lbs and then put the pan back on:  18 ten mm bolts, torqued to 70 inch pounds.  It was a relief hearing the torque wrench click.  Torqued the drain plug to 36 foot lbs, filled up the reservoir, and drove the van off the curb to check the level.  Added some fluid, cleaned up, and then Scott and I took a cruise.

First, I was happy to not be able to detect any clicking.  Maybe it was just because the engine was still warm, but after three hours of being off, it was mostly cold.  Even still, there was no evidence of clicking.  Next, the transmission shifted super smooth.  You could hardly feel the 2nd-3rd shift.  I did a van power and was pleased at my little VVTi V-6 and successful transmission fluid change.

Was it worth it?  You bet, because even though it took three hours and I had to buy a torque wrench just for inch pounds, I still got all the parts for under $80 and there's no way a transmission shop could get all that sludge out with their "transmission flushes."  Just removing the metal filings from the magnets was laborious. Second, my theory about the clicking was that it was related to the torque converter because it only clicked when in gear but was proportional to engine speed.  Tomorrow will be the true test:  a cold start for the ride to church.

I'm happy about the swagger wagon.  98,709 miles.

New topic.  My motorcycle jacket's zipper broke again.  To repair it this time, I used the handpiece to do a little prep in the metal.  Then I laced some ortho wire through the holes and ligated it.  It's working well, but my jacket is getting irreversibly dirty.  Several of you have asked how long I plan on keeping the VFR.

I don't know.

I am aware of that at some point, my repairs may not be worth my while or my money and then it will be time to move on.  I recognized that point with the Riv and got rid of her.  We are not there with the VFR yet.  I don't think my repair costs are excessive and many of the projects I've taken on have been elective.  The only thing that really disabled the VFR was the ignition switch and I haven't had any stranded episodes since then, and that was over 10,000 miles ago.  

Good old VFR.

The case of the bad assistant chair

I don't get a lot of dental professionals reading my blog for how to maintain dental equipment.  Probably zero, in fact.  This post is mainly so I can keep a log of the things I repair.  This week's project was diagnosing and repairing the assistant stools that seemed to lose pressure and sink to the bottom of their height adjustment.

I called ADEC and complained.  The representative was surprisingly helpful and said, "We are aware of this problem.  It's not the cylinder (like I had suggested), but the mounting plate is too small.  So the piston is getting partially engaged."  He sent me some new mounting plates under warranty but said the labor wasn't covered.  I told the hygienist, "I'll just do it myself."

She's like, "Can you do that?"

"I'm Danny McMillan."

"Yeah, that's true."

So my new parts came, and they were the exact same size as the defective ones!  So I studied the lever mechanism and decided to use good old Joe Dandy to trim off the offending part.

I brought my Craftsman socket and box end wrenches to the office for easier chair disassembly/assembly, and when I tried in my modified height lever, it worked!  ADEC should consult my blog and give do-it-yourself dentists my instructions, rather than sending ineffective parts.  But whatev.

Now I gotta talk about Bessie.  My dad brought her from Utah to surprise Scott.  While I was at work, they fired her up and Scott drove all over the court.  I was impressed that the motor still worked because it hadn't been run since 2003 when I got pulled over at BYU for riding on campus.  I haven't even changed the oil!  The steering gears are missing one cog and they get jammed easily, so I need to machine some new ones or weld them or even JB weld them.  I also need to weld the seat.  But it's good enough for Scott!  Good old Bessie.  

As for the RC cars, well, I got some replacement parts in the mail today.  I put a new front right suspension arm on Rustler and a 26 tooth pinion on Bandit and the boys and I had a bash in the court.  RC is a good hobby for Tyler because he's not super physical.  I also ordered a 3000 mAh NiMH battery for pumpkin.  That way, we can tow the boat and Scott's friends can have a car to drive.  Pumpkin still has the 55 turn motor, so we should be able to get about 70-90 minutes per charge.  

Another successful repair

I rode the VFR to SF tonight.  I was pleased about how the VFR felt.  She seemed to move effortlessly and nimbly, even though all I did was lube the center stand, throttle grip and cables.  Nevertheless, I believe in the placebo effect and the engine was singing all the way to San Francisco.  The idle was way high, though, so when I parked, I adjusted it.

The manual had discussed the throttle freeplay and as far as I can tell, the cables are within normal limits.  At the hospital, I met a guy with a BMW GS1150.  I said, "My college roommate had one of those and it was getting to the point that some of the maintenance things were due and they were way too expensive, so he got rid of it (Dan-o, I don't know if that's why you sold Anna, but I remember we had discussed the ABS and stuff).

He said, "No way!  You just service things yourself!"

"Well, he wasn't willing to deal with the ABS."  Then I had to talk about the VFR's mileage.  Yar, mateys!