Ever buy parts to fix something, then it fixes itself?

[Serk]

Just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Usually it's computer stuff, but the carbs on my '99 Interstate have been in need of a rebuild, hesitation, not running smoothly and slow jets horribly clogged. I ran can after can of Sea Foam, Berryman, Techron through while puttering at slow jet speeds, and still no good.

Had been waiting to get a slot on Attic Rat's calendar for the full package, but a deal came along I couldn't turn down, a set of carbs that'd been rebuilt by Attic Rat, but never installed back on a Valk, at a price I couldn't turn down, figuring a carb swap was within my meager wrenching skills.

The day after I paid the money for the carbs, I went for a ride. The bike fired right up. No hesitation. Running nice and smooth.

What the heck?!?!?!

Oh well, I guess if nothing else I've got a nice spare set of carbs.

Just a general rant, and wondering if that sorta thing happens to anyone else or just to me???

[The emperor has no clothes]

Occasionally. More often though is that I will break or damage something else in the process of fixing something. 

[Jess Tolbirt]

all the time

[old2soon]

      When eve I threaten my Pontiac with buying a Ford or Toyota. RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

Look at it this way.  If you had cancelled the carb purchase, the bike would have certainly continued running poorly.

I have a bathroom light switch like this.  Some time ago, it intermittently didn't work.  No smoke or smell and no popped circuits, and it works most of the time.

So I bought a new switch and set it on the vanity (in plain view of the wall switch) to remind me to change it.  And now it works all the time again.  

(I think it's a shower humidity and age issue, and now the full time AC has dried it out.  It's either that or it's just screwing with me.)    

[sandy]

Bag up those carbs and insert a silica gel pack and seal it real good. Wait for “Someday”.

[Willow]

Yes.

[Valkorado]

Occasionally. More often though is that I will break or damage something else in the process of fixing something. 

Like the underseat latch and key mechanism.     I don't need no steenkin' latch!

[Chrisj CMA]

I bought seals washers and bushings for my forks and also the seal driver because they looked like they were leaking. While waiting for the parts to come in I did the sealmate thing and they have been bone dry for a couple months now. So I guess it didn’t fix itself but I now have a complete fork rebuild kit for when/if the day comes

[John Schmidt]

If it ain't broke, I can fix it until it is!   

[Chrisj CMA]

If it ain't broke, I can fix it until it is!   

Lol! Can’t say I’ve never done that

[Rams]

In my vast experience of attempting to fix things, I've come to the conclusion that I'm better off getting a qualified person to confirm the status of the "thought to be broken thingy" and then let them fix it.   It is very apparent that doing this saves me a lot of $$$, time, blood and being told to clean up my language by the Spousal Unit.   I now have a huge amount of tools that my kids will eventually get since, me using them always leads me to spending more on what probably wasn't broke in the first place but was after me starting the repair process.

Rams 

[Jess from VA]

I can fix lots of things.

I can't fix lots of things.

It's taken the better part of 68 years to learn which is which.  

Plumbing is one of those things I better not try (beyond the simple).  I'm working on a list of plumbing things that need fixed or improved.  Buying the fixtures I want ahead of time.  

I have an old American Standard toilet (3-gallon) that works fine, except for one thing.  My prior owners must have peed in it at night (master bath) 10K times and not flushed it, so it has a buildup of lime or whatever the crud built up in the inner curvy part.  Any large to extra large BM in there has a good chance of clogging up and overflowing which is a nasty event, and water runs down though the basement bath ceiling.

So I don't BM there at all anymore.  Which is fine.

So even though I like the old toilets, I am considering getting a new one that won't clog up and overflow.  My problem is I inherited a pink bathroom; tub, vanity, tile, vinyl flooring and toilet.  I've never been fond of it, but I'm way too cheap to change it just because of color.

So school me on what new fangled toilet I should get, and I wonder if I better go ahead and get pink again (or if they even still make them)?     (I like the short ones not the tall ones)

I'm also wondering if I'll need a second mortgage to finance this coming pluming extravaganza.

[..]

I can fix lots of things.

I can't fix lots of things.

It's taken the better part of 68 years to learn which is which.  

Plumbing is one of those things I better not try (beyond the simple).  I'm working on a list of plumbing things that need fixed or improved.  Buying the fixtures I want ahead of time.  

I have an old American Standard toilet (3-gallon) that works fine, except for one thing.  My prior owners must have peed in it at night (master bath) 10K times and not flushed it, so it has a buildup of lime or whatever the crud built up in the inner curvy part.  Any large to extra large BM in there has a good chance of clogging up and overflowing which is a nasty event, and water runs down though the basement bath ceiling.

So I don't BM there at all anymore.  Which is fine.

So even though I like the old toilets, I am considering getting a new one that won't clog up and overflow.  My problem is I inherited a pink bathroom; tub, vanity, tile, vinyl flooring and toilet.  I've never been fond of it, but I'm way too cheap to change it just because of color.

So school me on what new fangled toilet I should get, and I wonder if I better go ahead and get pink again (or if they even still make them)?     (I like the short ones not the tall ones)

I'm also wondering if I'll need a second mortgage to finance this coming pluming extravaganza.

One day your knees will thank you for a taller model.

American Standard.

[bassman]

+1 tall boy......American Standard.....

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=american+standard+golf+ball+commercial&docid=608016504209501652&mid=EF1E5B7FB0EC5F63FAB3EF1E5B7FB0EC5F63FAB3&view=detail&FORM=VIRE


Installed two of these 10+ years ago.....zero, zip, nada issues with either one

[Mooskee]

+1 on the American Standard "comfort height". Works great.

[Jess from VA]

LOL flushing golf balls.

Years ago, the wife tried flushing an apple.  Didn't go well.   

