Hey ... do you drive a vehicle? yeah .. me too.

Well, my Dodge Ram has the 5.7 HEMI (right ... had to have the big bore). Well, I've kicked myself for years ... cause ... it only got 14.4 mpg on the computer as an average when it was new. (Heck - it's only got 36 thousand now after the 2,600 I just put on it with the Miss. trip). But ... the milage was actually better, when on the interstate pulling a trailer. 16.6 IIRC at higher speeds with the A/C on. Go figure.

Now ... fast forward. The milage had fallen off and off to about 11.9 mpg. avg. around here. But - the truck was running the same. Because of the hideous milage ... I didn't drive it that much. I had it tuned up. Told the place about the milage. This was a few thousand miles ago. They proceeded to charge me an arm and a leg and nothing changed. I figured that maybe, it was the 10% Ethanol in the Gas over the last few years.

On the recent trip, I couldn't bare to look at the computer ... 10.3 mpg. Some stretches 9.9 mpg. But - it started fine. Ran fine. Great power. Smooth. No odd oder. And, I've been around machinery all my life ... so I'm fairly well tuned to machines. I didn't recognize a problem (other than the fact that I couldn't drive past a gas station without filling up).

I vowed to check it out again when I got home. And ... low and behold ... the engine light came on. The same day ... I noticed a new place that had opened in the valley outside of town. Cars and trucks. I stopped ... made arrangements ... hooked up with their tech ... he checked the computer ... said it was calling for an O2 (Oxygen Sensor). Over the next day ... they got back to me with an estimate. Their were 4 sensors ... they said you needed to replace them all as a set. $614 or thereabouts. Great. When I asked if they couldn't determine which of the 4 might be bad ... .... no ... you can't do that. Thanks for your time.

Next place I went to .... said ... their meter will tell you which ones are working. You can replace that one or those ones. Better. I made arrangements. They called my cell after looking. One sensor was bad ... they estimated $225. Much better.

I got it back. It's a different truck. And ... when you reset the computer on a flat 8 mile stretch of road from Westminster to home .... 23.6 - 25mpg avg. Now ... somebody tell me why it gave 14.4-16.6 right out of the box? Seven years ago.

Next.

I'm waiting for the furnace service people. For the last 30 years ... I've serviced the furnace. Had the whole system replaced in 1987. Serviced that since. Well, this round, I've changed the filter, changed the nozzle, set the firing points, bled the burner, set the low and high limit. It starts immediately ... runs a minute ... shuts down with an error light. I need a bigger hammer. So ... that's coming.

Next.

I was working awhile ago, and thought I heard a child outside. Stopped. Heard it again. Small child. I figured someone had arrived with my grandkids. I open the door ... and there stands a one year old young lady. We look at each other. Neither of us recognized the other. And then, she started to cry. I look around ... nobody else is there. I speak softly to the baby ... and try to win her trust. I then hear someone calling out for "Reighly". But ... I could not tell where from. I call out ... "who's looking for a child" ... and ... of course ... that frightens the little girl. From there, I'm trying to calm the child ... and find out who is looking for her without her running off.

In a minute ... a woman perhaps 20-25 ... with a lip ring .... and a girl about 17 ... come around the back of my truck. They see me standing there with the child and say "OH MY GOD!!!" and some over quickly. They mutter "sorry" and grab the little girl and start walking away briskly. I say ... "that's OK ... who are you?" They never break pace ... and say "we're ... next door". And they disappear back around the truck. I follow a bit and see that they are moving into the house next door ... where the people left in the middle of the night months ago. Somehow, I suspect more events to follow ....

Gary

Never a dull moment at the Barnes shop! How come I never have girls with piercings show up in my driveway?

"How come I never have girls with piercings show up in my driveway? "

Roger that!

Gary, see if you can get her phone number and I'll flip Jerry for first ring.

Lon

Gary you could of had a bad sensor from the get go. It would not be the first time that has happened. The error light on your furnance, a bigger hammer sounds good to me.

I'm glad to see the EPA saved us all that pollution by mandating those oh so successful quad duplicated O2 sensors. So now we know your truck burned twice the fuel it required for the last 37000 mi. Did you know that we now have the same idiots righting regulations for all the states to apply to the electric utilities so they can reduce the carbon foot print. What they can't get via legislation they will get with regulation. Send that used sensor to them, they probably can reduce, reuse and recycle it at the local electrical co-op.

