onetrack

I've had near-new batteries that were flattened to a very low voltage, and which showed full charge after extended charging - but they would not sustain substantial starter cranking effort - in effect, they were stuffed from being totally drained, and they showed all the signs of being sulphated. However, the AGM batteries are recognised as being much more capable of handling deep discharge, than the regular flooded cell batteries. But a battery load test is the best way to tell a batterys health.

A damaged, sulphated battery with low voltage can damage an alternator. The alternator will run at maximum output continuously, trying to recharge the battery, which is in effect, shorting out the alternator output. The alternator will overheat, and more than likely suffer from damaged stator windings, or suffer from damaged rectifier diodes, or suffer voltage regulator damage. New replacement alternators often come with a warning to ensure your battery is in good condition, otherwise the alternator warranty may be voided.

You need to do a load test on the battery. A pulse charger can be used to recover a sulphated battery, but if the battery doesn't pass a load test after charging, it's stuffed. How long did you leave the Master on for? A slow steady drain to a couple of volts will generally seriously damage a lead acid battery, and even pulse charging will often not make it recover. How old is the battery?

Here's a good instructive article - What is Manifold Pressure? | Angle of Attack WWW.ANGLEOFATTACK.COM The manifold pressure gauge is staring you in the face every time you reach for the power and you have no clue what it means.

Use a dedicated stainless steel or heavy polyurethane water container - a 2L milk bottle would have little survivability in a crash, and the lids are notorious for leaking and popping off in regular shopping use. Plus the material they're made from, will fracture just from buckling. The ones in the link below are insulated, and you can even buy a handy neoprene cover for them, which also has a carry strap. They come in 2L and 3.8L sizes. https://www.drifta.com.au/product/drifta-stockton-2l-stainless-steel-water-bottle/?attribute_pa_colour=black

The important part of being stranded in a remote hot region is that you minimise exertion, and maximise the shade. Mrs Peabody did neither. There are substantial numbers of stories of tragedy in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields in the early Goldrush days (late 1800's onwards), where people went on trips on foot in 40°C heat with inadequate amounts of water, improper clothing and footwear and exerting themselves at a time of maximum heat during the day. And of course, leaving your aircraft or vehicle, is a guaranteed way of not ever being found.

I guess when you're landing at 130-140kts, 2700M does look like a pretty short distance to bring her to a halt.

More than one aircraft has crashed due to their load of newspapers shifting in flight, or by erroneous calculations of newspaper weight or copies carried. Multiple numbers of sheets of paper are bloody heavy!

Danny - Today, we have a vast range of industrial chemicals and products that didn't exist in the early industrial age - and we have vastly improved medical knowledge and some amazing medical technology. But most importantly, we also have MDS's, and they yield important information gained from research and studies, and you ignore the recommendations in the MDS's at the peril of your long-term health. And yes, people do live a lot longer today, and I'd have to opine that is because of better medical knowledge and intervention and the efforts of OH&S trying to ensure people don't do stupid things. I have a spray painter mate, of Southern Italian ancestry, and he has been notorious for shrugging off paint manufacturers paint-spraying advice - to the point of just using a dust mask for spraying 2-pack paint. As you might likely know, 2-pack paints contain iso-cyanates, amongst the more deadly of the manufactured chemical products today. The MDS warns of the risk of kidney tumours if you fail to use breathing apparatus that can catch iso-cyanate compounds. At 70, he developed a major kidney tumour, and had to have it removed. He didn't even know it was there, but left untouched, it would've killed him within a few years. I believe his kidney tumour was almost certainly a result of his casual attitude towards masking up.

The important thing with cutting open an oil filter is to know what you're looking for, and identifying what you find. Pour the oil in the filter through a funnel lined with paper towel and let it drain for an extended period to see with better clarity, what was in the oil. Check the bottom of the filter can and spray it with some carburettor and throttle body cleaner, to separate the carbon and other deposits from the heavy metal components. Scrape the bottom of the can onto more paper towelling and let it drain. Spread the filter element treated paper out on paper towelling and let it drain. Run a magnet on an extension wand over the gunk to see what sticks to the magnet. Aluminium particles are bright and easily seen. Iron particles attach to the magnet. Copper particles are ... well, coppery colour. Rubbery bits are pieces of gasket material. Chrome (from ring faces) is harder to identify, because it can look a bit like aluminium. Chrome, of course, is largely non-magnetic, but it depends on the alloy, and whether what it was plated onto, is still attached. But the important thing is, the size of particles. Very small particles shouldn't be concerning, they are part of normal wear patterns, but chunks of metal, and substantial amounts of coloured metals, or serious amounts of iron particles on magnets should raise concerns.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of my mates and associates who aren't still alive, Moneybox. A lot died in their 60's and early 70's. It is true, a number of people seem to be "unkillable", and just keep going into their 90's, and even 100 or more. But for every one of those "unkillable" people, there's a dozen who developed some terrible forms of cancer, and who failed to make their allotted lifespan. I do tend to agree, a lot of the current OH&S regulations and rules are lawyer-driven, not driven by sensible approaches - especially in the mining area. But there's nothing wrong with being prudent with sensible personal protection. As with you, I did all the same stuff, and have survived so far to 76 without incurring any major tumours. Hopefully, I'm one of the "unkillable" ones, but at least I've got excuses now, for all my sub-standard brain cells.

He should be wearing good quality nitrile disposable gloves. You don't want to paddle in used oil with bare hands, it is one of the most carcinogenic products in existence, full of toxic by-products of combustion. It's been proven that full time mechanics have a 5 year shorter lifespan than office workers, and paddling in used oil with bare hands, is a big factor in that figure.

On oldie, but still a goody. That blokes smooth delivery of the turbo-encabulator description, equals Ronnie Barkers smooth delivery of tongue twisting sentences, any day.

I've flown into Perth airport from the SE Wheatbelt of W.A. with a mate in his Piper Dakota - over the extensive Jarrah/Marri woodlands of the Darling Range. It made me bit uncomfortable thinking about our chances of survival in that heavily-timbered country, if ever that O-540 sputtered and quit. That heavily timbered forest country covers a big area of SW W.A. and those closely-spaced big hardwoods give you little choice, when it comes to a smooth emergency landing area.

Well, you learn something new every day. Thanks, Blue. I've used mercury in gold extraction, I know virtually all its attributes, but never knew it corroded aluminium.