The random chat thread for throwing out things that don't matter

haha.  Yep.  I am guaranteed to need something that I held for years and finally decided was useless and threw away days before.  Let me know if you need any help or have questions.  Worst case is buying the new antenna mast and grommet parts.  But I don't know how much he's looking to spend for radio reception.  😉

Posted by: @lordtakuban

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haha.  Yep.  I am guaranteed to need something that I held for years and finally decided was useless and threw away days before.  Let me know if you need any help or have questions.  Worst case is buying the new antenna mast and grommet parts.  But I don't know how much he's looking to spend for radio reception.  😉

 I have some good news. He came over today so I can test his alternator using my newly acquired scope.  I asked him about the reception and he said it works great. I told him about our conversation and how we can fix it at a later date. We kind of decided that until it gives him trouble with reception there is no need so I manipulated my adaptation and it is holding strong so I don't think its coming off. Red loctite is so strong it was always a problem breaking it free having to use so much force and sometimes having to add heat. 

  On another note I was able to learn how to use my oscilloscope to test AC ripple for a possible bad diode from the alternator. It was not easy to figure out what I am looking for but I am staring to understand it better. The mistake I made is not adding load so we plan to do the test again. I captured a number of images and had to test on two other working cars as a control to know what I am doing with a lot of google and Youtube searches.  I think I finally figured it out and will make a thread on how to use a scope for diagnosis.  I bought this device for only $125 and it's worth every penny.  It's not so much the cheap cost its also a deep understanding of the wave form but its invaluable for quick accurate diagnosis. One of the things you see on places like SC is everyone making guesses and then taking undo credit when its nothing more than throwing a parts cannon of suggestion in every situation. It's like a broken clock being right twice a day which is getting repetitive and stupid.  With the scope you can hone in on the problem.  

After a long an extensive study I was finally able to understand how to test for AC ripple using the Oscilloscope and know what to look for. I put that to use yesterday when my local friend came over and everything finally made sense and I got some good captures.

The more expensive large lab type Oscilloscopes have many more features that cost a fortune. One of those features is being able to capture the wave from events and being able to save replay it which this one is lacking due to size and cost. I can pause it and scroll which is limiting however I found a clever walk around to have that kind of capability of the more expensive equipment  where I take my iPhone and just take a video of the screen and then play it back or even pause it. 

How cool is that.  

I had an another interesting experience at the Toyota Stealership today.  I went in to purchase genuine Toyota wiper blade inserts for my 2003 MR2 Spyder and was told that I could purchase the driver's side insert, but that the passenger side wiper blade insert was no longer available.  I've had several really good interactions with the parts department salesperson.  When I rang-up the initial sale for the wiper blade inserts he had not given a discount at that point and the wiper blade inserts were about $13 each.  After he discovered that the passenger side insert was no longer available, he searched around and found a set of windshield wipers (metal part that the inserts go into that also contained new inserts) -- for both drivers side and passenger side.  He then gave me a discount on those and only charged me $15 per side.  I was a happy camper and appreciated his extra effort to find what I needed plus give me a pretty decent discount.  My car is pretty much all stock and I work at keeping it that way for when we enter car shows where all original is very important for judging.  Anyway, I am writing this post just to see if anyone else has run into this problem -- finding the correct size OEM wiper blade inserts at the Stealership?  I thought I could simply purchase two of the drivers side inserts (drivers side is longer than passenger side) and cut off the excess for the passenger side.  It "appears" (just from looking -- haven't tried this) that using that strategy will not work because there is a "pocket" that the metal strips that get inserted into the rubber wiper inserts that would then be missing and in theory cause the wiper blade inserts to unseat.  If I can't find OEM rubber inserts in the correct size from the stealership the next time I need to replace, I might just have to purchase close to the correct length and then cut them down to fit -- regardless of the pocket or no pocket.  I don't think it will be an issue for me since I don't drive the spyder in the rain.  In my roughly 13 years of ownership I think I have driven it in the rain maybe only once or twice.  Now days the spyder is a garage queen and pretty much only driven to car shows and occasionally for a jaunt through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada that are my backyard.  Okay.  I'm rambling now.  Sorry about that.  Your thoughts about dwindling stock of OEM parts like wiper blades?    

@uncle-mush 

Thanks for sharing. I have always had good experience with Toyota parts counters. They especially like it when they find out it's a 2ZZ swapped Spyder and sometimes give me a discount.  

