lucky me

Ol' Ron

Ol' Ron

Well-known member
About a week ago I was setting uo a distributor in my Allen distributor machine. Unfortunately I didn't shut it off. The other day I was walking past it when I noticed one of the gauges waas missing. When I put my finger in there I found Soot. There was some soot in the tach as well.
I looked into the back and found the unit had burned up. This coukd have destroyed my shop. burned the whole dam thing down. I don;t really need a dist machine, don't do much of that work any more and can use someone elses If I need to. I would like to fix this if I can the motor works, so I gues something shorted out in the electrical circuit. Need a schamatic.
These 60 year old machines are nice to have but they can cause major problems if not properly taken care of.
 
A guy in Southern Pa. lost his shop and a dozen or so old Fords about 20 years from a stobe machine that was left pluged in. I unplug mine after use. G.M.
 
Here is a thought as we get older.
What about getting some timers ( inexpensive ones ) that plug into each outlet
Would be a little pain but reset each time you use Item and not worry if machine was left on.
 
Ron,

I am setting here laughing at this one for sure .
The problem is as we get older our hearing and thinking isnt what it used to be.:eek:
I have went home with a distributor machine spining a distributor and come in the next day to find the machine still runing . Wow thats a scary thought for sure....

My best one was a few years ago i was working late at the shop and it had snowed a few inches. I went out the front door and started up my 91 GMC Safari van and turned the heater on max to warm it up.
Sometime later i went out the back door and got in another vehicle and went home.
When i came in the next morning my GMC was the only vehicle sitting in the lot ( running ) with no snow on any of the windows and the inside was toasty warm............:eek::eek::)
 
My local newspaper reported an elderly woman died of carbon monoxide poisoning because she forgot to shut off her car (in the attached garage) after her trip to the grocery store.
 
Because of a slow air leak somewhere in the system I try to turn my air compressor off when not in use. But I wasn't too reliable in remembering.

So I bought one of those timers used to control heat lamps in bathrooms and wired it to control the outlet for the air compressor. If I'm using the compressor for more than short periods, I have to reset the timer every hour, but that is better than forgetting to turn it off.

Perhaps the timer controlled outlets could be used for other devices as well.


Tom
 
Can't remember where I saw it, but someone recently told of leaving an Allen distributor machine running....
 
Last week, I was standing by my garage door and I heard something making a buzzing noise that sounded like a transformer in a light. I listened and walked around the area and zeroed in on an electric welder that I had left on since I can't remember when, more that several days. I think my electric bill that come today shows the results.
 
I work with a guy that was running late for a flight at the airport. (pre 9-11) He was in such a hurry, that he pulled up to the curb, got his bags out of his car and ran into the airport, leaving his car running at the curb. When he got back from his flight, he couldn't remember where he left his car, and found out that the airport had it impounded. haha.
 
Sorry I don't have a schmatic for you Ol Ron but you sure started a great list of stories....
 
Cecil I don't think you will see any change in your bill if it is a transformer type welder. It draws only a small amount of exciting current at idle, if it has a fan then it will draw the fan current. If it was a motor driven welder they draw 65% of the full rated load at idle. This was one of the selling features when selenium rectifiers came along then being replaced by diodes. G.M.
 
My story isn't car related but made my daughter some cookies in the elec. Oven then drop her off at her Mom then drove to airport.One week later returned to find the Kichen was nice and warm...Left the over on .....
 
A friend in Michigan tells me of a recent expense his neighbor caused him. He was obliged to buy a bigger fuel tank for the old guy's riding lawnmower 'cause he could never remember where his property line ends. :rolleyes:
 
I like these stories, it makes my forgetfulness seem almost normal. Woke up this morning about 3am to the sound of my compressor running.
Gary.
 
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