Ukraine Refugee Assistance

Aaaand, I don't want to break our good tradition 

Ummm... i finally took pics 

These prizes to be raffled off among The Easter donations - this is a small thank to you all from me for your help and support 

Prizes will be sent directly from Ukraine, directly from Dnipro - from Vikki 

1.  Men's socks with the Ukrainian Armed Forces abbreviation in the form of a trident and the inscription "Glory to Ukraine!", sheet of stickers and patch 

2. Men's socks with the inscription... well, it's pretty clear here , sheet of stickers and patch 

also a postcard will be added to each of the sets 

Have a good day!!!

I'm back!

Good morning all, just getting back from a quick vacation.  Mrs. Hungary and I took the Hungarlings on a road trip to North Macedonia and back.  Unfortunately our computer wiped its hard drive completely clean on the second day and everything was lost.  Luckily I keep a hard drive at home with everything backed up, so it was just a matter of getting home and plugging it back in.  But I'm back and will have updates here shortly.

Photo from Ohrid for your viewing pleasure:

OOf, ok.  So restoring things isn't as easy as just plugging in my hard drive and clicking "restore"....

I have windows back up and running but our office account has yet to be found.  Root cause of this is Microsoft's transition from their old "purchase" approach to their 2017 (?) office suite and their new subscription based approach.  Mrs. Hungary and I are curmudgeons at times, and weren't fans of paying every year for something we used to only pay for once (I can't help but notice that the company I work for is still using the old purchased programs, so I think it might not just be me in this, but I digress).  Unfortunately when we bought this computer, due to region or language or something else, we could NOT find the old 2017 programs for download online.  To get around that we paid our local computer shop to install them.  That shop has since closed (mom and pop town, it happens sometimes).  This means I don't have an office suite and can't open up our normal microsoft excel table for our weekly updates.  I'll try to do something semi-organized with text only, and we'll cross our fingers it makes sense.

Oh.  and then a cat peed on our keyboard the day before yesterday...  Yup, sat down to type an update and home-keyed my way right into cat pee.  (You really can't make this stuff up sometimes.   Keyboard is currently in the trash).  Here goes:

Mothers and Babies Fund:

Oh man, this had been sitting at about $25 bucks and right at the last minute we had two GRM members jump in and absolutely save the day!  All in all, we sent just under $300 to Vikkidp who has already reported that she received it.  With that we're restarting our balance at $0, and will continue to collect until May 1st.

GoFundMe:

I'll admit, this is going much better than I expected.  Our Easter drive is normally the hardest run to collect funds for.  Right now GFM is showing we've raised over $1200, and with that I've already purchased chocolates for all 130+ children!!!  (that would be our 60+ children we've been helping in Dnipro, along with the 70 residents at the orphanage).  Our bank account is currently sitting at $855 which would JUST cover the cost of the machine that the orphanage requested.  VikkiDp and I have been discussing the best way forward and right now we're leaning towards using that money to purchase LOTS of gifts, picnic supplies, and flower gardening supplies for the orphanage instead of purchasing only one machine.  If our collection continues to go as well as it has, then we'll readjust our plan to include the machine, but that again comes with the caveat that it's "made to order" so there will be a month-and-a-half lead time before it can be delivered.  Kind of a setback from a social media standpoint (no glamorous photos of machines in trucks), but 100% not an issue from a real world standpoint

Stuffie Delivery:

Good news in this fund as well!  The same local international school teacher that was so zealous about collecting art supplies for Ira at our school in Budapest took it upon herself to collect diapers, baby food, and stuffies for the orphanage and children in Dnipro!  No photos yet, but she reports that "the pile is getting big".  We've scheduled tomorrow as the pickup date for all the goodies, so hopefully pictures will follow.

Other:

It's been getting harder and harder to fill the truck on these runs, and crossing that border with room to spare bugs me in ways I can't describe.  To help with this situation I've been reaching out and joining in some telegram channels, whatsapp groups, and so on.  All with the stated purpose of organizing aid into Ukraine.  It's all new to me so separating signal from noise is difficult at the moment, but it looks like I might have  a lead on a supply of camouflage nets in the western part of the country (In passive perusing of said groups it seems that there are LOTS of volunteers hand making such things).  Careful communication is ongoing, while the respective parties go through the vetting process but if all goes well I'm hoping to have a truck full of combat nets to take east with me when I go (Pending room after we load our children's supplies.  Kids have priority on this one).

