PowerTech CD 7000 CD 8000 Generator - Does not generate power

I have a PowerTech CD 7000 Generator on the motorhome and it was running fine, it just wasn't creating power.

I had the manual so I walked through the diagnostics and used an ohm meter on all of the windings.

The exciter winding was not within specs, and I assumed (incorrectly it turns out) that the exciter winding winding was bad AND that I had an electronic,  non-brushless Generator.

I took off the bumper of the motorhome to get a better look at the generator.

After I took off the bumper I could see the front better and I noticed the small square plate on the front.

I removed the plate and found this.

Those look like brushes.  So I removed the 2 leads and removed the 2 screws holding the suspected brushes to the commutator and removed the brushes and found a dirty commutator!!!

Not a great picture, but you get the idea, they look oxidized.

I got out some 600 grit sandpaper and WITH THE ENGINE OFF, very carefully started to remove the oxidation from the commutator.  I also had to manually turn the engine by the flywheel to clean the entire commutator.

This is a picture in the commutator while I was cleaning it.  It doesn't need to be perfect it just needs to generate enough power to excite the primary coils.

Now it works great!

Todd

Samsung Off balance problem . . .

Just replaced the springs and rods on my Samsung top loader.

Fixed it again for ~60.00 . . .

I should really post the stuff I do more often than every 4 years . . .

Glad to see it has helped people .  . . 

Todd

Kenmore Oasis Off Balance Spin Cycle - How to fix

Wow really long time since my last post . . . 2009????

Fixed lots of things just haven't posted . . .  perhaps I'll back-post :)

Our Kenmore Oasis Elite top loading washer has had a completely off-balance spin cycle for about a year now.  Now I admit that we have run probably several thousand loads of laundry through this washer (15-20 loads a week, no kidding) and except for the !@#$#% balance think it has worked really well.

The washer would try to balance itself by refilling the tub with water and agitating again, only to continue to have the same unbalance problem.  After 3 refill and drain cycles it would quit.

It finally got so bad we had to manually attempt to balance the load each time and only place like items together in the washer to make it spin.

I read a few repair sites but I wasn't convinced what the problem was until I opened it up and looked at the suspension and ball joints that carry the weight of the washer.

I popped open the top by pressing in on the latches (about 2" from either side of the washer) and propped open the washer.

Reached down and in-between the wash tub and the side of the tub and grabbed one of the suspension rods and pulled up a couple of inches to look at the cup and ball suspension joint.

Initial inspection they looked fine, but when you got close, you could see uneven wear on the "bearing"

Both the plastic ball AND the steel cup were scuffed and worn.  Essentially the steel cup rusted and the movement of the ball in the cup caused uneven wear on the ball.

This image is after the replacement cup was installed , , ,

Crazy as it sounds,  when all 4 of the corners of the suspension are worn differently it won't balance the washer!!!!

I ordered the wash tub suspension kit from SearsPartsDirect.com  ~69.00 delivered, with regular shipping.  Bonus:  The parts showed up 2 days earlier than scheduled!!

When the parts arrived the only difference between the old and new parts is the replacement insert for the cup that the top suspension ball is riding in.  This eliminated the original rusty cup and replaced it with a plastic insert that should make the ball and joint wear the same.

Its easy to replace the rods (10 min) . . . it takes time to take the top of the washer all of the way off so you don't break the water inlets(10 min to take it on then 10 min to put it back on)

I had to remove all of the water hoses, drain hoses and power cord.
3 screws on the back held on the top control panel. Remove any wires to the control board and set it aside.
I also undid all of the wires going from the lower half of the washer to the top half of the washer.
I also unscrewed the 2 hinges on the back so I could remove and lift the top half of the washer off.

With the washer empty, remove and replace one suspension rod at a time so the wash tub doesn't fall in.

Reach in and grab the rod and lift the rod up and remove the top ball joint by rotating and pulling it off.

Lower the rod and reach in deeper and with your finger or a screwdriver press the lower cup out of the bottom half of the suspension.  It will make sense when you see it.

Then remove the rod from the slot it rides in by moving it perpendicular to the tub.  Try looking at the bottom suspension with a flashlight.  Once you see it you'll understand it.

Now that the rod is out, press in the replacement top cup.

Place the new suspension rod back in the same way you took it out.  NOTE: you'll need to pull up on the rod to snap the lower cup onto the lower mount.

Now do the last 3 . . . took me all of 5 minutes.

Put it back to together.

Show the wife how cool and handy you are!!!

The wife is sleeping with the Maytag Repairman TONIGHT!!!


