happenings

To the ignition and starter we go...

Well we discussed the battery last time as the source of stored power
in your automobile.  Now what happens when you need it - for example, to
start the car.  You push the button on key fob to unlock the car and
expect it to unlock the door. Well it worked and the door lock solenoid
pulled the door lock in the direction to unlock the door. Your in the
car and you put the key into the ignition switch and turn it to the
start position.  Now what happens next? Behind the  key is a switch
that when turned supply electrical energy to the starter solenoid.  It
takes a lot of electrical energy to turn the engine over.  A lot more
energy then can be supplied by the key switch. So the key switch
supplies a small amount of currant to a solenoid
on top of the starter.  I just realized that I have been using the word
solenoid many times without explaining what it is and does.  It is a
electrical device that when electrical current is supplied to it,  a
electro magnetic field is generated within its windings and pulls a
solid metal object to it. This movement may push or pull a rod or lever
to make a mechanical action.  In the case of the door lock it usually
does this.  In the case of the starter it pulls a lever which engages
the starter gear into the fly wheel teeth and at the same time closes a
very strong electrical switch to apply a large amount of electrical
currant to the starter motor. This is what happens when the key is
turned on the modern auto. In the old days, before this system was
invented, a pedal or a starter button on the floorboard of the auto was
used to engage the starter and make this electrical connection.
    Well back to today, some autos have started using a button on the dash
to start the engine after the computer has identified you as the
regular driver for that auto through a key fob in your pocket.  Driver
identification can go as far as adjusting the drivers seat, mirrors and
pedal cluster for each driver that uses the auto. I have not had to
work on one of these autos yet and I am not looking forward to that day. Now when
turning the key to energize the starter motor to engage the flywheel
that is bolted to crankshaft it starts to turn.  The
crankshaft must turn greater then 400 revolutions per minute (RPM's)
for the fuel pump to be signaled to start pumping fuel to the injection
system.  The reason this threshold must be met is in case of the key is
left on, the fuel pump would not be running with out the engine
running. Also in case of a severed fuel line due to a accident or major
fuel leak.  As the crankshaft turns, a crankshaft sensor tells the
ignition system to supply spark to the spark plugs and supply fuel to
the combustion chamber by opening and closing the fuel injectors at the
appropriate time.
    I also just realized that keys have also come a long way.  Many new
auto have a chip embedded in the key so as to identify it to the auto
security system.  There is on problem when the chip is erased or altered by some electrical source in your
pocket or purse.  If the damaged key is inserted into into the ignition
switch the antitheft system locks out and
auto must be towed to the dealer for reprograming before even a spare
key can start it.  I think I have exhausted the key and starter
explanation.  Next time I will poke my head back
under the hood in the garage for more under the hood inspection.

The Battery

    Hi, its been a while sense I added to the under the hood assessment.  I now will look for engine and tuning items.  The first thing is the ignition system, starting with the battery.  Is the battery the right size?  Many times the battery is replaced with a smaller size to save money.  This usually means that the battery tie-downs do not fit or are missing completely.  Sometimes the battery is loose or tied down with many things, rope, wire, bungy cords and sometimes it is loose and has been bouncing around.  I have found arc marks on the underside of the hood from the battery bouncing up and shorting out on the hood metal.  I look to see if the battery is topped of with water in the cells if it is a battery that has caps that can be removed.  Some batteries have a sight glass that informs you of the condition of the battery if the battery caps can not be removed.  I look at the date of manufacture on the battery if it is available to see the amount of battery life left.  I feel the battery should be replaced one year before the expected battery life ends.  A five-year battery should be replaced after four years.  The way I look at it is, it is cheaper to replace the battery in the shop then to do a service call for a car that will not start.  A service call means that I go to the car to check it out, then to the parts store to pick it up versus calling the parts house from my shop and asking them to deliver it to me while the auto is already taken out of service.  If the battery is still serviceable I check the battery terminal for corrosion and color.  Yes, color.  A dark battery cable terminal means that it may be overheating due to not being tight, poor contact, long cranking time or corrosion between the post and the terminal.  If necessary I remove the terminal and scrape the inside with a special tool, not a brush, and then re-cut the profile of the battery post with a tool. Then I spray the two parts with a battery terminal corrosion protector. Then reinstall, align the cable and tighten the clamp nut.
    This brings us to a problem when the battery is disconnected to service the terminals and posts.  If I disconnect it from the car I would cause a lot of problems.  Sometimes it sets off the alarm system when reconnected and the lights and horns will go off until the system is reset or I use the key control.  Some cars need a code to reset the radio antitheft device and sometimes the customers have only given me the key and have not left me the alarm button.  In some cars when the battery is disconnected it erases the short-term memory in the computer, such as pending or existing engine codes.  Well, this is what I do!  I have an adapter plug hooked up to a battery and I plug it into the lighter socket.  This only works if the socket has electricity in it with the ignition key in the off position.  In some cars the socket is only hot (a term for electricity present) with the key in the on or accessory position.  If this is the case, then I apply 12 volts to the battery terminals before removing them from the battery.  I then follow the negative or ground cable to the point it attaches to the body, engine or transmission to complete its circuit.  I then look for a loose connection and any rust or corrosion.  Lastly, I follow the positive cable to the starter and inspect it for tightness.  This is a first hand look at the starting system which is necessary to turn the engine over to start it.  If you think I have spent a lot time on the battery, you are right, this is the heart of the ignition system as I see it.  Next time, what happens when the engine starts turning over or the crankshaft starts rotating?

