Jim Warman

Have you tested the low oil pressure with a master gauge? Or are you depending on the oil pressure trinket in the cluster? If you are chasing low oil pressure, you need to verify that you have low oil pressure. Not doing things properly and carefully can be a very expensive mistake.

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/story.html?id=4804891 At about 3:17 you can see the back of our store.. at about 3:29, they turn up mainstreet and show a small strip mall, the burned out Yamaha store and then us... On edit... big whoopsie... this is in the first vid...

We aren't the only brand....

FWIW The first fatality of this incident was reported this PM... A helicopter pilot perished when his aircraft crashed into about 2 meters of water near Widewater, Alberta. My condolences to the family of the pilot..... where-ever they may be.

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/Gallery+Slave+Lake+damage/4818369/story.html will get you to some satellite images..... You'll find a gallery of 7 images. You are interested in the 6th image - should be middle one, bottom row but that might depend on your browser and screen res. Under the copyright notice at the bottom of the screen you will find SL Ford... North is to the top of the pic. To the east (right) are customer units, units waiting PDI, used units waiting inspection and anything waiting for wash bay/detailing. To the west (left) is a row of new cars against the building and a row of new Super Duties against the street. To the northeast (from the corner of the building) is a row of used units... above that is a row of what used to be new and used pick ups and RVs... north of that is a damaged quonset building and above that - just before the train tracks - used to be a three story apartment building. The store looks like it's in good shape... the inventory? Not so much..... If (and when) they let us back into town, we will be ready to go. I'm so much "luckier" than so many people.... I can't describe my feelings but there are times you wish your losses were as bad as other peoples just to stop some of the feelings of guilt or what-ever it is... Life isn't fair... but how do you reconcile that a close friend lost his Mum last month and everything he owns this month? That so many other friends lost everything.... They should be sharing in my joy.... but, there is no joy because I am trying to understand the devastation they are feeling. Is there a God? And if there is, what must run through his thoughts? The saga will continue later... after I pick my wife up from the hospital - this situation takes it's toll...

Thanks, Jeff.... if you're up for more of the saga, let me know.... if it's a waste of bandwidth I hope someone tells me to shut up... I have friends that lost everything they own.... one friend was in Calgary finalizing his Mums estate..... All he has is his cat and the clothes he took. His scooter - gone. His Dads '39 Dodge... all original... gone... Kyle B., one of our diesel techs... looks like he lost TWO houses.... I cannot describe the feelings I have at this time. I don't know when I can go back home.... but I am so much luckier than so many other people. But I don't feel lucky....

For those interested, I will attempt to write an account of the events following Friday the 13th. This will be based on the information (or misinformation) available to us at the time the events took place. If you think that something like this will never happen to you.... did you think I was waiting for it? Expecting it? Friday the 13th went almost too smooth. We got out of work on time (for a change) and nothing remarkable happened for the rest of the day. My wife had spent most of the week in Edmonton for doctors appointments and was due back Saturday afternoon. When she did arrive home, she mentioned a smoke to the west. It was a pretty good smoke and, by my reckoning, a lot closer to town than she figured. Not close enough to worry about and Lord knows we've seen our fair share of smoke in Slave.... I turned to the east and asked why she hadn't said anything about the smoke in that direction. Closer... but we've seen worse. Wind was brisk and the smokes intensified... the bombers were going steady. As dark fell.... and that happens very late in Slave at this time of year.... the winds died and the temperature dropped... This is a wildfire fighters dream. The fire damps down and is relatively easy to work over. Sunday morning we awoke to a small amount of white smoke to the west and nearly nothing to the east. But as the day progressed, the wind picked up, the fire renewed it's energy and the situation became one of concern. I took my truck and gassed it up - something I wasn't planning to do for several days (gas being $1.28.9 per litre).... "just in case". Later that afternoon, I met a friend at the shop - his 6.7 was overdue for a service so I decided to move him to the front of the line. While we were there, my wife dropped by to tell me she was going to the hospital... with one of her killer migraines, she was off to get a shot. The wind was growing stronger this whole time.... the smoke was thicker, bigger and as brown as brown could be (for the neophyte - this is NOT a good sign). We finished up the service and promised to meet later for a beer at his house. I wanted to go home and hook up my holiday trailer.... "just in case". By the time I got home and hooked up.... the wind was gusting over 100 kph and had shifted nearly 90 degrees. Already, parts of the town were on fire and we could hear what was probably barbecue cylinders exploding... singly and in staccato... I was concerned about the where-abouts of Debb..... My son showed up while I was hooking up my trailer and I told him he should be at home hooking up his.... I began loading the trailer with food, photo albums, pets and pet supplies.... Debb got home and I set her to fetching clothes and such... we got a few changes of clothes and her heirloom jewelery... two cats... three dogs.... our pills and, by some miracle we entered the bumper to bumper line up (leaving the car and the scooter behind) within eye shot of our son and his in-laws. Our rag tag line of vehicles... stretching out of sight before and behind... left town at a crawl.... 20 some clicks out of town, I had to pee... NO EXCEPTIONS. Less than a dozen vehicles passed me while I relieved myself alongside the road. I never did get any evacuation notice.... I filled my trucks gas tank because I thought it was prudent... I hooked up my trailer because I thought it was prudent. Long before we left, power went out.... the radio transmitter burned down and cell phone towers were knocked out. I left becase I thought it was prudent.... Yet the media is full of tales... "I drove around looking for gas"... " I was waiting for them to tell me to leave". I feel bad for everyone forced from their homes.... mine is still standing... one of my diesel techs lost two houses.... several apartments burned to the ground - many residents without even renters insurance.. I can't reconcile what has and hasn't happened.... But I'll be fart fucked in a windstorm if I'm going to let anyone bad mouth our emergency crews... Part 2 coming soon

