Work on the Kubota diesel mower is not going well

| May 5, 2024

With the lawn growing like crazy, this is definitely not the time for a mower to need service. The local Kubota dealer is backed up 2 weeks for service and I’m struggling to diagnose the exact problem. So far I’ve only taken things apart, broken a “fuel return pipe” and ordered parts.  Nothing like breaking […]

What vehicle interests you: The rotary engine Mazda MX-30 R-EV

| May 21, 2023

In all likelihood, one of the next vehicles in our garage will have some kind of electric motor and rechargeable battery pack (or maybe a traditional non-plugin hybrid?) I’m not convinced yet that we are ready for a full EV … at least for our primary car … but admire what Tesla is doing and […]

Picked a warm sunny day for the Packard Hawk to come home

| November 7, 2020

After a long time in a repair shop, I brought the 1958 Packard Hawk back from some transmission repair work. It came back very dusty, but I didn’t notice any damage to the paint or body (yet). The entire process from initial quote to final bill and slowness was a bit disconcerting.  It was not […]

Engine Parts word search from ConsumerGuide Automotive

| April 16, 2020

For those automotive enthusiasts who are spending A LOT more time at home due to the Coronavirus stay-at-home orders and interested in ways to entertain our minds, try the ConsumerGuide.com Automotive blog’s Engine Parts word search. Tom Appel and crew always find something interesting for their blog (and car stuff podcast). Click image larger or […]

A Fluidampr Harmonic Balancer for the BMW X5 35d

| December 6, 2019

One of the engine components known to fail prematurely on BMW diesels is the weighty harmonic balancers on the 6 cylinder crank shafts. Perhaps the park is designed with the vibration rubber material that degrades or perhaps it is just the constant hammering of the diesel engine that is hard on the original design? In […]

Sidetracked into playing with my Stirling Engine model

| November 17, 2018

Last week while clearing off our bookshelves I came across a ticket to The Music Man from 18 years ago when my nephew Ben played the lead in his high school musical. It occurred to me that his birthday was this month and that I should post it to his Facebook page while sending him […]

Filled up Jerry Cans and my BMW X5 35d with diesel (25 gal max)

| June 24, 2018

Since I drive a diesel BMW X5 35d as well as an old 1982 Mercedes 300D Turbodiesel, and use diesel fuel in our Kubota and John Deere lawn tractors (not to mention sailboat) … seeing pump prices 20 to 40 cents higher at the pump is starting to cut into my theory of saving money […]

The engine bay of our BMW X5 35d has been put back together

| July 5, 2016

As mentioned on Saturday, the project over the July 4th holiday was to put the new plastic parts shielding the engine bay from the cabin air and water drains back under the hood of our 2010 BMW X5 35d. I’m not sure it quiets the diesel engine all that much, but should be an improvement […]

How will the Elio achieve 84 mpg?

| June 17, 2016

Another Elio Motors update detailed more on a variety of engineering points (my previous posts) … particularly on how the Elio will achieve the advertised 84 mpg. Powertrain – An Efficient Union of Technology and Efficiency The other system we’re checking out this week is the Elio’s powertrain, which will help the Elio run as […]

The Elio P5 prototype is fitted for the new engine

| October 6, 2015

Since I’m “all in” with a “spot in line” to purchase an Elio, it has me focused on following the progress towards building a production vehicle. I’m skeptical that this new company can achieve the high bar they have set (especially the $6800 price), but I’m enjoying the ride with them. This week a few […]

Gasoline varnish and alcohol in a carburetor

| March 10, 2015

When regular leaded gasoline gets old, a thin layer of varnish coats the inside of fuel lines and the jets of the carburetor. This can plug or narrow jets that meter fuel into the carburetor and with cause the engine to either run lean or not run (start) at all. For fuel efficient and environment […]

More work than expected on the Volvo diesel

| March 3, 2015

“Nothing that's worthwhile is ever easy” wrote Nicholas Sparks; that must be true since getting Encore's Volvo diesel back in shape is testing my patience and finances (but then we're talking about a boat, so that second part is a given). Thankfully I have a very experience diesel mechanic who keeps one boat here in […]

More work on the boat — the Volvo diesel among other things

| February 4, 2015

While walking out to the boat in the evening, I glanced down to see an odd looking object floating and then sinking in the water next to the dock. Sure enough a quick LED light from the iPhone illuminated the Manatee “sleeping” just beneath the water. The purpose of this trip was primarily to meet […]

