6 ms·

I used to read all the time, see videos, "you should learn to deal with small engines," but for decades I just leaned on my farm-raised friend when I couldn't g

by jtode 3y ago

I used to read all the time, see videos, "you should learn to deal with small engines," but for decades I just leaned on my farm-raised friend when I couldn't get a thing started. Then I moved out of the city and came to a morning when I needed to blow my driveway, the blower wouldn't start, and basically I had no choice but to figure it out. Solution: find a very thin pin and ream out the buildup in the carburetor, and all the steps leading up to being able to do that. The sense of personal (horse)power I felt after reviving that engine was palpable. It's funny cause now, just based on that experience, I'm not saying I'm an expert, but I am saying if I encounter any small engine that won't start I will eagerly start trying to figure it out. It looks fun now. The brain is weird.

bombcar 3y ago
Reminds me of all the computer manuals from the 80s that would say something like "YOU CANNOT HURT THE COMPUTER BY USING IT - if you get confused, turn it off and back on".
- lisper 3y ago
  Except with a gasoline-powered generator you can do some serious damage if you're not careful. Gasoline is no joke.
  - jtode 3y ago
    Could take a finger off with a snowblower too, I get nervous when I change out shear pins even with the starter key in my hand. You gotta have a sense of yourself obviously.
    - BizarreByte 3y ago
      Disconnect the spark plug, it should be easy to access. That way you can be 100% sure it’s fine if you’re concerned.
  - red-iron-pine 3y ago
    To paraphrase my father-in-law: paper is flammable, gas is combustible; most people don't figure out that difference until too late...
  - BizarreByte 3y ago
    It’s no joke, but it’s also not a big risk if you have some common sense and work in a well ventilated space. We really shouldn’t discourage people from trying to fix thins because of fear.
    - lisper 3y ago
      I don't disagree with your overall sentiment, but working safely with gasoline requires a lot more than just ventilation. In my case, I was fixing a fuel valve, which turns out to be fraught with all manner of peril. I was very lucky in that I had a neighbor who has experience working with ICEs looking over my shoulder. Without that it would have been very dicey.
      - BizarreByte 3y ago
        I mean generally in that case I would simply drain the tank into a gas can, pinching off the line if I had to while disconnecting it from the carburetor. After that it would be pretty trivial. If you need to try a repair again checkout YouTube, the small engine guys on there are really, really good. They've got tricks even I'd never heard of before.
        lisper 3y ago
        Yes, of course. But that's because you know what you're doing. Someone who didn't know what they were doing could end up with a puddle of gas on the floor, which could then turn into a cloud of gasoline vapor, which could then turn into a bomb if they dropped a wrench the wrong way.
        DiggyJohnson 3y ago
        You are really determined to make the point that caution is warranted, but shouldn't all adults know that?
        lisper 3y ago
- titzer 3y ago
  Omg, I am reminded about daily that there are buttons all over every UI that you absolutely do not want to push. We're constantly three wrong clicks from completely ruining an app/your data/the entire OS/your entire disk. And it seems like UIs are constantly violating this: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/proximity-consequential-options/ https://www.nngroup.com/articles/proximity-consequential-opt...
dylan604 3y ago
Just this weekend, I ran into a different situation. I've owned battery powered equipment for 5 or 6 years now using the original batteries. They are interchangeable, and have served me well...until this weekend. The battery will no longer hold a charge and the charger light blinking pattern indicates there are problems with the battery. How do you self-repair that? Funny thing, the replacement batteries are much larger in capacity now, but the price of a single replacement battery is the same cost of a new powered tool. So, I wound up getting a new tool that I didn't have with a new battery. I have a few LiPo batteries for my cinema camera gear that have died as well. I'm going to try to find someone that can just replace the batteries packs inside the custom housing.
- throwway120385 3y ago
  Take the battery case apart and see which cell is tripping the protection circuit?
  - dylan604 3y ago
    working with LiPo battery packs just isn't my thing though. I've taken apart the camera battery and can clearly see the type of batteries in it, but they are all glued together in the shape to fit the case. Maybe I'm a just a wuss, but trying to disassemble the pack without piercing a cell is a bit more than I am willing to risk at this time. I'm hoping paying someone with that skill to make the replacement will still be cheaper than buying new. ~$400 for a 14.8V 98Wh 12A max battery.
- ramses0 3y ago
  Corded tools, my friend. Corded tools, a few good extension cords (and a pluggable reel), good hand tools, small/dumb tools with AA/AAA rechargeable batteries. Very few exceptions to this rule for me, and I generally avoid anything with a Micro-USB charger like the plague if I can, as I can't help but see it becoming e-Waste in 3-5 years.
  - dylan604 3y ago
    Corded tools? You must be a city dweller

by jtode 3y ago

bombcar 3y ago

Reminds me of all the computer manuals from the 80s that would say something like "YOU CANNOT HURT THE COMPUTER BY USING IT - if you get confused, turn it off and back on".

