LESSON OF THE LITTLE ENGINE

The picture is a portable generator.

[Was a portable generator???]

The rest of it is over on the bench.

It was brought into the shop because it would not start.

I just hope the man brought it to the right place.

Trying to find parts for this thing has taken some real

research.  (Yes, even with a downloaded manual.)  It 

is beginning to appear that the generator is a product of

a factory over in China.  Thus far I have been able to 

find this basic generator, with slight differences in 

configuration or size, with more than one dozen brand 

names, and even no name.  And in several colors; Red, 

Blue, Yellow and Black.

Hey!  Just like people.  One manufacture.  God.

But a lot of different configurations and sizes.  And

distributed to a lot of different places.

It will not start because there is insufficient compression.  And,

the loss of compression is due to the abnormal wear (scuffing)

on the piston and rings.  You can see the scuffing areas on the

piston.  See the dark area at the lower left, and the larger one

in the upper right of the piston.  Also there are two smaller

ones on the other side of the piston.

In this photo you can see the scuffing even on the rings.

To get this detail I reverted to an old 2 MP Nikon CoolPix

950 camera on the shelf.  See, old stuff can still be used.

You will note that the original factory machining marks are 

still on the piston.  You can even still see the knurling from

the factory.   If this were a car, it would be a low milage car

with just several thousand miles on it.

Why the premature wear?

Was it a poor product?  No, in fact after reviewing the evidence

I have gained a lot of respect for this little engine.  You see the 

owner thought it was a four cycle or four stroke engine.  So he

did not put oil in the gas.  But, it was a two cycle engine.  So the

poor little engine did not have any lubrication during the ice storm

when he used it.

What's the point?

God made us to live in relationship to him.  He wants to dwell

in us.  If we do not have a relationship with him and his Spirit

dwelling in us -  we are going to be "trashed" too.  Just like 

this little engine with out oiling.