A hardware-aholic is when you buy hose clamps by the pound

| January 29, 2015

I’m the prime example of a “hardware-aholic” because I needed to replace a couple stainless steel hose clamps and ended up buying over 3 pounds of used clamps. I know grocery and clothes shoppers do it, but my weakness is hardware … and perhaps tools. My recent eBay buy was a perfect example of single […]

More Honda dollars headed for Anna Ohio Engine Plant

| January 17, 2015

While visiting my dad in Sidney, Ohio this week I could help but catch the headlines in the local paper – Honda invests $340M in AEP (Anna Engine Plant). The area has certainly changed since I was in high school … and Honda’s manufacturing investment and jobs starting in 1985 has been a real boost […]

Thoughts on my Honda Pilot and a check engine light

| April 17, 2014

I’ve been plagued off and on over the past few years with a check engine light that the computers say indicates cylinder misfiring. It seems to come and go, to the point I begin to ignore it until someone points it out again. A few years ago, I suspected that I might have had a […]

Productive day of maintenance with a few setbacks

| November 10, 2013

I spend most of today in the “spacious engine room” (that’s a joke BTW) working on basic diesel auxiliary maintenance. The aging 27 year old diesel has worked hard most of it’s life pushing our Westerly Corsair II around the world bit by bit. Just as with most older gals, Encore no longer measures beauty […]

Don’t run your VW TDI diesel engine without coolant

| October 17, 2013

A sad, sad day for this little Volkswagen TDI diesel engine transplanted in a VW bus. VWWestyman posted a couple photos of his “toasted” engine on TheSamba.com forum and explained that this is what happens when the engine loses all the coolant but keeps chugging along … well, until it doesn’t. VW TDI toasted engine […]

Tiny internal combustion engines

| December 6, 2012

I remember Cox model plane and car engine when I was a boy, but this “Tiny” 4-stroke “popper” is as impressive as a Swiss watch.

Hmm … re-powering the MG … but will it fit?

| November 2, 2011

Since I’m having a few problems getting my carburetor/idle issue corrected on my tiny MGB, perhaps picking up a new engine might be a solution? Mopar® to Highlight Cubic Inches and Horsepower at SEMA – 800 horsepower V-10 Crate engine takes center stage at SEMA – Gen III High Output HEMI® V-8 with 590 horsepower […]

Continuing to enjoy the slow rebuilt of the MBG

| October 2, 2011

Friday night and Saturday morning gave me a few more hours to disassemble the MBG engine once again, although this time I also removed the head. As noted previously, the #2 intake valve was sticking in an open position taking compression to zero. Under further inspection, I can see that it doesn’t seat correctly … […]

MGB idling problems – posting to a British car forum

| September 27, 2011

I’m posting my MGB idling problem to the MG Experience forums in hopes to gain a little help … if you’re “just a car guru” and have some advice I don’t mind the extra thinking – either leave me an email or Disqus comment below. Thanks and additional details below. From forum: First, a year […]

Shifting from Google for web searching

| August 3, 2011

I’ve recently made a switch to a new search engine after reading Google’s Terms of Service Agreement a little more closely. The wording of the TOS along with my security conscious friend’s regular reminders regarding web privacy and information security triggered a search for a better search engine. DuckDuckGo.com offers a free, lean webpage search […]

Do you need more power from your diesel?

| November 30, 2010

Are you thinking about bigger injectors and chipping your Volkswagen TDI for a few added HP and a bit more torque? Maybe an engine transplant is in order … although this little Detroit diesel coming in at 3424 HP might not be the optimum transplant for most VeeDubs? Still, this will be pretty impressive in […]

Building a TDI diesel engine

| October 24, 2009

Although the Science Channel program “How It’s Made” isn’t one of the most exciting television programs, it does offer a glimpse as to what it takes to manufacture complex items. I happened to watch an episode on how Audi builds its 6-cylinder TDI diesel engine the other day and found it interesting (video clip below). […]

Diesel power for Aviation – and my Sonex experimental airplane project

| May 20, 2005

I’ve been thinking about getting back to work on my Sonex project and have been ‘re-intrigued’ with the thought of diesel power. I came across a company, Advanced Propulsion Technologies, that is building extremely lightweight, high powered diesels, especially the 325HP engine. This one clutched to a second is being proposed and tested on light […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog