Slightly Annoying

A somewhat sigh of relief upon completing the media server project.  The Raspberry Pi has been reassembled and the data on the four attached usb hard drives repaired or replaced.

Jan asked me to print an email she had received.  That was when I discovered the black ink printer cartridge was empty.  Then I noticed the ink in other three coloured cartridges was very low.  We rarely use the printer as almost everything is done electronically.  The cartridges were the originals from the initial purchase of the printer two years ago.

I searched online for the cheapest replacement cartridges.  Unbranded cartridges for $65.  I used to refill ink cartridges and still have the bottles of ink and syringes.  These cartridges look difficult to refill and they also have a microchip to prevent refilling.  A new Epson printer (same model) was $69.  $4 difference between the price of replacement cartridges and a new printer. 

Old printer

I opted to purchase the new printer

The price difference seems crazy and I suspect the manufacturer sells the printer at a loss intending to make the money from replacement cartridges.  I wonder how many people purchase the replacement cartridges not realising the price difference.  Yes, it’s also highly likely that the cartridges included with the new printer don’t have much ink.   But they lasted two years.

This is the annoying part

For the last 12 months it has been getting steadily harder to start the 4WD.   Sometimes the engine starts and then after 10-20 seconds it stops.  On other occasions it won’t immediately start.  In both situations the engine has to be cranked for some time before it starts.   I thought it might be air leaking into the fuel line and checked all the hose connections were tight.

At it’s last service I asked the workshop to check everything.   The subsequent reply was “No faults in the computer!”  Two months ago I took the vehicle to a local Isuzu workshop and asked if they had a mechanic who had previously seen the problem.  I informed the workshop manager I wasn’t interested in paying for a “”fishing expedition!”   Well they found the fault, but I paid for a fishing expedition ($1000).  The problem was identified as the secondary (after market) fuel filter which they had removed.

I fitted the secondary fuel filter as a precaution against dirty fuel from a remote outback supplier.  There isn’t much to this filter and I had difficulty in believing it was the cause.   I replaced the fuel lines and reinstalled it.  The fault returned.  Obviously there was a problem.  The next step was to take the entire filter to a fuel injection specialist and have them check it for leaks.  They confirmed the assembly leaked and I should buy a replacement as “they weren’t expensive!” 

Looking online a replacement cost $250-450.  It’s the filter head that has the leak, but you have to purchase the entire assembly.   Eventually I found a filter head supplier on Aliexpress.   $37 for the required part.

The most annoying part of this saga is I should have taken the additional time to identify the faulty part and replace it, saving us $1000.