POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[rpker]

I should start taking pictures and video of what I’m doing, it would be way easier when I have questions.

I stripped down the tail stock of my SB heavy 10 today. I found a couple of concerning things and a couple things that make me think I have no idea what I’m doing. First for concerning was a significant amount of rust between the tail stock and base as well as some globs of what I believe is/was paint between the scrapped surfaces of the tail stock and base. I scrubbed with kerosene carefully scrapped off the paint globs but that leaves me with the question of vertical alignment when I get this thing back to running. Any advice there?

the other thing is parts, I know I need new felts for the base to ways junction. Is there a common source to get those?

I believe there is suppose to be a felt disc and possibly a rubber washer on the tail stock lead-screw, but neither were there when I disassembled it (though there could have been the remnants of the rubber washer behind the lead screw acme threads, I small wedge stuff shattered off that junction when I touched it. is there anyone that can verify that bit of information.

 

[dkemppai]

WTH....Four Thousand dollars for a headlamp. That's insanity.

Yep, I hear stories like that all the time. Buddy has owned a body shop for a few decades.


---------Warning - Rant Mode Enabled!-----------------
I Just bought a 2022 F-150, Basic work truck. Regular old light bulbs. It was part of why I ordered it that way.

But the damn thing has all that lane assist change features too. Going down the road one day, watching a driver make a turn in front of me, took my foot off the gas to coast up to him (Plenty of time, do that move a few times a day in the same spot!) . Suddenly, the truck starts beeping, and throwing red lights all over the dash. I look down AT the RED FLASHING DASH, to see a warning about someone stopping in front of me! WTF! It made me take my eyes off the road, to tell me there was something on the road in front of me! Stupid F**king lawmakers!

When I back it up and crack the door to look at something on the ground, it warns me the transmission isn't in park. Then it shifts to park automatically! The shift lever just starts moving through the settings to park! Of course, unless you're paying attention, when you hit the gas it just revs! I'm just cracking the F**king door to look behind me. This is a F**king WORK TRUCK.

It also throws a hissy fit if I leave it in park and running (OMG exiting a running vehicle!). Usually when I get out to hook a trailer, or grab something quick.

And the electronic dash is irritating. I usually run it in 'grandpa mode' (Eco Mode for Fuel Economy). Of course, instead of just leaving it there the next time you start it, it throws up a message on the dash asking if I want to return to eco mode. Before I can hit yes, it throws a different message up. Then after that message it waits a second and goes back to the first message. It's like a game of whack-a-mole. Only then can you finally tell the f**king thing, I really did leave it in ECO Mode, and do really want it in ECO Mode!

And it's got auto Hi/Low beams. Great, until it thinks every f**king mailbox it sees is a car. Everyone around here puts reflectors on the mailboxes to keep the plow drivers from blowing them into the bush. The stupid auto Hi/Low beam garbage can't figure that out.

I'm really starting to hate this truck. It's like driving with my wife. It questions every single decision I make, and does the exact opposite of what I want it to do! 3K miles on it, and it's done nothing but **** me off. Of course, the ONLY, and I mean ONLY saving grace is I was able to order with the "Start/Stop Delete", because of the chip shortage. In the winter, when it's cold I want it to stay running when I'm stuck in line or at a stop sign. (I hear stories of guys with batteries dying all the time because of the start/stop stress...)

---------Notice - Rant Mode Disabled!-----------------

POTD. Pull and repair the will pump. That little sucker is 200 feet down. Because the standing water level is 125 feet when you lift it there's no buoyancy to help hold the pipe full of water. And like an idiot, I up sized the pipe to reduce frictional losses pumping the water, so it's extra heavy. Of course we had to have snow followed by full on rain for this project! lol.

After that, I did manage to mount the Z axis DRO scale on the old sheldon and square it to the bed. Had to surface grind a few spacers to get everything flat to the bed, etc. Also, checked the tailstock alignment. It's within a few tenths. Good enough for me!

 

[dkemppai]

I scrubbed with kerosene carefully scrapped off the paint globs but that leaves me with the question of vertical alignment when I get this thing back to running. Any advice there?

Shim as necessary.
https://www.mcmaster.com/shim-stock/
Check it for height against the spindle with a dial indicator swept around a dead center or similar in the tailstock. If the bed is worn, you may be chasing your tail some tho.

the other thing is parts, I know I need new felts for the base to ways junction. Is there a common source to get those?

I also need to replace/redo the felt and felt mounts on my ways. The last time I bought felt, was from McMaster Carr. (To replace a dust seal on a grinding spindle). It came in a square foot chunk, and I just cut what I needed.
https://www.mcmaster.com/felt/

 

[great white]

Yep, I hear stories like that all the time. Buddy has owned a body shop for a few decades.


