Five minutes of fame

[DaveS]

I've had a letter printed in the current issue of YM. I'm slightly surprised that they put it in since I was taking issue with the pronouncements of their guru Nigel Calder, but maybe they were short of copy. It's about oil leaks so if you're not interested in such things don't bother looking.

[claymore]

It would be churlish not to read it.
I read his article on his Scottish trip - makes me laugh the way that such space can be devoted to the description of a trip that really was unexceptional. Still, I suppose it beats deadly Dick Durham and his infernal witterings of brightlingsea and the fekkin swatchways

[marisca]

Can't you just post it on here? While I am certain your deathless prose will bring tears to my eyes I'm buggered if I'm coughing up good drinking vouchers for the privilege of reading it.

As dastardly Dick sails, or sailed, a Contessa 32 he can't be all bad, can he? I haven't noticed any of his drivelling of late, perhaps he has got stuck in the mud permanently.

[claymore]

They seem to have him sailing other peoples boats at the moment. There's only so much that can be written about fekkin Walton in the Ooze

[claymore]

Well, no more than I would expect from such a sensitive soul as you good self. I receive a recycled copy of Ym from my very good friend SaltyJohn so do not wish to appear ungrateful but take out all all the blasted adverts and the New Gear ( most of which is unaffordable) and you would think the editor might want to put a decent bit of reading in there. Not so - just the inane ramblings of Deadly Dick and the incompehensive Cunliffe " belay that pint landlord whilst I take a trick to the heads to shed a tear for Nelson" for fecks sake - who talks like that?
I've taken some stick over the years for my conservatory - the ver same one that young Jimi and Para were very glad of when the precipitation was upon us and Claymore is no Ocean Greyhound - but what on earth has Nigel Calder done to his boat? Looks like something that would have been happy on the set of Wagon Train.
That aside, I've always been rather fond of Libby Purves.

[wully]

They seem to have him sailing other peoples boats at the moment. There's only so much that can be written about fekkin Walton in the Ooze

I had the pleasure of meeting him in the Mishnish several years ago,seemed a harmless sort but the foaties of him sailing on other folks boats make me feel uncomfortable for some reason.

[claymore]

Kindlify your ipad and get the Zophiel series

[Telo]

Dick's the man!

[ParaHandy]

Since retiring the opportunity to catch up with YM at Paddington WH Smith is no longer available. So, could I beg of you to print herewith the letter?

I see the auld goat's still banging on about Zophiel. Fer once he's got something write opops right.

[ash]

I've had a letter printed in the current issue of YM. I'm slightly surprised that they put it in since I was taking issue with the pronouncements of their guru Nigel Calder, but maybe they were short of copy. It's about oil leaks so if you're not interested in such things don't bother looking.

Do you think the material used for the replacement 'O' ring is incompatible with gearbox oil? Whilst the original used material which was OK.

Ash

[claymore]

Dick's the man!

Mans a dick

[DaveS]

I've had a letter printed in the current issue of YM. I'm slightly surprised that they put it in since I was taking issue with the pronouncements of their guru Nigel Calder, but maybe they were short of copy. It's about oil leaks so if you're not interested in such things don't bother looking.

Do you think the material used for the replacement 'O' ring is incompatible with gearbox oil? Whilst the original used material which was OK.

Ash

No, it's very odd: the original lasted for at least 10 years before expanding. I had assumed that, as with the engine oil filler O ring, it was something that would last indefinitely. It's replacement only did one season. I haven't tried removing the current one yet. One theory is that the gear oil level was maybe a bit high and the O ring got more splashed will oil than normal, but it's not a theory I've much confidence in.

[DaveS]

Since retiring the opportunity to catch up with YM at Paddington WH Smith is no longer available. So, could I beg of you to print herewith the letter?

To save typing, this is a copy of the letter I sent in. The published version is cut down a bit.

Dear Sirs,

October 2013 Question of the Month "Why is my saildrive leaking oil".

I was rather disappointed by Nigel Calder's reply to your "Question of the Month". He identified "only" three places where oil could leak from the gearbox, two of which would not have deposited oil in the engine bay (including his "most likely spot") and a third location unlikely to produce the quantity reported. Could I suggest a more likely fourth possibility? If the O ring seal on the filler cap fails then, with engine running and in gear, oil runs down the gearbox casing quite copiously and accumulates in the corrugations of the sail drive gaiter. I watched this happen when I experienced this problem 2 years ago, and the volume of leak was entirely consistent with Ian Johnson's account. I found when I removed the O ring that it had expanded by about 10mm! Its replacement only lasted a year and then again swelled up, making the filler cap very difficult to undo: I made up a plywood "spanner" to get it off. Curiously, my original O ring had lasted over 10 years without causing a problem. I now change the filler cap O ring as part of my annual service.

Dave Simpson

[Ghillie]

Perhaps heat and the quality of rubber has something to do with it. Given that Poisson's ratio of rubber is 1, on heating the rubber O ring will try to expand in all directions without any volume change. On cooling it should revert to its previous shape and state of stress which is dependent, inter alia, upon how tight the cap was. The loading, unloading stress strain curves exhibit hysteresis, ie energy is lost, which may contribute to eventual plastic behaviour, ergo permanent expansion.....Over tightening may exacerbate things.............

A good letter to YM. A pity it wasn't acknowleged.

[DaveS]

Perhaps heat and the quality of rubber has something to do with it. Given that Poisson's ratio of rubber is 1, on heating the rubber O ring will try to expand in all directions without any volume change. On cooling it should revert to its previous shape and state of stress which is dependent, inter alia, upon how tight the cap was. The loading, unloading stress strain curves exhibit hysteresis, ie energy is lost, which may contribute to eventual plastic behaviour, ergo permanent expansion.....Over tightening may exacerbate things.............

A good letter to YM. A pity it wasn't acknowleged.

Jings! I faintly remember Poisson's ratio, but it was about 40 years ago...

I have never felt the gearbox being noticeably hot, but it's not something I've deliberately checked regularly. I'll maybe start to do so.