I've Got A "Crush" On Crush Washers...

There are Moments where I genuinely want to thank God for giving me a Brain.  I really mean that with all sincerity and humility.  There are many times where I, when faced with a problem or issue,  STOP what I'm doing...  To think.  And it can be frustrating, because I know that society at large tends to favor those who "spring into action."  Or...  As I would like to phrase it:   They React!   Act without thinking! This can be helpful if you are in the Army and people are shooting at you.  But this is why they train....  So you do not have to think.   Your training takes over. 

But before I go down that rabbit hole,  I want to bring things back to what this Blog post is originally about.     The Humble Copper Crush Washer.

 If you read the last post,  you will note that I worked on fixing my front brakes on the Silver Eagle Subaru. And since it has been over two years since I last did a Brake Job,  I don't have the muscle memory of a Mechanic (Or soldier) to take over on the details.  I have to do things slowly and methodically...   With plenty of time, Tools, new Materials and You Tube Videos to spend in it.  I have no safety net,  No back up,  No "Hey buddy!   Can you give me a ride to the Auto place for this part?"  It is just me and my brain.   ( And a little bit of previous experience...  Just enough to give me that Dangerous "DIY Confidence.")

So, after bleeding the brakes for the first time ever... I took the Subie out for a test drive and the brakes worked.   And that was the end of THAT story.   

But... As with all things in Life...  The story continued!

Monday Morning, I woke up to a fairly large puddle under the driver's side tire.    My Brake line was leaking!

With a little bit of time to spare before work,  I took the tire off and started trouble shooting.  Turns out,  the connection between the brake line and caliper was slowly weeping.  (That is without applying the brakes under pressure!)   The inside of the tire told a different story...   The entire rim was "Painted" with brake fluid.   This was more than a leak...

Now here is where I'm thankful for my "Stop and Do No Harm" thought process...  Rather than crank down the banjo bolt to tighten it,  I checked out all of my Torque specs to make sure I had done things properly.   I pumped the brakes and reconnected everything...  It still leaks.    With time running out,  ( I had to go to work.)   I ask myself:   what are the minimums I can accept? 

I have to get to work.  Check.  Can I get to work?   I Think so...   With a manual transmission, I have driven to work before without touching the brakes.  ( Down Shifting... It is a fun little challenge I play sometimes.) 

I have plenty of Brake Fluid,  so I will keep the reservoir filled.   And I have all of my tools ready in the event I have to pull over.  And I will research and Think about the problem until I can handle it on Tuesday.

The problem turned out to be the Crush Washers on that line.   The previous dozen videos all glossed over the important "tip" that needs to be done when installing new crush washers.   They just say  to torque them to the right spec.   They DON"T show you how to seat them properly. 

It took me a while with the "right search terms" to find videos that address this issue.   And many of them seems to contradict each other.   So here is where you ask "Why?"  

Why do you need to Hit it with a hammer?   Why do you need new Crush washers every time"  Why must you use Copper instead of regular washers?  Why can't you just crank down the bolt tighter to make the leak stop?  

I know there are lots of people who's answer to all of these questions is "Get a bigger hammer and hit it harder!"   or tighten it until you pull the threads.... Sometimes that works!   But in most cases, all that does is break things.  And I can't afford to Break my Brakes!   Other ones will tell you buy better parts.  Take it to a professional. Use better tools and equipment.  Etc.  And I'm sure all of those points of view are valid.   And are grounded in what has worked for them.  (Like the guy who hates copper washers....) 

I found one Video that seemed to explain the theory and Ideas behind the Copper Crush washer better than the rest.  And answer the "WHY?" questions the best.  

So...   I hit the Bolt with the hammer.   And that Helped!   But it was still leaking.  Noticeably less than before... But a leak is still a leak.  And I find leaks unacceptable!   

I purchased a rubber-steel hydraulic Washer Set from Amazon.   But that was not going to arrive until Wednesday night.   So I Still had two days to make it back and forth to work.  So...  That is what I did.  

he old ones are too corroded. 

On Tuesday,  I wondered if there was any other  thing I could do to stop the leaking.   Or if I could reuse the previous washers.   Again, the Internet was split on this.   Those who think only NEW washers can be used.   Others who say "In a pinch,  you can use the old ones."   

But here is where they "Why?" question comes in.   The Old washers can not simply be reinstalled.   They have to be "reconditioned"  And I found a video that showed me how. 

Lightly sand the previous impressions off the washer.  But be careful not to take off too much!  Because then the Banjo Bolt will not seat properly.  (Turn it too far and the brake fluid will not flow into the Caliper Piston.)  Like a Ball Valve for your Plumbing.

And then there is the Annealing Process.  Heat up the copper to make it softer.  This will provide a better seal. 

Banjo bolt removed!

All of these things they did not mention in the brake videos.   And are Kind of Important!  If you don't want leaks.    OR to strip out the threads of your brand New Caliper!  

And so,  yesterday...  Under threat of rain and cold,  I jacked up the Subie AGAIN!   And removed the Washers.   I found the old ones, but decided I would try to use all of the methods I had just discovered on the new ones.   (By the way, I also clamped the hose and depressed the brake pedal, so the brake fluid did not leak all over my driveway again....) 

Indented crush marks.

I could see that my banjo bolts had, in fact, made an impression on the washer.  While torquing it down, I was convinced nothing was happening.  But you could clearly see the impressions. 

Is THIS the problem?

And that is when I noticed what was probably my problem.   

A small indented channel across the surface on the backside was probably the reason I was not getting a good seal when torquing things down.  DING DING DING!

almost gone.

I found some sand paper and began  the process.   With only 120 grit and 1000 grit,  it was a slow process.  120 grit takes off too much material and leaves deep scratches.   

sanded and shiny!

And the 1000 grit paper is only good for polishing.   But I somehow made it work to the point where the Channel was removed.   And I don't think I took off too  much of the copper material.  

With the the washers now "resurfaced",   I dug out my torch and annealed them.   I was probably a little overly cautious  to make sure I did not OVER-heat them.   Only to orange or red.. not to white.  But the difference was noticeable.   I dropped the annealed one and it did not "Clang!" when it hit the surface.  Kind of cool.

And so,   with all of these "little things" finished,  I reinstalled the washer and bolt.   Torqued  them down to the right spec and started things up.   

No Leaks!  HURRAY!

It is the little things that give you the most pleasure in life.  The satisfaction of knowing how you unraveled the mystery and found the missing piece of a disjointed puzzle. I'm still baffled how I managed to get the passenger side caliper to work out without issue.  And I guess that is why most of the videos leave out the whole "Hitting the Bolt With The Hammer" and "Annealing" process off their videos.  I do not do enough brake jobs to know if a leaking brake line is common or not.   But it would be a nice little tip to add to any of those previous videos. 

So now I have a record of my lesson so my future self will not have to wade through an ocean of videos to refresh my knowledge of brakes.   And maybe someone else will access this blog post and be able to glean tidbits of information to help them with their struggles.   

A Simple Copper Crush Washer....  Not so simple.   Or Unless you know the tips to make it so.  And when you do,  you feel like you discovered a hidden gem that everyone else has passed over or ignored.   What better way is there to make every second count? 

Lights! Camera! BRAKES!

 What a busy week!   I had to go back in time and reread my old posts to see what I covered in my adventurous life!  The Haribo thing kind of stepped up in priority,   but I have honestly been busy with other things while NOT at work.   Things I hinted at in  my last post.   So now..on this Sunday evening,  I finally have time to catalog those events and achievements for my future self....  When I am in a home.   And can't remember who I am or what I'm doing.  

"Hey!  Mr. Allen... Why don't you read this cool blog about yourself?"   Maybe it will help me when the Alzheimer's kicks in...

So let's get to it....