Under the hood...

    Well I now have the car in the shop and I open the hood for the first time.  Pulling the hood release tells me if the hood is aligned by the way it pops up.  If it jumps up with a smooth pull of the release lever then everything is ok.  If it sticks before pooping up, I lube or adjust the latch assembly if necessary, or sometimes I have to align the hood.  I then use the hood prop or the hood struts (look like shock absorbers) to hold the hood up. I check the struts for their ability to hold the hood level. If one has a leak the hood will sage on one side. Inspection of the underside of the hood for tuning and other information is helpful. If its not there, I assume that the hood was replaced from a previous accident. 
    I now grab the cooling hoses and squeeze them while listening for crunching noise.  The crunching sound tells me that the fiber reinforcement in the hose is rotten and the hose must be replaced. Also I inspect for bubbles or soft spots on the hoses.  Inspecting the ends of the hoses for leakage or crystallization of the antifreeze tells me that the hose and possibly the inlet or outlet may also be pitted from corrosion on the engine. If the leak or corrosion is on the radiator side then there may be a split or damaged inlet or outlet of the radiator. Plastic radiators have a tendency to split or just degrade into crumbly peaces while brass or copper radiators are usually damaged by over-tightening of the clamp. I then install a cooling system pressure tester and apply air pressure to the system. I reach down and move the water pump pulley if accessible to check for a leaky water pump seal.  Most engines operate under 13 to 16 lbs of pressure. I check for leaks and tighten all that seem to be leaking, making sure that I do-not over-tighten it. The standard clamps that are on the foreign cars are usually a duel wire clamp and they have a tendency to cut into old hoses especially if the there is oil soaked into the hose. 
    Then its time to check the radiator cap for cracks in the rubber gasket and the condition of the valve that allows the cooling system to suck antifreeze from the overflow tank back into the radiator.  Remember as the engine heats the antifreeze, it expands and after it exceeds the pressure rating of the cap it flows into the overflow tank.  When the engine cools, it creates a vacuum in the cooling system, and antifreeze is sucked from the over-flow tank to the radiator. This balance keeps air from entering the cooling system and preventing the air from causing corrosion and rust. Either of them can clog the radiator or damage the water pump seal not to mention eating holes in the engine block or soft plugs (freeze plugs). Lastly I check the coolant for freeze protection and boiling point. Freeze protection depends on your area that you drive in and the boiling point is the same for all engines. I do-not adjust for altitude. I thought that was the last thing but the last is to check or trash in front of the radiator. 

Answer for Noise when Accelerating...

I will answer the last posted problem first, and that is the issue of the scream upon starting sometimes. You diagnosed it correctly.  But I do recommend that you replace the belts at this time.  The slipping belt is probably the alternator belt but I always try to replace all the belts at the same time to establish a time frame. I recommend cleaning the grooves in the pulleys with a wire brush and some aerosol parts cleaner.  Blowing them out with compressed air would also help.  One problem is that only installing a new belt without cleaning the groves would not allow the belt to fully seat in the pulleys, thus causing shorter belt life.

