catgate Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 I got up expecting a good day. It was wall to wall sunshine. I was expecting the delivery of a pair of new correct sized jets for the carburettors of the Honda I am refurbishing (we have been missing our old BMW R100RT). I was also expecting an email from Honda GB with information clarifying the fuel level settings, and I had expectations of good progress. However the post man did not deliver any jets, so that put the lid on that. So I said to management,"Shall we have a trip off somewhere today, or what?" She said she thought we should just wait until after breakfast and just play it by ear (as is the norm).During the porridge making ceremony the microwave turntable stopped being one and reverted to just a statictable. This was a bit of a blow because only yesterday the postman had delivered a new turntable motor, which I had fitted yesterday evening. The new motor had worked, but not as smoothly as I would have liked, but then it is a funny "stepper" sort of motor, and the old one had always been less than silk like in its operation. There was also that ominous smell of a charred phenolic material which always bodes further trouble. So I thought I would try to get a circuit diagram to see just what was connected to what, and why. A long trawl through the Sharp's web site revealed nothing of value. However I did eventually find an 0870 'phone number. This yielded the usual endless layers of "If you want xxx press x". I did eventually, on my third 'phone call, get through to a real live meat person who sounded almost helpful until she realised that I was not one of their service agents. At this point she questioned why I had not taken it to my nearest Sharp Service Centre. So I told her of my last involvement with my nearest Sharp Service Centre, where, despite photographic proof that the control panel read-out had changed, my nearest Sharp Service Centre insisted that there was nothing wrong with the machine, and the Sharp Technical people preferred to believe them rather than the photographic evidence I provided.She eventually said that if I could write a letter to her, providing all this detail, she would see if she could let me have a circuit diagram, but it would be in about a fortnight because she was going on holiday. I left her with my thoughts about Sharp Service Centres and the company's Customer Care Department, and said I would dismantle the machine and work out the circuit diagram for myself. When I took the motor out and introduced it to 240v it just sat there in a most uninterested manner. What I did notice was that there was a "bright " ring round the hole through the floor of the oven where the motor to turntable drive adapter had been rubbing. I them found that this was due to the motor drive shaft being almost 2mm longer than the old motor. this had obviously been putting more load on the motr and has "goosed" it. So I spoke to the company from whence it came and the chap at the other end assured me that it was the correct motor, and it must be a miracle etc,, and would I send it back, and he would sort it out.So wanting to get things moving I packed it up and shot off to the post office. Our nearest PO is in the village about three miles East of us, so thither I went. Thanks to our wonderful government it has started closing in the afternoon and so I had to go to the next nearest one which is about six miles South West of us. Carbon foot prints????On my way back I passed the local dairy farmer, who pops in occasionally for a little bit of welding or plumbing or electricianing etc and who keeps us supplied with fresh milk. He was stationary and was having a bit of tractor trouble, (a troublesome fuel filter), He was on his way to collect a fieldful of hay bales from just beyond our bungalow. He said he thought it would get him through the next day or two but then something would have to be done about it. So I waved cheerio and came home.When I got in I said to management," Now....what is my next move?" and then remembered I was waiting for an email from Honda. Yes there it was...as also was a shout from the back door, "Have you a fire extinguisher handy?" There stood my farmer friend in a bit of a tizzy. His tractor was merrily ablaze in the road just outside our bungalow. He did not know how it had started. So off we charged with our extinguisher. What a blaze. The oil in the air cleaner had got well alight, as had all the oily hay and straw dust covering the engine etc. A plastic fuel pipe had been melted and diesel fuel was pouring onto the road. In fact the road seemed to be ablaze.We eventually got the fire put out. Just how one extinguisher put it out I do not know, but there the dead beast stood still trickling diesel oil onto the road. Eventually we staunched the flow and then went back up to his farm for another tractor with which to remove the badly singed tractor and its four wheeled trailer. We managed to unhitch the trailer from the now dead tractor and towed it back to base. Like most modern big tractors it had power steering, and in the early stages of moving things about he towed whilst I followed steering the dead tractor, but on the longer trip back up to his place I did the towing and he wrestled the dead beast. We then got the trailer back up to his farm and returned to start trying to clean up the roadway with sand, sawdust, limestone dust etc. We were fortunate really that the road is so very quiet and so it all seemed to have worked out with no accidents on the oily roadway, and at the time of writing this (21.30 pm) the road way looks much drier than it did, thanks to a generous dusting of ground limestone.What a day for a retired 75 year old. I just hope my jets arrive tomorrow and I can spent my day attending to the Honda's final few requirements prior to it relaunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchful Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 :lol: :lol: :lol: Sorry to laugh but I've had a beautiful day, wall to wall sunshine, good company, walk across new-mown fields, relaxation etc. B) Have a nice day tomorrow catgate :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandalph Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 So all in all an uneventful boring day then catgate. I hope your jets arrive tomorrow, at least that will give you something to fill your day for you. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 How did you find the time to write that amusing missive on a day like that.How I envy you your day - I spent my day putting a new felt roof on my garden shed - what a filthy 'orrible job that turned out to be. One lesson I learned is not to go for a pee without first checking wheher you have bitumen adhesive on your hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Nothing like enjoying yourself is there? :D Have a good time with the Honda bits if they arrive this year. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 :lol: :lol: You really should hire yourself out to the Women's Institutes etc! You'd earn a bomb!This has been a bright spark in my morning - thankyou. (first time I have ever rated a topic) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 :lol: :lol: You really should hire yourself out to the Women's Institutes etc! You'd earn a bomb!This has been a bright spark in my morning - thankyou. 'Er indoors tried a womens institute meeting once, and was never so bored. She said that the height of the evening was judging the competition to see how many objects could be put onto a safety pin.. Catgate might well liven things up a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted August 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 One lesson I learned is not to go for a pee without first checking wheher you have bitumen adhesive on your hands.I learned a similar lesson many years ago whilst carrying out some work in the lab. with metacreasol. Very similar to the experience a few years before that occasioned by sitting on the edge of my bed and foolishly not realising that the Sloan's linament. that I was pouring into my hand, to apply to an injury sustained a couple of hours earlier on the rugby field, would trickle trough between my fingers and ..........well you can guess the rest.ArtistYou really should hire yourself out to the Women's Institutes etc! You'd earn a bomb!I'm a bit too old for that sort of thing, and anyway I was never one to charge for my services!!!edit:- Still no jets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 I'm a bit too old for that sort of thing, and anyway I was never one to charge for my services!!!Generous to a fault, eh? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted August 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Generous to a fault, eh?Not really. It was lack of anything to charge for that was my biggest let down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artist Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Generous to a fault, eh?Not really. It was lack of anything to charge for that was my biggest let down.Oooh........what a shame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terryala Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 B) "Not really. It was lack of anything to charge for that was my biggest let down."No comment Grand Dad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 arf ... 75 and still on the make ......lurve it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted August 9, 2007 Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 I got up expecting a good day. It was wall to wall sunshine.Come here sweetie.... Let me give you a big hug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted August 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2007 Let me give you a big hug. Not likely. My mother warned me about girls like you. You will pinch all my sweeties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Let me give you a big hug. Not likely. My mother warned me about girls like you. You will pinch all my sweeties.With a bit of luck she might pinch something else. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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