Getting Hitched

It has been previously mentioned [link] that The Fuzz and His Sweetie had bit the bullet and purchased a shiny new automobile.

People familiar with the situation here in the woods will be aware that with no truck, The Fuzz relies on a utility trailer for anything requiring more space than is available in the trunk of a Honda.  And of course there is his little boat and trailer to consider as well.

As one would expect, the new ride did not come equipped for towing anything.

But it is rated for a limited towing capacity, which includes both of these trailers.

The only hitch was…

A hitch!

After a bit of online searching The Fuzz confirmed that a hitch designed for the '16 model, would also fit the brand new '17 model.

So he pulled up J C Whitney one more time.

And in a couple of days, this was waiting on the porch.

As it can be seen, some assembly was required.

Fortunately there were well thought-out instructions included.  And he was able to watch a video online as well.

So let's look at the project*.

The Fuzz started by backing up onto a couple of 4x4s to get a few extra inches of working room.

#1 Lower Exhaust

(This was not too difficult with the helpful hint of lubricating the hangers before trying to pry them loose) 

Now there was room to…

#2 Remove Heat Shields

(In this case, only 1)

Now we can get down to the tricky part…

#3 "Fishwire"…bolts into position…

Here's a look at the situation.

The mounting bolt needs to come out of the "mounting hole".  But the only access to said hole is through the "access hole".

But an ingenious system has been worked out to accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

Here's a look at the included hardware.

It will be noted that in addition to the required bolts, there is a funny-looking wire with a springy-looking end on it.  This is in fact the "Fishwire".

The Fuzz appreciates the great instructions that come with this kit.  So let's have a go at it.

Here's what we're working with.

A) That springy-looking end of the wire must be pushed up into the "mounting hole"…

…Worked through and out of the "access hole".

(Actually this is not as difficult as one might suppose)

B) Next the "spacer" is slipped over the wire, and the bolt threaded into that springy-looking end.

C) Then this whole arrangement is carefully pulled though the frame and the bolt pulled out the "mounting hole".

The "spacer" remains in the frame with the bolt passed through!

#4 Insert U-bolt through "tow hook"

#5 Insert fishwires through holes in hitch…

At this point the hitch is raised into position and the nuts put on the U-bolt (#4) which holds the hitch up enough to guide (with a bit of lifting) the mounting bolts through their holes…

And these nuts are installed, and (#6) everything torqued up to specs.

But now we have…

#7 Trim Heat Shield(s) around hitch

(This one kinda bothered The Fuzz 'cause he only had one shot at it, and remember — this was a brand new car!)

But he did get it fairly close.

Now all that was left was…

#8 Raise Exhaust and reattach…

A look at the finished job…

And with the fancy "Euro Ball" installed.

Next thing will be getting the wiring for the trailer lights installed.

*The Fuzz had done this job before [1 & 2] on the older car.  And the process was essentially the same.  So he did sorta know what was involved before he started.

Body Work

A while back, whilst a family member (who will remain nameless) was attempting to master the Art of the Straight-Drive, this poor vehicle had an encounter with a tree.  Of course, this was blamed on the tree - but we won't go into that here.

Although the car still drove fine, it became impossible to open the hood.  The fender had been jammed against the hood, and probably other stuff as well.  The Fuzz tried prying it open a few times without success.  So with the crummy weather and all, he just decided to give it a rest.
Well, not having any good excuse to put it off any longer, he decided to give it another try.

This time he tried a different approach.  He got out his shiny new come-along, and a couple of crowbars.  The crowbars would have been the simple solution, but they proved ineffective.  Next he found a place where he hoped the damage would be minimal, and attached the cable to the fender.  The other end of this handy piece of equipment was chained to a nearby tree.  (We have a lot of them here in the woods.)  And after a series of pulls, and repositioning, Voila, an open hood.

The hood latch is even working smoothly.  Of course now The Fuzz will have to find a way to fix the turn signal light well enough to satisfy the inspection process.

The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure 7

Back to "The Fuzz's Excellent Motorcycle Adventure"

After a short wait, The Fuzz's Motorhead Daughter and Husband arrived.  And after a delicious dinner, (and a few "shots") it was time to hit the sack for a much needed rest.

The Fuzz had a nice breakfast of ham & egg on a bagel, and hug loose for a while.

He took the opportunity to add a bit more to his Trip Journal.
His mechanically minded Daughter hinted around at taking a look at his bike problems.  So he got out the shop manual, which he just happened to have brought with him.  Even when traveling light, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Here he found his problem described exactly.
Could it be possible that this could all be straitened out without ordering parts from the distant Orient?
It looked like there might be a chance, if it really was merely a matter of bleeding the clutch line.
It was worth a try.

So it was off to the Auto Parts Store (they even have them in Maryland!) for the needed supplies.

And in short order, the job was finished!
And now due to some idiocy in Washington, (The Fuzz has a policy of not bringing up politics on this blog) it seemed that another family member had been laid off for the time being.  And since Northern Virginia was on the way back to Charlottesville, plans were made for another extention to The Fuzz's itinerary.

In the morning, he would be back on the road.

