This time we have some odds and ends from the Goss’ garage tool room. Now, like it or not, every once in a while there are problems inside an engine. Now the most common of those is going to be a noise. That could be something major, or it could be something as minor as a piece of carbon stuck to the top of a piston. How do you tell the difference? Well, lots of folks elect to tear the engine apart, which can be very costly and maybe not all that productive. So one of the better ways to do it is with a borescope, but borescopes have always been very expensive. They can be anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000, depending on the options with them.

But now we have one from ProVision that’s under $300. It has a flexible wand just like the expensive ones. It lights up, so it illuminates whatever it is that you’re trying to look at. It has an adjustable eyepiece so that you can focus it. And all you do with it is you remove a spark plug or you take the drain plug out of the oil pan, whatever’s appropriate for the noise, put the borescope up in there and look to see what’s wrong. It’s a great tool and it saves a lot of time and money.

Now suppose the engine has to be torn apart. When it goes back together, you have to use a torque wrench, such as we have here. And that means that there are some other things that go along with assembling the engine.

So those other things, some bolts, you don’t want them to come loose, and that means that some of them will need a threadlocker. Others must not seize up in the engine, and that means you need an anti-seize compound. So what’s gone on here over the years is that most of these products come in a tube or a little plastic bottle and they tend to be very messy. They get all over everything. Well, Loctite has an assortment of both threadlockers and anti-seize compounds that are available in stick form. It works like a lipstick. All you do is crank this out, and you spread it on to the threads of the bolt. No mess, it does a great job, and when you’re done, you simply screw it back in and put the cap on, and it stays that way indefinitely.

All right, now here’s something. If you have maybe a motor home or a boat or something that you need to lubricate but it might be difficult to get it someplace where it’s practical, this is a Lincoln power grease gun. Now you say why would I want this as opposed to a regular hand grease gun? Well, this produces a lot more pressure, and lots of times it is very difficult and requires tremendous pressure to get grease into certain fittings, things like ball joints, for instance. This will get the job done, plus it’s completely portable.

If you have a question or comment, write to me.  The address is MotorWeek, Owings Mills, MD, 21117.