Bernie

Interesting video Terry. What surprises me is the amount of light at 30 ft under the ice. Or does the camera provide one?

Good report Limey! Glad to see you finally got out fishing after all the sled issues.

Did not realize they got that large. Must have had a bit of a tug bringing that one up.

Glad to see the problem solved. Go and catch a fish or two.

Glad to hear I am not the only one that wonders that Brian. Well so far just a couple gallons of gas and a little time. Ahhhhh headhunter...my old apprentice.....you have learned much.....time for you to go......(and catch some yourself ) When have I ever made an excuse!????? ........... Don't go looking. Hmmmmmmm....Something to think about........Nope .......Ha Have a good pair of binoculars? This one is about 10 miles south of Callander Bay Randy. Cell phone? Hate phones!!!!! They don't work dependably here anyway. Too far from a tower. But if you ever decide to come down to the South Bay area, PM me here.

My mom always said to be polite Wayne

Thanks for the dedication to this Cliff! Great job! Looks like a great bunch of teammates on Team 8!

Borrowed a shack from my uncle. This one hasn't been on the ice for about ten years. Just sitting there adding more spider webs each year. It was pointing the wrong way for the skis and they were frozen down. So a few 2x4's and a pry bar managed to get it turned around. I was a little worried about the condition of it and whether it would stand the shaking but it made the trip OK. This shack has to be minimum 40 years old and "if it could talk could tell a story or two". Got it into place with the door facing east. Able to see it from the cottage. Joe will be able to walk back early to make us lunch. Not too far away from the Ice Bungalows Just have to fire up the antique Jiffy and a bag of minnows and away we go.

The reason I said to check the output at the back first is to save time. If they work there, that's it, you are done there. No searching for fuses. Then you can get on to the trailer. You said you wanted it fixed in a hurry. It was tried on two different vehicles with NO lights. Law of average it is in the trailer.

Hmmmmm.... Good point!

Grounds are the trailer wiring most common problem. With all lights not working this is my first look. Run a long temporary wire from a good ground on the body of the tow vehicle to the rear of the trailer. and ground it (I almost would bet they work now). The reason to run it to the back is because I got stung by a poor ground between the tongue and frame of the trailer. If they work trace where the poor ground is. If this doesn't solve your problem start looking for burned wires from the short, broken or frayed wires. The reason I don't care for LED test lights is they draw so few amps. A poor contact in a circuit can light a LED but an incandescent light isn't as likely. Carry on with that. Hope it solves your problem. Thats a pretty basic overview with a couple good points.

This is how I would check this problem. First of all nothing works, on 2 different vehicles. So which end to start first. Well I would start with the truck to verify output, cause you may need this to check the trailer. I use a 12 volt test light with a bulb not a LED bulb (reason later). Is your plug in good condition on both ends? Turn on your park lights. Dont turn on your headlights, by the time you are done you may kill your battery. And then your emergency flashers. This will turn on all the circuits needed to test. Hook up the test light alligator clamp to the Ground pin on the plug(this is the one exposed) And then touch the tip of the test light to the three female pins. If nothing works move the alligator clamp to a good ground on the vehicle and test the three pins again. If You now get power you have a poor ground for the ground pin. If nothing works try another ground point. Still nothing? Check fuses on the truck where Wayne suggested. You may find more than one burned. If fuses are OK time to crawl under and check out the wiring harness. You check that out and I will carry on with the trailer wire check.

Thank you Dan.

Guys...I'm not a fly by night mechanic here. I know my stuff. Been at it all my life. Why just two vehicles that are driven the same way have the same issue? It's water.

There is no coolant loss in either vehicle. Pressure tests were done to verify and no fluid top ups have been necessary.

Doug. Humour me here. It is water. It is condensation or a byproduct of combustion. A very severe case. Both customers have identical driving habits. None of my other customers have this issue. I don't know of any others that have the same driving habits. There are no other reasons for water to be in there.

Sonny. It isnt anti freeze. It's water. Take my word for it. Did you see the ice coming out? Antifreeze does not freeze.

I f you read the opening statement you will find there are two of my customers with a similar situation. Yes they are run for only minutes. It takes an average engine about 15 minutes to come up to operating temperature in average driving from startup depending on temperature. It can take over a half an hour at idle. Engines need to get warm to evaporate moisture inside the engine. Both of these vehicles are the same domestic make but different engines and a model year difference. I believe there is a design flaw not allowing adequate ventalation in short trips, but according to the manufacturer there are no bulletins to address the issue. I am on good terms with a local dealer with whom I do much business with. We have discussed this problem without solution. I have probably over a hundred customers with the same type vehicles with no issues. The thermostats are opening at the correct temperature and pcv systems are clean and clear. Both have less than 90,000km on them. If this manufacturer had not discontinued their cold weather testing grounds in Northern Ontario this problem may have never surfaced. Also what comes to my mind here is a more fuel efficent engine creating more H2o? It is a point to ponder.

We usually do them up in March Wayne. But it can happen just about anytime the guys get together to do an assembly line run. You want to come up and join the assembly line union?

Hmm . Make my own jigs and bought a few thousand hooks 4 years ago at the fishing show. Think they were around $50 bucks. Get my lead from wheel wieghts (free). Powder paint lasts a long long time and have a dozen or so colours. Buy a flat of worms in the spring. A couple bags of snap swivels. Maybe some new fishing line. Annual tackle costs? $100 bucks, maybe. The lid on my tackle box mostly collects dust. Just use a Plano container for the jigs. But I do end up with the odd plateful of pickerel.Yummmm.

Drifter. The oil was changed Oct 31st 2008 and only 600 km on it. And synthetic oil would make no difference to the amount of water.

Extra marks for Skeeter. Most vehicles in colder temperatures will have a little H2o in the upper parts of the engine. Water is formed from the byproduct of combustion and accumulates in the crankcase. These are very extreme cases yes and we may see more of this in the future is my estimation.

This is the second time seeing this problem this winter. Both vehicles are relatively new and are maintained. BUT, there is a problem. Why is this happening? The one that came in yesterday had no oil pressure. The oil plug was removed and NOTHING came out. Why? Look at this. The screwdriver was necessary to get it running out. This was 20 minutes later applying heat with a hair dryer to the oil pan. Still slow coming out. Ice caused the problem but where did it come from? Short trips did it. Drive a block to work, drive a block home for lunch and back to work after then again home for the day. Repeat 5 times a week and this is what happens. Condensation forms because the engine is never hot enough to evaporate the moisture from the crankcase. I spun the oil filter off and never spilled a drop. It was frozen. The picture shows it slightly thawed. A shot of some of the oil in the drain pan. Yuuuk. You can see the ice in the corner yet. So what to do to solve the problem? Ya, I know, walk to work, it's only a block. But one fellow isn't able to walk too well and needs a ride. The other guy is about 3 blocks fom work and sometimes needs his vehicle at work as well as at home. I suggested to use the block heater to raise the temperature of the engine a little before they go. Also said to get someone to take it for a good drive at least once a week. But this is also a lesson for those that look at a piece of equipment for sale and say "wow that is in real nice condition", I'm gonna buy that. Buyer beware. I would recommend getting major purchases checked by a pro. Not your well meaning buddy. Both of these vehicles engines have run out of oil and have been partially lubricated by water (this is bad). One of the engines rod bearings developed a bad clunking noise and we patched it by polishing the crank journal and installing a new bearing. The crankshaft was slightly scored and the customer was informed that it may or may not last. Modern engines are not as easy to overhaul without major expense. Often is less expensive to purchase a rebuilt than it is to rebuild in the shop. Usually come with a better warranty too.

Regardless of whatever takes place. Take it to an independant mechanic for an overview. There was a thread here recently about a snowmobile. Remember that? Just because it isn't too old doesn't mean it wouldn't have some serious hours on her. Maybe the kid got a "special deal" on an engine the customer wanted a refund on.Not likely but it's a major investment. Get your moneys worth. OK Wayne I admit my truck doesn't always get the TLC it used to. But that's merely cosmetic. It receives a generous undercoating and regular servicing. Just because the guys in the shop call it the "toxic waste dump" doesn't mean I don't like the old girl.

Glad it worked out there Gerritt. As Drifter has mentioned get a proper shear bolt. Might be a good idea to pick up a couple extra ones. Especially if you have a gravel driveway. Have a real close look around the circumference of the auger. There must be a bit of debris jamming it up somewhere. Sometimes the end of the auger can get bent up against the shroud.