[Moonshot_1]

Just wondering if this happens to anyone else. Usually it's computer stuff, but the carbs on my '99 Interstate have been in need of a rebuild, hesitation, not running smoothly and slow jets horribly clogged. I ran can after can of Sea Foam, Berryman, Techron through while puttering at slow jet speeds, and still no good.

Had been waiting to get a slot on Attic Rat's calendar for the full package, but a deal came along I couldn't turn down, a set of carbs that'd been rebuilt by Attic Rat, but never installed back on a Valk, at a price I couldn't turn down, figuring a carb swap was within my meager wrenching skills.

The day after I paid the money for the carbs, I went for a ride. The bike fired right up. No hesitation. Running nice and smooth.

What the heck?!?!?!

Oh well, I guess if nothing else I've got a nice spare set of carbs.

Just a general rant, and wondering if that sorta thing happens to anyone else or just to me???

Doesn't work like that for me. I get the part. Attempt the fix. It is usually at 7pm on a major holiday and the attempted fix fails miserably, even when ridiculously simple, and usually involves some kind of major appliance or something like a furnace, on Christmas eve, and it's -20. So we wind up calling the pros, at holiday rates and that we need a new one installed. Now.

Now that never actually happened......yet. But that is a pretty good description of how things work around here.

[Oldfishguy]

Yes, and then . . . no.

I rejuvenate old Honda’s from time to time and therefore have a love/hate relationship with carburetors. I picked up this 1981 Honda C70 Passport a couple weeks back; I’m guessing it was parked 30 years ago in a nice dry storage someplace. I did all the normal things one does when resurrecting a machine. I did my normal tricks on the fuel system as well, twice actually . . . and it ran great, then not, then great, then not . . .

So, I ordered a new Chinese knockoff carb for $28, and then it ran great again. Then not.

The new Chinese carb is running great now.

[Chrisj CMA]

I bought a 1973 Honda CB 175 in 1999. Ok the add said great condition does not run $200

I had to go look. So visually it only had two issues. One spark plug wire was buggerd up and the tail light lens was cracked. So I took it home. Surprisingly the tank was spotless inside and the spark plug wire just needed a half inch cut off and reconnect the boot. They were the old type with a spike inside and you jam in on the wire. Bought a new battery and tail light lens and off I went. But I only got one mile.

So there was a pile of Honda dealers receipts from day one for the same problem. This bike never went more than one continuous mile in its whole life.

I checked everything I could think of and the more I took apart the more I was amazed. This was a brand new bike. Everything was fresh and clean, no rust, no messed up screws. But at the end of a couple days it still would go past one mile with out dying. I rode with the tank open. I was not going to give up so I removed the carbs again.

That’s when I found the problem that eluded Honda dealers for over 20 years. These old carbs have a hole drilled into the side with a metal tube stuck in it it. Just looks like a post. But it’s actually the vent.

So I got a mirror and looked in from inside the carbs and I found both holes were clogged with the metal sliver created when the hole was drilled. I used a curved dental pick to remove those slivers and the bike was fixed.

Now here’s the part that fixed itself.

So I get this little beauty out on the road. It runs great but has no power. A slight headwind and I have to downshift. So I recheck timing, valves. Cam chain. Add some gas treatment. No improvement. However, after a couple more days I feel an increase in power. Every couple days a little more power.

Then it hit me. This bike is almost old enough to be an antique and it’s just now breaking in.

Finally it reached full power all by itself and I rode it every chance I got. To be honest it didn’t feel as small as it was and I didn’t care if I looked silly. It was a fun bike.

I ended up selling it when I bought the Valkyrie, a friend begged me to sell it to him so I did for $600. It’s the only bike I sold that I regret selling.




  

[Oldfishguy]

I bought a 1973 Honda CB 175 in 1999. Ok the add said great condition does not run $200

I had to go look. So visually it only had two issues. One spark plug wire was buggerd up and the tail light lens was cracked. So I took it home. Surprisingly the tank was spotless inside and the spark plug wire just needed a half inch cut off and reconnect the boot. They were the old type with a spike inside and you jam in on the wire. Bought a new battery and tail light lens and off I went. But I only got one mile.

So there was a pile of Honda dealers receipts from day one for the same problem. This bike never went more than one continuous mile in its whole life.

I checked everything I could think of and the more I took apart the more I was amazed. This was a brand new bike. Everything was fresh and clean, no rust, no messed up screws. But at the end of a couple days it still would go past one mile with out dying. I rode with the tank open. I was not going to give up so I removed the carbs again.

That’s when I found the problem that eluded Honda dealers for over 20 years. These old carbs have a hole drilled into the side with a metal tube stuck in it it. Just looks like a post. But it’s actually the vent.

So I got a mirror and looked in from inside the carbs and I found both holes were clogged with the metal sliver created when the hole was drilled. I used a curved dental pick to remove those slivers and the bike was fixed.

Now here’s the part that fixed itself.

So I get this little beauty out on the road. It runs great but has no power. A slight headwind and I have to downshift. So I recheck timing, valves. Cam chain. Add some gas treatment. No improvement. However, after a couple more days I feel an increase in power. Every couple days a little more power.

Then it hit me. This bike is almost old enough to be an antique and it’s just now breaking in.

Finally it reached full power all by itself and I rode it every chance I got. To be honest it didn’t feel as small as it was and I didn’t care if I looked silly. It was a fun bike.

I ended up selling it when I bought the Valkyrie, a friend begged me to sell it to him so I did for $600. It’s the only bike I sold that I regret selling.


  

Great story!  And an even better fix it story!

Just to make you feel worse about selling the machine . . . Low mileage original machines like that have escalated in value recently, like a lot of toys.  In todays market I'd say it would bring $3000, more if on either coast.