subtle safety warning!

[Malcolm]

I was reading the boat manual on changing the shift cable. At the end they had this warning. Whilst quite true it also made me smile! The last two words will be the hardest safety guidelines to follow as usual!



Safety
Boats can explode. Moving parts can rip off your fingers. Hot exhaust can burn you to the bone and props can slice you up. One spark near a battery can cause an explosion. You can never be too careful. Remove the battery from the boat before working with fuel. Always disconnect the batteries negative terminal first. Clean up any spilt fuel and let ALL of the fumes dissipate before installing the battery and starting the motor. Pulleys and Belts can grab your clothes and hair. Don't wear loose clothing and keep your hair up under a hat. Always wear safety glasses. Be smart.

 

[Dave Bilyk]

Malcolm,
as one who had his face blackened when hot oil in a camshaft cover was ignited by a match, I can claim to be a pioneer in this type of activity. Also causing a sump explosion when a loose spark plug lead was replaced in a 6 cyl engine (unbeknown to me, it had only 5 piston and rod assemblies), the dipstick whistled out of the block passing inches from my ear, and I never could find it, well that was a new one on me:embarassed:.
Anyway, I can only hope that over the years I have learned something about things not to do, and am no longer a danger.

It wont be difficult for Roy tho

regards
Dave

 

[Jim Cowden]

Yes we have all had our little moments.
When I was about 17-18 I was adjusting a set of points.
The coil lead was out of the dist cap and not realizing it was laying next to the battery.
When I cranked to set the dwell it sparked onto the battery case,the battery exploded and large pieces flew threw the bosses office door way and smashed a picture off the wall.

I was within 6" of that battery and not a mark or a splash of acid.
One life gone 8 to go.

Dave remind me not to come out with you.

Jim

 

[Jac Mac]

Had a similar experience to Daves with a 460 Ford ex USA that I was trying to test run for a prospective client. Wouldnt start on the Friday afternoon , so decided to charge batteries etc overnite. Arrived early saturday morning, hooked up the electrics etc & hit the starter button**** BANG****. Dipstick disappeared into the heavens, Both Rocker Covers blown off - all bolts still in cyl heads, Sump that would probably hold another quart of oil & gasket hanging out sides, along with about a gallon of oil spread over everything within a 15ft radius. What a Mess!!!

Reason- Hole in one piston & my failed friday efforts to get it going, plus a dud float in the carb had allowed fuel to leak via the holed piston into the pan overnite. Nice healthy spark in the holed pistons cyl was the last straw.

Good News-- Client got to see the otherwise healthy state of the cylinders etc & since he was intending to freshen the motor went ahead with the purchase.

Bad News--- I dont believe my hearing has ever been the same since.

More Good News--- With some of the BS some people talk, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Ivan]

Had a similar experience to Daves with a 460 Ford ex USA that I was trying to test run for a prospective client. Wouldnt start on the Friday afternoon , so decided to charge batteries etc overnite. Arrived early saturday morning, hooked up the electrics etc & hit the starter button**** BANG****. Dipstick disappeared into the heavens, Both Rocker Covers blown off - all bolts still in cyl heads, Sump that would probably hold another quart of oil & gasket hanging out sides, along with about a gallon of oil spread over everything within a 15ft radius. What a Mess!!!

Reason- Hole in one piston & my failed friday efforts to get it going, plus a dud float in the carb had allowed fuel to leak via the holed piston into the pan overnite. Nice healthy spark in the holed pistons cyl was the last straw.

Good News-- Client got to see the otherwise healthy state of the cylinders etc & since he was intending to freshen the motor went ahead with the purchase.

Bad News--- I dont believe my hearing has ever been the same since.

More Good News--- With some of the BS some people talk, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[WEGENER Engineering]

Also causing a sump explosion when a loose spark plug lead was replaced in a 6 cyl engine (unbeknown to me, it had only 5 piston and rod assemblies), the dipstick whistled out of the block passing inches from my ear, and I never could find it, well that was a new one on me:embarassed:.
Dave

Hey Dave
Was that my old Mustang you were working on?
Seriously my first car. 65 Mustang 6-Cylinder/stick. You know they say they run the best a minute before blowing up. Well here I am 18 years old my Mustang going probably an honest 90mph smooth as a velvet undershirt when suddenly a rod lets go and my old man has to tow me home. Did not have any money for a replacement motor so a decision was made to tap the oil holes in the crank after annealing the journal (although it was pre annealed already judging by the color) and blocking the oil flow with set screws. It ran actually not that bad and provided reliable transportation until I found an inexpensive 289 Fastback. I sold the 5-cylinder Mustang and never saw it again. The 289 incidentally introduced me to what happens when you have a backfire on a stretched timing chain, that jumped tooth or two took me a while to figure out.
In retrospect it was so much fun to be young and stupid and learn by accident and failure....
Mike

 

[Jim Cowden]

MIKE SO YOU ARE TO BLAME.
Volvo then picked up on the 5 cyl idea and now we are all stuck with it.

Jim

 

[Bill Bayard]

Necessity IS the mother of invention when you're young.

When I was a poor, starving college kid, and my financial priorities leaned far more towards beer/women than auto repairs, I learned that a strip of bacon wrapped around a rod journal would silence a bearing knock for short while. I got an extra 1500 miles out of a pound of bacon in my old clunker, before it finally let go for good.

When my girlfriend would comment that she smelled breakfast burning somewhere, I'd know it was time for a "bearing change".

 

[Dave Bilyk]

Mike,
it wasn't a Mustang, but a very British Armstrong Siddeley. I heard that with these engines, it was possible to drop the sump and remove a rod and piston when a big end went.
Bill, are you telling porkers?,, I used to have an oil cooler on a Morris Minor, no thermostat, kept the oil cool, no knock.

regards
Dave