Your recent repair? 2013 - 2020

[travelover]

I would have thought that the wiper motor would drain the battery in a couple of hours at most, not 3 days. In addition, a stalled motor would burn up, like the stuck radiator fan motor in my minivan with 150K miles.

I would have thought so also, but I actually got on to the possibility by doing an internet search and finding others with the same issue. It is controlled by an electronic module so perhaps it has a timer to cycle parking attempts or?

 

[NW-Bound]

That's a highly plausible explanation: the electronics attempt to "wiggle" that motor every so often. I surmise that it would be mainly to keep the motor from burning up, more than to avoid draining the battery. My radiator fan motor burned and smelled awful, and its terminal nearly melted. The fuse did not blow!

Back on your motor, so we need to settle this question once and for all with an experiment. You can block the wiper blade so it cannot park, and attach a voltmeter to the motor terminal to observe the control module applying intermittent voltage, trying to wiggle it. We are waiting for your report with bated breath.

 

[meierlde]

That's a highly plausible explanation: the electronics attempt to "wiggle" that motor every so often. I surmise that it would be mainly to keep the motor from burning up, more than to avoid draining the battery. My radiator fan motor burned and smelled awful, and its terminal nearly melted. The fuse did not blow!

Back on your motor, so we need to settle this question once and for all with an experiment. You can block the wiper blade so it cannot park, and attach a voltmeter to the motor terminal to observe the control module applying intermittent voltage, trying to wiggle it. We are waiting for your report with bated breath.

Ok an idea why the motor would work that way. Assume the car is parked in a freezing rain situation, and some ice is on the window. If the motor kept trying to move the wiper continiously it would burn out. So it might cut out for a while and try again after the car has warmed up a bit.

 

[travelover]

..........
Back on your motor, so we need to settle this question once and for all with an experiment. You can block the wiper blade so it cannot park, and attach a voltmeter to the motor terminal to observe the control module applying intermittent voltage, trying to wiggle it. We are waiting for your report with bated breath.

I have lots of free time, but not that much free time...plus with my luck, this re-manufactured motor I stuck in would let its smoke out.

 

[NW-Bound]

Fine.

One can just raise a theory and leave it hanging without bothering to verify it. I guess this NW-Bound will just have to do this himself (when he has the time).

 

[Ronstar]

My pontoon boat motor has been running rough all year. Replaced fuel, changed plugs, added fuel additive, and still ran barley above an idle with stalls. Today I noticed what sounded like an air leak in the fuel line when priming the fuel line. Replaced the fuel line, but needed one of the old connectors. Swapped out the connector, took the boat for a ride and it runs fine. Old fuel line was almost totally clogged.

 

[papadad111]

At in laws lake house this weekend - next door neighbor is my age and a spender. Lexus. Rolex. Nice lake house. New toy barn/garage. Fancy "classic" 1974 Baja ski boat with nostalgic Evinrude motor.

Has a house full of 20 guests and boat is running like crap. Missing and no power above 3000 rpm . Would be a downer of a weekend without a ski boat to impress the visitors ... He is in panic mode at this point.

I'm in the in laws driveway tinkering as I do on a few maintenance projects that they are too old to tackle - tell him I'm good with carburetors and timex watches. Invites me over to have a look. He has a game plan. Carb spray. Sea foam. New plugs and a Swiss Army knife. He is tearing into it and whining about the 300 dollar per hour house call that a mechanic will have to make coz he doesn't have time to haul the boat or motor to the repair shop..

I tell him to pause and just let me look things over. I check a few things and notice the air filter is missing. And I then see an out of place /disconnected carb linkage ( those evinrudes use 3 carbs ) .

When he isn't looking over my shoulder, I snap the linkage back in place and now all 3 carbs open as they should - I tell him it's fixed, no charge.

He fired it up and it ran like a champ again. Blank stare. Genius look .

He was once again da man on da lake with that fancy boat.

Now I have a buddy next door.

 

[Brdofpray]

We currently own two rocking, swivel deck chairs that are part of a patio set. The rockers have become very loose when you lean back. Guests think they will fall over backwards. DW thinks we need to replace them ($200-300 a piece). I, knowing the Internet is a wonderful resource, Google the issue. It appears all I need is new spring plates. After consulting Amazon, I find what I need. Two sets, of 2 new spring plates. I pull off the old ones, use them as templates to drill bolt holes on the new. Reinstall everything. The result, two brand new swivel rocking chairs, for $15.57!

