French politics

[Jeff L]

That's how it works in Germany, a point system. They call it "traffic
sinners database" or the "Flensburg file" because that's the town where
it is located.



Ain't it fun to repair a transmission?

The thing I disliked was removing it from the car and reinstalling it, and I
even had help with it.

I found the actual transmission repair to be not too bad. Apparently the
transmission shift mechanism in those transmissions (a Borg Warner T-5 WC)
is a real hard thing to put back together correctly once taken apart, and
rarely ever goes back together if taken apart (without taking it to a
transmission specialist I would hope). I had to change a bushing in it
(damaged it from overshifting trying to get 2nd gear) and I thought it was a
weird design, but nothing that bad. All the shafts that needed to be taken
apart were not that bad to put back together either. The helical cut gears
did not have a means to adjust mesh, so mesh adjustment was unnecessary.
Good thing, I didn't have any gear dye to check anyway.

The only problem the transmission had afterwards was a slightly hard shift
into second gear, as I rounded the engagement dogs a bit from trying to
shift quickly without a synchronizer. I knew this, but that part was a
permanent part of the main shaft. The donor (A T-5 from a truck - same
internals with closer gear ratios) transmission I salvaged the parts from
has a different gear ratio on that gear, so I couldn't swap. The car's
transmission had really long gearing, which worked very well with the multi
port fuel injection system on the engine, which gave the engine a very nice
wide torque curve. First gear was a really low 4.2:1 ratio! Combining that
with the 3.11:1 or 3:73:1 rear end with 60 series tires that were around
9 -10" wide gave the car acceleration in 1st gear that few cars could match.
The engine internals were nice and light compared to the V-8 cars, which
allowed the engine to be very responsive and quick revving which is needed
for such gear ratios to be of benefit. I would not be surprised if I lifted
the drivers side front tire off the ground in first gear on several
occasions.

I did the rebuild at a friends house, as they have a large garage. No one
there ever heard of anyone ever taking a manual transmission apart,
replacing parts, and putting it back together and having it work without any
issues and actually lasting.

Then again, I was ripping dirt bike engines and transmissions apart and
rebiulding them when I was a early teenager.

Now I just work on equipment like this:
http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT134104/it.A/id.5750/.f

Done it myself with a friend
after his car's reverse gear lost a tooth, back in college.

This was the same time frame for me.

We had to
hand-carry the whole gearbox across the German-Dutch border (!).

Not sure about the relivence of the German-Dutch border (I haven't been out
of North America!), but the typical manual transmission being around 100 -
150 Lbs wouldn't be fun to carry for a long distance even between two
people.

While
at it we managed to deplete a crate of Grolsch beer pretty good.

There was beer involved when I did mine, I can't remember what type, but it
was Canadian, maybe Labatt's or Olands

Afterwards a couple parts were still on the table. Hmm... But: It worked
flawlessly and now down-shifting from 3 to 2 worked with ease. It never
did with that Opel/Vauxhall before. So we had improved and cost reduced
it but didn't remember how ;-)

! ;-)

Likely something to do with the syncro - was the leftover parts spacers or
shims?

I never have unknown parts left over, as I visualize how everything works,
and every part was put there for a reason. I always figure out why that part
is there. Some have some surprising hidden uses. I've been known to take
boxes of parts from a motorcycle transmission and engine, without a manual
or any other aid, or even seeing the unit assembled before and put it back
together without issues. Figuring out the transmission in one of those is
not exactly fun if someone previously took the gears off of the shafts.To
add to the pain, they go together in several possibilities and often have
extra features milled into them, so the same part can be used on different
models thus confusing the matter.

 

[Joerg]

it a


but I


would do


gear to



The thing I disliked was removing it from the car and reinstalling it, and I
even had help with it.

Yeah, that was a real pain. It was the car's owner and me. We parked two
wheels on the curb, eased the transmission onto our chests and slowly
rolled it onto a thick rag, then pulled that rag from underneath the car.

