Inspired to flush...
Inspired to flush...
I have a vision: my own transmission flush machine. A 6' by 4" ID pipe has a 15 quart capacity. A fitting for hoses on each end, and a light piston fitted with 2 O-rings inside. Fill it with ATF, hook her up & exchange fluids. Maybe I could adapt it for kidney dialysis... Thoughts ?
-
VenCountyQ
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 am
I definitely think this will work if you can get the piston sized correctly. I posted recently regarding trying to do this with a pair of bladders in a sealed container but still haven't been able to locate a source for them. I like the even greater simplicity of your proposed design. I assume you plan to use PVC. What are you planning to use for the piston?
I'm thinking 2 inspection covers glued back to back. The lip would have to be ground off. The covers have a nice bevel at the edge. There is about 1mm clearance all around after the lip is gone. A thick flat rubber band might just fit the gap, the ATF should be a good lubricant ! I'm not sure that PVC is smooth enough on the inside to seal and not bind. Bladders -- do wine boxes come in 3 1/2 gallon ?
-
VenCountyQ
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 am
By inspection covers are you talking about the thinner non-PVC plastic? As a heavier-duty solution I was thinking about sanding down a PVC end-plug until it slides freely, routing 2 or 3 grooves about 3/4 the thickness of an O-Ring cross-section. The ATF can then be used as a lubricant to place the O-Rings.
With regard to the wine box bladders I'm not sure they will resist the ATF fluid, but probably so.
With regard to the wine box bladders I'm not sure they will resist the ATF fluid, but probably so.
Yeah, those really light covers they sell to loosely cap the PVC. They'd be too light to cut a groove into. I think that the bevel edge is key, to keep the piston moving freely. Bar magnets could be glued on the inside of the piston. A ball bearing on the outside of the pipe would indicate position. A pressure gauge at the return side might be a good idea. For a wine box, a good Rose would be close to the right color... but ATF would be safer. You better have a pre-flush party to dispose of the 3.5 gallons of cheap wine !
-
maxnix
- Posts: 22627
- Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2002 8:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
Had my final 1995 Q45 crankcase flushed with an Envirolution machine. It is driven by compressed air and is computer controlled while it recirculates 15 gallons of solvent in a reverse cycle through the oil filter and out the oil pan drain. It does this twice and it all is filtered through a new filter element (after it is screened). Pretty impressive, and there is no hint of varnish on the top end of my high mileage 57K engine when viewed through the oil filler cap.
Recommended by manufaturer every 30K, but I think a strict diest of frequent M1 changes might extend it to 50K. Once again, fill took 6.5 qts., indicating that a conventional drain leaves .5 qts. in the crankcase.
Recommended by manufaturer every 30K, but I think a strict diest of frequent M1 changes might extend it to 50K. Once again, fill took 6.5 qts., indicating that a conventional drain leaves .5 qts. in the crankcase.
-
VenCountyQ
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 am
A four-to-? inch PVC reducer could be sealed with a short piece of smaller diameter pipe and a PVC end cap. This would be thick enough to cut a groove into.
I like to idea about a magnet and the pressure gauge. Some hose pinch pliers would be helpful for connecting the end with a minimal amount of fluid loss.
My brother who works in water distribution says PVC is available in sizes up to 8". Do you think a size larger than 4" would cause problems with the piston movement?
I like to idea about a magnet and the pressure gauge. Some hose pinch pliers would be helpful for connecting the end with a minimal amount of fluid loss.
My brother who works in water distribution says PVC is available in sizes up to 8". Do you think a size larger than 4" would cause problems with the piston movement?
-
VenCountyQ
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 8:44 am
A number of reasons:
- The challenge and pride of doing it
- The knowledge gained that can be applied to other problems
- Having complete control over the process
- The extensive collection of stories on this board where members have taken their cars in for fuel, P/S, AT, Coolant flushes etc... and the car is returned to them in worse shape than before.
- The challenge and pride of doing it
- The knowledge gained that can be applied to other problems
- Having complete control over the process
- The extensive collection of stories on this board where members have taken their cars in for fuel, P/S, AT, Coolant flushes etc... and the car is returned to them in worse shape than before.
<Why bother to save $129.95 [less $28 for ATF] [less $15 for conditoner] [net $87] every year or two............and the mess.>
Because some of us don't live near T3, and to get many things done right, you have to do them yourself ! I haven't yet found someone with an exchange machine that a) cares about my car b) cares about using a cleaner before the flush c) even has access to synthetic ATF d) will use synthetic if I bring it. The mechanics I trust are independents that don't have a machine. Jiffy lube has a machine... I let Rapid Oil Change do it last time, watching all the time. They would only use the Valvoline ATF they had in the machine.
Why do you think people drive hundreds of miles to get their car serviced at T3 ? [he asks, rhetorically] An honest, trustworthy, competent mechanic is hard to find. A shop I've trusted for over 25 years just went out of business. The sign on their wall read "work done fast, work done cheap, work done right, pick two". Those were the only guys I trusted to change the oil in my Q ! Am I nuts ? I change the oil myself, but it's no fun in January in Minnesota, without a heated garage and no lift.
VenCountyQ: An 8" piston would be much heavier and have a much larger contact area. I was thinking the smallest diameter with sufficient volume (and a reasonable length) would be more workable. The smaller piston would move at a faster rate, making it easier to monitor the flow.
Because some of us don't live near T3, and to get many things done right, you have to do them yourself ! I haven't yet found someone with an exchange machine that a) cares about my car b) cares about using a cleaner before the flush c) even has access to synthetic ATF d) will use synthetic if I bring it. The mechanics I trust are independents that don't have a machine. Jiffy lube has a machine... I let Rapid Oil Change do it last time, watching all the time. They would only use the Valvoline ATF they had in the machine.
Why do you think people drive hundreds of miles to get their car serviced at T3 ? [he asks, rhetorically] An honest, trustworthy, competent mechanic is hard to find. A shop I've trusted for over 25 years just went out of business. The sign on their wall read "work done fast, work done cheap, work done right, pick two". Those were the only guys I trusted to change the oil in my Q ! Am I nuts ? I change the oil myself, but it's no fun in January in Minnesota, without a heated garage and no lift.
VenCountyQ: An 8" piston would be much heavier and have a much larger contact area. I was thinking the smallest diameter with sufficient volume (and a reasonable length) would be more workable. The smaller piston would move at a faster rate, making it easier to monitor the flow.
-
maxnix
- Posts: 22627
- Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2002 8:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
VenCountyQ wrote:A number of reasons:
- The challenge and pride of doing it
- The knowledge gained that can be applied to other problems
- Having complete control over the process
- The extensive collection of stories on this board where members have taken their cars in for fuel, P/S, AT, Coolant flushes etc... and the car is returned to them in worse shape than before.
Let's see:
- Gee, I just reinvented the flush machine, but it is an unsaleable prototype that may not work next time.
- Maybe I can replace my commode with this device (a substantial contribution to society in the era of 1.5 gallon tanks that have to be flushed three times to work).
- I think I would rather have a Sun or BG machine have complete control as it is calibrated for the process and I am not.
- Only stories I have heard of failed flushes is service providers who failed to perform the service.
Gotta be something else.__________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t & 2000 Q45
Discover the power of the button!