Jim Warman

That is my understanding as well... let's not forget that an earlier recalibration gave us injectors that dither while the wait to start light is on to avoid stiction.

It's not just algae... it is nearly a whole eco-system (this is what Esso Petroleum Canada field chemists told me years ago. All this occurs in the water/fuel interface - bacteria eat the fuel or components of the fuel. Other microbes feed on them and so on until we get into enough "food" to support the growth of algae... The importance of proper fuel storage can't be stressed enough.

That's a question I've been asking too, Ed... AFAIK, VGT learn would have to be stored in KAM much like fuel trims and Torque Shift strategy. Imagine repairing something and giving back to the customer only to find out it runs worse now than it did before...

Well, we three parts REbuild them.... Does that count?

I forgot... this is my Christmas present from 2003.... In the early 70s, I sold my 58 Triumph 500 to buy an engagement ring and proudly announced that "payback is a bitch, sweetie"... This pic http://tinyurl.com/kc22g is labelled as "fat old fart on a Harley"...

Well, after all these years, I finally had the opportunity to buy some leather. A bunch of Lesbianese guys came to town with cheap leather goods (made in Pakistan and other third world countries but fit and finish looks good). TGITNB (the guy in the next bay) is going to have a field day with this since, in his words, I bought a pair of leather pants with no bum. I am going to get ribbed for this.... Especially after the remarks I made about his knee pads Last time I looked, we were pushing towards 800 members... yet some days this place is as quiet as a mausoleum... C'mon ya buncha deadbeats.. post something... tell us about yourselves, what you do, who you are.... Better yet, tell us that dirty little secret you don't want your co-workers to know about... we wont repeat it.... honest.... This is a great venue.... Henry ain't looking over your shoulder, you wont get called a PFB simply because you are making decent money and you don't have to put up with dimwit questions from folks who shouldn't be allowed to lift their hoods....

One customer, who long ago resigned himself to absolutely no warranty coverage, has brought his truck back to us. On this weeks dance card (thankfully, not mine).... R&R heads and machine for fire rings, ARP head studs and a 35 PSI turbo. So far, nobody has mentioned the addition of barbecue fuel....

We get paid on the 15th and on the last of the month... so that's two periods a month (just to let you know that some shops here do a once a month period with a mid month "advance"). The store is open 8AM to 6PM and we have keys to the shop but no access to parts or a good portion of the tool crib (careful planning required). No teams though we gladly help each other out when required. I usually turn around 110-120 hours a period but, even though this last period was 13 working days, the kind of work I got, warranty status and my arthritis ganged up and I felt lucky to get the 105 I managed. We are expanding the shop this year (here comes the carrot)and are having a tough time finding bodies... I'm one bubble away from a full plaque (went from grunt to Master in just over 3 years)... I'm two courses away from that last bubble (scheduled for one this month) and that will put me at $35/hour... add the bonus and I'm at $37.... (currency converter tells me that's over $31 US at todays exchange). Canada has labour laws that the US doesn't have and they are designed to protect the worker...

It's starting to look like the only time I'm allowed off is for a death in the family.... mine. But the day after my funeral, I will be expected to clock in on time. Worked till midnight or better 4 days last week (and that doesn't include working late on my Saturday and going in again for half of Sunday). Yesterday, I slipped out the back door before 6 and went for my first "nearly real" scooter ride of the year.... today I left "early" - was home by 8 but Monday/Tuesday was business as abnormal. I see a lot of guys complaining about times being tough even when they are good so I shouldn't complain.... But part of it is self inflicted. Our new bonus system pays a $2/hr bonus if we bill 100 hours a period.... I'm back to school on the 19th and I'm booked until then. I honestly believe that the SAs don't think that I really do have a "life"...

No... it was patiently waiting for me... The 8 injectors that were replaced earlier this year (every last one of them) leaked bad when EOT was up... If you let it cool off even 10 degrees, the problem disappeared. Mr. Seagram is never helpful though he does ease the stress a little.

Did you think to check the two "storage areas" that Navistar supplied on the engine? There's a little hollow at the back of the right side cylinder heads that likes to collect small stuff (obviously not in your case) and the little shelf in behind the starter.....

Whoa!!!! Deja vu Didn't I just read this on inford???

In over 30 years, no one has ever explained this to me to my satisfaction. Many labour time guides will have a "skill rating" applied to service operations.... I suppose a class A tech would be capable of performing highest rating operations (as well as lower ratings) and so on down the line. As a Canadian living in Alberta, I have an Alberta Journeymans certificate with the interprovincial red seal.... If I travel to another province, I will be classified as a journeyman without having to perform any competency evaluations...

The aftermarket has fun with everything.... Does "Will not affect factory warranty..." ring a bell? If something goes bad, It certainly has nothing to do with our accessory... it's obvious that the truck is a POS....

I like the factory tool, too.... push down and wiggle a bit... done deal. There is the odd occasion where the socket and a mild tap from something smaller than our usual choice of swing presses is more effective, but it's ahed to beat the right tool for the job.... Besides, I get to ask the girls in the office next to the tool crib what they think of my big, black knob... At heart, I'm a dirty old man and I do have appearances to keep up....

