J.O.B. day
Wanna say I ‘eliminated’ a problem child of mine, but have to say “aleviated” is the more apropo term. There have been too many instances where a PICNIC (Problem in chair, not in computer) would be my diagnostics on site. SO, even though I replaced the drive unit on a powered gate with an updated more modern controller: The Customer remains the same.
Y’all understand what I just said? If not, no worries,,, I’m just spillin’ me brain out right now.
Not a frigidly cold day, but it weren’t exactly warm either,,, Was quite happy to call it when we did as the temps started dropping again with some cloud cover rolling in, threats of snow, though the weather liars aren’t calling for any. Will see,,,
Parts have not shipped out yet,,, Seeing how these are CNC parts, they are probably making them before ‘fulfillment’. I”m ok with that. I figured out the easiest way to machine the roots to the bore. a pair of 3-2-1 blocks to hold the parts together with a 2 1/2″ pipe lining up the boreholes. Machine the roots to match. Give myself an extra thousandth or so of clearance on the roots and things should be ‘right enough’. Those bores matching are the key here. If I’m mistaken, please chime in BEFORE I go cutting on steel that I can’t easily ‘put back’. (note, I will ‘slot’ the pipe so that it wedges into the bores tight, not just line up the edges.) (side note/after thought: the pipe I am using is powder coated, so SHOULDN’T mess up the bore face. Powder coat being tough, but not as tough as steel.)
Talked to Da tonight, while checking in, had a dinner with him as well. Told him what my plans are with Bloo Twuck, and while he didn’t exactly jump up and down in glee; I did hear some ‘relief’ in his voice: He now knows that this isn’t some whimisical pursuit of mine, like kayaking, or camping,,, There IS a point to all the headaches I have been getting here.
And that leads me to a question, that may or may not be answered here. I’m looking at the scan tools. This one, is nice, reachable by my finances, but lacking in Toyota coverage,,, So its ‘on the shelf’ for this question.
That leaves me in a toss up between these two: The X-tool, and Launch X431Pro I would really prefer the Autel series, but the ones available through the Zon are Euro-centric, almost ZERO US Domestic coverage: When would I work on a Ferrari or Maseratti (there are both in the area, but seriously, d’ya think I could BASE a business on one or two cars?) or worse; SKODA? LOL So, no, the Autel being good, ain’t gonna work for me. (note, the above units DO service the above models as well, but are not focused on Euro trash.)
Back to the question: has anyone used either of the two above and have PERSONAL opinion on them? If so, please chime in. I haven’t settled on this and am in ZERO rush at this stage (though I DO want the ability to do more than clear OBDII codes,,, I have a good OBDII reader, but thats about its limits: read and clear.)
You might have also noted that almost none of the above handle the newer electric models. Thats FINE by me,,,, I have zero interest in dealing with Zappy Big orange cables!!!! (and anyone that dealt with a Prius back in the late nineties KNOWS which cable I am talking about.) Besides, we have a few Tesla’s running around local, but not enough to base a business model on. And from all I can tell, they were all bought used, not from a dealer: likely Auction ‘hicles, so probably be ran into the ground before anyone decided to fix anything. Not my stick, thank you very much.
Ya might notice, I am steering more towards diagnostics over repair,,, and you would be right. Diag was always my strong point, especially in the electrical fubars,,, Tracing down a broken wire may seem tedious, (and is) but it was my bread and butter back in the day. CNS were the other side I was especially good at (look at Bloo,,, she was a CNS for a half day after 12 years of sitting on her rims doing jack shit. ) (for those that are scratching thier heads CNS=Crank, No start.)
Anywhazmajigitz,,, It looks like I have Da’s blessing now. I’m gonna run with it. Lord knows the current situation ain’t pullin’ its load, despite my loyalty to it.
More laters,,,
L,L,L,L,L!
(, ‘)
Dio's Workshop 
Not surprized they haven’t shipped yet.
Question fer ya: I’m sure yer aware, but when the factory (and/or a shop) line bores the block, they do it with the mains torqued to spec, so’s they’re correctly preloaded. Not a dis in any way, but how are ya gonna compensate for that? Seems like the mating surface will be OK like yer talkin about doin it. After all, it ain’t a-gonna be turnin’ 7 grand – I hopez! I would guess that you can torque the mains with the bearings in (with some lube!), and give it a spin. You gotz good judgement, so if’n it’s all free with no binding, yer call.
Are ya familiar with some stuff called plastigage? It’s fer checking bearing clearances. Super easy to use but a bit of a PITA, too. Ya hafta take the cap back off to get a reading. Put a little strip on the bearing ID surface where it rides on the crank journal – the bottom 1/2 of the bearing with NO lube, torque it, take it back off and measure the flattened strip to get the clearance by it’s squashed width. Again, just by memory, but I think it’s around 2 & 1/2 thou. clearance. Poor mans way, it is. It ain’t perfect, but it’s a dam sight better’n just guessing.