Sometime this week,  I replaced all of the lights in the Garage.   There was a sale at Menhards and I simply could not resist!  Not to mention that the lights that were wired up looked TERRIBLE!   And probably posed a fire hazard.  ( eventually....)  So I ripped out all of the old wires and set up a single outlet for the lights to plug into .   The beauty of the lights are that they are LED and far brighter than the old ones. ( Flicker flicker....  Humm Hummmmmmm!)  And they can be linked up to 4 lights.   They simply plug into each other.  (up to four units!)   So after wiring up a single outlet to the breaker box,  I just had to set  up  a chain of lights in the former pattern.  

With the new lights up,  I was able to tear down the old ones!  Along with all of that CRAZY wiring that the previous owner set up.  I have to say,  many of the junction boxes looked like a disaster waiting to happen!   Now it is all down and cleaned up.  I was able to recover several yards of wire and have already been able to recycle some of it!   

Plus,  it all looks so much cleaner....

I also spent either Wednesday or Thursday hooking up the flood lights on the top of the Garage!  I tapped into the previous switch  circuit and attached a new switch.   It was helpful being able to look at my brother's work to figure out the best way to hook things up.   I think he would be proud!  

And best of all,   I now have the ability to light up my small backyard with light!   No more missing black cat in the dark!  ( Just kidding,  she does not go far when she is outside. )  

I worked Saturday to help clean things up at Haribo.   So that was pretty much all I accomplished.   But today,  I focused on repairing the brakes on the Silver Eagle Subaru!

 I have done brakes before with the Silver Bullet Subie.  I even did work on the Bean Subie.   But each time, I seem to learn something new.    That being said,  I have certainly gained confidence and tackled more and more each time.  The last time I actually put in a Caliper on Dave's KIA.  

So the Silver Eagle has been "wobbling" each time I press the brakes lately.   I purchased pads and rotors, but did not really get the opportunity to put them both on.   I think I had a small window last week so I just put on the pads.     While I was down there, I noticed that the old brake pads were not really that bad!   And upon telling a former mechanic, he mentioned it sounded like warped rotors.   I told him I would probably swap them out this weekend.  

And so that day was today.   Experience had taught me to be prepared for anything.   Including a broken bolt on the Caliper Bracket!   Therefore, I ordered new Brackets,  New Hardware (Bolts, etc) and since they were cheaper as a combo,  I ordered new Calipers for both sides!   The slide pins were seized up pretty good, and I simply did not want to deal with them.  ( not to mention I did not have the time or possibly the tools to deal with them....)  

So,  New pads, Rotors, Bolts, Brackets, and Rotors!   I even picked up some extra brake fluid, anti-seize,  and penetrating oil to round things out.  I was prepared for anything except a broken hydraulic line. 

I watched several videos just to refresh my mind and then started.   Every thing went surprisingly easy.  Granted, I was slow and methodical.   This was the first time changing out the Calipers on a Subaru, but it was pretty easy.   The only thing I would say was that I learned that it is best to leave the caliper swap for last.   I accidentally got brake fluid all over the place because I detached the brake line too early.   It just kept dumping out by drips.   I think  with Dave's KIA,  I clamped the brake line so there was not much of a mess.   But the You-tubers told me there was a chance that that could damage the line.   

Sooo... I chose to not clamp the hose.   Looking back, I think clamping the hose was probably a better choice.   Even doing a quick caliper swap near the end of the job on the other wheel still resulted in a mess.    BUT... I did not have a replacement hose.   So better to be safe and messy then sorry and stranded!

So everything looked good.   I even torqued down the bolts to the right specs.  I applied anti-seize to the bolts and calipers.   Everything buttoned up nice and easy.   And it only took 4 hours! ( I told you I was slow but cautious!   I was on my own here!) Time to fire things up!

And that is when I ran into a bit of a hiccup.   I have never had to "bleed the brakes" before.   So that was kind of a new thing when I stepped on the brakes and they went all the way to the floor without engaging!  Ummm....  Opps!  