---------Warning - Rant Mode Enabled!-----------------
I Just bought a 2022 F-150, Basic work truck. Regular old light bulbs. It was part of why I ordered it that way.

But the damn thing has all that lane assist change features too. Going down the road one day, watching a driver make a turn in front of me, took my foot off the gas to coast up to him (Plenty of time, do that move a few times a day in the same spot!) . Suddenly, the truck starts beeping, and throwing red lights all over the dash. I look down AT the RED FLASHING DASH, to see a warning about someone stopping in front of me! WTF! It made me take my eyes off the road, to tell me there was something on the road in front of me! Stupid F**king lawmakers!

When I back it up and crack the door to look at something on the ground, it warns me the transmission isn't in park. Then it shifts to park automatically! The shift lever just starts moving through the settings to park! Of course, unless you're paying attention, when you hit the gas it just revs! I'm just cracking the F**king door to look behind me. This is a F**king WORK TRUCK.

It also throws a hissy fit if I leave it in park and running (OMG exiting a running vehicle!). Usually when I get out to hook a trailer, or grab something quick.

And the electronic dash is irritating. I usually run it in 'grandpa mode' (Eco Mode for Fuel Economy). Of course, instead of just leaving it there the next time you start it, it throws up a message on the dash asking if I want to return to eco mode. Before I can hit yes, it throws a different message up. Then after that message it waits a second and goes back to the first message. It's like a game of whack-a-mole. Only then can you finally tell the f**king thing, I really did leave it in ECO Mode, and do really want it in ECO Mode!

And it's got auto Hi/Low beams. Great, until it thinks every f**king mailbox it sees is a car. Everyone around here puts reflectors on the mailboxes to keep the plow drivers from blowing them into the bush. The stupid auto Hi/Low beam garbage can't figure that out.

I'm really starting to hate this truck. It's like driving with my wife. It questions every single decision I make, and does the exact opposite of what I want it to do! 3K miles on it, and it's done nothing but **** me off. Of course, the ONLY, and I mean ONLY saving grace is I was able to order with the "Start/Stop Delete", because of the chip shortage. In the winter, when it's cold I want it to stay running when I'm stuck in line or at a stop sign. (I hear stories of guys with batteries dying all the time because of the start/stop stress...)

---------Notice - Rant Mode Disabled!-----------------

POTD. Pull and repair the will pump. That little sucker is 200 feet down. Because the standing water level is 125 feet when you lift it there's no buoyancy to help hold the pipe full of water. And like an idiot, I up sized the pipe to reduce frictional losses pumping the water, so it's extra heavy. Of course we had to have snow followed by full on rain for this project! lol.

After that, I did manage to mount the Z axis DRO scale on the old sheldon and square it to the bed. Had to surface grind a few spacers to get everything flat to the bed, etc. Also, checked the tailstock alignment. It's within a few tenths. Good enough for me!

You can turn auto lights and collision alerts off in the menus. At least you can in my 2016.

most of the rest you’re stuck with. Every car with a transmitter key these days will throw a dash message if you take the key out of the car (ie: in your pocket) While its running. The intent is so you don’t drive away without the key (leave it somewhere, falls out of your pocket, etc) and get stuck at your destination without a way to restart the car.

The eco mode ask is also normal. Most are set to revert to a default mode when you turn the car off. Mine is the same with tow/haul and sport modes. Turn the truck off and it reverts to “normal”.

The revert to park when opening the door must be new. Mine will toss warnings and chimes if I open the door with it running, but it won’t shift to park.

I actually went into the asbuilt files in the truck and enabled “police mode”. Lets me leave the trick running and walk away, but the truck locks itself in park and won’t let anyone shift it to drive away (ie:steal it).

Perhaps find someone who “tunes” these trucks local to you and see if they can turn some flags in the asbuilt off for you so you don’t get the things that are irritating you going off. I’d give it a go if you were local to me, so theres guys out there that do it. Perhaps even approach the dealer about changing some of the irritating things for you since its still new. They probably won’t touch anything safety system wise, but may be able to change/turn off some things for you.

 

[ChazzC]

As part of the purchase deal when I bought my 2016 Chevy Equinox 6 years ago was that they install fog lights (they make driving in the rain at night much easier - you can actually see the lane markers). The service manager said they couldn’t get the kit, so I bought one online from a distributor and they arranged for the install (dude needed to come to central PA from Delaware). Last step was updating the computer to let it know there were fog lights: the new switch on the replacement turn signal stalk sends a signal to the computer which closes a relay.

