AndyID

This will let you measure the current being drawn from the battery.

You disconnect the battery's negative terminal and connect the meter as shown.

If it's not possible to disconnect the negative side of the battery you could also do this on the positive side, but disconnecting the negative side is safer. If you accidentally connect a wrench between the negative terminal and the body of the car nothing bad will happen. If you do that on the positive terminal you will put a dead short across the battery and that is not good at all. Things can get very hot very quickly.

Try it at the 10 ampere setting first and record the current showing on the meter. If it's nothing much you can go the the 200mA (max reading 200 milliamperes) but move the meter's red lead to the middle socket on the meter to do that.

Hook it up like this (text to follow.)

7 hours ago, SM42 said:

 

I have a multimeter somewhere but what capacity it is or indeed how to use the thing properly are beyond me.  ( one if those skills I've put off learning till I really need it)

 

If you can find it, post a pic of it here and we'll show you how to use it. There are really only two things you need to understand.

1 hour ago, pH said:

British Columbia (well, most of it) changes to daylight saving time tonight.

 

In October 2019, B.C. passed legislation to make daylight time permanent. However, the change will only be enacted once Washington state, Oregon and California also make the move, to ensure B.C.'s economy is aligned with its U.S. neighbours. And there appears to be some confusion in those states about what they want and/or what the states can do without federal approval.
 

 

Interesting, because Arizona "dis'nae gee its ginger" and most of it is stuck on MST all year.

57 minutes ago, BR60103 said:

Tomorrow starteth Daylight Saving Time.  Although it is now 4 hours to go before the 0200 starter's whistle, I have adjusted all the clocks I can find on the main floor. (Except the telephone. I can't find a setting! and I've done it before.)  There remain a collection downstairs in the railway and storage rooms.

 

I have just managed to do the phone.

 

We saveth the daylight in US and Canada from tomorrow. UK switches 31 March.

10 minutes ago, SM42 said:

Mrs SM42 has got an idea that it is time to replace her ride. 

 

The reason being it not starting twice in the last 3 months, requiring a bit of a battery boost. 

 

The first time it had been idle for 3 weeks while we were in the motherland.  

 

Yesterday it had only been idle for 8 hours. 

 

The battery claims it is fine and indeed it lasted 3 months between failures. 

 

There may be something else going on. 

 

The other reason is the boot lid catch keeps sticking. An issue that has developed since it was repaired after its little argument with a Fiat Tipo.

 

Many Deltics are therefore at risk at SM42 Towers. 

 

The big problem is that she wants a simple car, without all the tech, not something that is very common nowadays.

 

Andy

If you do not already have one, get a multimeter, preferably one that can measure DC current up to 10 amps but a 1 amp max would probably be enough for this. When the car is supposed to be "off", disconnect one terminal on the battery and put the meter in series with the connection to measure the current.

It shouldn't be more than 100 milliamps. If it is, something is draining the battery. To find  out what, remove and replace the fuses one at a time while you watch the meter.

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Big Tick to Jamie in this Bear’s Book cos’ he fixed the lamp with the minimum possible aggro, kept SWMBO happy and didn’t go wasting shed time unnecessarily.   What’s not to like?

Sometimes it can be a tad spendy keeping SWMBOs happy. For example, MrsID has never quite forgiven me for yanking her out of Orange County, California and back to frosty Idaho, so today we made an offer on a little place there. Fortunately it's in a 55+ community so the price isn't totally astronomical. Also, I was able to pick up a bit of change on some of this 'ere crypto stuff.

18 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

I've got the terrible job of eating a rather large carrot cake that a friend gave me for doing a little job..  I need some now as I've just finished a railway themed jigsaw and it featured green kettles with copper caps. 

 

Jamie

To steady the nerves I suggest you accompany that with something much stronger.

One thing we have in Idaho is mountains. The Rockies run right through it. It actually has the largest wilderness area of any US state other than Alaska.

I did a bit of skiing today at Lookout Pass which is right on the Idaho/Montana border.

The road at the bottom of the slope is Interstate 90 which is the main drag heading East from Seattle. And yes, I followed the snowboarder down that rather steep slope. It didn't take long to get to the bottom 😄

This area has a lot of silver mines and those of you familiar with mining will be fully aware of the advice offered in this poster.

8 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

 

Unfortunately one of their exports gave birth to a son in the US

 

A MacDonald perchance?

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Didn't Marc Chagall paint a "self portrait with 7 fingers"?

Six is not all that unusual. I have a cousin who had six. Mind you, her father was from Stromness. And her sister married a Lewismon. 😄

16 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

*Living in deepest Idaho, do you even know what a street light looks like?

Not required here. We have tracer bullets.

I decided I need a new pair of gegs (Gregory Pecs) so I went to the optician last Friday. He told me the real problem is a cataract in my left eye and set me up with an appointment with an opthalmic surgeon.

That happened yesterday and the appointment for cataract surgery is on Tuesday. The best bit is it's all covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance (which is not at all expensive.)

5 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Plus the upper Spen Valley and a couple of village between Pontefract and Barnsley. 

 

Jamie

Or Lewis

"seem to be the railway equivalent of the bloke who - older, but perhaps no wiser - still wears polyester flares, Hawaiian shirts, gold medallions and platform shoes. Not the most elegant of items even back in their heyday in the 70s, and definitely fugly today."

What exactly is yer point laddie?

😄😄😄

29 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

 

Tottenham Court Road.

 

At least I got a decent part of London!

Mine was Click Bait.

23 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Dab of Copydex fix carpet quite well in low traffic areas .

Ah Copydex! Probably my dad's favorite adhesive. Does it still smell bludyorful?

13 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

When I was little there didn’t seem to be many gulls in the midlands. By the time I left home to go to university they were quite common. Even though we live in an estuary I think there may be a lot of gulls that don’t require webbed feet. The land fill site is popular with gulls.Not sure what will happen to all the gulls and foxes  when it is totally closed. 

Far too many of the blighters here. The closest ocean water is 250 miles from here as the gull flies. They hang out at the landfill then congregate at the lake which they use as a toilet.

Well, I know for a fact I am not gullible. The word isn't even in the dictionary.

19 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

Does that mean that the Roseville Rotaries are getting ready for action. 

 

Jamie

If they can find them 😂

11 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Scabbing is still an issue.  Even flakes of paint can become projectiles.

There is some rather impressive video somewhere on the web about testing building materials' ability to resist 2 x 4 lumber launched during a tornado.

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

One of the Merlin helicopter's roles is counter-narcotics in the Caribbean (frigate on WIGS duty).  I was told of (but unfortunately didn't get to see) a video where a Royal Marine sniper lying on the Merlin's floor stops a drug-runner's speedboat - and they are FAST - by putting two rounds through the outboard engines.  He was disappointed because he fired three shots and missed with one round.

Just the other day. The helicopter crew "disabled" the outboards. 😄

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coast-guard-smugglers-cocaine-seizure-largest-eastern-pacific-ocean/

Weather here is bonkers. Four inches of snow yesterday then it turned to rain. It was 47F this morning, then it droped to 37F in about 30 minutes and now it's snowing again.

Ten feet or more snow expected in the Sierra Nevadas.

1 hour ago, pH said:

We want pictures!

Do don't think I'm serious?

I have a bad habit of mislaying the key for my truck. I'm considering getting one of those nose ring thingies so I can hang the truck key from it.