lisper 3y ago
Except with a gasoline-powered generator you can do some serious damage if you're not careful. Gasoline is no joke.
- jtode 3y ago
  Could take a finger off with a snowblower too, I get nervous when I change out shear pins even with the starter key in my hand. You gotta have a sense of yourself obviously.
  - BizarreByte 3y ago
    Disconnect the spark plug, it should be easy to access. That way you can be 100% sure it’s fine if you’re concerned.
- red-iron-pine 3y ago
  To paraphrase my father-in-law: paper is flammable, gas is combustible; most people don't figure out that difference until too late...
- BizarreByte 3y ago
  It’s no joke, but it’s also not a big risk if you have some common sense and work in a well ventilated space. We really shouldn’t discourage people from trying to fix thins because of fear.
  - lisper 3y ago
    I don't disagree with your overall sentiment, but working safely with gasoline requires a lot more than just ventilation. In my case, I was fixing a fuel valve, which turns out to be fraught with all manner of peril. I was very lucky in that I had a neighbor who has experience working with ICEs looking over my shoulder. Without that it would have been very dicey.
    - BizarreByte 3y ago
      I mean generally in that case I would simply drain the tank into a gas can, pinching off the line if I had to while disconnecting it from the carburetor. After that it would be pretty trivial. If you need to try a repair again checkout YouTube, the small engine guys on there are really, really good. They've got tricks even I'd never heard of before.
      - lisper 3y ago
        Yes, of course. But that's because you know what you're doing. Someone who didn't know what they were doing could end up with a puddle of gas on the floor, which could then turn into a cloud of gasoline vapor, which could then turn into a bomb if they dropped a wrench the wrong way.
        DiggyJohnson 3y ago
        You are really determined to make the point that caution is warranted, but shouldn't all adults know that?
        lisper 3y ago
titzer 3y ago
Omg, I am reminded about daily that there are buttons all over every UI that you absolutely do not want to push. We're constantly three wrong clicks from completely ruining an app/your data/the entire OS/your entire disk. And it seems like UIs are constantly violating this: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/proximity-consequential-options/ https://www.nngroup.com/articles/proximity-consequential-opt...

dylan604 3y ago

Just this weekend, I ran into a different situation. I've owned battery powered equipment for 5 or 6 years now using the original batteries. They are interchangeable, and have served me well...until this weekend. The battery will no longer hold a charge and the charger light blinking pattern indicates there are problems with the battery. How do you self-repair that? Funny thing, the replacement batteries are much larger in capacity now, but the price of a single replacement battery is the same cost of a new powered tool. So, I wound up getting a new tool that I didn't have with a new battery. I have a few LiPo batteries for my cinema camera gear that have died as well. I'm going to try to find someone that can just replace the batteries packs inside the custom housing.

throwway120385 3y ago
Take the battery case apart and see which cell is tripping the protection circuit?
- dylan604 3y ago
  working with LiPo battery packs just isn't my thing though. I've taken apart the camera battery and can clearly see the type of batteries in it, but they are all glued together in the shape to fit the case. Maybe I'm a just a wuss, but trying to disassemble the pack without piercing a cell is a bit more than I am willing to risk at this time. I'm hoping paying someone with that skill to make the replacement will still be cheaper than buying new. ~$400 for a 14.8V 98Wh 12A max battery.
ramses0 3y ago
Corded tools, my friend. Corded tools, a few good extension cords (and a pluggable reel), good hand tools, small/dumb tools with AA/AAA rechargeable batteries. Very few exceptions to this rule for me, and I generally avoid anything with a Micro-USB charger like the plague if I can, as I can't help but see it becoming e-Waste in 3-5 years.
- dylan604 3y ago
  Corded tools? You must be a city dweller