Engineering Puzzle

[Fireball]

Can you zone in on a smell? Or has your snooze gone the same way mine has?

Nothing smoke tested....

It was corrosion on a spade terminal on the starter solenoid..... It took a while to find...

My youngest brother called yesterday, and one of his questions was why his Toyota Matrix won't start sometimes when it's hot. He put a test light on the solenoid and it lights when he turns on the key, so the thing is getting power, right? And if he goes out and touches the battery wire and the "Start" wire on the solenoid together, it cranks right over. I had to 'splain that the test light probably draws .1 Amp, and that the solenoid draws about 40 Amps. It took a couple of tries before the register went "ding!" I think that it is the ignition switch, since it is a manual, and any wiping motion of a contact is in the ignition switch, while the neutral safety switch is in solid(ish) contact when the clutch is depressed. I told him to go and clean all the connections before he puts in an ignition switch.

[onlinebiker]

Nothing smoke tested....

It was corrosion on a spade terminal on the starter solenoid..... It took a while to find...

My youngest brother called yesterday, and one of his questions was why his Toyota Matrix won't start sometimes when it's hot. He put a test light on the solenoid and it lights when he turns on the key, so the thing is getting power, right? And if he goes out and touches the battery wire and the "Start" wire on the solenoid together, it cranks right over. I had to 'splain that the test light probably draws .1 Amp, and that the solenoid draws about 40 Amps. It took a couple of tries before the register went "ding!" I think that it is the ignition switch, since it is a manual, and any wiping motion of a contact is in the ignition switch, while the neutral safety switch is in solid(ish) contact when the clutch is depressed. I told him to go and clean all the connections before he puts in an ignition switch.

If it draws 40 amp there is likely a relay... That migjt have gone south...

[Fireball]

My youngest brother called yesterday, and one of his questions was why his Toyota Matrix won't start sometimes when it's hot. He put a test light on the solenoid and it lights when he turns on the key, so the thing is getting power, right? And if he goes out and touches the battery wire and the "Start" wire on the solenoid together, it cranks right over. I had to 'splain that the test light probably draws .1 Amp, and that the solenoid draws about 40 Amps. It took a couple of tries before the register went "ding!" I think that it is the ignition switch, since it is a manual, and any wiping motion of a contact is in the ignition switch, while the neutral safety switch is in solid(ish) contact when the clutch is depressed. I told him to go and clean all the connections before he puts in an ignition switch.

If it draws 40 amp there is likely a relay... That migjt have gone south...

Oh, yeah, this new shit has relays. I'm hoping he checks it out properly, but he's a wrench and hammer kind of guy, and isn't into the sparks and wires so much. My old vehicles, like my '70 Chevy truck, don't have relays...except that I did add a relay setup so that the headlights are powered directly through them from the battery. All the headlights and marker and tail lights are noticeably brighter.

[The Valkyrie]

Hit it with a hammer.

It works in IT, engineering, and cardiology.

[onlinebiker]

Hit it with a hammer.

It works in IT, engineering, and cardiology.

When I built my first Triumph engine -a 1973 45 inch (750 cc) Bonneville - upon assembling the crankcase halves I noticed that the main cranks bearings were dragging causing the crankshaft to bind.

I figured I did something wrong - so I disassembled it back to base components and inspected everything. All looked normal. 

I reassembled it - and again, the crankshaft felt bound.

This was in the pre-internet days - so I called Kevin McDonald - a real Triumph gearhead.

I explained my problem. He immediately answered "Have you got a soft lead hammer?" Being a machinist, I did and told him so.

He said - "Give the crankshaft two solid whacks on the alternator end of the shaft."

It sounded like voodoo to me - but what could it hurt?

I cradled the phone on my shoulder - picked up my lead hammer and whacked the end of the shaft twice.

The crank turned smoothly with no resistance.

WTF? I asked....

Kevin: You just gotta show the motherfucker who's boss .....

(Reality - it imparts the necessary end play)

[The Valkyrie]

Hit it with a hammer.

It works in IT, engineering, and cardiology.

When I built my first Triumph engine -a 1973 45 inch (750 cc) Bonneville - upon assembling the crankcase halves I noticed that the main cranks bearings were dragging causing the crankshaft to bind.

I figured I did something wrong - so I disassembled it back to base components and inspected everything. All looked normal. 

I reassembled it - and again, the crankshaft felt bound.

This was in the pre-internet days - so I called Kevin McDonald - a real Triumph gearhead.

I explained my problem. He immediately answered "Have you got a soft lead hammer?" Being a machinist, I did and told him so.

He said - "Give the crankshaft two solid whacks on the alternator end of the shaft."

It sounded like voodoo to me - but what could it hurt?

I cradled the phone on my shoulder - picked up my lead hammer and whacked the end of the shaft twice.

The crank turned smoothly with no resistance.

WTF? I asked....

Kevin: You just gotta show the motherfucker who's boss .....

(Reality - it imparts the necessary end play)

Works with patients, too.

Something you won't learn in med school.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Hit it with a hammer.

It works in IT, engineering, and cardiology.

♫If I had a hammer, I'd thump you in the morning,
I'd thump you in the evening, all over the ER.♫