| Last Week |
Monday, 24th February |
Tuesday, 25th February |
Wednesday, 26th February |
I should be working today and tomorrow, but since I have carried-over leave from last year, and I have to use it before the end of March...
Which is a good thing, because Sarah's car is having starting problems - due to a bureaucratic foul-up, her address doesn't get a full recycling collection, so she brings her waste food box to us. And her car wouldn't start again... And the wireless remote locking transmitter is giving "Low battery" warnings to the car.
Well, I can charge the battery - tomorrow, I'm not running a cable out to the car tonight. That charge will get it started, but the battery is the original, by all accounts, and the car is 5 years old. She's been lucky with that.
Thursday, 27th February |
So today I ran a mains lead out to Sarah's car, which is parked outside the house, immobile, until I can charge the battery. This is not a problem, although my car battery charger is old and slow - it's only rated at 5 amps, and I've never see that much... more like 3 amps, max.
I put the charger inside the car, ran the alligator clip leads out into the engine compartment, plugged it in - 3 amps - and locked up. This was just before lunch. About 10 p.m. the charge current had dropped to about an amp, which suggests not much more charge would be accepted. To be sure, I'd need to measure the voltage, but on the evidence not much more than 12AH had gone in, and this is a 60AH battery! It's dead, it is an ex-battery (pace Monty Python) I'll get a new one tomorrow.
Friday, 28th February |
So I did - the original was a Varta unit, and I had a choice of a replacement Halfords 50AH, with a 4 year warranty, or a Yuasa with a 5 year warranty. UKP92 or UKP120, respectively, fitted. I went for the Halfords unit.
It was also noticeable that the engine cooling fan runs at top speed for about 5 minutes after switch-off. I don't think it should, so Sarah is going to get this checked - soon, because this run-on may have been a contributory factor in the final death of her old battery, due to the relative lack of use the car gets, and what use it does get is generally short trips.
The latest Vulcan to the Sky e-mail newsletter has announced that the wing leading edge modification has been successfully completed. There only remains painting of the port wing to be done. The annual service is also well in hand, so XH558 should be fully fettled in time for the start of the airshow season, which seems to be marked by the RAF Cosford Airshow in early June, although the Trust have not yet posted any display dates.
Saturday, 1st March |
St. David's Day |
Sunday, 2nd March |
| Last Week |