Vintage QT-16 Bolens

Boobala

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DANCING ROOM!! You gotta be kidding! If you just stood up straight real quick in one of the old diesel boats I served on, you'd knock yourself cold! I was 5'10" when I was younger and I still walk around with a stoop!

Talk about engines! The USS Trout SS-566, had not one, not two, but THREE diesel engines all in the same engine room! That's in a boat with a 27-foot beam and that's the exterior measurement, including ballast tanks! (She was probably less than 18'-20' inside the hull!) Originally she had GM pancake engines, the same as several other boats in her class, which were a miserable failure and were eventually replaced with FM 10's. The GM engines failed so often that the submarine service made up a poem about that class boat. It went: "Harder, Darter, Trigger, Trout, always in and never out." Most of the problems were caused by oil leaks. Those GM engines were rotary, sort of like old airplane engines, but stood vertically on their ends, with the generator mounted below the engine. The damn things leaked oil so badly the generators were constantly shorting out. Not good in a diesel/electric propulsion system.

When you talk about "Dancing Room", you're thinking about nukes.. I never served on a nuke. They actually make fresh air and all the water you can drink on those things! They didn't call diesel boats "Sewer Pipes" because they smelled nice! We never made enough water to use it frivolously, like for taking showers and stuff.. We were a 'nasty' bunch at best.. "Deep Diving, Death Defying, Steely-Eyed Killers", to the core.. but nasty dirty..

Roger

OK..OK ..OK ROG ..... I was just twistin your ..uh......."needle-valve" (LOL ) Actually I had a Loooonng discussion with a submariner once , I THOUGHT he had HUGE spherical objects...but then I concluded he had Poop for brains
NOW if you believe that ....Damn ...am I an instigater or what ?? Seriously ... I totally respect & admire all branches of our military ...God Bless em all !
 

Roger B

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I had a Loooonng discussion with a submariner once , then I concluded he had Poop for brains
- (Taken somewhat out of context.)

Boo-Boo,

As you have so succinctly noted, it may have occurred to you that having "poop" (poop - really??) for brains might just have been a prerequisite for joining the diesel boat Navy in the first place!

When we went to Sub School (New London, CT) there was a shrink who tested us and looked all the world like Gyro Gear-Loose with a little of Albert Einstein thrown in for good measure. He had a wild storm of white hair flying around his head and being a shrink, was, of course, as crazy as a sh*t house mouse! He'd ask us germane questions, like, "If you were cast away on a deserted island with your mother, would you have sex with her?" We couldn't figure out how that related to submarine life, but then none of us had been to sea yet either.. LOL.. .. .. .. For instance: One boat I was on had a cook we called "Mother Savino"... So as you can see, you just never know!

I would like to point out that at least we had appropriate O2 levels to breath, (most of the time) whereas fly boys were often in the stratosphere where oxygen is rarified at best.. And where brain damage is a real possibility!

I think as far as brains are concerned, "poop" is better than scrambled eggs, unless you're having breakfast..

Roger
 

SeniorCitizen

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In my opinion, with some evidence to back it, this original topic has gone to SHUT.
 

Boobala

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In my opinion, with some evidence to back it, this original topic has gone to SHUT.

OK senior..... I agree , BUT you can always "change the channel" .. sorry for a couple of vets havin some fun at everyone else's expense. However ...... if you can't pull your head out of your poop-chute and join in on the laughs we enjoy ..... you might be having a "roids" issue ....try some Preparation H !! .... I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS & a HAPPY NEW YEAR !! ..Boobala ..:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:

P.S. Senior Citizen ...... I just turned 70 on Dec. 14th, ..... only 30 more to go before I can say , I slept approx 1/4th of my life away ....the other 3/4s I tried to laugh as much as possible...beats the HELL out of a safespace with coloring books n play-dough.
 

Roger B

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In my opinion, with some evidence to back it, this original topic has gone to SHUT.

Ahhh geeez, Senior.. I knew it was going to happen.. It's my fault and I apologize.. I should have shut the topic down when I turned the Bolens over to #1 Son to work on...

Ya gotta admit though, some of these guys are humorous to converse with and others always teach you something.. .. .. but then there's Boo-Boo.. .. .. However, I don't feel he can help himself, he lived for far to long in a rarified atmosphere and has suffered some sort of mental impairment.. (I understand it is common among flyboys) I was hoping that including him in our daily posts would be beneficial to him and make him feel loved and appreciated. I know it's done me a world of good!

But - - - Senior says: So I'm outta here...

Signing off..

Roger
 

Boobala

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Ahhh geeez, Senior.. I knew it was going to happen.. It's my fault and I apologize.. I should have shut the topic down when I turned the Bolens over to #1 Son to work on...

Ya gotta admit though, some of these guys are humorous to converse with and others always teach you something.. .. .. but then there's Boo-Boo.. .. .. However, I don't feel he can help himself, he lived for far to long in a rarified atmosphere and has suffered some sort of mental impairment.. (I understand it is common among flyboys) I was hoping that including him in our daily posts would be beneficial to him and make him feel loved and appreciated. I know it's done me a world of good!

But - - - Senior says: So I'm outta here...

Signing off..

Roger

Well, if Rogers jumpin ship....I'm bailin out !! us military guys cover each others back ....NO MATTER which branch they're in /from. We might spar with each other ... but thats an excuse to sharpen our skills and Party-Hardy afterwards ... My apologies also ..... SORRY if anyone took offense ....Boobala ....( Boo-Boo as Rog calls me )
 

Swede57

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Nope, I guess there isn't an Onan forum... What's with that? Onan made great small engines in their day..

Anyway, progress has been made.. First the muffler had to be removed to gain access to the points. That was not easy. I had to beat the two fittings on the muffler off the exhaust pipes. A little "Kroil" helped in loosening them up. Turning the key to "Start" and watching the points immediately indicated one problem, the points were not opening and closing. I didn't bother to look up the correct setting, I just readjusted them until they opened and closed. Then I pulled the spark plugs, one gap was almost non-existent, the other looked a little too tight, so again I didn't look up the correct gap, I just opening both of them up until they looked about right. I connected the sparkplug wires and laid one plug on the engine and cranked it over.... Nice strong spark, firing evenly too. However when I reinstalled the plug and cranked the engine, still no start. So I pulled both plugs and dribbled some gasoline into each cylinder and reinstalled the plugs. This time when I hit the key the engine started right up, but didn't keep running. I removed the air cleaner cover and squirted some gas directly into the carb while cranking the engine. It started and continued to run as long as I squirted gas in... Ah Ha! Now we know we have a fuel problem. I'll tackle that tomorrow.

Roger
be very careful with that Onan engine. Bolens only had that engine for 3 years and that is why they went to the Kohler. They was a problem with the engine firing when it shouldn't. I am one of the victims who received severe burns from that engine misfiring and it ended up in a court case.
 
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