Update:  The washer balanced perfectly for a couple 100 more loads, then the basket/motor combination stopped being able to sense the clothes in the washer for the spin cycle(new problem).

We ended up going back to sears and ordering a new washer.

Cummins Diesel Fuel Shutoff Solenoid Repair/Cleaning

My Motorhome wasn't starting at seemingly random intervals.  We'd take it on a trip to the beach and it would run fine, but if you stopped anywhere it wouldn't restart.  It reminded me of a vapor lock on a gas motor.  I grabbed the manual and started reading.  On my mechanical injection 8.3l cummins diesel the solenoid is the device that turns the fuel flow on and off.

Check out this You Tube video for it in action:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVQdOi3nBhs

One time when it wouldn't start I checked and the solenoid wasn't in the "Run" position.  I put the key in the ON position, ran back and lifted the solenoid into the run position.  It stayed in the RUN position so we continued on our trip.  After the trip I went to buy the part at NAPA . . $230.00 for the part!!!!  I looked online, $180.00 for the part!!!

Since I knew it was just a solenoid, I decided to take a look at it and put a ohm meter on the pins.  There weren't any shorts, when cold at least so I assumed that it worked correctly electrically.  When I started to move the solenoid pin, I noticed it was "crunchy".  So I took it apart . . . . look what I found inside . . .

Click the pictures for bigger photos . . .

The black gravel and dust stuff was inside the bore of the solenoid and I think it was binding up the piston.  The gravel stuff looked like pumice, but it didn't crush between my fingers.  Perhaps it was a pad at the base of the bore to absorb the impact of the piston in the bottom of the bore, but disintegrated???

I examined the piston and bore and found that the piston was scuffed or surface rusted in an area, but the hard chromed finish was perfect otherwise.

I cleaned up the piston with my Dremel Tool, a polishing bonnet and some compound.  It cleaned up perfectly.  I also used the bonnet inside the bore and polished off the rust and minor pits.

(If you ever need a Dremel Tool serviced, send it to Rob Dremel at the Palm Springs Service Center.  http://www.dremel.com/en-us/customerservice/ServiceAndRepair/Pages/default.aspx)

I blew everything out, the rubber boot looked great, so I reassembled it with a new zip tie.  The bore no longer was "Crunchy".

I reinstalled in in the Motorhome, adjusted the nut to set the fuel flow to full flow when fully engaged.

I've taken a couple of trips and put about 750mi since the rebuild/repair and it seems to work great!!!

Update 2/27/2011 - Still works great, not a problem since.  About 3000 miles on it so far.

Todd

Additional Hard Drives in a Macintosh G5 Tower

This is another along the lines of "did this really work?"

Years ago when the G5 tower came out I had a need for more drives inside the case.

I started looking at the case and determined that 3.5" drives could be installed in the front of the case.

Notice how the fan just clears the HD. Very interesting . . . I think Apple thought of this during the design. Keeps them very cool also.

I am using this old single G5 1.8ghz as a backup server using Retrospect.

However OS X Server with these volumes for Time Machine would be very slick.

They fit perfectly and you can add 4 more drives in the space.

You can remove that fan by pulling on the handle. It just slides out.

You can then use the standard HD screws to mount the drive to the front screen.

You'll need a couple of power splitters to obtain power from the CD drive. I've run 4 drives off of it with out problems, but YMMV.

You'll need a SATA or ATA card and cables to connect the drives.

Put the fan back in and run disk utility to setup the drives.

Chrysler Town & Country Emission Repairs

Finally got my 2 Chrysler mini-vans to smog the other day. Both of the cars had vacuum hoses that were cracked and leaking causing the p0172 code to set(Fuel trim too rich). The hoses that were cracked were on the intake manifold side of the purge canister solenoid(on the passenger side of the car).

On the 1997 the 2 inch hose that connects the 2 hard hoses(just above the fan belt) that connect the purge solenoid(on the radiator hanger) to the engine intake. (I don't have a picture yet . . I'll get one soon.)

The other(on the 2002) was under and behind the throttle body. This one has a 90 degree angle to it that was cracked on the outside edge.

If all else fails follow the vacuum diagram under the hood and check all of the hoses.

San Diego Aptera Event

I forgot all about this.  The SD Aptera event was fantastic.  My wife won one of the raffle rides and was taken around the parking lot.  The car was smooth, stable and quiet.  It going to be revolutionary!!!

 P.S. The San Diego Auto Museum has a great collection of cars on display.  Its a very unique collection of ultra rare cars from the U.S. and Europe.