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February 28 - 2003
Opal Mining Update - No 10 The ongoing Saga of "Problems" Part 4, The end is in Sight! |
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G/Day Folks, More of the same until Friday.
Today was an uneventful day for us as the reconditioned cylinder head was supposed to have arrived here on Saturday morning, Monday morning (today) at the latest if the transport truck could not deliver it in time before the workshop closed at lunch time on Saturday, so we stayed in our little cabin all day. Went to the workshop this morning to see if everything was going to schedule and had the cyl head arrived on time, it had not and believe it or not as I was asking the question the truck rolled up with the cylinder head on board, the guy in Townsville had not finished it on time and had not put it on the truck until Monday afternoon late. I was told that the injector pump was going to cost me more than expected, so what else is new I said everything else is going like shit why should this be different, so Mick the Mechanic took me round to the injector pump work shop to see the Boss there so he could explain why the extra cost and show me the parts, as if I gave a you know what, so the cost which I was expecting to be about $1200.00 or less was now going to cost us a cool $1870.00, which I have paid for while I was there. With the cylinder head and the rocker gear costing me $900.00, the bill so far is $2700.00, I know the bill so far at the workshop from the fitting of the other engine, is $1700.00 which includes the new clutch which cost $700.00, fan belts (3) oil and oil filter (which have to be replaced again) water coolant (replaced again) I have also purchased a new water pump $200.00, reconditioned injectors $160.00 and new thermostat and gasket for $52.00, so the bill is now climbing and in in total so far $4882.00. Tomorrow morning we will be going to the Engine Reconditioner's Workshop to pay for the motor, which I am hoping that it will still be on time to be delivered to Mick the Mechanic (nice guy this Mick) this afternoon, as while I was there this morning after Mick had taken the cylinder head straight around to the Reconditioner, they came around for some more parts off the old engine as they needed them for fitting to the new one so they can set up the injectors and the pump etc, as this has to be done for the warranty and so they are nearly finished and the injector pump was to be delivered when it was finished, which was about 10 minutes after I had paid for it as it was just coming off the test bench. Went down to the Workshop that has Reconditioned the engine for me and paid the bill, which was $3712.00, the engine was ready to be picked up by Mick the Mechanic when he has time between jobs, so now the only bill left is from Mick the Mechanic when he has finished, which we are hoping will be tomorrow, we can only keep out fingers crossed that there is no more problems. The 4x4 is Finally Finished, picked it up at 4.50 this afternoon, Mick the Mechanic did a good very neat and tidy job in fitting the engine, it runs a smooth as a Swiss Watch and as a nice diesel sound to it for a change, the total cost at the workshop for the fitting of the 2 motors plus bits and pieces was $1928.00, more than I wanted to pay, but the labour rate here is very expensive to back home, they charge $60.00 per hour and are the cheapest in town, the dearest being $75.00 per hour. So the total cost here for the repairs to the vehicle is $9393.50, plus another $905.00 for the stay in the Van Park for 3 weeks exactly, we will leave first thing in the morning I hope around 7am if not a bit earlier for Townsville some 861kms away, I have already fuelled up for the trip, so all I have to do in the morning is put the suitcase in and hook up the dingy and we are off. We got away by 6.30am and for the first 100kms it was not to bad although I thought it was a bit gutless, you know a bit slow on the uptake with the accelerator, by this time I had stopped at a small town for a dink of the old caffeine to get the brain working. With in the next 100kms or just over the engine was getting very hot and the oil pressure was dropping, so stopped at the next small town and hopped that it was nothing serious as I did not want to be stuck in this place for any money, so as I looked under the hood and had a good look around I noticed that it was leaking compression from the cylinder head gasket in the middle of the head. There was a small mechanical workshop there, so I went and asked if they could retention down the cylinder as it was a new engine and did not want to blow the cylinder gasket, the boss said that he would take a look but they were busy and could not do it that day, just my luck I thought, to get stuck in this one horse town, I could see that the only excitement they got here was swatting fly's, during the afternoon siesta. Well as he checking under the bonnet (hood) I was around the other side and I noticed that there was a arm that had come off a valve that was part of the turbo and the valve had shut cutting off some of the exhaust gases which had made the engine run hotter, I pointed this out and he said that would have also caused this to happen, but he rang the guy who had supposed to have reconditioned the engine and reported this to him and asked what to do. I then spoke to this guy and asked a couple of questions, like did he face the block ?, the answer was he did not a it was dead flat is told me, well I can tell you this is bull as all blocks need facing, so when I get the next service done and have the cylinder head tightened down, we hope that this will take up the problem, if not it will be big time problems on the way back and we might have to stay in Mt Isa until this guy fixes the problem, lets hope it does not come to this. Here we are on the road again, finally heading for that fishing spot, can we get there?  |
Here is a Dinosaur that we came across passing through a small town on the way to Townsville.
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Another view from the side, this quite a size.
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This give you a better idea of the size of this thing, just down the road
or behind me there is a sort of museum on this Dino, it would seem that
they have found some of these Dino's bones here.
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Got up this morning and checked the oil and water, I had used about a
liter of water and just on 3 liters of oil, the sump carries about 10
liters so it was done quite a bit, I hope this is due to that exhaust
valve not working and making the engine the engine run hotter and work
harder, wont know until I get to where I am going and check it again as
this trip is just over 300kms.
We left Townsville around 10.30 this morning, as I had to call into the Jap Wrecker where we got the cylinder head from, I need to see him and try and get another couple of things from him if they had them, I was told that he would be in about 9 am for me, we waited until 9.35 but he never turned up so off we went, I want to get to this fishing spot in a hurry, had enough of these City pain if the ass Folk. Well here we are at a little place called Bramston Beach, it is 17kms (10.5 miles) off the highway and from the highway its about 70kms (43.5 miles) to Cairns, which is in the far North of Queensland.  |
Jenny, our friend whose beach shack we are staying at, gave us her address
which is No 46 Evans Rd, she did not tell us that it is the only road
here, so it was easy to find and is just a short distance from this shop,
the only shop here, looks like this is a very quite place, just what we
need right now.
 I will have to go back into the nearest town tomorrow which is back 41kms from here, a place called Innisfail to get this service done on the vehicle, so I will let you know how we get on there. |
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G/Day Folks, Well this week things have started to look up. (just)
Today I went and booked my vehicle in for the oil & oil filter change in a little place just up the road from us on the main highway called Babinda, I was recommended to go there by one of the local people here, a neighbor in fact of the lady whose house we are staying at. So I did not go back down the road to that place called Innisfail as I said I would do, but never the less I will get done what is needed, I then went into Cairns some 60 more kilometers up the road, to have a look at some new boats and see what we can get afford right now. Saw a few boats but nothing struck me as what I wanted in my price range and what I really liked was way out of my pocket change right now, So I will go back tomorrow and spend a bit more time looking around the yards and drool a bit more. After I had been and had the vehicle serviced and had the cylinder head retention done plus a whole lot more things serviced on it, cost $162.00, while it was up on the hoist I was having a look around I noticed a couple of electric wires hanging down, on closer inspection it turns out that when the second tire let go of the tread it came off with such force that it caved in some of the body behind the tire and had caught this wire that is connected to the brake light and that sides indicator. So I will have find a auto electrician and get this fixed, I also still have this small leak from the cylinder head and will have to try a special brew of a mixture that will I hope cause it to seal by putting it in the radiator, so we will see what happens when this is done, later in the week. Went back into Cairns to have a second look at these boats, I wanted another dingy but a bit bigger that the one I wanted to get rid off, and when I found one that I liked the salesman tried to give me a heard time on a couple of the extras and also tried to palm me off onto a bigger dingy than I wanted as it was to big for me with steer with me at the rear of the boat. Then he tried to pull my boat apart with this that and the other, when I asked him what he would give me as a trade in on the one that I wanted from him, he offered me $700.00 for it and I wanted $1500.00, which I told him the motor was worth $850.00 second hand on its own, so he said that he recommended that I place an add in the local newspaper where I might be able to sell it for $1800.00 if I was lucky and I told him if he though that I had come over 3000kms to put an add in a newspaper he was nuts, so I said he was wasting my time and I was out of there. I went around the corner and spotted this little beauty, which I had seen the day before but had not had a very good look at it as my mind was somewhere else at the time, but having a second look this I thought would suit us so I asked Pat what she thought and she said she liked it, so I asked the man at that point what he would be prepared to give me for my dingy as a trade in and he aid that from where he was standing about $1200.00 to $1400.00. |
I told him that I would like to get at least $1500.00 for it, so he said
he would go and have a closer look at it and in less than 5 minutes he
came back and said that I could have the $1500.00 for it, so we went
inside and put down a small deposit and said we would be back the next day
to finalize the sale.
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As this is more what we wanted I was now a bit happier than I had been in
quite a few days, so I was looking forward to going back and picking out
the extras that would be needed to make it a fishing and safe seaworthy
boat for us, by the way the 435 means its 4.35 meters long or 14.25 feet.
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Went back this morning to BoatScene the boat yard that I have bought
this boat from in Cairns and finalized the deal with the salesman, real nice guy
not pushy like the other guy, I hate pushy guys they always reminds me of
car salesman, hate them too, anyway had to pick out all the items that I
needed, but had to go just down the road to buy some of the items myself
from another shop that only deals in Marine Electronics as BoatScene did not
carry these items, but will fit them for me.
So I ended buying a VHF Radio with antenna, FishFinder (echo sounder) and a EPIRB which is a emergency beacon that is picked up by a satellite, plus a whole lot of stuff that is required by law, the EPIRB and Radio are 2 of them and the rest is life jackets, a water proof torch, rope and anchor, all this is part of the deal that comes with the boat. What I had to buy was flares, bilge pump, extra 24 liter fuel tank as one comes with the boat, bait board that fits on the back seat in 2 rod holders and is removable, 2 rod holders that are adjustable and are fitted on the side, a Sun Canopy that looks like the one on the boat that is next to mine in the top photo above and a Storm Cover, I may have another 4 or 6 fishing rod holders put in on the back seat and a Hydrofoil for the leg of the motor, makes the boat ride and cut through the waves a whole lot easier so making for an easier ride all round. Total price was $14138.00, less the trade in of $1500.00, so I was very pleased with the result, but until I get to pick up the boat which will be next Tuesday and see what it looks like with everything fitted I will not be sure. Went back into Cairns to the bank and drew a Bank Check for the money for BoatScene then went and looked in a fishing tackle shop for a Fishing Box or as they are called here a Killing Box, got one for $295.00, a very thick and heavy duty one that the professionals use only they come in different sizes and we got a 105 liter one, can also be used as another seat for two, which Pat and I might use for fishing over the side of the boat when we are drift fishing. I also remembered today that I have some wear on the left hand side of the two front tires so I booked the 4x4 in at the workshop that did the other service for me for a front wheel alignment tomorrow morning at 9.00pm to fix the problem and then I might have to have 2 new tires fitted, what's next?? Got to the workshop on time and Dean the Mechanic started on it straight away, setting up the equipment and after he had set everything up it turns out that he could do nothing for me and the problem is in front diff and axle housing, turns out it is bent a bit and the wheel is out of line by 1.5 degrees out of alignment so I had to consult a specialist for this, I got a phone number for a truck repair shop that specializes in this type of thing. I rang the workshop which is in Cairns and spoke with the Boss and he explained what had gone wrong and what might have caused it to get bent, although I must admit I don't know how it happened as I have not been off road with it for over 11 years, but he said that the housing has to straightened but there was a chance if he was not careful that the housing might crack as he had to put about 10 to 11 ton pressure on it to straighten it and while it was under the tension he would then put shims in there somewhere to put it back in line, funny this has only seemed to have come since I was in Mt Isa broke down and had this engine put in, I don't know what has caused this but makes you wonder eh. So as it turns out I have to go back into Cairns on Monday Morning to the boat yard to make where I want the fishing rod holders screwed on, as I don't know until we have the canopy on and can see where the struts are going to be, this canopy is a fold down one by the way and can be taken off when I am ready for traveling and placed inside the boat then I can put the Storm Cover on for traveling and put things inside the boat which makes it easier and a lot more room inside the vehicle for traveling. Patricia has an appointment at the Doctors at this Babinda tomorrow morning, apart form that we have a slack couple of days in front of us, if the weather is kind we would like to cast a line in the water, but for the last 4 days it has rained in the afternoon here and the wind seems to get up around lunch time and as it is comes from north, north east it makes it hard to cast a line into it, but I will take a couple of photos of the beach etc for a bit of interest. |
Again as you can see the weather in not right for any kind of fishing
today, the wind was in very early today and is a bit stronger than it has
been all of this week, this the ocean view from the property we are
staying in, I have just walked out of the trees and palms to take this lot of photos.
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This is the view to the north of the beach front.
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And this is the view of the beach front to the south, the point that you
can on the right is a creek mouth and the entrance to the small boat ramp that we will be using some time next week hope.
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This give you the view of the entrance that we have to walk through to get
to the beach shack that we are staying at, I will show you some more
photos of the trees and palms that this lady, Jennie has planted all by herself over a period of 18 years, she has done a lot of hard work for a woman.
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Just got back from visiting a neighbor and a very good friend of
Jenny's across the road, who was at one time owned and run a Prawn Trawler
and has lived here for the past 35 years, tell me that the fishing will be
no good here for perhaps the next two or three week.
This has turned out to be a nightmare of a trip for us this year, does not matter what we seem to do or get involved in, nothing is going right for us, so we will hang in here until its time to go home, I might have one more extra put in the boat while I am here as I may not come back here next year if I cannot catch any fish due to the weather at this time of the year. Might as well get the boat ready and set up for next year if I cannot get some use of it this year, but we have not finished yet, if there is a chance for us to get out even if it is only for 2 or 3 hours we will, but we will not be able to go out to far if the weather does not hold for long, as the reef here is 18 to 20 mile out from the boat ramp. The islands way out in front you can see in the top photo are I have been told about 12 mile out, so as soon as I can the boat in the water, I will be doing sea trials out to them along with testing out the Echo Sounder, as the sounder gives me or should give me the mileage that I do along with the water temp etc, so I have a few things to try out, lets hope that at least with this I have no trouble's. Hope you have enjoyed this issue and look forward to the next one, hopefully I will have some more good photos to show you in the next issue and maybe some of Good Looking Fish and lots of them, I am still hoping that this will be a good year for us in mining when we get back, so stay with us over the next few months and find out what goes on in our part of the world as far as Opal Mining goes. Stay Tuned for the next Issue, who knows what I will have to report. Until the next issue.........  and wish me lots of LUCK.
Cya Later, Stuart Bird. To return back to the Archived Page for more Updates click, Here! |
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