On the bright side Gary, you are now getting as good a mileage as my 1996 diesel and using gasoline that is cheaper at the pump (yes diesel is now more expensive thanks to EPA) . BTW Rudolf Diesel ran his first diesel engine on peanut oil in the 1890s, yes 100% biofuel. I wonder what they thought it smelled like when it ran... "French Fries" wasn't coined until the 1930's.

Here's hoping the fix of the furnace will be just as effective!

Kent

Hi Kent,

You will love this. Yes ... the furnace ended up pretty much the same ....

I had the furnace put in in 87. I've maintained it since. It had developed the characteristic of not wanting to come on (going off early and putting up an error light requiring manual restarting). So; I'd first set the ignition points. You can't have the points arcing directly in the spray of oil. They drown out. So, they need to be above and inside, where they just catch some minor mist. I had it lighting .... BAM!!! ... couldn't get better. So; the fellow adjusted that. Mine was set wrong (for the last 23 years). Then, he set the position of the nozzle inside the fire box. I'd had that wrong too (since before he was born).

Then ... he declared the transformer to be shot. But it had been firing instantly. Now ... transformers are sort of like having the headlights adjusted when you need to have a car inspected. Like having the front end aligned when you get new tires. You have to let them do something or they get all crappy and find everything else wrong. I'd asked him why it might be firing instantly and starting so crisp if the transformer were shot ... .... and he said it was weak. I asked if it arced just to start the fire, or all the while it was burning. He says the newer ones only arc for about 30 seconds ... but these older ones to all the time. I allowed that the transformer was at least 20 years old ... maybe it's not sustaining arc .... so; let's get one then. And, I didn't know what the problem was since I finally had to call for help and all - so; I got a new "ELECTRONIC" transformer. HAS to be electronic now ya know. Electronic rocks are next. Well, for $246 .... it was wired in .... and he tossed the switch to fire it up. It lit OK ... ran OK .... for a minute ... and cut off .... ERROR light comes on.

So; exactly as it has been for me. And, the guy goes ... hummmmmmmm.

I'd checked the photocell eye which is there to make sure it sees fire in the firebox. If your fire would go out ... you don't want the pump to keep spraying oil in there. So; no fire - no light - no light and the system shuts down. I checked it. The eye can get dirty and not see the light well. It was clean ... and I could see the small detail inside the glass. I moved on. This fella asked if I had checked it. He gradually warmed up to the idea that I wasn't just another pretty face ... Yes - I'd checked it. He fiddled with the wires. Then decided (since he was sweating out the knowledge that I'd been right about the transformer .... ) he decided to go to the truck and get another photocell.

He puts in a new photocell .... and it's fixed. Clearly, a faulty cell had been the issue. The bill had the transformer on it, and NOT the new photocell. But ... hey ... mine was an antique transformer and would have died this winter during a blizzard if I'd have insisted. Funny ... I took it and set it on a shelf. The guy wanted to take it, and I said I'd just hang on to it. hahahah. He wanted to toss it in the lake I suspect.

So - yeah .... these are the reasons I've tried to learn to do everything I'd ever need. But ... the self-surgery was hard to see and painful. I can't keep ahead of the swarm of hackers who live to tear down people's businesses (Kelly's PC went to the shop for virus removal this week), and I've gotten old and feeble. Heck - I'll be on a steady pudding diet soon - and using an electronic spoon!

Gary

When you're presonally vested in the results -- no one will ever do as good a job as you will.

Speaking of which . . . I'm off to do my mandatory "work party" at my new gun club. Cleaning leaves out of gutters . . . painting fences . . . ah yes.

-- Jim

take the furnace to the guy who fixed the car ,,, over the next few years it will generate twice as much heat , and put dollars back into the bank for you ,,, next door sounds like fun ,,,lol , wait till they find out whhats in your shed ,,,lol , enjoy

Never a dull moment at the Barnes homestead, is there? From unsupervised toddlers to furnace "experts" that still don't shave regularly, the entire world is conspiring to make your life "interesting". Gotta keep you on your toes after all, you obviously don't have enough to keep you busy around there.

And don't worry Jerry, you'll undoubtedly have your own crop of girls with weird piercings showing up in your driveway any day now.

And on a totally unrelated matter...say...isn't your oldest son about the age to be driving the car on dates pretty soon?

Actually, the oldest has been driving for a good bit now...still worries me.

I see...

So he must be driving the girls with weird piercings somewhere else.

they , well , my grandad actually used to say ,,,, your not getting old till the police men start to look young.
wise words.