If dropped in the #5 area, it will most likely be still in the head girdle.... #7 has a straight shot to the top of the bed plate right at the back. If it is something the size of an oil rail bolt, you can let it be... t certainly can't make it through the pick up screen. One big downside to these motors is that anything dropped "outside" the engine has a very good chance of never making it "all the way through".... However, there is a "pocket" at the back of the cylinder head that likes to collect errant parts. Also, many parts can come to rest on the bed plate/upper oil pan either behind or under the starter.... It's not hard to tell that the current crop of engineers only ever gets dirty fingernails from maintaining their "Turf Builder" lawns.

Keith, for award winning ideas, you only need to look at those things you do.... When the penetrating oil on the clamps was brought up, it hit home that not everyone knew of this little trick..... how many other little tricks are there out there that some of us take for granted? Other little tricks that someone else hasn't thought or heard of? FWIW, two of the other guys in the shop came to me last year asking why I never swore when removing the clamps from the turbo and were amazed that I was doing this right beside them... There is no tip too big or too small. If for no other reason, we should post them for those guys that have recently been cursed with a diesel bubble.... (Ooops, I meant "blessed" with a diesel bubble).

OK... suffered through another bout of the turbocharger bolt blues, today... Left front bolt wouldn't budge and I finally got the corners rounded off just the way we all "like 'em"... Managed to get in there with a right angle die grinder and cut the head off the bolt... Once the turbo was off, the bolt wound out with my fingers. Whenever I have a turbo off, I always think that there may be a chance that I might be the next guy to remove it and I always add anti-sieze (Kopr Kote is my fave) to the threads when reinstalling the turbo.... Anyone else do this??? PS... c'mon guys. let's put some life in this place.... Ain't nobody at the big blue oval looking over your shoulder. Big - little.... don't matter. Like the tip on spray Marmon clamps with lube to pop them free (stuff I do without even thinking), there's nothing that isn't worth mentioning since none of us will ever see everything there is to see....

From what I understand, it was the driver of the truck replacing the air filter that killed it.... The company is (was, I should say) a nickel and dime operation when it comes to servicing the trucks... From what I am told, the tabs on the back half of the air filter housing didn't make it into the slots on the element.... I wish it had been a K&N... would've been nice ammo to use on the "experts".... I my estimate today with the pricing on it.... something over $22,000 CA plus GST.

I'm patiently waiting to head back to the Edmonton training facility - April 19th ish. Hopefully, we'll be well into some real spring weather (this last two weeks has been nothing but snow and more snow) and I can take the scooter.... Anyway, the instructor has told us that he expects to take possession of an 07 in full camouflage in the near future... when I was last in school, he was expecting it already. We shall see....

OK... so this truck came back.... because it is running "too good", I guess. The oil cooler was done sometime around new years... that tech found that the turbo was dusted. Customer paid retail to have the turbo replaced at that time and was told the motor is probably in the same shape. The company got sold... old owner (being a very upstanding and honest type) "forgot" to mention to the new owner that this truck is a worn out POS.... The tech that did the injectors before me told them that the injectors will cure the hard start and rough run but the motor is very "tired". When I got it, the new owner appeared to be aware that the truck was hooped and only wanted to get it running and send it to the auction.... So... the new owner decided to put the truck to work amd now it is my fault that it takes two litres of oil a day..... How does 30" of crankcase pressure sound????

Service bay tip..... any time I change a harness, I scavenge what connectors I can from it. My filing system isn't real good but that "box of junk" has saved my skin many times over....

I have a tool that MAC sold purpose built for those little pigtail springs on the 250/350s... PITA to use with a hub or axle in the way, though. The guy using the diff gauge as a pres tool should be made to buy a new one.... after his "package" stops hurting. One I forgot... I have an older pair of brake return spring pliers that I ground the tip down on... perfect for removing the little roll pin from the line on the clutch master cylinder....

That long, long Torx socket that many of us bought for getting at the centre bolt on the 5.0 upper intake manifolds is the right size for the injector hold downs on the 6.0.... Since I never see any 5.0s any more (well, not enough to worry over), I cut mine down to the right length to get to the holddowns with no extensions. Rather than make a trip to the tool crib, I sacrificed the wrenches for an old die grinder to make oil line release tools. The wide end is perfect for the fitting at the rail and the narrow end (with a little help from a grinder and a bit of bending) is the answer for the early build standpipe connection. Have you found an early build with a rounded off high pressure oil rail bolt? I had one in behind the evap core .... make sure all the other bolts are tight and a few burps with a long air chisel and you can kiss the bolt head farewell.... Once the oil rail is off, the rest of the bolt winds out with your fingers... We've had more than oe instance where one of the apprentices has forgotten to finish an oil change by replacing the filter and tightening down the cap. Once the old filter is out, the filter housing will drain quickly.... Install the new filter and torque the cap before raising the truck to drain the sump... When air testing a high pressure oil leak... monitor the EOT and get that just as high as you can before commencing (see F450 from hell) leak diagnosis.... a few degrees can make all the difference in the world.... The last two aren't exactly "tool recycling" but handy hints are handy hints.... Who's next????

Well. I was as lazy as sin last week.... not one evening in the shop. This week, I pay for it.... stopped at home for a quick supper and just got back home at 12:30. I have to go in early to road test one of tonights projects and discuss a used Expedition with the DP... it's a nice looking car but I don't think we need it on our lot.... too many hidden issues. My whole week is shaping up just like this... including the return of my F450 from hell. Oil consumption now.... Hard to tell from the owner but I think I'm either going to find a degas full of pudding or crankcase pressure that will bend the needle on the magnahelic gauge.... Just about time for my twice yearly spate of ambulance inspections, too...