Panic set in like a splash of cold water in the face!  My mind began to spin out of control with all the worst case scenarios  that would result in my having to  call a tow truck and missing a day of work because I could not get there.   Or having the brakes fail at a busy intersection!   Or having the Mechanics LAUGH AT ME for trying such an easy job as a DIYer and failing something so obvious....

Deep breath.   Go back online and find a  video about bleeding brakes.  How hard can it be?  

Well..  Funny thing.   All of the videos. (ALL OF THEM!@!!!!!)  suggested tools or special equipment in the event you were doing your brakes solo.  I don't have those tools.   I can't GET those tools... Now that my brakes are not working and I am stranded at home on a Sunday evening.  As Darkness settled in, I began to panic again.   

This is that moment where you pray.   Asking God to forgive you for believing you can do something so simple alone.   Not really alone!   (Not counting all of the online help and videos...) And asking him to help you figure things out.  To be the Spirit in your In-Spirit-ation.

The easiest, simplest, and cheapest videos I found wanted me to use a bottle and a rubber hose to get the air bubbles out of the line.   I might be able to find a Bottle.... But I would never find a small rubber hose!    

Then I remembered Andy ( my old brother in-law... And Subie Mechanic.) and he just opened the bleeder valve  and pressed the brake until the fluid sprayed out!   I followed his lead.

Remove tire. ( again.)  10 mm wrench to loosen the bleeder valve.  Get in car and press the brake two times.....  Get out and see if any brake fluid is being sprayed out. ( it was!)   Tighten up the valve....  Rinse and repeat on the diver's side. 

It Worked!   Hallelujah!  Don't think I skipped out on thanking God for the help.  Not only had he provided a beautiful day,  the tools,  the former experiences,  a FLOOD LIGHT to help illuminate the area, but he also provided that memory of watching how a Pro did it.  And having it work out.  

I took the car for a spin around the neighborhood to the local Kwik Trip.  There was plenty of stopping and starting, so I am now confident that I got the bubbles out of the line and things are as they should be.   PLUS I noticed that the shimmying is no longer there.   I must have solved the original problem with all the effort I put in today.  

Hopefully I did things just in time before any snow flies.   I hear we are scheduled to have a couple more nice days this week, but we have already had frost here in Kenosha.  My Morning Glories are now wilted and gone.  I will have to harvest some of those seeds before I clean out that area for next year.   And I'm sure snow will be on its way in no time.  

But I managed to get my project(s) finished and still found some time to blog about it.   I have a couple other projects in the works for next week, but we shall see how far I get on them.   Looking back, I somehow managed to finish a lot of stuff the last week.   Wiring up those outlets looks several hours, but now I have the ability to plug in power tools and work inside if I so desire.  And the new lights are awesome!   Both the interior and the Exerior ones!   I guess I will continue to work on the garage until the weather turns and forces me into the warmth of the house.   Until then I will do my best to make every second count. 

Adventures In Haribo!

 This week has felt more like we were Coal Miners rather than manufacturers of Candy.  And by that comparison I'm referring to the moment a Cave-in happens!    This week has been a week of "survival!" 

There are a number of factors that play into this comparison.   First,   We have been doing a LOT of production.  (96 tons the other day in our shift alone!... That's HUGE!)   And that would be fine... If everything that was automated worked as it should.

The AGV's ( Robot Fork Trucks), the Passerella, (The giant conveyer system that moves finished goods to the warehouse.)  And the Production lines have all had their issues.   But that is typical and normal.  And that is why the Material Handlers are there.  We fix the things that are stuck or stalled to keep the materials moving.  

