Just another one o' them days...

Jim Warman · August 14, 2007

By now, many of you know I have an apprentice "superstar".... For some reason(s), he will rarely tell me he is having trouble.... Two of the biggest - what I want him to test next is "too much work"... and, <GASP>, I try to get him to think for himself....

Thankfully, he has turned in his notice.... usually, we just buy these guys out (pay them two weeks and say "fare-thee-well") - for reasons beyond my comprehension, this isn't happening this time....

Cut to the chase... 91 Explorer.... 300,000 kms +... The RO reads "Customer states transmission needs a solenoid".... I beg your pardon? WTF is that? An A4LD that simply needs a solenoid? An A4LD with, quite possibly, 300,000 kms on it that needs a shift solenoid? And not a rebuild?

At this point, it appears that we have over 4 hours in this trans and the recommendation is to remove the trans and "look for intenal problems"?

FWIW, yes the fluid is nice and red... has a hint of odour.... I'll bet I can find an RO from another shop that says "flush trans" somewhere. From the few notes on the back of the hard copy, I see that the trans has 18 inches of pressure to the modulator (I'm having a hard time with an apprentice that considers this "pressure")... no mention of observed concerns... pressure gauge is hooked to "something" on the trans and the note reads "no pressure"... yet the car was driven into the shop....

I didn't find this until days end because, along with the 5 hours production expected of me (my job for the day), I had two comebacks and an NPF with no effort into finding the concern. Today, I left early.... 6:30.

And they wonder why I drink????

I don't want these old freakin' pots darkening my doorway and I see an RO like this....

I was almost ready to ask Kieth if he could open up a shop foremans "elitist" kinda forum... But I think it is better for everyone to see what we're battling.... Look at the guy in the next bay... if he is churning out trash - you will be painted with the same brush that paints him.