beleaguering ennui

Life in snapshots e1

anh — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:32:24 +0000

Restor-o-lympics, where new meets old.

anh — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:49:22 +0000

And they’re off…
Well I was off last week, attending a donated RADAR Observer course at PMI in Seattle. But while I was having fun learning to use plotting tools and RADAR equipment, the crew brought the Adventuress around to another phase of this winter’s Centennial Restoration Project.
In my absence, Port Townsend, hosting this year’s restor-o-lympics, aboard the big A, folks have all but wrapped up the winter’s deconstruction. So after an extra day of rest in homage to our presidents, today was ushered in with the proverbial rap of hammers—declaring “let the construction begin!”
Now in reality, much had already been constructed, but today’s work had a special, almost zenith feel to it. In the Fo’c's’le, our illustrious boat was being introduced to the berths-to-be. The Wooden Boat School set into framing their summer design project.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ceiling, the chainfalls coaxed “comealong”.

From stem to sternum, the Boat Haven boys were rattling her ribs with the newly shaped and fitted purple heart at the place where new meets old.

HAL 9000gle’s new product is all the…

anh — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:19:02 +0000

no, I won’t go there.

I’ve still not got Friendster/Myspace/Facebook/Twitter accounts. Which has given me pause to reflect on occasion. Am I going to wind up a relative-luddite—forever sated with the communication venues that compose my digital-epistemology? Or will perhaps this new b.. bustle, (geeze-louise, almost did it without even trying… they’re sneeky) prove to be my digital music files, to the worlds CDs!

Waking up in the morning

anh — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:03:22 +0000

More to come soon.

Indian, not at the frozen peas and carrots place.

anh — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:57:35 +0000

Katja and I decided to go out. I guess it was kind of on a whim. It went something like:
-what do you want to do for dinner?
-I don’t know, maybe we could go out.
-Where?
-I don’t really have any opinion, is there anything you’ve been wanting to try?
-Not really. We could go to indian.
-I like indian. I was actually thinking about that, because we’ve recently had thai and pizza, maybe indian would be good.
-K. Do you want to look up showtimes?
-K.
We decided to go to food, and if we finished in time to go to a movie. But no stressing.
We had tried one place a little closer to us, which I didn’t really feel one way or the other about, but she was really turned off by what seemed to be very obviously frozen peas & Corn.
-It just makes it feel so cheap.
The next one we’d tried, is closer to the river, on your way east out of town. It’s not the most unique building, being located in, what seems obviously to have been a fast food joint.

But she/we liked it. Or at least better than the frozen peas & carrots place.

I don’t remember my impression from the last time we attended this restaurant, only that we’d figured out “that dish we really liked when we had Indian with Elizabeth and Carl”, so it was kinda like starting over.

We like to split dishes to try a little of everything. We ordered Mixed Vegetable Pakora as an appetizer, then Navaratan Koorma & Saag Paneer. But this particular place always comes out with a thin savory wafer and sauces as an appetizer to the appetizer.
The sauces were a subject of much discussion. One was tomato based & salsa-like. The second tasted a lot like a cilantro based salsa verde, and turned to be a cilantro & mint chutney. The third was my favorite and was a chickpea & coconut milk sauce. Mmmm.

We really got into the sauces. They ended up all over our Pakora, which was really tasty. By the time the entrees came, I was grinning uncontrollably.
-What’s so funny?
-I just like indian food.
-That’s why you’re smiling?
-Yeah.
-You’re weird.
I ate the dal & sambar that came with our dishes, but by this time we were getting so full that we practically TOGOed it after one bite of the main dish.

I don’t know what happened last time, to make me not remember it so much, so I determined to internalize my experience this time. Note to self, there were no frozen peas and carrots, just so much tasty food, that I couldn’t help but smile.

12v Vacuum Pump Replacement

anh — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:02:05 +0000

While working on the boat this fall, I was keeping Ernie, the ’86 diesel Escort, at a friends house. At one point she was needing a car to get near where I was, and I needed a car to get home, so she was going to drive it down. But she didn’t get much past the drive way because the brake light came on, and the brakes had lost power—a scary experience for an unsuspecting sole.
How it works
Most cars use vacuum as a source of power to boost hydraulic actuation of the brakes and other accessories. This car also uses vacuum to advance timing & increase idle for cold-weather starting or when using the AC. However, diesels don’t use active air-restriction (e.g. a butterfly valve) to blend air & fuel (naturally-aspirated diesels are designed to always have maximum air availability, and control engine output by metering the fuel). This means that in order to fit into what would otherwise be a gasoline driven body, a diesel needs another way of generating vacuum. Sometimes it’s mechanical, in Ernie’s case it’s an electronic pump, which draws the less-than-atmospheric pressure.
Issue
So when my friend went to brake and was forced to generate her own hydraulic pressure, I knew right away that it was either a leak in the vacuum system or a faulty pump. After inspecting the system for disconnected hoses and obvious leaks, I used my break bleeding tool, which has a little manual vacuum pump & gauge. No leaks, therefor faulty pump. No problem, I’ll just replace the pump—or so I thought.
Repair
After querying several venues for replacing or rebuilding my existing pump, I learned that Cardone—an aftermarket supplier/rebuilder of many auto pumps & components, has abandoned this pump. I even had one parts supplier say that “if it is on our website, than Cardone will rebuild it rebuilt” who then returned it saying Cardone had declined to rebuild it.
Long and short of it, I needed to find another pump. Looking on google & ebay turned up options in the $300+ range while I was looking to spend no more than half that for new equipment, and significantly less if used. Then I stumbled across a lot-sale that happened to have some little 12v vacuum pumps that fit the bill, so I picked them up. The flow-rate is not as high as the original equipment, but it is capable of drawing as strong a vacuum, so I decided that was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

1. Locate the wires that power the original vacuum pump. They are originally routed through the conduit that runs over the injector lines down between the injection pump & the alternator. I cut the wires on the pump side of the pigtail connector, so I could still disconnect the new pump if I wished.

2. Remove the wires from the conduit enough to be able to run them to a desirable location. I chose to locate it above the transmission, zip-tied to the powersteering lines.

3. Run enough hose to be able to tie into the vacuum system where the old one does—at the metal T in the tubing, which runs along the underside of the radiator/fan, across from the starter.

4. Because I don’t trust the pump’s seals to hold a vacuum overnight, I chose to put a ¼” (the biggest available) vacuum check valve inline.

5. As pictured in the two photos above, it is practical to chaff-protect & zip-tie the hose where appropriate. If including a check-valve, use an adapter and 3/8″ hose to attach the 1/4″ hose to the 3/8″ T under the radiator.
6. If your vacuum-sensing switch is working properly, your pump should turn on/off at about 18-22 inHg. Located under the black plastic shield in the rear of the engine compartment, it is the black-rubber capped dongle that has vacuum hose going in one end and electrical wires coming out the other.
7. Because this pump is a little slower to make vacuum than the stock pump, when it’s colder out I like to let it run for 15-20 seconds after I’m parked for the night. Provided I don’t step on the brakes, this helps to ensure that the vacuum-driven, cold weather timing advance & idle adjustment have full effect for easy starting the next morning.

Parts discussed include; A1/Cardone 64-1501 vacuum pump, replaced by a KNF Neuberger UN86 KTDC vacuum pump. Both 12VDC.

Let me know if there are any questions or thing that need clarification.

Rebuilding a Ford 4-spoke horn pad

anh — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:26:46 +0000

Have you ever been awakened by someone “laying” on the horn? Have you ever realized that that you were that idiot? Nothing has turned frustration to embarrassment so quickly—and I wasn’t even in the car.

Apparently, there was some short in the horn electronics, which was causing the horn to sound indefinitely. In the interest in mitigating the noise pollution & trying to return to what I could of my remaining sleep time, I just unplugged the damn thing—I’ll deal with it in the morning, or so I thought.
It’s been about a year since this incident, and today I decided to resolve it. In the intervening time, I have gathered from my participation in the DieselEscortOwners yahoo group, that this is a rather commonplace issue cropping up in cars of this make and vintage.
Issue
Apparently open–cell foam doesn’t tend to hold up well to 24 years of oxidization—go figure. This decay, causes the contacts that actuate the horn to make less than planned contact. I’ve noticed other issues associated with this, such as the Speed Control switching system failing to work at random times.
How it Works
When I press on the horn pad, the mailable cover presses against the electrically-connected copper spring plate. This plate compresses the foam beneath it, until some point of the plate comes into contact with the high points on the copper base plate, which is also electrically-connected. When contact is made, the circuit is closed, which actuates the horn relay, establishing current in the circuitry to the horn.
Repair
I went to the local rubber hose supply store and picked up some ¼”–thick by ¼”–wide sticky-backed open-celled foam stripping. I got 4′ for $1 and ended up using less than half of it.