But then there is the new line for the Mini's that was installed a few months ago.  It is finally operational.   And it works!    Way WAY too Well!   It is virtually impossible for us to keep up with the thing.  Whether it is to feed the front with boxes, totes, and pallets or to remove the finished bin goods from the back....  We need to dedicate a single material handler to grab the pallets from the back and take them to the scale... weigh them!  Then take them to the Passerella, Maxi line, or trailer parked at the docks.  Since the line started up,  it has actually taken TWO material handlers to keep things moving.  

And even THAT is not so bad.   Since they have added one of the "Back up" material handlers to our struggle. (Gabe or Dillon.)   Along with Patrick and sometimes Anthony ( Lead and Supervisor) jumping on to help out with breaks and "catch-ups"),  we have been able to keep our heads above water...

But the real issue this last week has come from the warehouse.   We filled it!   And now THEY are struggling to find room for stuff.   Add in that they have been short handed for a couple weeks now. ( Only three guys when there should be six!)  And you have a disaster!  

The trouble is they can not clear the passerella fast enough.  ( similar to our problem with the Mini's)  And as a result, the pallets back up.   So our side of the plant backs up.  So we have to find room for storage in a place that is crammed with production lines instead of storage lanes or racking!   

So things become crowded.  Pathways blocked.  Staging areas cluttered!  And ultimately,  normal production and SOP's become delayed or grind to a halt.   This makes for some fun moments for the Material Handlers!  To go back to the Coal Mine Analogy:  It feels like we are trying to dig ourselves out of a Tunnel Collapse using only a Spoon!

All that being said, it is moments like these that create those "Bonding Moments" for our second shift Team.  (I'll lump in third shift,   those guys work well together too!)  Just like those times in the Army...  Where the rain and cold and mud and shared Misery made us all closer and linked.   Shared Misery!   Sgt Dodge used to say our times in the field were: "Practice being Miserable!"   So when (or if) we went to war,  it would not be a huge shock.  

So finishing this post,  I will say that it DOES feel like we have went to war this week.  (Figuratively speaking....)   War with the Warehouse, ( Not really, those guys are working hard!) War with the Systems, (Kind of... We are still following protocols and safety practices.) And mostly:  War with the Gummies!   Those gummies never stop!   The upstairs Mogel guys dump 96 TONS of gummies on us and are happy to see them all go down the Ash System.   "Bye Bye Gummies!  Now you are Packaging's Problem!"  

And we have to juggle 96+TONS of gummies while the Warehouse sorts out their storage issues and employee retention problems.   Trying to load trucks for Sam's Club and Walmart when there are not enough trucks or people to load those trucks. 

And finally there is US!  The Material Handlers!  Stuck in the middle trying to keep everything running.   Pulling boxes and pallets off the Passerelle (When we finally get them...)  to bring to the lines,   while also trying to fill the Passerelle with finished goods that we have pulled off the lines. 

 Like the Blood in a circulatory system....  Trying to keep the oxygen moving while exchanging it for the CO2 that has to be removed.   All while struggling to flow through the narrow capillaries of the Body.  (That become more and more clogged as we age!)   Perhaps I should try to get back in shape!

Just my morning thoughts before I head back to work for this last day of a challenging week.  (Not true!  I work tomorrow as well!) There are other things that I wanted to blog about, but felt like this one had to get down before the week was over.  I can always blog about the "other things"  this weekend.   In the mean time,   I will continue the struggle!  Fight the good Fight!  And do my best to make every second count. 

Adventures In Garage Door Opening

 Today, I finished installing my garage door opener!   Hooray! 

A task that most people can complete in a single afternoon,  took ME an entire week to finish!   

Wanna know my secret?   

Well.  Lets get to it! 

First... I want to qualify the fact that time was a valued commodity for me.   I only had a few hours each day to work on the project.   ( 2-3 hours to be exact)   So don't be thinking that I'm some brain-dead monkey with a hammer and a bag of Cheetos.  I did what I could with the time that was allotted. 

First thing I had to do was get the actual unit up and connected.   I did that on day one.  ( Monday!)  I lucked out in having the day off because I went to Michigan for the funeral, and I happened to have that day off because I thought I would take a travel day in reserve.   Anyway,  I was able to contribute several hours to installing the unit. 

