To maintain and repair our vehicles we use the services of a number of local fitters. However to keep costs down, non essential jobs are carried out by members of staff, a system which has worked well for a number of years. Just lately however I have provided a good impersonation of Frank Spencer. Bonfire night I managed to snap an axle of a children's ride and ended up spending the night recovering the trailer. Now I have just turned a problem into a crisis.
One of our Foden transport vehicles has started to suffer from a failing alternator. In layman's terms it means that when you turn the headlights on they drain the battery until your lights go out and the vehicle won't start. Now removing an alternator consists of removing two bolts and disconnecting three wires. BUT to get to the alternator on the engine, the cab must be tilted, this is achieved by inserting a bar into a pumping mechanism and working it up and down until the cab tilts forward to allow engine access. Easy peasy, WRONG!, I worked the bar until a bang indicated that one of the hydraulic pipes connected to the tilt mechanism had burst. There are two pipes to this mechanism, one about 18 inches long with easy access, the other about 8 feet long and wrapped all around the underside of the vehicle. Now to change this pipe you need to tilt the cab, but to tilt the cab you need to change the pipe.
I ended up spending the morning trying to dislocate my arms so that I could undo the pipe. Eventually exhausted, covered in muck and thoroughly fed up I succeeded. Tomorrow I have to repeat the exercise in reverse to refit the new pipe. Then hopefully I can tilt the cab, remove my alternator and get that replaced!!!
One of our Foden transport vehicles has started to suffer from a failing alternator. In layman's terms it means that when you turn the headlights on they drain the battery until your lights go out and the vehicle won't start. Now removing an alternator consists of removing two bolts and disconnecting three wires. BUT to get to the alternator on the engine, the cab must be tilted, this is achieved by inserting a bar into a pumping mechanism and working it up and down until the cab tilts forward to allow engine access. Easy peasy, WRONG!, I worked the bar until a bang indicated that one of the hydraulic pipes connected to the tilt mechanism had burst. There are two pipes to this mechanism, one about 18 inches long with easy access, the other about 8 feet long and wrapped all around the underside of the vehicle. Now to change this pipe you need to tilt the cab, but to tilt the cab you need to change the pipe.
I ended up spending the morning trying to dislocate my arms so that I could undo the pipe. Eventually exhausted, covered in muck and thoroughly fed up I succeeded. Tomorrow I have to repeat the exercise in reverse to refit the new pipe. Then hopefully I can tilt the cab, remove my alternator and get that replaced!!!