Website:

So I went and published our DniproExpress.com website but Mrs. Hungary has been no less busy around here and has yet to complete her profile page. Once done, the site could be considered to be "complete", but I REALLY need to make more of an effort on it as we go.  Right now it looks to me to be a bit "stagnant" and I want to figure out how to use the editing tools available to make it more "active".  I think this will come with the benefits of making our efforts look a little more "legitimate" to outsiders and could act as a way to get good updates out to anyone who wants to check in.  Unfortunately that comes with the drawback of being another social media (for lack of a better term) account that requires time and attention.  More to follow on that one, I'm sure.

Anyhoo, thank you all for your patients while the dust settles back in place.  It's still all "good times"

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

When is the GFM closing? I can neither find it here nor on GFM.

Driven5 said:

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

When is the GFM closing? I can neither find it here nor on GFM.

Sunday, 21 April is our current close date.  Plenty of time left

Ok, time for a truck update.  Houston?  (You know the rest)

I built up the synchro hubs, but noticed I had an extra snap-ring (yes, I know two are photod).  This bugged me in ways I was not comfortable with.  Nonetheless, i pressed on, and got the trans tore completely down to its bare shafts.

The next thing that was bugging me was the dry bearings.  Things had a slight "oily" feel to them, but nothing was what I would consider to be "lubed"

Luckily I had a tube of "Lucas Assembly Lube" handy, and by now I've used more than half of it!

Things are mostly assembled on the shafts at this point (reverse and 5th gear clusters are not installed yet) and I'm ready to insert them in the intermediate plate, buuuuuuuuuuuut....

They don't fit...

Why?

Well, your buddy "Bill" here swapped first and second gear... So out it all comes.

With the gears swapped there wasn't much bite for my pullers to grab onto, but thanks to my excessive lubrication habits, things came back off rather nicely.

Eventually we're back to the shaft installation into intermediate plate:

On the opposite side of the plate, it seems like tolerances are much tighter as everything is harder to press on.  On the plus side, I did figure out which bearing those loose rollers came from:

But yeah, things are tight enough on this side that I'm trying to protect the new bearings by using the race of the OLD bearings to push things on in the hydraulic press.

It works, but then you're faced with the task of pulling that old race back off.

Then it came to the 5th gear sychro hub and I FINALLY found out where that damn random snap-ring goes!

You'll notice that one side of this hub has that protective plate (not present on other hubs), well the person previously responsible for the rebuild did not install the snap ring on the plate side of this hub.  I was able to pry (gently) the plate off with a screwdriver and get things corrected.

I'm 100% certain this saved me a HUGE headache had I not caught it.

Time to go in when the eldest Hungarling wakes up though.  He sets his alarm for 6am to get ready for school but he often wakes up earlier.  We kill time by scrolling through instagram videos (mostly dog videos, mixed in with car shenanigans and travel stuff).

Good times.

Obviously this spanned over MANY days of 1-hour sessions, but I swear 99% of my time is just me digging through the garage trying to find what piece (or pieces) of random scrap is going to take up the necessary distance between the piston of my hydraulic press and what I need it to press on.

Gotta be careful with that sometimes.  I had it kick once and caught it in the leg... smashed my thumb once...  the list goes on.

But here we are with everything pressed on and all is good, right?

Nope.  and I promise I'm 100% not making this up.  JUST as we got to the point where we would be ready for housing installation I discovered a missing C-clip:

It goes right where I'm pointing and would have been the last piece of the puzzle.

And I dug EVERYWHERE for it.  Through the boxes the parts were returned to me in (yup, kept those), all through my work bench, everywhere.  I even gave my coffee can a go:

If I'm honest though, there is one more issue I might need to resolve:

The c-clip that holds the 5th gear synchro cluster in place doesn't quite fit in its groove.

and it is 100% butted up against it's stop.  I've slid a deep-set socket over the shaft and whacked it with a fat rubber mallet more than once, It's not moving.  I'm almost wondering if I have the wrong C-clip there too.

I haven't done any digging yet for W56 parts breakdowns or exploded views, but this is going to be the long pole in the tent when it comes to keeping this from being 100%.  I briefly dug through the assembled trans looking for another C-clip that would fit the missing location to have one for measuring/reference but none do.  Worst case we can use the GRM community to find a suitable sub based off of some measurements I could take, I think.

All good times though.  On the plus side, I've been driving the Toyota this whole time and there hasn't been any change in the transmission noise

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Alright. At this point your VIN is saved in my browser to auto fill in the EPC. We can get this done.

First, that missing c-clip (Toyota calls it a snap ring) at the rear end of the countershaft.  There are multiple part numbers because it comes in different thicknesses. Each size is stamped with a number for visual identification:

The second snap ring is a little harder to identify. By your description, it looks like it may be the one that is visible just right if center in your first pic. If that's the one, then it is also sold in multiple thicknesses:

Note that the two snap rings are not listed in any of the same thicknesses as each other. That means you should be able to measure the snap ring you have and determine by its thickness which position it belongs in. Also, the clutch hub snap ring doesn't appear to have a number stamped in it, which should also help identify what you do and don't have and where they go.

What are the odds you are trying to put the rear bearing snap ring where the no. 3 clutch hub snap ring goes?

To follow up, these are three or four dollars each at US suggested dealer retail. If you can order them (by part number - don't waste time looking them up by application) from a local dealership, then that will very likely be the fastest, cheapest way to get them in your hands. It's almost certainly not worth trying go aftermarket on these. 

In reply to DarkMonohue :

I seriously have no idea how you manage such magic, but dang am I glad you do!

Ok, both clips are spot on.  I 100%  might have swapped clips somewhere (and was suspecting I've done exactly that) as not everything was assembled when I went at it.  But with regards to that:

Are you thinking I might have swapped green with yellow?  That one wouldn't be possible as the yellow is much smaller in diameter than the green. (20mm versus 24mm if memory serves me correctly).

I have clips moving this way, but it's going to be a while.  I also might go to the dealership in Gyor and try to place an order in person there.

On that subject:  The green highlighted clip is driving me nuts.  I tried to install it today with the clutch hub on, and it 100% will not go in its groove (much too fat).  Pulling the clutch hub off allowes it to fit with plenty of room in the groove.  Clutch hub is 100% as seated as it can be...  I don't know what in the heck is going on with that one...  Hopefully having a new one on had fixes things (note: I measured it at nearly 3mm in thickness this morning.  I noticed that nothing close to that thick is listed under that part number...  interesting)

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

On that subject:  The green highlighted clip is driving me nuts.  I tried to install it today with the clutch hub on, and it 100% will not go in its groove (much too fat).  Pulling the clutch hub off allowes it to fit with plenty of room in the groove.  Clutch hub is 100% as seated as it can be...  I don't know what in the heck is going on with that one...  Hopefully having a new one on had fixes things (note: I measured it at nearly 3mm in thickness this morning.  I noticed that nothing close to that thick is listed under that part number...  interesting)

No magic here. Just too much time staring at the parts catalog!

You probably did swap snap rings from one position to another. The center bearing snap ring, PNC 33321X, is the only one listed that approaches that thickness:

They don't list multiple thicknesses for others, like the reverse idler shaft. They don't list a thickness at all, so we don't know what it is supposed to be. Is it possible you have that one mixed up with the green one?

In reply to DarkMonohue :

Stop!  I can only be so impressed! 

You might be right, I remember one other (cant say for sure which) snap ring being kind of a tight fit, but for better or worse I'm going to call it "all good".

I just submitted payment for the new parts, so the great waiting game has started.  The only thing sure is I wont have this issue fixed before the next run.  If you got fingers I'd appreciate it if you'd cross them (maybe I should bring a handful of bearings and snaprings with me, just in case?)

all good times.

Ok, in other news:  We have donations!!!!

To explain what’s going on in the pictures, a teacher from a local international school has been working diligently behind the scenes to collect ALL SORTS of baby supplies!  We have diapers, baby food, towels, but my absolute favorite are the hand-knitted stuffed animals she brought!

These were knitted by her students at the international school and were added to her collection and brought over last Friday.  I’ve been trying to find a free moment since then to post these so you could see them, but darn are things still busy around here.  No worries though as we’re just starting to get caught up.

Either way, the last picture does a pretty good job of showing how our donation room is looking at the moment.  Any worries I had about driving a “mostly empty truck” are quickly disappearing and I'm still struck at the amount of supplies she was able to collect.  Honestly, this reminds me of our stuffie fund we had going back when we had APO access.  I promise I'm still trying.

I have a weekly update to post as well, but don't yet have excel installed after the computer crash.  Hoping to have that fixed soon.

Happy Monday everyone!

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks for posting this update. PayPal sent. Sorry I fell out of touch with this.

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks to you and Vikki for keeping this updated!

I just sent some in, I'm not sure what the current need is, spend it how you feel is best.

