As the evening came to a close on Saturday and I put my son to bed, I drifted off into a short nap.  It couldn’t have lasted more than 5 minutes, but I woke myself up with a thought as to how the engine on my A4 could be making such a horrible sound, and how the noise could sound as though it is in the bottom half of the engine, but in fact be in the top.  I woke myself up to be sure I wouldn’t forget the dream-logic that had just made such perfect sense.  And, really, it’s pretty simple – a collapsed lifter (even though it doesn’t sound at all like a collapsed lifter).  Given that the engine is a dual overhead cam, and that a collapsed lifter could make for a nasty metal on metal rattling sound, I thought back to the original noise and thought “maybe”.  Not likely, but maybe.  Just maybe an intake lifter is collapsed, completely unable to help open the valve, the cam shaft is slapping the heck out of it with each engine revolution, and acoustics are playing a foul trick on me.

So I pulled the A4 back into my garage, listening with a new ear, and noticing a rough idle that progressed into a full-on misfire.  (In line with my dream-logic, this was actually a good thing)  I pulled the car in to remove the valve cover, check cam-lifter clearances, and check compression, which I’ll be doing over the holiday weekend.  But, before the weekend kicks off, I’m here at EXAIR placing EXAIR devices in applications like it’s my job – oh wait, that IS my job.  So, I guess you could say I’m working.

Last week, as I felt my jacket clinging to my shirt and I got zapped when touching a few doorknobs, I realized that I had been working more with static eliminating applications for end users.  Looking through my emails and notes, there was one call that stood out because I’ve noticed the application with greater frequency compared to years past.

The application was to remove the static from an enclosed chamber.  In this particular application the static buildup on the enclosed space was causing dust to accumulate, and the end user needed a dust free environment for final analysis of their experiment.  So, they used an Ion Air Jet to remove the static and dust from the inside of the enclosure prior to analysis.  The model  #7299 system was shipped, is likely already installed, and we are awaiting feedback.

Hopefully I’ll have an email or voicemail from the end user when we return from the holiday break.  Until then my family and I will be enjoying a table filled with Indian cuisine!  (We chose a style of food each year and then build the Thanksgiving dinner around the choice.  This year is Indian, last year was Mediterranean, the year before was South American, etc.)  Delish!

If you find yourself in need of EXAIR products, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer for product assistance.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE