Saturday, April 05, 2008

Dipstick designs dipstick

You'd think that getting the design right for an oil dipstick was pretty easy, but whoever did it for the PRM gearbox in Herbie was obviously having an off day. Who in his right mind would design a glossy black dipstick for measuring oil levels. Its virtually impossible to see where the oil film starts.

Anyway, grumble over, yesterday I changed the oil in the gearbox. Being a hydraulically operated device, the oil is worked quite hard and needs to be changed at least annually. The only hard bit, apart from the dipstick problem, is catching the old oil and getting it out from the shallow gap between the gearbox and the engine room floor. I used a 2 litre milk bottle on its side with a big hole cut in the upper side. Recently I've been keeping a disposable nappy in the engine tray. It mops up fluids wonderfully and is easy to take out without drips. I commend them to you.

Tomorrow, all being well, we're off for a few days cruise. Probably down to Brentford and back a bit to the Fox, our pub of the year 2007, and then Claire may join us for a trip up to Paddington. The weather forecast is pretty awful for the weekend. Let's hope it improves

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