Y’all take care,
Mike in FLA.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 16, 2025 at 8:16 pm
Yes, they do torque the caps before boring the main bore,,,
Yes, I have used plastigauge before, and will again, ESPECIALLY since I am putting in new components. Wasn’t too worried about it with the machine shop supplied bearings, matching their ‘adjustments’.
Not sure how to adapt my cuts for the torque aspect, but if the journal is cut to spec, the mating surfaces are my primary concern. more where they fit in the block as they are NOT the same on each cap.(as was shown by that crushed face in the busted cap)
I will be doing multiple checks along the way, and like I said in a prior comment, that shaft may be in and out a few times yet. NOT that I want to, but because thats the RIGHT WAY,,,
My fingers are so crossed and sending prayers to all the small gods, middle gods and THE God, maybe even a few watching angels to boot. Lord knows I have spilled more that few drops of blood in this effort, and likely haven’t finished the sacrifices yet,,,
yeah,,, if this engine ever exceeds 5grand, its gonna be because the brakes failed and I’m compression braking in first gear,,,
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 16, 2025 at 8:32 pm
I wouldn’t worry too much about scratching or scuffing the bore. That just holds the bearing inserts. A little blemish will be less important than alignment I think. Unless said blemish or scratch affects the alignment of the caps to your jig. Can you jig them up with the two caps you’re keeping so that all the bores match? Use the two caps you’re keeping as a guide or reference?
All my scan tool experience was with OTC or Snap On. And two Vetronix. That and El Cheapo code pullers that had generic OBD2 data stream. I found a oscilloscope to be priceless for driveability diagnostics. For CNS you can’t beat a 4 gas analyzer. Probe in the tailpipe. HC while cranking, probably an ignition fault. No HC, bang on the fuel tank and see if it jolts the fuel pump awake. Run an inductive amp clamp on O scope channel 2 around main battery cable or starter feed and put a ignition secondary pickup on channel 1 for the trigger. Relative compression test… Lots of ways to defur the feline. But I always liked OTC for a scan tool. Vetronix was pretty slick too. Snap On is way overpriced for what they give you. Switching from scan tool to lab scope is always the weakness to all of them. I don’t know of any one of them that would let you use scope and scan at the same time for comparison or reference. Make dang sure any scope you get is high input impedance! The old OTC Vision lab scope was low impedance. I smoked two of them before I figured it out. And nobody at OTC knew that it was low impedance. That riled me up! That’s vital information for a generator technician. Bad things happen when you measure AC frequency with low impedance equipment. Smoke curling out of the seams of the equipment you just bought on installments will give you a queasy feeling.
LikeLiked by 2 people
December 16, 2025 at 8:55 pm
You mentioned you had sold a Shop press at one point and kick your own butt for doing so. I had a Fluke O-scope that I passed on (way too frellin’ cheap too) and wish I still had, for much of those reasons you mentioned. I was also really good at reading the ‘map’ on Fuel Injectors, where they opened, when they closed, IF they closed completely,,,
Most of the new scan tools don’t have the O-scope, fact, I can’t say that I have seen ANY with that function built in. So much of the newer cars are so computer controled, the scan tools these day are mostly interfaces to the computers inside. Still need to the thinking though, and a scan tool is just that, A TOOL,,, not THE answer.
Agreed that the Strap-on’s were/are overpriced for what they provide, and most all of the tools require Subscription payments to stay updated to new information. PLUS, there is now another third party service involved, that you pay $50/yr so that you can access OE modules specifically: the ones that are on the otherside of the OBDII window, which most all cars do to stay propietary to their brand. Seems like yet another “Planned obselesence” bug/feature,,,
Purt much why I stick with my Pre-2002 stuff (Prefer pre-96 actually, but I can still deal with 2002 and older without needing a $1500 tablet that only does one trick,,,,)
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 16, 2025 at 9:10 pm
another thought from the depths of my memory files: Have you ever used a vacuum gauge to adjust timing? That was the only way I could nail down the timing in my X/1-9,,, The one I modded out 11:1 compression, hot cam, and four carbed fire breather.
LikeLiked by 2 people
December 16, 2025 at 9:28 pm
A vacuum gauge is so useful! Underneath all the gadgets and sensors it’s still a four stroke engine. Suck, squeeze, bang, blow! About the time I got out of the retail repair industry I noticed a trend in the younger techs. The first tool they would grab was the scan tool. And… They assumed it was telling the gospel truth! Waitaminute!!! That’s filtered data from the ECM. Balancing carburetors with a vacuum gauge is a lost art. Hell, adjusting a carburetor is a lost art these days. You can do so much with old school tools and a thorough understanding of the beast. Talking to you is a blast from the past 😀 I wish I lived close enough to stop by.
LikeLiked by 2 people
December 16, 2025 at 10:20 pm