Now on to the engine having problem while going up a hill,  Assuming that the engine is in good tune, spark plugs of the heat range recommended by the manufacture and properly torqued in the cylinder head.  Threads should have an antisieze chemical brushed on them to prevent them from getting stuck in the head. Has the fuel filter been
replaced?  Remember the fuel filter filters more fuel then the engine consumes and returns the unused amount back to the fuel tank, so it filters many hundreds of gallons of fuel every time the car is driven.  Your car may be suffering from fuel starvation as it requires the most amount of fuel when going uphill.  It also could be a buildup of carbon in the combustion chamber that is causing a premature ignition. Last thing I will talk about is the catalytic converter.  A clogged converter will cause lack of power at high engine speeds and a noise coming from the intake system is usually the air cleaner air intake area.  It can still pass the smog test with this condition.  So my recommendation is this, start with some chemicals.  Add at separate times according to the direction on the product.  First I would add a fuel injection cleaner to the fuel tank and give it time to work. This will help clean the fuel delivery system as well as decarbon the combustion chamber.  I would do this two times using a full tank of gas each time.  Then if there is not a change, I would use a product to clean the converter.  The products that I use are:  Sea Foam motor treatment (www.seafoamsales.com) and CRC GUARANTEED TO PASS Emission Test Formula (www.crcindustries.com). Remember this is assuming that your mechanical parts of the engine is maintained and properly tuned.

Noise when accelerating...

The first "Ask My Dad" column reader question:

The car:
1998 Toyota Corolla
4 cylinder engine
175,000 miles
All scheduled maintenance performed

The problem:
For the past few years I've heard an increasing amount of noise (something
like a sputtering) when accelerating up a hill.  The problem has gradually
gotten worse over time and robs power from the car, resulting in me being
the slow car up the hill more and more often.  I originally thought that it
was a problem with the exhaust, but it continues to pass California's smog
tests with flying colors.

I once had the check engine light illuminate for a day and consulted the
manual and internet to determine that it was likely the catalytic converter
had failed, but it went out and hasn't come back yet.  I also had the car
scream a bit when started a few times, which I assumed was a mis-adjusted
belt.  Again, went away after 2 or 3 times (not consecutive) and hasn't come
back.

More on the Test Drive!

The issue of a steering wheel wobbling while applying the brakes is attributed to the front brake rotors being warped. The best fix is to replace the rotors with new premium rotors of a reputable manufacture. I offer the customer this as the best repair.  I suggest this because experience has taught me that the normal repair of turning the rotor only makes it thinner and it will warp as soon as it is under extreme stress. In time I have learned it is easier to sell this repair now then try to justify doing the job again in a short period of time.
    The other problem I hear often is "I hear a squeaking noise at slow speed or when I first start out in morning.  The noise usually goes away when I apply the brakes for the first couple of stops."  I can usually solve this problem by having the rotors turned only to remove a crusty buildup around the edge of the friction area and to make the rotor flat.  Many times the problem solves itself by making a estimate.  This is not a safety hazard and is sometimes not worth the expense.  I mentioned that the car is usually warm when I road test and most times will not make the noise. Inspection will show if this is the problem.
    When I accelerate I am listening for a clunk or a click.  A clunk can be a motor mount or exhaust pipe mount.  On hard accelerating, a broken or worn motor mount will allow the motor and transmission to shift and move to the extreme, hitting the body or frame.  Exhaust pipes usually rattle more then clunk.  I am also listening for clicking in the front area of the car.  I turn sharply to the left and right while accelerating to put pressure on the CV (constant velocity) joints.  Theses joints are found on all front wheel- drive cars.  A clicking noise means the joint is warn and needs replacing.  There are two CV joints on the drive shaft that drives the front wheel on each side of the car.  If the left and right drive shafts are the same or interchangeable - I switch them, left to right.  Why? CV joints wear in one direction and by changing the left to right, I am changing their direction and they are now pulling in a new direction and will last almost as long as a new joint.
    As I write I realize that I should talk about the different ways that power is applied to the drive wheels and the reason that some drives shafts have to be able to bend or flex. The automotive world changed when front wheel drive cars became the norm.  Some all wheel drive cars have CV joints in the rear but they last a long time because they only have to transmit power and do not have to bend to flex due to the turning of the wheel for steering purpose.  Also on all wheel-drive cars more power is transmitted to the front wheels due to the weight for traction purposes. This is called a power split and it is as little as 10 percent to the rear.  They do flex or bend a little because of the movement of the suspension up and down.  Before the CV joint came into use, the front drive shaft on four-wheel vehicles used universal joints and some still do. They have very little problems but when the do it is more expensive to repair.
    Well, now you know why I accelerated fast and applied the brakes, then went in circles left to right. The mystery is solved. Next time I will do some testing, open the hood and make a visual inspection, raise the car and inspect the undercarriage.

Preventative Automobile Maintenance

Preventative maintenance is a phrase we all hear and is misunderstood.
  Let me tell you what I think it is and why I believe in it.  As a
mechanic I am trying to repair or fix problem on the automobile before
it breaks down or starts giving the owner problems.  I have been a
mechanic sense 1959 and have worked on many brands.  I chose early in
my career to work on foreign automobiles.  Much of my information I am
talking about is gained through years of learning and being taught by
good mechanics,  reading, hands on experience and making some of my own mistakes.
    When I first start working on a car I walk around it to check it out. 
The appearance tells me a lot about the car and its owner.  I check out
the tires looking for abnormal wear and tire inflation.  This tells me
if the wheels are out of alignment and I also see it there are matching
brands and sizes.  Many times the owner only changes the two worst
tires in order to save money.  This only complicates maters when it
comes time to rotate tires. Next I check the headlight lens for cracks,
moisture in the bulb area and the condition of the lens.  Many of the
plastic lenses have become dull or cloudy over time.  This last
condition can be repaired by ether polishing with a product made for
cleaning plastic and if they are too bad then treating them with a
restoration kit.  I then check the windshield for cracks and the 
rubber condition of the wipers and their pressure on the windshield.  When I open the
door I am checking the outside door handle and the door hinge, remember
this door is opened every time the car is operated and sometimes more. 
If the outside of the door drops down when it is opened, I assume the
owner leans on the door getting in or out of the drivers seat.  I make
a note of this to talk to the owner when they pick it up.  I then use a
piece of wood between the door and a floor jack to lift up the door by
bending the hinges up to bring the door back to its proper place.
    Well, its time for a test drive to check out the car and verify any
owners list of problems if any.  Usually the list goes like this, "The
steering wheel wobbles when I apply the brakes while making a long
stop".  Or "There is a noise when driving slow and it goes away when I
apply the brakes".  The tough one is," The car makes a clicking noise
when I turn out of the driveway onto the road in the morning".  I ask,
"Does it make the noise any other time? " and the answer is "Only in the
morning"!   So its warm when I test drive the car and I am sure the
noise wont be there.  I leave my drive way and accelerate quickly to
make some tests and then apply the brakes gently to check some thing
out.  I then accelerate with the one foot on the brake and then I take
my foot off the pedal and stop very quickly.  I then go to a dead end
road that has a turnaround area ware I turn the car to the right and go
in circles about four times then go in circles to the left four times. 
Then I drive on the interstate before returning to the shop and start
the maintenance service with the information that I just collected.
    Next article I will explain what I have just learned about the car and
talk about the maintenance system that I believe in and why I have come
to use it.  I hope this will be interesting to you  and give you some
ideas about your car and maybe generate some questions.

2 Stroke Engines...

This post continues by highlighting the differences between a 2 and 4 stroke engines and discusses some of the issues with 2 stroke motors.

As I mentioned earlier we were discussing the standard internal combustion engine.  There are several engine designs but we discussed the easiest to understand.  I will talk about another engines that come to mind.  The engine I previously talked about is called a four-cycle engine.  But there is a variation of this engine and it looks about the same in physical shape but the way it handles fuel intake and exhaust are very different.  This engine is called a two-cycle engine or sometimes referred to as a two-stroke engine. It is used where weight and size are of primary importance. It is used on chain saws, outboard motors, inexpensive lawnmowers, weed wackers, leafblowers, some motorcycles, snowmobiles, water jet skis and model airplanes motors. 
    Today in the United States most of these usages of the two-stroke motor have been legislated against due to air and water pollution. It is still a standard on chainsaws, leaf blowers and weed wackers.  Even the model plane hobby enthusiast is using small four-cycle engines. The two-stroke engine has more power per pound then four-stroke engines but has two major drawbacks.  First it waste fuel and second is the smoke it produces, which is air pollution.
    I will start by explaining the strokes of this engine.  Remember the four-stroke engine is intake, compression, power and exhaust.  The two-stroke engine has just two cycles, compression and power. We must visualize a piston going up and down in a closed chamber or cylinder. This cylinder must have passages to allow the fuel to get in to the combustion chamber and passages to allow the exhaust to leave the combustion chamber after it has been exploded. 
    On this engine, no cycle can support itself.  While the piston is traveling up it is creating a vacuum under the piston and sucks in fuel and air into a closed crankcase. This mixture is pushed into the combustion chamber when the piston is traveling down by the exploding of fuel in the combustion chamber. While traveling down the piston uncovers holes in the cylinder, which are called ports, to let the exhaust go out.  Now this downward motion of the piston pushes the fuel and air mixture into the combustion chamber where it is exploded again and the cycles continue.
    I could list many ways that the engine controls the opening of the passages that let in the fuel and air mixture and then let the exhaust out.  Some engines have a rotary valve, some have a reed system, while some have matching holes in the piston and cylinder. Some engines have a exhaust valve to let the exhaust out. 
    Now for the reasons that the two stroke engine is not widely used for transportation. The fuel efficiency is poor. In order to push the exhaust out while fuel and air are being pushed in, it is necessary to allow some of the fuel mixture to go out with the exhaust. This is air pollution.  Another reason for its inefficiency is that the two-stroke engine needs to have oil added to the fuel to lubricate the working parts of the engine, such as the bearings and piston. After the oil lubricates the working parts of the engine it is then burned up and the result is smoke and smell.  On outboard motors(such as used on a fishing boat), the oil that does not make it to the combustion chamber to be burned, is collected and pumped in to the water. This creates an oil slick on the water.  Some lakes that are used for drinking water have outlawed the use of two-stroke outboard motors for this reason. This also is true for jet skis and they are now being outlawed on many lakes. 
    Because of the waste of oil and the air pollution, oil to fuel ratios have been improved in two-stroke motors. Early ratios were 16 to 1, that is 16 parts fuel to 1 part oil.  As better oil was invented, the ratio was improved and is now up to 100 to 1. To eliminate owner error, oil was dyed to a red or blue color to allow the user to see that oil was in the fuel. Then oil injection was invented, that is oil is stored in a separate tank and pumped into the engine in a metered amount to help solve operator error and air pollution.
    Oil also came in three varieties, mineral, vegetable and man made. Mineral oil is pumped from the ground and refined. Vegetable is oil extracted from the caster bean and it smells the best. Man made oil, or synthetic oil - lubricates the best and is used in the 100 to 1 ratio. While writing this article I can remember engines that I have worked on - some so small that I could hold the engine in the palm of my hand and some so big that I used a hoist to lift it up to bolt it on the back of a boat.

The Catalytic Converter

While in Asia we got to talking about pollution, 2 stroke versus 4 stroke engines, and the catalytic converter. So I thought the first question to kick off the column would be a brief history and usage of the catalytic converter.

    All internal combustion engine operate on a 15 to 1
air fuel ration.  That is 15 pounds air to 1  pound
fuel.  That is a standard  as long as engine have been
around.  Some engines, called lean burn engines
(Chrysler), use a 17 to 1 air fuel ratio.  For this
topic we will use a simple one cylinder internal
combustion four cycle engine.  This means that the
engine has four cycles. Intake, compression, power and
exhaust.  Intake is when the fuel and air mixture is
introduced into the engine through the intake manifold
as the piston is traveling down.  Compression is when
the fuel and air mixture is being compressed as the
piston is traveling up.  Power is when the mixture is
ignited and the piston is being pushed down.  Exhaust
is when the exploded mixture is pushed out by the
piston being pushed up.  What makes the piston go up
and down is another story that can be answered in
another article.

    Early engines introduced fuel and air into the engine
by controlled suction of fuel through a device called
a carburetor.  Very crude in the beginning but became
so complicated that many could not be understood or
repaired by the average mechanic. A engine can run by
controlled dripping of fuel into the intake manifold.
That's what the carburetor is.  It gave the engine too
much fuel some times and then did not stop giving it
fuel in certain driving conditions such as going down
hill or slowing down.