In reply to WonkoTheSane  and AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Thanks guys!  Angry, no worries man!  I've been watching you throw rods, you were busy  (lovin the "what was actually said" thread)

Wonko, 100% will do!  It looks like we've got a pretty good collection going for Vikki's Mother's and Baby fund this month, I'm hoping to keep the momentum going so she can help on the fly while Ukraine's infrastructure was taking its beating.  I'm sure the relief would be much appreciated as the rainy season starts.

Here's our weekly update:

I'm scrambling around the house and garage trying to get ready for this run (I thought I had more time!!!!!) but on the balance sheet, we are killing it!  Of the $1335 donated to our GFM so far, I have about $1000 left to spend on the orphanage. This is going to a GREAT summer for these guys in Dnipro, I tell you what

Cheers everyone!

Oh, while I'm thinking about it.  I think that Optima Yellow-Top I spent all that money on might be taking a big crap...

I know the internet has been abuzz with the downfall of Optima quality for a while now, but I've had lots of good luck with their Red-Tops.  I bought the yellow top thinking it's deep-cycle rating would let me run things like lights (and whatnot) longer should I break down or something.

well....  I don't think that's happening.

I noticed that when I leave the key on to roll up and down the back window, that the starter seems to spin a fraction slower than it usually does.  I was all set to blame the new starter but I couldn't help but wonder if I don't have a slow electrical draw (Pretty sure I don't).

I got up to check this morning and the battery was sitting right at 12.5 volts.  I turned the key on and rolled the back window down and up

12-volts (.5 volt drop)

I wasn't sure if this was a lot or not so I repeated said window rolling.

11.7 volts.

"odd" thought I, "I wasn't expecting to see that much juice leave the chat"

Go to start the truck, and the poor starter is BARELY able to crank over the engine.  Luckily it finally did because I needed it to get me to work.  Anyhoo, I might test these results with other batteries I have laying around, but I REALLY think a billion dollar Optima Yellow-Top should have WAY more than enough capacity to hold its charge through two window cycles...

Well, it's official.  Got stranded at work due to a dead battery.  Luckily Mrs. Hungary and I work near each other so I could use her car to snag the Red Top out of the Mazda...

I still had my meter with me.  There's no draw on the battery...  it just sucks 😢

Why do I remember that spiral cells are possibly fused and can overheat causing the fuse to pop and that it's something that can be repaired? Maybe?

QuasiMofo (John Brown) said:

Why do I remember that spiral cells are possibly fused and can overheat causing the fuse to pop and that it's something that can be repaired? Maybe?

I need to look into this today, because this darn thing was expensive and I ordered it online (and didn't fill out the "hey, register your battery" form...) so I don't think there's going to be any "taking it back". 

FWIW, I ran the same window test on my Red-Top today:

Beginning:  12.5v
After first operation: 12.0v
Second operation: 12.2v
Engine running: 14.5v

No issues cranking the engine over after two cycles of the rear window.

Ninja edit:

Quick googling informs me that Optima doesn't recommend "deeply discharging" their batteries (then what's the point of the deep cycle rating???  but I digress).  If dropped below 10.5v then sulfating can occur (this one's been completely dead once or twice in its short life).  I might hook it up to my battery charger and let it run it's "de-sulfating" feature on the battery until after the run.  Until then, it looks like the red-top from the Mazda is being called into action (and I still have the Toyota's old Exide battery on the tender, because I don' throw anything away).

One way or another, we'll get this.

There are a million fundraisers out there, and I usually avoid posting them here.  HOWEVER, this one was unique and I thought this audience might be interested in what was being sold.

He wont ship to the states, but luckily for us a Ukrainian courier service called "Novaposht" just opened an office in Budapest.  He's checking on the possibility of sending these to me through there, and I could forward to interested GRM members from there (pending repayment of postal costs).  All proceeds on the sellers end go to purchasing camoflauge trench nets, and similar items (read:  Benefits Ukraine's military).

Would anyone be interested in taking the plunge? 

I will warn that the relay to get these to the states will take some time, and ultimately might not be successful (given the nature of the item being shipped).  For what it's worth, I've shipped spent rounds and gun parts all over the US of A and have never had a problem.  The only question mark here is the border.  I won't lie on the import declaration form, but I don't think calling these "decorations" is stretching the truth too much

Right now, I'm only offering this to GRM members (given our family-like relationship on here), just in case everything goes pear shaped for some reason.

Oof! As cool as they are, hell yeah I'm interested, but I don't know when I will be able to commit to one. Too much stuff going on, too many new and exciting bills looking to get paid.

You could probably describe them as "metal canisters, painted, inert" on the customs declaration.