Arun - you there?? Winter perparation of Alky Meth......

Good morning,

While I was out walking I had a thought. My father always told me that when you want a job done, find the lasiest person you know to do it, they'll find the simplest way to get the job done.

So:

1)Turn the power on but don't start the car.

2)Disconnect the methanol hose, aim it into a container.

3)Push the "test" button on the Alky Control in the cubby, hold down and empty the reservoir! Remember that the engine is not running............

Wouldn't this be easier than all the syphoning activity and if we're going to empty the last little bit out this way anyway, why not skip the syphoning route and do it all this way??

Any comments/thoughts guys?

Has my laziness resulted in yet another breakthough?!

Cheers,

Garry
 
That would work. The only reason I would syphon the tank first, especially if it is fairly full, is to not have to run the pump continuously for a long time. It may be fine to do that but I really don't know.
 
As Canuk says -- not sure how taxing that would be on the small alky pump.
Syphoning took only a few moments and the remaining bit could be pumped out without any issue.

C.
 
Good point guys.

Maybe what I'll do is see how much comes out after say 20 or 30 seconds and then make a decision based on that. As it may not be a continuous duty pump it may not ever be on for that long a peroid of time. After all even in a 1/4 mile situation the run ends after 11 seconds and in a high speed pass again it would be unusual to have it in 5th or 6th gear under boost for say 60 seconds - just not that many stretches of flat untravelled road around after all!

Cheers,

Garry
 
And while I'm at it, I still have another question.

Why is the methanol bad for the seals if it is sitting over winter only but not when it is on contact with the seals during "driving" season?? What is the difference?? Why don't the seals degrade when the car is being driven vs. when the car sits in storage??

Cheers,

Garry
 
Pretty sure you'll find that the alky is harmful to seals and gaskets at all times, so the time it's out of the reservoir there is no further degradation, Garry.

Kind of a breather so to speak.:D

Colin.
 
Good afternoon Colin!

Hey good to see you're still lurking around!

Yes, I considered that as a possible reason. Interesting it is the same one you're going with. Funny that the 100% stuff is so much worse than the 50% stuff (plain windshield washer fluid) though.............

-13 with a 20 km wind to add to things. Coming over for hot chocolate later??!!

Cheers,

Garry
 
Good afternoon Colin!

Hey good to see you're still lurking around!

Yes, I considered that as a possible reason. Interesting it is the same one you're going with. Funny that the 100% stuff is so much worse than the 50% stuff (plain windshield washer fluid) though.............

-13 with a 20 km wind to add to things. Coming over for hot chocolate later??!!

Cheers,

Garry

Some have said that you can use WW in place of straight alky. I did try it back in the summer with no ill effects.
I didn't continue due to possible issues.

Have a HC for me -- I'll take a rain check, thanks. Do hope to make it out there sometime ....... Would be quite a trip.

Stay warm,
C.
 
Good morning Colin,

I think that it depends what the car has been tuned with, in my case it was straight 100% methanol so I don't think I could use windshield washer fluid. As the methanol content is 1/2 it could affect the degree to which more timing could be pulled - I think that is the benefit anyway - and I'm not sure if the engine sensors measure and can adjust between 100% and 50% methanol otherwise that would be a very neat solution.

Still in the next few weeks I'll have to go and undertake the removal project when it gets into a warm spell again.

HC day for sure, just about to heat out for a run into -17 with a 11 km wind from the north, putting on fleece pants this morning and porbably taking my heat packs for my hands. Only 30 minutes of heat but by then my blood has started to make it into my fingers...............plus they are reuseable too so I might as well use them! Just have to drop them into boiling water for a few minutes to get them ready for tomorrow.

One of these days we'll do a trip together. Maybe meet at Rileys! Pickup a few of the boys on the way............something I'd take my son on in a few years even.............

Cheers,

Garry

PS just back from 10 km, 2/1 intervals. I dressed warmly so I really start to heat up, perspiration fogs up my glasses, causes my eyelashes to stick together when I blink - what fun! And I also arrive dead tired and feeling so alive at the same time.
 
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Mmmmm. Looks like I'll have to find a place with more rooms and parking! ....preferably inside! :D

I would LOVE it if people came out here!
 
Hey Riley,

While the car trip would be in the summer I think I need to come to see you now Riley. I'm helping Aidan with his math, recognizing number patterns. He had a meltdown yesterday and again today I've had to send him to this room three times and it is only 12:30!

For my parents days when you could just swing into action with a beating. It may nothave helped the child but at least it helped rid the parent of pent up frustration!! Now I can only remove his favorite toys, privileges or send him to his room to cool off. He actually threw the pencil as he walked to his room!

What fun being a parent. It sort of makes me see why parents just buy the latest video game system and mark off days until the end of grade 12 when they can throw the kids out of the house.............

But I remain resolved and he will learn his math whether he likes it or not............

Cheers,

Garry
 
Or you can start drinking! :D.......which may actually be not something to joke about.

It's easy to deal with kids when you have a lot of energy but I imagine they wear on you and when you're too tired to fight, they learn that to get what they want, all they have to do is throw a fit.

Keep at it. Maybe some day he'll thank you for helping him out. There are a few area's I wish my parents made me work harder on, even if I didn't want to at the time.
 
Good afternoon Riley,

-23 with a 25 km wind from the north. Good thing there are no producer cars coming in today or this week for that matter.

I went on into Grande Prairie after I dropped my son off to do a spot of shopping. Icy roads from the Woking turnoff south and inside GP itself. Made me glad I was not late for once in swapping for my winter tires - I've really screwed up in some previous falls.