I found the actual transmission repair to be not too bad. Apparently the
transmission shift mechanism in those transmissions (a Borg Warner T-5 WC)
is a real hard thing to put back together correctly once taken apart, and
rarely ever goes back together if taken apart (without taking it to a
transmission specialist I would hope). I had to change a bushing in it
(damaged it from overshifting trying to get 2nd gear) and I thought it was a
weird design, but nothing that bad. All the shafts that needed to be taken
apart were not that bad to put back together either. The helical cut gears
did not have a means to adjust mesh, so mesh adjustment was unnecessary.
Good thing, I didn't have any gear dye to check anyway.

The only problem the transmission had afterwards was a slightly hard shift
into second gear, as I rounded the engagement dogs a bit from trying to
shift quickly without a synchronizer. I knew this, but that part was a
permanent part of the main shaft. The donor (A T-5 from a truck - same
internals with closer gear ratios) transmission I salvaged the parts from
has a different gear ratio on that gear, so I couldn't swap. The car's
transmission had really long gearing, which worked very well with the multi
port fuel injection system on the engine, which gave the engine a very nice
wide torque curve. First gear was a really low 4.2:1 ratio! Combining that
with the 3.11:1 or 3:73:1 rear end with 60 series tires that were around
9 -10" wide gave the car acceleration in 1st gear that few cars could match.
The engine internals were nice and light compared to the V-8 cars, which
allowed the engine to be very responsive and quick revving which is needed
for such gear ratios to be of benefit. I would not be surprised if I lifted
the drivers side front tire off the ground in first gear on several
occasions.

I did the rebuild at a friends house, as they have a large garage. No one
there ever heard of anyone ever taking a manual transmission apart,
replacing parts, and putting it back together and having it work without any
issues and actually lasting.

Then again, I was ripping dirt bike engines and transmissions apart and
rebiulding them when I was a early teenager.

Now I just work on equipment like this:
http://shopping.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT134104/it.A/id.5750/.f

But I bet all the car/bike repair experience helps with that as well.

This was the same time frame for me.




Not sure about the relivence of the German-Dutch border (I haven't been out
of North America!), but the typical manual transmission being around 100 -
150 Lbs wouldn't be fun to carry for a long distance even between two
people.

It was a small Vauxhall or Opel. Their engines over there are rarely
above 1.6 liters so the transmissions are accordingly small. Could have
been 100lbs, don't remember. We were already beer-primed by then ;-)

There was beer involved when I did mine, I can't remember what type, but it
was Canadian, maybe Labatt's or Olands

The problem was that we could not test drive the car after putting the
transmission in again, on account of the number of consumed brewskys.
Both of us would never drink and drive so we waited until the next day.

! ;-)

Likely something to do with the syncro - was the leftover parts spacers or
shims?

AFAIR it was spacers.

I never have unknown parts left over, as I visualize how everything works,
and every part was put there for a reason. I always figure out why that part
is there. Some have some surprising hidden uses. I've been known to take
boxes of parts from a motorcycle transmission and engine, without a manual
or any other aid, or even seeing the unit assembled before and put it back
together without issues. Figuring out the transmission in one of those is
not exactly fun if someone previously took the gears off of the shafts.To
add to the pain, they go together in several possibilities and often have
extra features milled into them, so the same part can be used on different
models thus confusing the matter.

Well, all I can say is that the car later went to the owner's brother
who was a trained and certified car mechanic. When he took it for a spin
and noticed the easy 3-2 downshift he asked "How on earth did you guys
do that?"

 

[James Arthur]

I do like those statistics. The productivity of an individual worker
in the Netherlnads is 4% higher than than it is in the US, and Norway
and Luxemburg score 30% higher.

The last time I saw some figures like that, the investigators also
looked at the capital investment per worker, which seemed to explain
most of the differences they saw

Oil.

Cheers,
James Arthur

 

[Joerg]

Oil.

Plus natural gas. That's most likely the bulk in the $63.40
GDP/person/hour for Norway. It's quite easy to find gold or liquid gold
and then declare "Look, we are better than you". But boy when that
stops, and one day it will.

Had California rested on the gold rush laurels instead of building
Silicon Valley we'd all be in the poor house now. I am not sure what the
contingency plans for that inevitable day are in places like Arabia and
South Africa, or some parts of Europe for that matter.

 

[John Larkin]

Plus natural gas. That's most likely the bulk in the $63.40
GDP/person/hour for Norway. It's quite easy to find gold or liquid gold
and then declare "Look, we are better than you". But boy when that
stops, and one day it will.

