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Re: float test
Ina,
Congratz on finally getting your Amphiready to launch! I wish I could be there!
Well, the first test you can do is with the garden hose in the driveway. With the top down, and the rear seat and spare tire and its platform out and the bilge plug in, justfill up the hull with about an inch or two and check for leaks. Try to get all of the water into the car and not on the ground. This is also an excellent opportunity to check the proper operation of the bilge pumps (yes, I said "pumpS"...You DO have an extra automatic backup bilge pump installed, right?... If not, before proceeding any further, please see http://www.geocities.com/soho/8389/autosploodge.html).
Assuming all seems watertight in the driveway,pull the bilge plugand letthe Amphi drain.Having the front wheels up at a very slight incline will helpreally drain it. Next, replace the bilgeplug so that you will not forget about it later in the excitement at water's edge (Yes, that would be bad).It's time to toss in your life jackets, fire exinguisher, a big fat rope, and head on downto a nice quiet boatramp at a place without too much of a current, preferablyon a weekday when it's not too crowded. Crowds make for distractions, and that's not what you'll be wantingright about now.
First, make sure that bilge plug's in place (that's always job one before any water entry).Next, make sure the front hood is secured (don't worry about securing that rear engine lid...ever), remove the rear seat (so you can easilyspot any serious leakage in the drink), close and secure the doors with the little rearward levers, and proceed to water's edge. Stop. With clutch in and footbrake on, engage the water drive into forward (Serious note: ALWAYS come to a full and complete stop before even thinking of touching that water tranny knob...In fact, even in the water it's a good idea to tap the brakes to stop any wheel spinning before engaging the water drive, like when exiting, putting it into reverse and so on. Failure to make sure those wheels are dead still can tear up acostly water tranny needlessly. Remember: "Give your water tranny a brake!").
Now that the Amphi is at water's edge, with footbrake on and both the waterand land drives bothengaged,you're ready to take the plunge. First,take a moment to enjoy that sensation of "wrongness" you'll be feeling right about now. You're a bad bad girl...You're about to drive your car into the river...What the F%# is wrong with you? Peculiar feeling, ain't it? OK...Heeeeeerrrre we go...Clutch out and Glubbity glub glub! Wooot!
Now the thing to do is to just head out away from the ramp just a littlebit, come about (i.e. turn around) so you're facing the ramp, and putboththe waterand land drives in neutral (you remembered about that brake thing before touching that water tranny knob, right?). Nowjust malingeraround the boat ramp for fifteen minutes or so, looking into the back to see if you can spot any leaks. In the unlikely eventthere's any serious leakage...like areal gusher coming especially from the right or left of the tranny, put both the water and land tranny's back into gear and proceed out and up the ramp NOW. You could have a poorly-seated or leaking bellows...But like Isaid, this is unlikely. Most likely the only serious dampness you'llnotice is the fact that you need a freshDepends from all the excitement. After about 15 minutes or so, put both the water and land trannies in gear and come on back up the boat ramp. It'll take a little practice to do so elegantly, but you'll soon get it down. Now run off to a nice level spot, park, open up the front hood to see if you can spot any leakage up there, and finally pull the bilge plug. This is your real test for leakage (since you may not spotsmaller leaks, even with the rear seat out). If after just sitting at water's edge like that for about15 minutes, anything more than a pintor so pours out, youmight have a little driblet somewhere or other, but nothing a bilge plug couldn't handle. More than a pint or so, and you might want to head on back to the shop for further examination.
Otherwise, you should be good to go. Just put back in the passenger seat, have some fun, and we'll see you at Celina!
For moral support, you might also want to have the following handy for your first water test.While they're not strictly-speaking "necessary", having everything "just-so" might help you go through fewer Depends:
[*]A big 4-wheel drive vehicle near water's edge to haul out a water-engorged Amphi in case there's a real gusher[*]A big fat rope (In fact, if you're really spooked, you can do what a lot of the German Club members do, and tie one end of a rope to that tow hook underneath the front of the Amphi and sort of loop it near the sideview mirror so it's ready to use).[*]Another Amphicar owner...or atleast someone's phone number[/list]Best of Luck!
~Bilgey~
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