Once again no interesting work going on – just winterizing and oil changes. We did have a tie rod break on the trailer yesterday. This is a crucial piece of equipment this time of year so we had to spend hours getting this fixed after spending hours trying to source the part (which we eventually found at the local tractor company.) I suggested that maybe a bit of battery maintenance could be done by some of the watchers while they were waiting. Why you need this: Racor Vacuum Gauge Vacuum and Compound (vacuum/pressure) gauges and related hardware is available to monitor element condition. As the filter element slowly becomes clogged with contaminants the restriction (resistance to flow) increases. The fuel pump still tries to draw fuel (suction) but because of this restriction less fuel is delivered to the engine and instead more air is pulled from it (fuel de-gassing). These results can cause the engine to lose power and eventually stall. By installing a vacuum gauge in your fuel system (at the outlet side of the Racor filter) visual monitoring of element condition is possible at a glance. At the first indication of decreased performance, note the dial reading or apply the ‘red line’ decal provided with most kits. This will assist in knowing when to change the filter at the next interval. You May Have Missed We have articles available in our Service Log that most of you may have missed – such as the article on raw water pumps in “Go with the flow“.  There are plenty of articles to keep you busy for a while and I may get motivated enough to write some more during the winter.