But then I ran into a small problem.  The instructions tell you to measure to the "largest height of the garage door."  kind of vague...   All of the videos mention this as well without any clarity on just where I should be measuring.  I measures and thought I had the proper height all lined up.  

Guess what...   I measured wrong.  

The proper height is actually 2-3 inched MORE than what you think will be the top most height of the garage door.    So some adjustments had to be made. 

Luckily, not much.  I thought I could squeak by with cutting a small notch in the 2x4 that was blocking the belt trolly.  But I discovered that that would probably cause it to become structurally unsound over time.    And I also discovered that by giving support to the 2x4s with a short lifter board,  I could avoid cutting a 2 inch notch out of each support.  That little revelation took a day...

With the  unit installed, I had to set up the wiring for the safety features.   This took an additional day to complete.   You might not thing that it would be that difficult, but there are wiring paths that have to be considered.  And then there is the aesthetic to the whole thing.  ( I want it to look good!)   So.. on Thursday, I finished the on/off button and safety sensors that mark the edge of the garage door.  

And then it was time for the wiring.  I had to get power to the short power cable that is provided.   I guess most modern houses have a random power outlet in the roof of their garage?  Well mine didn't!  

So I had to wire up something.  ( Electricity 101 Recap!) Did I mention that this caused a number of other things that had to be done prior to the set up?  Oh yes!  

My brother and I managed to get power to the garage and lights.   However....  I discovered that many of the "pre set lights:" were disastrously set up  ( this coming from someone that is a first year apprentice electrician....) Sure, I  might have passed Electricity 201.... But even I know when things are not as they should be. 

All of these wires coming out of the junction box with no where to go.  I spent an afternoon sorting out things and eliminating the redundancies.  In the end I got down from 8 wires to 3.   And I think I will reduce that even more at a later date!

With the wiring set up and unit installed.  I had to run power to the drive motor.  I had just enough cable from the previous job to set up an single double outlet near the ceiling.  I ran the wire to the breaker box and hooked it up on a single circuit.

All things pointed to success!  But I still had to program the unit to the door  max height and close.  Time to read the instructions!

A simple task.   And eventually I got everything to work.   I even programmed the Remote!.  Time for celebration!  

It is true that I may have celebrated a little early ... But I think  few beers are called for when a project that was a week in the making is finally completed.   That means that any follow up tasks are now in question...   And I probably should double check any thing that I took on after.  ( I say this knowing that I am inebriated enough to know that I am compromised  in any decision making that may follow....) 

So the garage door opener works!   WooHoo!   Something that seems so routine and ordinary.   And that got me to thinking....

Why is it that we live in a world now where things like garage door openers are taken for granted?   Has anyone really stopped and thought of the awesome technology that  goes into such a thing...  You push a button and your garage door opens up.   You can even do it from your car?   No wires!  Amazing!  

And if the item breaks and faults... you get mad.   Why!?   The entire thing is already Magic!  And you are upset because it no longer works.  Just how far have we fallen to become so  dependant on simple things that no one knows how to repair or replace?   Wat would happen to these people in they were thrown into a situation where they had to revert back to basic shelter and survival knowledge?   Can they build a fire?   Build a shelter?  Cook basic food?

Every task and skill I acquire from this "University of Home Ownership"  is one I will treasure.   Not only does it give me something to blog about,  but it also gives me basic knowledge that I think is in short supply these days.  

The rest of the night was spent cleaning and organizing.   I have other projects that I have to tackle,  But those are best  executed when I have a clean area and proper tools set up.  (And a bit more sober mindset....)   I am already thinking of how I want to set up my outlets  for maximum efficiency. 

So now I have to end this because the beer is effecting my typing... really bad!  I just re-read it and there are a LOT of spelling mistakes.    So.. I best call it for the night and prepare for tomorrow.   And try to make every second count,