 

[jimbee]

I recently fixed a garage door opener. Pushing the button would start the motor, but the chain didn't move. Opened the cover and found the nylon spur gear was stripped. Ordered a replacement gear from ebay for five bucks, including shipping. Replaced the gear after watching a couple of YouTube videos illustrating the process. The hardest part was driving out the roll pin to remove the old gear.

 

[heyyou]

An easy one

Spouse pushed an ATV home to the low end of the driveway after the ATV had run out of gas. I showed where the fuel switch has a "reserve" position to address that problem, then started it and drove it up the driveway. Probably won't happen again.

 

[tmeeker]

At in laws lake house this weekend - next door neighbor is my age and a spender. Lexus. Rolex. Nice lake house. New toy barn/garage. Fancy "classic" 1974 Baja ski boat with nostalgic Evinrude motor.

Has a house full of 20 guests and boat is running like crap. Missing and no power above 3000 rpm . Would be a downer of a weekend without a ski boat to impress the visitors ... He is in panic mode at this point.

I'm in the in laws driveway tinkering as I do on a few maintenance projects that they are too old to tackle - tell him I'm good with carburetors and timex watches. Invites me over to have a look. He has a game plan. Carb spray. Sea foam. New plugs and a Swiss Army knife. He is tearing into it and whining about the 300 dollar per hour house call that a mechanic will have to make coz he doesn't have time to haul the boat or motor to the repair shop..

I tell him to pause and just let me look things over. I check a few things and notice the air filter is missing. And I then see an out of place /disconnected carb linkage ( those evinrudes use 3 carbs ) .

When he isn't looking over my shoulder, I snap the linkage back in place and now all 3 carbs open as they should - I tell him it's fixed, no charge.

He fired it up and it ran like a champ again. Blank stare. Genius look .

He was once again da man on da lake with that fancy boat.

Now I have a buddy next door.

Good for you!

 

[My Dream]

Now I have a buddy next door.

Excellent! Thanks for sharing.

 

[John Galt III]

My pontoon boat motor has been running rough all year. Replaced fuel, changed plugs, added fuel additive, and still ran barley above an idle with stalls. Today I noticed what sounded like an air leak in the fuel line when priming the fuel line. Replaced the fuel line, but needed one of the old connectors. Swapped out the connector, took the boat for a ride and it runs fine. Old fuel line was almost totally clogged.

Good fix! Wonder what clogged up the line? Do you use an oil and gas mixture for fuel? Does the boat go unused for long periods of time?

 

[samclem]

My pontoon boat motor has been running rough all year. Replaced fuel, changed plugs, added fuel additive, and still ran barley above an idle with stalls. Today I noticed what sounded like an air leak in the fuel line when priming the fuel line. Replaced the fuel line, but needed one of the old connectors. Swapped out the connector, took the boat for a ride and it runs fine. Old fuel line was almost totally clogged.

Good fix! Wonder what clogged up the line? Do you use an oil and gas mixture for fuel? Does the boat go unused for long periods of time?

If you've got access to real gasoline (something without ethanol in it), you should definitely use that in your boat. The ethanol is not good for marine use for many reasons. Even if your engine, tanks and lines are okay for alcohol use (older ones are not and will be ruined), the fuel is still bad. The ethanol is hydrophillic and will hold a lot of water. This can lead to phase separation and rust, poor running, engine damage. There have been many cases of a mysterious goo being formed (might be what is in your fuel lines)--it might be a case of the ethanol, phase-changed water, and one/some of the hundreds of available proprietary fuel additives put into the fuel before delivery that is causing the goo, but it doesn't happen with real gasoline. The goo clogs filters and fuel lines. In addition, the ethanol is a solvent and can remove all kinds of rust and other things that are inside fuel tanks, delivering them to the filter and clogging it up--so you need extra filters on hand and a galvanized bucket to store the clogged ones in. Also, boats often have open, vented fuel systems (unlike most modern cars), so the water vapor gets in (leading to increased chance of phase separation) and/or the ethanol in the fuel can preferentially vent off (it has a lower vapor pressure than gasoline)--which can reduce the effective octane rating of the fuel (one reason the ethanol is added in the first place).

Look for real gasoline for your boat. It is often available at/near marinas as "Recreational Fuel", and in some markets is available at regular service stations. It might be a little more expensive, but it is worth it. It also provides slightly better mileage than E10.
Real Gasoline Availability

 

[Theseus]

Had a replacement window screen installed in the sliding patio door at a local hardware store. Had been using a big box store generic replacement that was showing excessive weathering in about a year. And then there is one of our adopted cats, "Fred" although I think he should have been named Harry, as in Houdini. He learned to mash his nose into a corner of the screen to pop it out and be on his merry way outside to lounge on the deck unsupervised. Not that I strongly object to his being outside, but DW doesn't see that as proper pet parenting.

 

[Sunset]

I recently fixed a garage door opener. Pushing the button would start the motor, but the chain didn't move. Opened the cover and found the nylon spur gear was stripped. Ordered a replacement gear from ebay for five bucks, including shipping. Replaced the gear after watching a couple of YouTube videos illustrating the process. The hardest part was driving out the roll pin to remove the old gear.

Darn, I just bought a $90 garage door opener and will have to do a full install (not just replace the motor part).

My old one is stripped too, but I couldn't see how to fix it. ..

 

[aja8888]

Darn, I just bought a $90 garage door opener and will have to do a full install (not just replace the motor part).

My old one is stripped too, but I couldn't see how to fix it. ..

Most older garage door opener drives, especially chain drive, are made by the same company. There are U-Tube videos on how to repair them. Fix the old one and keep it for a spare!

 

[NW-Bound]

I recently replaced the plastic gear in my garage door opener. It's the one at the end of the boom, not the metal one at the motor. I bought the gear off eBay. The opener is 30-year old. Changing the gear is a lot less hassle than replacing the whole thing.

 

[M Paquette]

Sort of a non-repair today.

The GE over-the-range microwave stopped heating food again. Last time it was the power relay for the magnetron, and just tapping it fixed the problem. This time, I'm not even going to bother opening it.

Demolition of the kitchen for our remodel project is just over a week away. This loathsome appliance is scrap.

I 'fixed' the problem by getting the ancient Sharp Half-Pint out of the garage and putting it on the counter. Done!

I've learned my lesson on built-in microwaves. In the remodel there will be a shelf in one of the cabinets with an outlet in the back, specifically to hold a small (disposable) microwave. Why spend hundreds (or thousands: Dacor, or that Sharp microwave drawer) on something that will fail and leave me with a cabinet hole sized for something that is out of production with no parts available anymore? I got the shelf sized microwave for $59, less than a control board or magnetron.

 

[aja8888]

Sort of a non-repair today.

The GE over-the-range microwave stopped heating food again. Last time it was the power relay for the magnetron, and just tapping it fixed the problem. This time, I'm not even going to bother opening it.

Demolition of the kitchen for our remodel project is just over a week away. This loathsome appliance is scrap.

I 'fixed' the problem by getting the ancient Sharp Half-Pint out of the garage and putting it on the counter. Done!

I've learned my lesson on built-in microwaves. In the remodel there will be a shelf in one of the cabinets with an outlet in the back, specifically to hold a small (disposable) microwave. Why spend hundreds (or thousands: Dacor, or that Sharp microwave drawer) on something that will fail and leave me with a cabinet hole sized for something that is out of production with no parts available anymore? I got the shelf sized microwave for $59, less than a control board or magnetron.

Good idea for the new one.

Shortly after we moved in our 15 year old downsized house, the built in microwave bit the dust. That horrible "appliance insurance" plan the seller paid for covered $100 towards a new one. I could not find a direct replacement microwave and ended up buying one that was close in size, but I had to buy a mounting kit and a bezel kit. Fortunately, I installed the new one myself and only had to trim a 1/2 or so off the existing opening to make it all work. About a one day project and cost me about $400 out-of-pocket.

 

[NW-Bound]

The 55" TV that I repaired by replacing a couple of dozen bad electrolytic capacitors failed again about 4 months ago, after working for more than a year. I first described the repair here and here.

Last time it was used, it turned itself off after displaying a message about possibly overheating due to restrictive airflow. So, I unplugged it, and it has been sitting since. We do not watch much TV, and even the smaller 32" set in our bedroom has not been turned on for several months. But lacking of things to do inside the home as I try to stay out of the heat, I pulled it out trying to see whether I should fix it or to throw it away.