    Because fuel was cheap and the environment was not a
concern, the carburetor was used.  When air quality
was becoming a issue, the basic fuel management system
was added, modified and compromised.  First we
completely closed all vents of the engine to the
atmosphere.  First by closing the road draft tube that
vented the engine fumes generated by combustion
chamber leakage past the piston rings and vapors from
hot oil.  Then the fuel vapor from the carburetor
float bowl and the gas tank was vented into the intake
manifold while the engine was running.  When the
engine was off the vapors were vented to a canister
filled with carbon to absorb it.  The canister was
also vented to the intake manifold when the motor was
running.

    Now we have a closed system and fuel was still cheap.
Then emissions standards became more strict and fuel
costs started to became more expensive.  Engine
management started controlling the carburetor and
ignition system with more controls to purge the
combustion chamber of unburned fuel by holding the
carburetor open for 3.5 seconds while decelerating and
changing the ignition timing to have more complete
combustion.  While doing this a new pollutant was
created which is called nitrous oxide and then a
device was added to stop this. This device added
exhaust gases back into the intake manifold to spoil
the combustion efficiency. Also a air pump was added
to some cars to pump air into the exhaust to achieve
burning of the unburned fuel that made it past the
efforts of all the controls.

    All this effort was to remove any unburned fuel from
making its way out the exhaust pipe.  Along came the
catalytic converter in 1986.  A device that looks like
a muffler on the exhaust pipe but located as near to
the engine as possible.  It was a metal container
containing a catalyst of platinum, palladium or
rhodium applied to a honeycomb of ceramic material.
One manufacture used little ceramic marbles coated
with the catalyst and the exhaust had to pas through
it. It operates at a high temperature and burns any
unburned hydrocarbons.  This material could not
tolerate the lead that was added to the fuel to
control premature detonation of the fuel air mixture.
Now the fuel was modified by taking out the lead and
we now have unleaded fuel.
    In the early days the catalytic converter was
considered a maintenance item and were sometimes
replaced at 25,000 miles and paid for by the
manufacturer.  They government mandated that emissions
related equipment must last 50,000 miles.  Many failed
and were routinely replaced. They were extremely
expensive and some still are.  Some of the common
problems that are still present today is contaminated
fuel, engines that are not maintained and overwork the
catalyst.  The honeycomb ceramic material can break
down and became loose.  This creates a rattle in the
converter canister and can clog the muffler.

    Today the modern engines have computer controlled
fuel management systems with electronic fuel injectors
to control the fuel delivery.   Engines run well and
produce clean tail pipe emissions.  Some cars have
more then one converter and many exhaust feedback
sensors controlling the fuel mixture and engine
timing.  It is said that the modern engine could not
be invented as a single project,  but is an evolution over many
years of solving one problem at a time.

My New Column - Ask My Dad!

I have lived my entire life knowing that my Dad is one of the smartest guys on the planet. Sure - it is not the college thing or the accolades but just my 34 years on the planet has shown me that there is not much my Dad does not understand when it comes to almost all things mechanical, industrial or construction related. I have always been jealous at his mechanical capabilities but even further so when it comes to his natural ability to fix or diagnose things that he had no previous knowledge of. For most people they have experience working or using the services of my Dad as a mechanic. You name it and he can fix it. Your lawnmower, your new car, your old car, a motorcycle, a boat or some old generator - not much is he presented that he cannot fix or figure who can fix it. Me - I used to be happy if I could change my car's oil by myself.

I have spent countless years listening to talk shows, reading articles and always realizing that my dad possessed the very same knowledge but even more so he could explain a problem in a way that normal people could understand it. Having been on the customer facing side of the tech industry I realized long ago that one of my talents inherited from my Dad was the ability to explain difficult things in a way that normal people could begin to comprehend them or at the very least be talked into buying them - in sales that was all that mattered.

Recently I had the pleasure of spending a few weeks on holiday in Thailand and Vietnam with just my Mom and Dad. What a great time - full of memories I will cherish until my death bed but the time spent reminded me that my Dad is full of an amazing amount of information that I have yet to acquire and more importantly that I needed to archive it in some way for all of us to enjoy. So I am starting to email my Dad questions that I want answers to and that I know he will enjoy talking about. I will post the questions and answers on my blog for all to see. If you have any questions of your own please email me and we shall take a crack at them if possible.

my email: dreampipe@yahoo.com

cya