No doubt it is hard sometimes to deal with my son on certain subjects. However, I have total resolve in this matter to see that he will do as well as he can in his schoolwork and while I have the luxury and good fortune to be as attentive to it as I am able he will have no choice in the matter. You just can't escape becoming proficient in math, reading, spelling and still printing in my books. The sooner you learn this, the easier one's life is going to be.

I do agree, that when he gets older he will see the value of what I did with him and hopefully that will play into his parenting strategies if he ever has children of his own.

What blows me away, and this is not the first time it has happened, is on Saturday night he came up to me and taking a deep breath said to me "Dada I'm sorry that I was bad earlier today..........". He recognized that he had been out of line and he took personal responsibility for it. A prouder moment in a father's life I could not imagine. My 9 year old son is growing up and displaying some good signs of a decent moral character.

Now if I could just cure him of his RHD FD car lust..............!

Cheers,

Garry
 
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Good evening Colin,

I was actually sort of having a good day until just now. Poor Arun, what a devestating experience to have happen. This is one I've never gone through myself, I've had a vehicle broken into but nothing like this and especially to something in his life that he has put so much of himself into.

It makes me think that now my next investment ought to be to install a GPS tracking device. Some high end cars have that as an option now and maybe with the value of our cars it is something we should be thinking about.

I'll cross my fingers that everything gets recovered intact............

No shortage of scum in the world it seems.

Garry
 
Garry.. Do you have ONSTAR activated in your car?
That is a good GPS unit. PLUS they can locate and disable the car.
Maybe ONSTAR can remotely drain your meth tank... They can do a lot of things!
Graham
 
Good morning Graham,

Oddly I spent some time looking at GPS tracking systems for cars. I just sort of riled at the thought of yet another monthly fee but did notice one that had a lifetime fee of $400.

I'm actually not sure if my car has ONSTAR or not. Not that I am aware of but it could simply not be activated? I have the original build sheet somewhere so that would be a place to start.

Such a sense of loss and a feeling of viloation, especially in this case as it appears to have been taken from Arun's residence.

Thefts around here are of a more limited nature, ATV's, Quads, skidoos are popular since they are easy to keep in remote locations, their use is often never seen by others and police are not often looking for stuff like that. As is said, the RCMP are often involved when a crime has been committed and not before. Most times stolen property turns up at someplace when RCMP are there for unrelated matters. For farmers it is not uncommon to have fuel taken, tools, batteries from equipment.

Come to think of it it has happened to be twice before, same truck, same location too, 1 mile east of Rycroft at the enterance to an Ag-business, maybe 100 yerds off a highway.........crooks are brazen I guess. And for maybe $150 in fuel and $100 battery.

My uncle had a shop cleaned out once about 10 years ago. Worst part is there were so many tools it took them two evenings to do the job. My uncle found it partially emptied one night and then the next day went back and they had returned to finish the job. And of course with tools how many of us engrave them to identfy them?? When I was living in Manning I had my truck broken into and tools etc. taken. My sockets were not engraved but my combination wrenches were and when they found the kids that had gone on a criome spree and had filled their parents garage they were able to return my tools to be on that basis. I remember the RCMP officer being so surprised that I had engraved some of my tools and wondered why I had done that - I did so becuase my dad did his tools. Now it is a case of doing certain sizes so it is not obvious it has been done.............

That would be handy if ONSTAR could drain my methanol tank too, and to spray and ignite the people responsible for taking Arun's car. We need to bring back a little tar and feathering..................

Cheers,

Garry
 
We should also not discount the stupidity of the thief as well. There was a woman I think from Edmonton who had a very expensive bike taken. A friend of hers found it posted on Kijiji the next day. She made arrangements to meet the "owner" at a McD's to take the bike for a test in the parking lot, confirmed it was her bike and took off on it.

So eBay, Kijiji and Craigslist might be good spots to keep an eye on.............just because they are criminals doesn't mean they are smart after all.
 
Good evening Colin,

I was actually sort of having a good day until just now. Poor Arun, what a devestating experience to have happen. This is one I've never gone through myself, I've had a vehicle broken into but nothing like this and especially to something in his life that he has put so much of himself into.

It makes me think that now my next investment ought to be to install a GPS tracking device. Some high end cars have that as an option now and maybe with the value of our cars it is something we should be thinking about.

I'll cross my fingers that everything gets recovered intact............

No shortage of scum in the world it seems.

Garry

True -- follow that thread for updates and info ......

A GPS tracking device and or ONSTAR is a good investment.
I just hope he has enough insurance to cover most of his investment -- I have a feeling that it was pro's and all the equipment will never be seen again.
Prayers for Arun for sure.

C.
 
You could be right Colin, imagine if some criminals were to see that car already loaded on a trailer and a pretty nice truck too and it would be so tempting.

I just realized thought that we do see more of that sort of thing out here too. Farmers go on vacation during the winter, come home and start to haul grain and find a bin not as full as they remembered. Neighbours remember seeing a semi coming one day but thought it was ont he up and up. A super B can hold maybe 3000 bu of canola, $13/bu, well you can do the math. And of course you can't trace grain - it is all the same!

There is a product called "grainfetti" that consists of a whole bunch of tiny pieces of paper with a number printed on them that you can add to the grain as it is going into the bin. It can't be easily removed and the numbers are recorded by the company. If it surfaces when the grain is being deleivered apparently the buyer is suppose to check with the registered user to make sure this is his grain and it is suppose to be sold. I've heard of stories where grain was hauled in and the farmer called the trucker afterward to thank him for the "free delivery" and the RCMP would be coming by to have a talk with him soon!!!!

Still I'm hoping the "a-wholes" responsible screw up somehow and end up caught! Nothing a little Louisville Slugger justice couldn't solve...........

Garry
 
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