1. Unscrew the two horn pad screws with a #2 (+) screwdriver. I used a flexible bit extension for easier access.
2. Disconnect the two wires that energize the two plates on the back of the pad. The terminals were two different sizes.
3. (if you have Speed/Cruise Control) Remove the four screws that retain the speed control switches.

4. Gently peel back the plastic cover to separate the two copper plates. This will require breaking the seal, where it is glued to the base-plate.
5. pop out the three white plastic fasteners that hold the two copper plates together.
6. Peel/rub off the old foam from both plates, being careful not to bend the spring-plate. Use rubbing alcohol to remove excess glue residue.

7. Cut your foam stripping into pieces, appropriate for filling in the low spots.

8. Reassemble and test.

Hopefully this can save you some embarrassment with your roommates!

Hawai’i or What I learned in 2009–the small thoughts from my big brain

anh — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:35:56 +0000

In the historical development of my lexicon, the words “Maui” and “Hawai’i” have always been more associated with concepts than experiences. These words would conjure concepts of tropical, the acme of conspicuous American Imperialism, and a geological exemplar, but for some reason, I never grouped them together.
The great American Melting Pot is a concept that can evoke a lot of pride, especially when all the participants accede more than they protest. But there’s a line we cross time and again where it starts to feel little like we’re repeating the imperialistic mistakes of our national parents, and to me, Hawaii is one of those–carrying with it’s paradisal allure, a guilt evoking scar of Americanism.
But the aspect that most predominantly factors into my understanding of the Hawaiian archipelago had been its geological-beauty as pattern for a hotspot under a scrolling oceanic crust. From base to top, the Hawaiian archipelago forms a chain with some of the tallest mountains on the planet–Mauna Loa & Kea in particular reaching about 30,000 ft.
In a Small Thoughts–Big Brains moment, I learned in 2009 that Maui is a part of Hawaii.

The ebb and flow of things

anh — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:56:30 +0000

I just finished my first week on the boat and things are going well. I am liking everyone I’ve met so far. The days are busy and the nights quiet. It feels about how it looks.

Where did they film LOTR? NZ or PNW?

anh — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:25:24 +0000

With Justin having just returned from a place I’ve been wanting to travel for a long time, I’ve been thinking about the way I can imagine places foreign to be so spectacular. I imagine the beauty of the environment, the amazing possibilities, and the cool things I will do. The approach of foreign places evokes the same feeelings—Cleveland, Saint Louis, or the Rockies from the high plains—this sense that the world is complex, but simple to understand and there is nothing that is not going to be good. I’m on a roll.

New Zealand has always been one of those places.

The summer I turned twelve, the USA was having it’s first go of hosting the World Cup. I remember pouring over maps. I was captivated, infatuated even obsessed with environmental greatests—tallest mountains, longest rivers, lowest valleys, deepest trenches. I ranked places on their possession of such treasures. I was infuriated that Colorado’s tallest mountain was not as tall as California’s, because our cabin was in Colorado and I liked Colorado. I had Colorado pride. California? Everybody was like oohh… California, but really, what’s so special about it anyway?

That same summer, after leaving the cabin—as I poured over the info in the atlas—we drove to Telluride. My uncle managed a bar there, and I got to watch the World Cup finals. Italy lost to Brazil in a shootout. I loved the sport, and I loved how the Brazilian team played so beautifully, thus I was turned on to Brazil. I remember thinking that there were many things there I like—It has the jungles, the longest river, mountains for hiking and the ocean for SCUBA as I was going to get my c-card that year.

But as the summer waned, so did my love for the land of Ipanema. Afterall, the mountains aren’t very tall, and the Ocean it’s on is the Atlantic, the one that is not the biggest, deepest or according to Ferdinand Magellan most peaceful. So I turned my sights on that ocean to the west of me. The Pacific ocean.

New Zealand had the mountains, it had the ocean and they spoke the same language, and it wasn’t California. Hence, at the ripe age of twelve or thirteen, began my obsession with someday landing myself in Kiwi land.

Now, as I find myself appreciating the views in Port Townsend Washington my roomate returns from a place I’ve pined to visit, talking of Kiwis who laud Portland as a relocation destination and I’m thinking, maybe it’s me, maybe I need to let go—to appreciate the place I’m in… Or maybe it’s just that they really filmed Lord of the Rings in the Pacific North-West.