Had California rested on the gold rush laurels instead of building
Silicon Valley we'd all be in the poor house now. I am not sure what the
contingency plans for that inevitable day are in places like Arabia and
South Africa, or some parts of Europe for that matter.

Oil is seriously booting Russia out of the middle ages. But yes, oil
may build an economy that can't survive without it.

John

 

[Jeff L]

But I bet all the car/bike repair experience helps with that as well.

Absolutely! Dad being a skilled automotive mechanic also helped.

It was a small Vauxhall or

Opel.

Didn't they have GM drive trains? Not sure, but I know some European /
Australian cars did. Then again I never heard of a tooth breaking in a GM
car here, especially reverse which are noisey, cheap straight cut gears, but
are generally very strong.

Their engines over there are rarely
above 1.6 liters so the transmissions are accordingly small. Could have
been 100lbs, don't remember. We were already beer-primed by then ;-)

100 Lbs would be likely - the larger ones just beef up the parts a little
more, adding say 50 Lbs.

The problem was that we could not test drive the car after putting the
transmission in again, on account of the number of consumed brewskys.
Both of us would never drink and drive so we waited until the next day.

I would've had a similar situation but a friend did the test drive, and
delivered the car to my house.

AFAIR it was spacers.

Almost guaranteed it was something to do with the syncro. Neat little
devices. Motorcycles generally don't have them, not even motocross bikes
which need very fast shifts. This is likely due to the much lower rotating
mass and the engine's RPM's are geared down a lot before they go to the
transmission. Most work like the reverse gear in most car transmissions,
which is not synchronized.

Well, all I can say is that the car later went to the owner's brother
who was a trained and certified car mechanic. When he took it for a spin
and noticed the easy 3-2 downshift he asked "How on earth did you guys
do that?"

Interesting. So those transmissions have been known to have hard downshifts
into 2nd. I wonder if the transmission was just as durable? Perhaps someone
responsible for the assembly line misunderstood the shimming specs for the
sycro's and had them all built wrong!

 

[Joerg]

Absolutely! Dad being a skilled automotive mechanic also helped.



100 -



Didn't they have GM drive trains? Not sure, but I know some European /
Australian cars did. Then again I never heard of a tooth breaking in a GM
car here, especially reverse which are noisey, cheap straight cut gears, but
are generally very strong.

I really don't remember. It was a smaller version, I think called
"Kadett" or something in Germany.

100 Lbs would be likely - the larger ones just beef up the parts a little
more, adding say 50 Lbs.




I would've had a similar situation but a friend did the test drive, and
delivered the car to my house.




Almost guaranteed it was something to do with the syncro. Neat little
devices. Motorcycles generally don't have them, not even motocross bikes
which need very fast shifts. This is likely due to the much lower rotating
mass and the engine's RPM's are geared down a lot before they go to the
transmission. Most work like the reverse gear in most car transmissions,
which is not synchronized.




Interesting. So those transmissions have been known to have hard downshifts
into 2nd. I wonder if the transmission was just as durable? Perhaps someone
responsible for the assembly line misunderstood the shimming specs for the
sycro's and had them all built wrong!

These cars all had a harder 3-2 downshift back then, according to folks
who owned them. Well, all but one of them ;-)

 

[Joerg]

Oil is seriously booting Russia out of the middle ages. But yes, oil
may build an economy that can't survive without it.

So is natural gas which they sell to western Europe in humongous
quantities. Which also explains why several EU countries are, ahem,
treading a bit lightly when it comes to political statements. After all,
the big shut-off valve is located in Russia and they have been know to
use it on occasion.

I hope Russia will soon use a chunk of that cash to build a sustainable
base of enterprises that are not related to fossil fuels. Else there
will be utter misery 50-100 years from now.

 

[John Larkin]

So is natural gas which they sell to western Europe in humongous
quantities. Which also explains why several EU countries are, ahem,
treading a bit lightly when it comes to political statements. After all,
the big shut-off valve is located in Russia and they have been know to
use it on occasion.

I hope Russia will soon use a chunk of that cash to build a sustainable
base of enterprises that are not related to fossil fuels. Else there
will be utter misery 50-100 years from now.

Right. They should be building industries with all those resources,
not just selling them for euros.