So.... I bought a cell modem and have some stories to tell later. Tomorrow I have to drive back to Athabasca to see the insurance guys but we will remain "living" in Westlock for now. Sounds like it could be another two weeks before we are allowed back in. I'll write more after the day settles down....

Stercus accidit takes on whole new meaning

Typing this on blackberry We are in westlock now Our son and his family are in same campgroud and all safe More when I can use real keyboard

Weather was cool and calm overnight - this always helps reduce the intensity of the fire and allows the crews to gain some control. Unfortunately, today is again hot (for what we call hot) with wind gusts up to 70 kph. The road to Edmonton has re-opened but you have to wait for a pilot car. We are still under an emergency. Heavy bombers are making runs as I write this but they wont be landing at our airport. They do this to avoid being socked in by smoke. Smoke is noticibly reduced both to the east and to the west. Ahhhh, just another summer in Alberta.

<other than the fact that you're of the opinion that I should put forth an effort to flag in higher hours from my workplace> Mike... I have absolutely NO idea where you could have come up with that train of thought... Child support payments? That's a bit more info than I needed. Having said that..... it has fuck all to do with me (I have some pretty narrow minded views about (A:) getting married and (B:) staying married). For the rest of your post - where to start? $26 an hour is as good a place as any... we have apprentices getting that. My fuck, man... you are bitching about how bad your job is... and you aren't about to do anything to "fix" it. My dear old Mum used to call that "cutting off your nose to spite your face". If you made a decent living you could go home at days end. On one hand, you are busting my chops because, for some reason, you think I am of the opinion that you should work harder and earn more money... On the other hand, you feel you should work in your driveway to earn more money??? My opinion is that the underground economy is a multimillion dollar "industry" and it hurts our economy. While I do not agree with income tax (originally, in Canada, income tax was enacted to fund the war effort... WW1), it is a necessary evil that all of us must bear. What does the government do for you? Before we get into that debate - do you vote? Or do you feel your vote don't count? While we are on the subject of what the goverment may or may not do for you... If you can read this... thank a teacher... if it's in English.... thank a soldier. Remember that the next time you drive on a road or flush a toilet or run a sink full of water. Are your tax dollars truly wasted? Even the trucks you work on are built to a government specification. Stealing food off my plate? If a customer doesn't come to our shop beause he found some fool willing to work in his driveway... that is a job I wont see... that is food taken off my plate. Now and then, you see somebody thanking God he has side work because there's nothing happening at his day job... This is sometimes a self-fulfilling endeavour. Let's say that side job goes bad. Now you become preoccupied when you should be concentrating on your job... Especially since your side work is done "barefoot"... no business licence, no insurance, no workers comp... No protection at all, really. Here is someone that could well be one mistake away from becoming a burden on society. Last but not least... legality. While you and your "customer" might feel somewhat pleased about tax evasion, it is still considered a crime. Integrity is an important part of doing business... once your integrity is lost, it can be almost impossible to regain it. I pay ALL of my taxes, Mike. As in "I have no undisclosed income". Guys working on the side for cheap do more damage to this trade than is evident.

They are starting a back-burn about 10 blocks from my house.... this is getting interesting.

Cool... now they are evacuating people to the west... We are packing our bags now just in case....

Several years ago Slave Lake was threatened by a wildfire.... we came very close to being evacuated - even the pavement on the highway south was ablaze.... Today started as a benign day... nothing special...a bit windy but nice and mild. My loving bride came home from almost a week in Edmonton telling me about a wildfire to the west. Sure enough I see heavy smoke - tough to say how far away because it's behind a hill... but I can see helicopters manoeuvering often. They are likely picking up water from ponds and such between us and the fire. Where it gets "better" (this is an acidic "better") is when you turn to the east and see a fire less than 10 kms away. Many residents are being evacuated - a lot of friends among them... For Dwayne... yes, Kyle will be evacuated... Mitsue and Poplar Lane are being affected.