Now, the thing would not turn on.

When plugged in, this set will go through a boot procedure, not unlike a PC booting. It takes about 1 min, and a green LED on the front panel flashes during the procedure. After the light blinked about 11 times, the internal processor apparently crashed, and the LED turned off. After a second or two, the process started all over again.

Suspecting a power supply problem, I put a voltmeter on the main 15V rail, and watched it sagged right about the time the boot was aborted. How in the world am I going to isolate the culprit component among the thousand parts in this TV?

To make the story shorter, it suffices to say that researching the Web led me to a tiny 10uF capacitor that sits on the Vcc pin of the main switching regulator IC. What happened was that when the processor powered up the main signal boards during the boot process, the power demand surged, and the weak capacitor prevented the regulator IC from doing its job to increase the power to keep up with the demand. The voltage sagged, causing the processor to crash. The whole thing repeated every 10 seconds.

So, after removing the board, unsoldering the 10uF bad cap and seeing that its value being now only 2uF as measured with a capacitance meter, I replaced it with a new one. The thing is working like new now.

See photo of the set sitting on a pair of work stands. This time, I only had to take out the power supply, and not the more gory processor boards and their zillions of interconnect cables.

 

[martyb]

Yesterday I replaced the ballast in the flourescent light in our kitchen.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[aja8888]

The 55" TV that I repaired by replacing a couple of dozen bad electrolytic capacitors failed again about 4 months ago, after working for more than a year. I first described the repair here and here.

Last time it was used, it turned itself off after displaying a message about possibly overheating due to restrictive airflow. So, I unplugged it, and it has been sitting since. We do not watch much TV, and even the smaller 32" set in our bedroom has not been turned on for several months. But lacking of things to do inside the home as I try to stay out of the heat, I pulled it out trying to see whether I should fix it or to throw it away.

Now, the thing would not turn on.

When plugged in, this set will go through a boot procedure, not unlike a PC booting. It takes about 1 min, and a green LED on the front panel flashes during the procedure. After the light blinked about 11 times, the internal processor apparently crashed, and the LED turned off. After a second or two, the process started all over again.

Suspecting a power supply problem, I put a voltmeter on the main 15V rail, and watched it sagged right about the time the boot was aborted. How in the world am I going to isolate the culprit component among the thousand parts in this TV?

To make the story shorter, it suffices to say that researching the Web led me to a tiny 10uF capacitor that sits on the Vcc pin of the main switching regulator IC. What happened was that when the processor powered up the main signal boards during the boot process, the power demand surged, and the weak capacitor prevented the regulator IC from doing its job to increase the power to keep up with the demand. The voltage sagged, causing the processor to crash. The whole thing repeated every 10 seconds.

So, after removing the board, unsoldering the 10uF bad cap and seeing that its value being now only 2uF as measured with a capacitance meter, I replaced it with a new one. The thing is working like new now.

See photo of the set sitting on a pair of work stands. This time, I only had to take out the power supply, and not the more gory processor boards and their zillions of interconnect cables.

Excellent job!

 

[NW-Bound]

It goes to show how far a [-]cheapskate[/-] frugal guy will go when trying to repair something before throwing it away.

PS. The previous automatic shutdown due to internal overheating has not recurred. I suspect it was because the cooling fans were not running at full speed due to the weak supply voltage. The digital circuits were still working for a while because the main 15V from the power supply is reduced further down to 3.3V at each board with local regulators, which could compensate until the voltage sag became too much.

 

[freebird5825]

My house gutters, downspouts and Gutter Helmets are done as of July 15.
No more leaking gutters. They carefully removed and re-installed the existing roof heating wires right into the new gutters/helmets and the valley where the main roof and porch roof connect. No more ice dams ! I placed flat stones under each downspout to disperse the outflow.

I asked the gutter guys to save whatever was still usable for my gardening buddy. He collects rainwater in barrels for his ground garden.

The gunk that had collected in the old gutters was amazing. I wish my neighbor would do something about the line of half dead trees between our properties. It drops all sorts of seeds and tiny leaves with every spring storm.

I no longer have to worry about that clogging up my gutters.

Next up...trimming back the grassed-over edges and re-sealing the driveway. I will contract that out for sure. I ain't 20 anymore.