The Krazy Kyles

We spent the day at OMSI and that has enticed me to do something nerdy. If I had another day to kill, I think I would like to build a simple Sterling engine. I remember my friend Seth McNeill has one he made using soup cans and steel wool. Such things would make a great science fair project! After looking hither and yon for other promising designs, I found a website from an freshman engineering class in 2004 that built them in teams. It is funny when looking at their videos to see various methods of additional heat generation to keep things running smoothly.

Laura's 1998 Jetta GLS started making funny noises again. During periods of higher engine torque like starting at stoplights, it makes a growling sound and loses power. This has happened before.

As I suspected, I opened the hood and found that the top bolt on the front motor mount had sheared off. The bolt has a funny B looking symbol on it and the numbers "10.9". The head was a 17mm.

The bottom of the motor mount in question has a 8mm Allen head and is torqued on really tight. So tight in fact I still have not broken it loose, even with some WD-40. Fortunately it isn't required to come off.

I took a trip to the VW dealership and asked them for a bolt for the front motor mount on a '98 VW Jetta 2L GLS. He reached under the counter and handed me one. $1.60, including tax. It was part number N-100-704-03. That was probably the cheapest item availible at the dealership. Chaulk that up as a blessing!

Now, for getting the old one out. I removed the shroud over the top of the radiator so I could squeeze my hands in more easily. It was held on by three, easily accessible bolts. Much better.

To raise the engine off of the motor mount, I used a block of wood across the oil pan and transmission and placed my jack (from my Honda CRV) underneath, otherwise I would have had to block it up a bit. I jacked it up about 1/2 inch. I was hoping to be able to hand turn the threads and remove the rest of the screw, but there was not enough sticking out so I had to use a screw extractor. Another blessing, there was just enough room in there for my drill. I was a little frustrated with my drill bit which had become magnetized and wasn't letting go of the shavings. I blew out the shavings and the screw extractor worked wonderfully. With the tension off of the bolt, it wasn't very hard to turn.

Installing the new bolt was more difficult. The motor must align with the motor mount to install the screw. I used a piece of wood lodged between the motor mounting bracket and my wife's foot on the ground. I then let the car down a little and the wood pushed the motor over just enough to slide the bolt in. It was difficult to get the threads aligned just perfectly and required some torque to cinch the bolt fully into place.

When I was working on Guam installing transmitters, the guys that came out from South Africa had these neat fabric tool pouches. A top flap folded over the tools to keep them from falling out. The pouch is rolled up and a strap wraps around the outside and is tied or fastened with Velcro (junk!).

Long frustrated with the junk plastic cases that most tools come in and frustrated with a poked, prodded and blooded hand every time I reach into my tool bag I decided to make some pouches for myself.

Each pouch contains one type of tool. My first pouch will be for my Metric Nut Drivers. The second will probably be for my Inch Nut Drivers. I will have one each for Files, Screwdrivers, etc.

Instead of using crummy Velcro, I'm going to use a high power magnet for fastening the strap.

Material Needed:
Roughly a 500x500mm piece of tough denim fabric.
Two super magnets (not too big, you'll never get them apart!)
Spool or two of tough "Blue Jean" thread.
Denim Needle for Your Sewing Machine
Sewing Machine
Fabric Marking Device (Sharpie works in a pinch, but never comes off)
Few dozen stick pins
Straight edge
Scissors or Cutter

• Cut out a 535mm by 465mm piece of tough denim fabric.
• On a long side fold under 50mm and pin down the whole side. Sew it down.
• Fold this edge up 90mm from the fold you just created to the top of the hem. Pin this down along the hem.
• Sew a line vertically from the top hem to the bottom fold of the piece that was folded up 80mm in from the right edge, attaching it to the piece below. This will be a flap to keep your tools inside.
• Sew a line horizontally from near the right edge to the line sewn in the last step along the hem.
• Sew a line from top (hem) to bottom (fold) 10mm to the left of the one created before.

To be continued...

My mower was sick. It would not even run without the choke engaged. Even then it was pretty iffy. It finally got to the point that I rolled up the foam air filter and stuffed it down into the intake to the air filter. It kinda ran then... A few minutes later it just died.

After thinking hard about the problem for a few seconds and pulling the spark plug to find it in great working order, I decided I needed to clean out my carb. I started by pulling the little drain screw on the bottom of the carb. I got about a 1/2 cup of water. Problem number one. I drained the gas and proceeded with the following:

Remove fuel tank (leave hose connected) remove two screws on top with 8mm nut driver. Lift straight up to clear oil dipstick and set tank down on mower body.

Remove 1 - 10mm bolt that was hiding behind the fuel tank and 2 - 10mm nuts that fasten air cleaner to carb. Pull air cleaner out of the way. It is fastened by a breather hose of some sort.

Note which end of the carb is which. Really just remember the carb bowl faces down and the fuel hose won't be long enough if you install it backwards. The end with the adjustment screws goes toward the engine. Clamp off the fuel hose (if you didn't drain the tank) and remove. I found vicegrips worked well for removing a stubborn pinch type hose clamp. Remove the choke control arm (closest piece of metal rod) from the carb (leave the other end connected). Then disconnect spring keeper from throttle control arm (back piece of metal, carb side only). Pull the carb off of the studs and twist to disconnect throttle control arm. The carb will probably be full of fuel and twisting it is liable to pour some out, be ready.

Drain the fuel from the bowl by removing the drain screw at the bottom of the bowl. Don't be worried if a little water comes out in the form of thick blobs, that is one of the reasons there is a bowl instead of a straight pipe. Replace the screw, don't cross thread it, it's easy. Remove bowl using a 14mm wrench on the nut at the bottom of the bowl.

Remove the bolt on the end of the center post, pull off the plastic float stop. Pull pin and remove float. Remove needle valve that should have come out with the float. Don't lose the needle!

Inside the post is the jet, remove with a float blade screw driver. Remove and clean all parts throughly with something similar to B-12 Chemtool carb cleaner.

Put it back together and you're finished. Reconnect the needle valve to the float, install the float, pust the pin through and put the keeper back on the post. The float should have a half inch of travel between the body of the carb and the keeper, if not, turn float over and reinstall. Make sure screw beneath keeper is throughly cleaned, it is the first stage jet.

Reconnect linkages first (don't forget the spring on the throttle control. Reinstall the carb with washers instead of the air cleaner so that there is still easy access to adjustment screws. Some extra washers are necessary on the posts to fit the carb snugly against the cylinder. Reconnect fuel lines, remember to remove the vicegrips after connecting the fuel line. Hang the fuel tank back in place and secure, but not too well, it will be coming back off again soon.

Start the engine (it may take some encouragement), wait for the motor to warm up a few minutes, then move the engine speed control back as far as possible without killing the engine. Adjust the idle fuel screw adjustment (long screw with spring on it threaded into carb) and idle throttle position (screw with spring on top of carb)out until it will run smoothly when the control is fully in the slow position.

Also you need to adjust slow and fast engine RPM set screws on the assembly behind the carb. The top one sets the slow RPM (screw head up produces higher RPMs) adjust it so that the engine won't die on slow when the blade is engaged. The bottom is Fast RPM (head out is faster) set it for the fastest engine speed you wish to achieve (somewhat short of hovering).