... to a bay far too close to me... A customer has two identical trucks... off the line they are pretty much equal (I am told) but when we get up to speed, one will walk away from the other on a hill. No pertinent codes, naturally, but they are both waiting for the "G" NOx sensors and have the codes to prove it P164A and P2A00). The focus has been directed to boost at this point. For no other reason than the little trinket in the instrument cluster that they call a "boost gauge" reads higher in the "good" truck. So... Traversing what seems to be about an 8% grade, I get a MAP_A of 37ish PSI (our Baro is about 13.65 PSI so my boost was a tad over 23 PSI. I'm still learning what I expect to see (shit, haven't even had the 6.7 course yet). Compared to a brand new yet not real identical truck, boost is in the ball park.... as are EBP, DPF, VGT and a host of other PIDs. The new truck was identifiably stronger but this could be all about 18 inch versus 20 inch wheels and crew cab versus super cab. I expect to get the "good truck" in this coming week for a comparison run.... I am getting the impression that it might possibly be the "good truck" that is the "broken one".... Stay tuned for more from the "Disneyland of the North"....

It's been a few days since we found out Ford (in Canada, at least) will no longer pay for any "F" sensors. "G" sensors are supposed to be available next week.

Well... there's the 02 SooperKroo - a lease return I picked up in Feb 03 with 35000 kms - today it has 90K on it.... Then there's the 05 Mustang vert (my 3rd 'Tang - all of them red - two of them verts), the scooter (an 03 Sportster - I would love a bagger... and I would love a softtail springer and I would love a fatboy and I would love a.... phuque it) and of course the holiday trailer... I wish I had my buddies driveway... the 'Vette, the Viper, the '69 Charger... Side work? You bet... I "supervise" the work on an array of toys... the aforementioned units plus other antiquities and exotica (there's a 66 Chevelle vert I'd love to get in my driveway) mostly Dodge (I know too many guys that wander around muttering "Mopar or nocar".... oddly, these guys insist on driving Fords as work trucks). These are "will work for whiskey cars".... Last but not least are some special case cars. I will do some select work for some select people in exchange for jars of borstch, preserves and pickles. Fresh caught fish is always a winner... If you guys are working for cash on the side, I can't say one way or the other... but I pay my taxes... ALL OF THEM... get my drift? We wont mention what working on the side for "cheap" without adequate tools might say for your credibility. Or the chance that your employer treats you less than well because it looks to him like there might be a conflict of interest... just sayin'..... Fwiw.. I spent much of my life as self employed... paying as much as $3000 a month for shop rent, another $1500 for electricity - you really need to see what a sign can do for your power bill), WCB, insurance, your employers "in" for your wages and benefits.. (in Canada, if you pay $1 in CPP, your employer MUST match that out of his pocket... If you paid $1 in what used to be UIC, your employer had the privilege of paying $1.50 out of his pocket in matching funds... that is to say that the government of Canada got paid $2.50 for every dollar you had deducted). By all means, work as many hours as you wish... do not become part of the underground economy that undermines my honesty or contribution to society - and do not steal food off my table or make me look bad by association... I'm reminded of the people that bitch about Fords efforts at rewarding us - "THEY sent me a Jayzus T-4 slip"... A taxable benefit is a taxable benefit... has squat to do with Ford and everything to do with revenue Canada. Voter turnout is usually pretty dismal - this past election was better than most but it weren't no screaming success... if you didn't vote, stay silent. Thanks for letting me rant....

Uhhhhh, I dunno. Who IS Leon?

We have used this test as an indicator for HPOP replacement... a positive displacement pump shouldn't have anything going through it in the wrong direction. Scott, whether the sand is from poor housekeeping in the engine valley or from poor housekeeping with inspecting new parts and assemblies is a moot point. If the IPR is full of ANYTHING it was either there to begin with or it had to pass through the HPOP to get there. FWIW.. you have an audible air leak - it just isn't where you expected it.

Remove the oil filter and repeat the air test... if the IPR was full of sand, it had to pass through something that doesn't like sand to get there. I don't think it was too long ago that we were discusing contaminated oil coolers.....

At about 1:28 they show a fair picture of the station console... it appears that the fasteners would be tightened in a specific order. It might be even more interesting if we could figure out what some of the messages mean... As for "where is the tool"... one only has to consider the Wii or an optical wheel aligner (our new machine uses two wireless head units and two mirror units - it works on blue tooth and every time someone is training TPMS sensors I have to pause in my alignment because of the messages asking if I want to pair this device)...

My only experience with these systems was on the V8s long before I moved back to a Ford dealer... but I do recall poppet valve concerns.... To the subject at hand... STFT on one bank is 50% (FWIW, this means it is TRYING to add fuel to that bank but not accomplishing what it wants... you should be OK to run it). What is LTFT and what is the other bank doing for fuel trims? Does the thing just run rough or does it have any misfires? What are the O2s doing? Checking for vacuum leaks... don't forget that there is a bottom to the lower intake gaskets... Disable the PCV system and flood the crankcase with propane vapours to check the bottom seal of the intake... However.... knowing that bank 1 is trying to add fuel without knowing what bank 2 is trying to do is a little like watching ICP without knowing what IPR is doing...