Hot Stuff

The Fuzz has been having a bit of trouble with his motorcycle lately.  Actually it has been going on since last summer.  On the highway it does fine, but once it is warmed up, if he slows down, it would run hot.

This was not a big problem this winter.  And his ride to his former job was practically all open road.  But with a bit of time on his hands, he decided to do something about it.
Using his Test Light he found that this "Thermostat" (circled above) was not activating the fan. 

Finding that a replacement, would have to be ordered, at about 50 bucks, The Resourceful Fuzz decided to simply bypass the thing, and add a manually operated switch.

He had thought to simply attach the new switch to the crash bars with a hose clamp.  That's the way he usually fixes these things*.  But upon further reflection, he realized that it would be possibly easier to mount the thing though this plastic cover.  And it would look "Profesional" if not quite as cool. 

He did manage to get the thing mounted, and now the fan will actually work.
But when he took it out for a test, while not exactly overheating, it did still run close to the red.  But the weather is pretty hot these days. 

Yes, it is hot.  The weather service is calling for 102° tomorrow.  It will be a good day to go to the river.

*The Fuzz can really identify with this stuff!

More Troubles, Resolved (more or less)

You may remember Our Fuzz has been having Motorcycle Troubles lately. He finally did get that troublesome screw out. That required removing the headlight, and cutting a new slot in the offending screw with his trusty Dremel Tool. Much to his chagrin, he found that this was not actually the fuse box. When he actually found the fuses, there was nothing wrong with them.
It was time to enlist the expert. The Fuzz called on that Mechanical Minded Daughter, a recent graduate of that Prestigious NASCAR Mechanic School! Her extensive knowledge of auto electrical systems, carried over into Motorcycle Electrical situations as well. It turns out that the culprit was this Starter Button. The Fuzz remembers when there used to be a "Kick Starter" on these things. But those days seem to be gone. The switch was temporarily "fixed", and The Fuzz is back on the road. And a new switch will be procured as soon as possible.
The Fuzz used to fix her cars. Now things are going the other way. That's a good thing.

Motorcycle Issues 2

Continuing with these Motorcycle Matters-
Now that the tank had been removed, The Fuzz could finally see what he was dealing with (a little) better. In checking out his shop manual, he had come across this interesting little note.This was something new. It also helped explain what was happening. It appeared that somehow this device was malfunctioning, allowing extra fuel, when it was no longer needed!
Here is a look at where the Choke Cable enters this little device. This is the port side carburetor. It turned out that there was a broken spring in the starboard side "Bystarter" Choke preventing it from returning to the "run" position.
So now, it appeared to be a simple matter of replacing a spring.Here is a look at how things were. At A you can see a diagram of this intriguing little device. At B is the little plunger that is supposed to close up on warm up. C is the broken spring (or what's left of it).
The Fuzz did not have a replacement spring handy. Of course, he does have a number of these odds and ends saved from various projects, but they were all at the Old Place, many miles away. With His Sweetie gone, there was no way to get one. At D you may notice a spring from a ballpoint ink pen. This was an unsuccessful attempt at "rigging" something.
But we are happy to report that The Fuzz was able to catch a ride with a friendly neighbor, and a hopefully suitable substitute was found.
As of now, it seems to be working OK.

Motorcycle Issues 1

It has been mentioned that The Fuzz has been working on getting his motorcycle back into service. Now he had the forks serviced, with new seals, and a brand new tire. But there was still an issue remaining. He had been having a problem with the motor not idling down once it was warmed up. This was embarrassing at best, and probably harmful to the motor. It was not a mere adjustment of the idle screw. The Fuzz suspected something Choke related.
But there was an inconstancy. Normally, if a Choke is stuck, the motor won't run at all. But there is usually a method of stepping up the idle during warm up. This was where he suspected the problem.
In order to address this situation, it would be necessary to have access to the carburetors, located beneath the tank. This was not a simple project. First the tank must be drained. Then, as can be seen, the seats and some other stuff had to go as well.
And here's another of The Fuzz's exciting Techno-Tips*! To assist in removing stubborn hoses and such, (like this one which had probably never been off) use Your Sweetie's hair drier to soften things up!
Well, The Fuzz did finally get that stubborn tank removed. We'll continue with this mechanical matter in the next post.

*Techno-Tips are a useful feature of Kinda Fuzzy. By sure and watch for them.

An Autumn Day

We went over to that Mechanically Minded Daughter's place to watch her mechaniking again. Whilst we were there, The Fuzz's Sweetie decided to get a few of the leaves up. It was a good day for it, weather wise.
It turned out that due to an apparent unavailability of parts, this mechaniking ended up involving a bit of "Rigging". It is hoped that this is only a temporary situation.
After the work, we all slipped inside for a flick, that perennial favorite, "Sense and Sensibility".