John

 

[James Arthur]

Plus natural gas. That's most likely the bulk in the $63.40
GDP/person/hour for Norway.

1.3 gigabarrels exported per annum, divided by 4.6 megapeeps, works
out to $12,400 per capita, assuming $45 oil.

2004 natural gas exports were 74.4 x10^9 m^3, whatever that's worth.

Cheers,
James Arthur

 

[John Larkin]

Norway sounds like a cool place. It has a King, a state religion, a
constitution, compulsory military service, is not a member of the EU,
and gives a Christmas tree to the UK every year in thanks for
liberation from the Nazis. But the cost of living is 30% higher than
in the US, so the productivity thing is almost exactly cancelled.

John

 

[martin griffith]

On Sat, 12 May 2007 15:08:07 -0700, in sci.electronics.design John

shnipp in a 007 accent

Norway sounds like a cool place. It has a King, a state religion, a
constitution, compulsory military service, is not a member of the EU,
and gives a Christmas tree to the UK every year in thanks for
liberation from the Nazis. But the cost of living is 30% higher than
in the US, so the productivity thing is almost exactly cancelled.

John

Arghh, have you ever been out drinking with a Scandinavian, when they
are not at home?

It will zap all the diodes down your left hand side


martin

 

[Jim Thompson]

Norway sounds like a cool place. It has a King, a state religion, a
constitution, compulsory military service, is not a member of the EU,
and gives a Christmas tree to the UK every year in thanks for
liberation from the Nazis. But the cost of living is 30% higher than
in the US, so the productivity thing is almost exactly cancelled.

John

And they have virtually no minorities. A family from my wife's Girl
Scout troop moved to Norway to participate in the family business
there. "Where do you hide..." ?

...Jim Thompson

 

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

Why exactly ?

Graham

Business != Economy

Europe's unemployment rate is pretty high. That aside, their businesses
seem to be kicking butt in the USA. I can't find any A&E firms in the
area that aren't either a subsidiary of a French/British/German firm or
well on their way to being acquired.

Boeing gave their 787 systems work to Thales. Square D is a subsidiary
of Schneider Electric. Honeywell is now Honeywell International. They
moved all their local avionics stuff offshore.

 

[joseph2k]

I missed it as well. Maybe I'm spending too much time in RL? ;-)

Cheers,
James Arthur

The term came from RL, it is over 20 years old now, and the sms abrv is 3

 

[Joerg]

On Sat, 12 May 2007 15:08:07 -0700, in sci.electronics.design John

shnipp in a 007 accent


Arghh, have you ever been out drinking with a Scandinavian, when they
are not at home?

It will zap all the diodes down your left hand side

They sure can stomach some booze. But it's nearly unaffordable where
they live so one of the pastimes is to get onto a ferry and the
millisecond it leaves the three-mile zone the liquor shutters roll up.
Skol! Many never step off the boat at the destination. Often because
they couldn't...

 

[John Larkin]

Norway sounds like a cool place. It has a King, a state religion, a

And they have virtually no minorities. A family from my wife's Girl
Scout troop moved to Norway to participate in the family business
there. "Where do you hide..." ?

...Jim Thompson

That does avoid a lot of social complications.

John

 

[Ian]

1.3 gigabarrels exported per annum, divided by 4.6 megapeeps, works
out to $12,400 per capita, assuming $45 oil.

2004 natural gas exports were 74.4 x10^9 m^3, whatever that's worth.

Cheers,
James Arthur

One thing they have done with the surplus from the oil and gas revenues
is to build up a huge state pension fund, which I believe is now so large
that not only is the state pension fully funded, but the income from the
investments is sufficient to cover all future needs with no more cash
injection.

Regards
Ian

 

[Ian]

Just to get back to the thread title, anyone else think that
Sarkosy looks rather like a Schwarzenegger Mini Me?

Regards
Ian

;-)

 

[krw]

One thing they have done with the surplus from the oil and gas revenues
is to build up a huge state pension fund, which I believe is now so large
that not only is the state pension fully funded, but the income from the
investments is sufficient to cover all future needs with no more cash
injection.

Um, that's redundant. "Fully funded" implies that no more cash needs
to be dumped in. Where are these funds invested? I don't like the
idea of government investing in the private sector.