Running Bear's Coffee Shop XLVI

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-24C this morning, dog sat in the driveway with a look that said, 'you don't seriously expect me to go for a walk in this, do you?'

It's days like this that make me happy I don't work outside.


Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose
 
That is a bit brisk. I love when my dogs are outside when it is frigid and try to get all four feet off of the ground. Guess we're having a heat wave at 14 above.

Is it April yet ?
 


Good morning folks.

It's nice and sunny today. We're headed into the upper twenties for a few days. Feels like spring!

I had an issue with my Infiniti that was deemed unexplainable. Traction control and brake lights were going off during hard acceleration. Screeching noises were coming from the wheels. All kinds of problems. Well, my car is under warranty but the closest dealership is in the Twin Cities area, about an hour and a half drive in traffic. I had our Nissan tech take a look at it to make sure it wasn't just needing brakes. Nope, the brakes are good I guess! I took my car to the Infiniti dealership thinking it was a wheel speed sensor or something else wrong. Guess what, it needed rear brake pads and brake fluid! I could have taken it home to work and had the brakes done for half the price, but why would I want to do that if they missed the dang problem in the first place? Especially since I specifically asked them to check the brakes so I didn't drive all the way to Bloomington for a brake job! Needless to say, I had a word with our general manager about it. Now I have to decide if I want to pick a fight with the service manager who is hard to get along with anyway. We'll see if I feel like fighting when I get to work.

Not much else from me today.

Have a good day!
 
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Not much to be gained by fighting Corey. Besides brakes are subjective, to pass a safety inspection in Maryland all you need is 2/32" of usable pad.

I would bet a dollar to a donut that the Infiniti dealer knows that before the brakes are completely worn your problem can arise.

I don't understand why you needed brake fluid, it does not evaporate very quickly in the system. Unless they changed the brake fluid I can't see why you would need to add it.

Of course maybe things have changed since I have been on the shelf for the last 15 years or so.
 
Not a question of fighting. Was asked to check the system. Seems it wasn't done, WHY NOT? Lousy /lazy mechanic? Someone dropped the ball.

Phil
 
Still fighting a cold. NO, it ain't a virus. I get one of these every few years. Finds a warm place and doesn't want to leave.
I'm mad it happened now as I missed a chance to meet Garry. Altho we spoke on the 'phone , not the same as face to face.
Wish the weather here was nicer. Hell, I'll bet soon as he goes home it will warm up. Right now it's only62.
Time for more meds and hot tea. Chicken soup for lunch.
Later,
Phil
 


Bruette said:
Not much to be gained by fighting Corey. Besides brakes are subjective, to pass a safety inspection in Maryland all you need is 2/32" of usable pad.

I would bet a dollar to a donut that the Infiniti dealer knows that before the brakes are completely worn your problem can arise.

I don't understand why you needed brake fluid, it does not evaporate very quickly in the system. Unless they changed the brake fluid I can't see why you would need to add it.

Of course maybe things have changed since I have been on the shelf for the last 15 years or so.
Click to expand...

Some of those statements are what I needed to think about before I approached the service(probably should have before mentioning it to general manager). I had 3/32" left on the rear pads. I was told by infiniti that there is not enough pressure in the system when the pads get that low. I guess that's the reason for setting off the sensors. After I googled the issue, it is a well known scenario with Infinitis. I need to ask service at what point are the pads deemed "good". I would have thought they would have at least mentioned that the pads were that low since I was specifically asking about their condition.
 
He was likely looking for something that would cause a problem and if it were me I would have said your brakes are ok, but I like to replace mine sooner then the minimum.
 
If it were me I would talk to the mechanic that looked at your car, see what he thinks. Be nice he could have been thinking he was saving you some money by not to replacing them yet. Some guys milk every penny out of brakes and tires.
 
Good Morning--it is a heat wave here, +18 and warming!! Really brings out the birds!!

I got my older S-12 operational today, I am getting so familiar with taking these athearns apart that it only takes me about 5 minutes any more. This was one of the older ones with the outside bearings, it actually runs better than the one with the inside bearings, all I had to do was clean off the old oil and some gunk built up around the contacts., although now I go ahead and fully disassemble the trucks.

With the layout pretty much done, I have time to concentrate on my rolling stock and some of the finer details. I will be putting up some stop signs and some of the short posts around the edge of one of the parking areas.

I am thinking about stripping down one of my switchers and painting it for the SLC RR, which is what I am calling my railroad now, as it originated to support the sawmill and logging it has been named to reflect that, Sawmaster Lumber Company Railroad (see sawmill).

lasm
 
Brake fluid needs replacing in modern automobiles, because if the fluid is pushed back into the system any debris can cause problems with the ABS system. A pint of fluid is much cheaper than an ABS module.
 
Thank you Terry! :) I was unaware of that!


LASM you need a large Engine house on your layout "LASM's Rebuild & Repair Shop"
 
bnsf971 said:
Brake fluid needs replacing in modern automobiles, because if the fluid is pushed back into the system any debris can cause problems with the ABS system. A pint of fluid is much cheaper than an ABS module.
Click to expand...

This is one reason I like my old classic cars. They can easily be worked on. Driving my '59 Chevy Bel Air today.
 
Wait a minute- The brake system is a SEALED system. If fluid is needed, it means there is a leak. Line, hose or seal has a hole.
Unless linings are so thin, it pushes out the caliper pistons.

Phil
 
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Flip said:
Wait a minute- The brake system is a SEALED system. If fluid is needed, it means there is a leak. Line, hose or seal has a hole.

Phil
Click to expand...
No, it needs to be topped off when pads are replaced. The fluid moves into the wheel cylinders and caliper pistons as the pads and shoes wear. When you replace the pads and shoes, you need to open the brake bleeder screws to let the fluid out instead of forcing it back through the system. That fluid will need to be replaced.
Also, most brake fluid needs to be replaced periodically. Most brake fluid is alcohol based, and alcohol traps and holds moisture, which will corrode the metal components of the brake system.
 


A brake fluid check is part of a normal service (or should be). The reason, as the pads/linings wear, the pistons move inward/outward to take up the slack ( in automatically adjusted systems) and therefore the fluid level in the M/cyl reservoir drops. Part of an annual pre-winter service should include a replacement of the fluid to remove any moisture content.
 
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