Intake Gasket at the No. 2 Cylinder

Things do have that tendency to tear up. This one had developed a serious tendency to loose coolant. The Mechanical Minded Daughter had determined it was escaping though a major rupture of the intake gasket at the No. 2 cylinder.This called for major surgery. The Fuzz went over to watch and harass her. His Sweetie and that Young Daughter went along also for a visit.
Above, is a look at this thing with the troublesome intake removed. You may note how roomy this engine compartment is. The Fuzz assures you this was not the case at the start of this operation.
To the right, is a look at the manifold itself. It has been carefully removed and set aside to be cleaned. The Mechanical Minded Daughter took care of this whist That Lazy Fuzz stood around drinking cans of Blue Ribbon. Below, is an action shot of this mess being reassembled under the skilled hands of said daughter.The work continued into the night under the floodlights.
But that's the way it goes when you need to drive the thing in the morning.
Well, that Mechanical Minded Daughter kept at it. We all held our breath as she finished up and the key was turned.The Fuzz is happy to report that the operation was a success, and we piled in, for a ride around the neighborhood. The evening was finished, with a toast (several) and a somewhat late, but very tasty dinner.

Tach It Up

Things have not been going well lately in regards to mechanical matters. The other day, The Fuzz was riding back from the trailer on his motorcycle. As he neared the house the tach fell off. This was a bit of a bummer, since due to another situation which I'd rather not go into right now, this bike is his main method of transport. Now this is not as strange as it may seem, since so much of this machine is constructed of (now aging) plastic. But The Fuzz admits, he was not expecting it.

Realizing that this would surely be an expensive part to replace, he gave it a bit of thought, and the wheels began to go click-click-click. Here is the result.
A hose clamp (A ) was purchased at the Home Improvement Store. This was then cut open and bent to fit the mounting on the bike. Appropriately sized holes were drilled for the screw, and it was fastened to the bike. Of course there were complications. Since the tach was slightly tapered, it had a tendency to slip out of the clamp when tightened. First a bit of old inner tube was tried unsuccessfully. Finally, he resorted to adding a clamp (B) made out of an unused scrap of the hose clamp. This was more successful.
Now there are many folks who would probably be disgusted by this crude expedient, but this is not a $50,000 Chopper or any thing like that. As The Fuzz has said he "Got it to ride on, not rub on". And so far, it hasn't fallen off again. And as you know, it's hard to argue with success.

Misfortunes Con.

Things don't seem to be going real well in the mechanical realm in regard to The Fuzz's little truck. He spent mucho dinero on repairs. Everything seemed OK at first, but then, troubles began anew. But he finally found a way to read the code himself using this nifty home made device he found on the internet.
This is one of those vehicles where the dash instruments will not blink the code using the old "Paper Clip" trick. But this device, consisting of a LED, a resister and some scrap wire, will, when plugged in to the right places, provide the needed information. It remains to be seen if this will help matters or not.

Latest Mystery Pix & Misfortunes

It's finally here, our latest Spaced-out Mystery Pix.

So, all you spaced-out Mystery Pix fans, have at it.
And always remember, no cheating!

And now for the bad news.
First, let's go back, way back, to the inception of this amazing blog, all the way back to August, 2006. Back then, The Fuzz was struggling in a mechanical morass involving a malfunctioning mazda. After literally months of frustration, he thew in the grease rag, and towed the thing to the shop. And there, the repairs were made (at considerable expense).
But now, this very vehicle, is once more beginning to act in the same suspicious manner. There were the unexplained skips and misses, the same lack of power and the same sinking feeling.
A couple days ago, The Fuzz stopped at the auto parts store for a quart of 30 weight motor oil. In the next parking space, was a man pouring oil into a similar truck with a similar motor. This naturally led to a conversation regarding these delightful vehicles. When The Fuzz broached the subject, it was discovered the same repairs had been made as on this sister ship of ours. It would seem that this is a common failing of this particular arrangement of mechanical components. This other fellow had gone through the same frustrating process and arrived at the same conclusion, computer failure. The Fuzz's mechanical training is from the era of breaker points and carburetors. If this is, in fact, the situation, it is beyond our skills.
The Fuzz is not optimistic about this state of affairs. This is not a good time to have to deal with equipment failure on this scale. The weather is cold and our wood supply at the house is limited. It's not very pleasant riding a motorcycle to work this time of year, in fact, there is a call for snow tonight!
And so, that is how things stand here. We'll see how things go, or don't go as the case may be. Maybe we can get lucky yet.
But for now, enjoy our new Mystery Pix!

Chainsaw Repairs (Again)

Remember that "Little Green Chainsaw?
Remember how bad things kept happening to it?
Well, as The Fuzz's Sweetie and The Fuzz, himself, were involved in the final preparations, making a way for their new home, there was an other problem. As he went to tighten the chain (quite necessary) The Fuzz found that the little screw (A) for this purpose was gone. Zip, Nada.

But the ever resourceful Fuzz was not to be thwarted again.
You see, in this pix, a piece of the first Little Green Chainsaw. Not being the sort to throw out a perfectly good ruined chainsaw, he still had this part on hand. And as can be seen, it contained both (A) the screw in question, and that little thing (B) in there for engaging the bar- thus tightening the chain.
And so, our Little Green Chainsaw is still cutting and cutting and cutting.

In other news, The Seagulls have returned to the landfill, a sure sign of the approaching winter.