It was a lot easier on my 1996 Blazer: ran wires and plugged in a relay, job done.

 

[FOMOGO]

I have zero desire to own anything newer than our 05 Explorer. Most of my other vehicles are 60's, and early 70's. Mike

 

[davek181]

The newer VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW, etc have a battery charging and monitoring system that works pretty well. If you have a problem and the battery gets too low, it will start trimming off the non essential consumers to save energy and keep you going. It starts with the sound system and trims away till there is just the engine and wipers and signals left. They often will tell you if your battery is getting weak and needs replacement.

Pretty cool, huh? Well kinda, there is also a charging program it runs to follow the battery from new to death and alters the alternator output to match battery condition. That also works pretty good, except when you put in a new battery and have to tell the vehicle with a scan tool that you replaced it so it can reset it's mode. If you don't reset it the alternator will overcharge the new battery and cook it dry. The alternator can overheat and die too in some cases. The only batteries it will accept fully are factory batteries and usually you only have a part number list in the choices.

BMW will let you state amp hour rate and battery type, std or gell, but the reports I have heard from people that do a lot of these say that they might not be happy with anything other than a factory battery. Factory batteries are not overly expensive and are very good batteries and don't leak acid like conventional cheap tire store acid bombs, but they are not readily available easily when you need one bad.

Oh yeah, if you put a new alternator in you may have to tell the car or you can have battery cooking and alternator failure.

 

[great white]

The newer VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW, etc have a battery charging and monitoring system that works pretty well. If you have a problem and the battery gets too low, it will start trimming off the non essential consumers to save energy and keep you going. It starts with the sound system and trims away till there is just the engine and wipers and signals left. They often will tell you if your battery is getting weak and needs replacement.

Pretty cool, huh? Well kinda, there is also a charging program it runs to follow the battery from new to death and alters the alternator output to match battery condition. That also works pretty good, except when you put in a new battery and have to tell the vehicle with a scan tool that you replaced it so it can reset it's mode. If you don't reset it the alternator will overcharge the new battery and cook it dry. The alternator can overheat and die too in some cases. The only batteries it will accept fully are factory batteries and usually you only have a part number list in the choices.

BMW will let you state amp hour rate and battery type, std or gell, but the reports I have heard from people that do a lot of these say that they might not be happy with anything other than a factory battery. Factory batteries are not overly expensive and are very good batteries and don't leak acid like conventional cheap tire store acid bombs, but they are not readily available easily when you need one bad.

Oh yeah, if you put a new alternator in you may have to tell the car or you can have battery cooking and alternator failure.

Was worried the wife’s mini (ie: bmw) would have that battery monitor feature. I didn’t know to look for it when we bought it.

Even though I’ve got the software to reprogram them, I was super happy when I took the batt cover off and the monitor hardware is not on the batt cable. No need to worry about batt monitoring when the car doesn’t have that option….

 

[davek181]

I once did a extended warranty inspection on a late model Audi . It had a headlamp warning light on. I swear I could not see why the dash said it had a headlamp failure. Anyway, I think I read it had to do with some minute circuit failure detected in diodes or resistors. I forget.
But, on the phone with the adjuster....I find out that the repair costs for the headlamp is like 4000.00

WTH....Four Thousand dollars for a headlamp. That's insanity.

We have had a couple of those, what usually happens is the turn light motor fails and wont move anymore. The motor is usually not replaceable by itself and it requires a whole headlight assembly which might be a "component protected" part that will not function till unlocked by factory software. When told the owners usually say fine I can live without that feature, but we can not turn off the warning for them.

 

[davek181]

Was worried the wife’s mini (ie: bmw) would have that battery monitor feature. I didn’t know to look for it when we bought it.

Even though I’ve got the software to reprogram them, I was super happy when I took the batt cover off and the monitor hardware is not on the batt cable. No need to worry about batt monitoring when the car doesn’t have that option….

It might still have the charging program. Which means you would have to register the battery on replacement. I copied this from a Mini site online. It is coming to them all eventually.

The following late-model vehicles require battery registration:
· 2002 and newer 7-Series E65/E66 chassis
· 2003 and newer 6-Series E54/E63 chassis
· 2004 and newer 5-Series E60/E61 chassis
· 2006 and newer 3-Series E90/E91/E92/E93 chassis
· 2005 and newer X5 E53 chassis with N62 engine
· 2007 and newer X5 E70 chassis
· 2008 and newer X6 E71 chassis
· 2007 and newer Mini Coopers (R56)