Really steaming!

[Brian]

Someone said the other day that when he met me he did not find me "grumpy" at all, well he should see me this afternoon

Just before the big show here in Norfolk Henrietta started to show no oil pressure so I did a quick check and found that the oil pressure guage had stopped working. OK its worked for 62 years so it has a right to fail. So I ordered a new one! When it arrived I knew I had made a mistake as it was produced in the "Land of Nearly Right" across the Irish Sea. With great trepidation I removed the old unit and offered the new one up!

Surprise Surprise!!!! The mounting lugs were 180 degrees out!

I need Henrietta this weekend to plant spuds so I spent the afternoon remodeling the gauge so the lugs are in the right place and fitted into the dash panel. Then I started to put the pipework back in place.

The Major oil pressure gauge has a pipe from the engine to the back of the dash panel and the gauge has a pipe with a bulkhead fitting that goes through the panel, held in by a nut, and then mates up with the pipe. When I fitted the nut it went on about 5mm easily and then would not go any further. This left about 10mm of thread between the back of the nut and the panel. There was not enough room to get the lock nut on and the pipe gland nut.

I measured the thread. 9.14mm o/d for the first 5mm of length then it changes to 10.24mm o/d.

I think the word Quality should be removed from this companies name or another word added. CR*P, in front of the name!

Be Warned.

[Timeee]

Yes, with you all the way on this subject Brian. I have recently received 2 sets of dash warning lights for a Dexta. One set came with a loom I ordered, the other set I had ordered before from another supplier, because I didn't know whether the loom would came with the dash warning lights or not.

The "loom" set had insulated holders, the only trouble was the thick rubber "insulation" was so thick, there was no way it would fit in the snug space around the top of the steering column, then two of the wires "fell off" . I found the spring clips at the top were too big to clip into the coloured lens holders and if they did go in, they popped off the end of the bulb holders allowing them to drop away from the dash plate. Lots of Anglo-Saxon words, go to the other set.

The other set would not fit because the earth linking wire was too short to bridge the gap between them. when fitted to the dash. After fitting the second set, I then found that the two little ridges in the bulb holder were too shallow for the screw-in bulbs to grip on to, so the spring contact base just flicked them out. More Anglo-Saxon words and I went back to my original old ones, restored the wiring and they are now working fine.

Lesson, if at all humanly possible restore the original, because pattern parts are just that, but to the wrong pattern!

Tim E

[Mjg1705]

Here's a phrase we can all agree on when it comes to these "tacky" reproductions ------ The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten

But I agree Brian -- I had a injector leak of pipe from a certain "quality" company --- didn't actually line up between any of the injectors !! - thank god for good salvage !

[oehrick]

Oh dear Brian, I do hope my comment didn't upset the balance of your local Sod's Law field

It sounds like it was a wrong product in bin problem - something which most perpetual inventory stock systems seem to be entirely blind to.

Justifiably annoyed doesn't = grumpy in my book under such circumstances

I was talking to a local amateur radio contact who had recently phoned, discussed with and bought a £600 item from one of the few long established vendors of such gear left, when it arrived it was something entirely not what he ordered, the despatch note clearly stated what he had bought, was folded and stuck over the description of what the box contained, even that didn't make him blow his top, it was when he phoned to organise the right thing being sent and the wrong thing being collected - he was told he would need to send it back and they wouldn't despatch the right one until they received their c**k-up back!

How can long established companies last with an outlook like this amongst their staff ??? needless to say he called his credit card company to complain and have his money back, then ordered the same item on-line elsewhere, it arrived just before first sellers Finance man rang to find out what the problem was and got both barrels

Anyhow chaps, Brian may not be grumpy but doesn't he brag fancy having enough oil pressure in yer Major to lift the pressure gauge needle off its pin

Rick (asbestos undies on and ready to run )

[Bensdexta]

I expect Speedy Cables in Cardiff, or Speedograph Richfield in Nottingham, may be others too, could repair your gauge. Would prob cost £100, but nice to have an original part fit for another 50yrs.

I've had gauges repaired by both - so far so good!

[Brian]

My faith in human nature has been restored!

Henrietta also has a PTO shaft leak that needs sorting so I went off to Malcolm Hipperson at Downham Market for seals. I also took along the old oil pressure gauge, explained things to Malcolm and he checked his stock, all had the wrongly positioned fixing lugs and the stepped pipe connection. Malcolm said that he had sold quite a few of the gauges and yet no-one had complained or asked why there was problems.

When he tried running the retaining nut onto a new gauge he got the same problem as I had found. His son joined us and went through his stock of taps and dies to find the right thread, he then disappeared into the workshop and came back a few minutes later with a re-threaded gauge. It seems like the second cut of the die was only made about 6mm down the connection. It cost me another new gauge but when I got home it was only a small job to fit the gauge and pipework. Henrietta is now back up and running, the PTO seal will have to wait till we have got the spuds in.

The Internet is not always the quickest and best way to buy things, we need to support more local dealers like Malcolm who know what they are talking about and who are prepared to put the case to the suppliers!

[chriss]

you'll have to go a long way to find someone as helpful as malchome lucky for me he's only 5 minutes away on the down side he's talking of retireing

[liam]

What I can't understand is surely it is as easy to make a part right as it is to make it wrong .All those rubbish parts really take the enjoyment out of restoring an old tractor. Liam.

[Dandy Dave]

Makes one want to jump right in and start producing proper stuff for those who need it. Dandy Dave!