I did sometimes got the wrong washers or nuts but that was partially my fault for agreeing to the diagram with the parts guy. I also get my Lexus filters from them as well instead of the Lexus dealership which I feel like I have to be dressed for the occasion.  

 I have had such good luck with Toyotas that I cant see myself going with another brand of car.  Their reputation is well deserved.  

I've never bought the inserts.  But I do buy OEM blades (metal part plus the rubber blade) for all of my vehicles.  They simply work better than any after market blades I've ever tried.  And they look good/appropriate too.  Due to me forgetting things that I purchase, I am now sitting on 2 sets of wiper blades.  One set will go on once I can fix the high idle problem and am driving the car again and the other will remain as a backup.

You guys remember the pruner I shared a few years ago. Well I found something that tops that. 

Chain saw

  I have a gas powered chain saw and a Milwaukee cordless M18 extender chain saw to cut tall branches.  

 The gas powered chain saw is a big mess so I try to avoid using it.  I needed something that will cut branches thicker than 2" which the pruner cant cut and the tree extender has a a hard time holding when cutting on the ground.  

 I bought this because it was cheap and thought that it can cut medium sized branches with a struggle but it will get the job done. I seen the videos and thought they were embellishing a little too much. 

 When I received it yesterday I was worse looking than I imagined. the chain was so thin I thought it was a joke.  I thought to myself let me try it, then laugh at it and return it. 

 To my surprise It cut a very hard dense tree limb like a knife though butter.  I then worked my way upto a 7" limb and it took some time but it went though it better than my Milwaukee chain saw which has a thicker chain.  I do not want to make a claim that it is better than my gas chain saw but I am worried that it might be. 

I am in disbelief.  The videos are not exaggerated they are actually under rated on what it can do.  I thought the pruner was amazing but this is on other level of amazing. 

Interesting.  I don't have a use for a chainsaw, but have always wanted one ... because ... Chainsaw!

And only $40 is practically a steal!

Posted by: @lordtakuban

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Interesting.  I don't have a use for a chainsaw, but have always wanted one ... because ... Chainsaw!

 

And only $40 is practically a steal!

The gas powered is the only one to have to look cool. This little thing is for old ladies. The thing that gets me is, its very light weight including the battery. It's like a small kids toy. I don't think it will last but I dont care because if it cuts up this tree with the least amount of effort its money well spent since tree removal is not cheap these days. 

Thanks for posting information on the little chain saw.  Regarding the electric pruners you told us about, I purchased one this last spring and am incredibly grateful to you for having posted information.  That thing makes my life so much easier when it comes to pruning our fruit trees!  Thanks again for the garden tool reviews.  Much appreciated!

Posted by: @uncle-mush

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Thanks for posting information on the little chain saw.  Regarding the electric pruners you told us about, I purchased one this last spring and am incredibly grateful to you for having posted information.  That thing makes my life so much easier when it comes to pruning our fruit trees!  Thanks again for the garden tool reviews.  Much appreciated!

I am happy it helped. It made my life easier as well. It’s impressive when you discover an actual modern marvel. 

I just want to throw this out there. Amazon prime day is a scam.  It is suppose to be the two or three days were you get incredible deals but its not. 

I have been monitoring prices of things that are on my long list and nothing has changed.  The list price and the reduced price is virtually the same for the whole year but it is sold under the advertising as an exclusive prime day deal. 

The other deals that are some what significant are for cheap crap that you don't need.  This is not the first time I have noticed this but as a person that prides myself on getting the best deals this is nothing more than a confidence game but I am sure other people would fall for this kind deception. 

Yep.  The chances of me finding something I need or want that is on sale during Prime Day is pretty low.  It's like just about any black friday deals.  "Do you want a low end TV that happens to be a large size implying it's good?  Then, we have a deal for you!".  haha

Posted by: @lordtakuban

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Yep.  The chances of me finding something I need or want that is on sale during Prime Day is pretty low.  It's like just about any black friday deals.  "Do you want a low end TV that happens to be a large size implying it's good?  Then, we have a deal for you!".  haha

At one time Black Friday meant something at least online for big ticket items. I got a great deal on an LG OLED TV in the past. As for the stores I would never go and wait in some long line over night to get a stupid playstation with a limited number. 

Later on black Friday deals became the same as Christmas and new years deals. The only good deals comes from items that have fallen off a truck that are resold on eBay. LOL. 

 Some of the best deals I got were from Amazon returns. It was generally brand new with some cosmetic damage to the box. The price was almost half of retail and carried the same warranty. Those deals have dried up once other people caught on and now it is priced higher.