Jim Warman

This isn't a rare occurance. You drop the pan on a trans with 200K on it and find the "Oh no, what is this!!!" plug. This trans has never had a service.... Most likely, the only reason it is getting a service now is because there is either a shifting concern (including missing gears) or an engagement concern... Of course a new filter and a few quarts of fluid are going to correct this... Right?.... Right?. Whaddayamean "toast"? Customers desparately need to be educated.... and here we are... allowing kwikee-loob to educate them. Once the "cheap" places have all their money, they come to us for a fix... but it shouldn't cost much because all the parts are new...... Right?.... Right? Oh, by the way... ever since you fixed my tailight, my motor has been using oil and the trans slips in most gears.... and the windshield is cracked.... and my sister is pregnant... and my TV has funny lines at the top of the screen... and the guy on the internet says you should pay me....

We work for the "stealership". At the same time, the customer feels safe in handing the keys to the henhouse to the fox. Some customers desparately need you to look them in the eye and say "Ford wont cover that repair".

If a tech repeatedly breaks a tool it may simply be time for a lesson on the proper use of the tool. Peer pressure may be required to "cement" the lesson. As a digression, I offer a youtube vid posted to another venue that bemoans flat rate and shitty management for it's ills - while the video shows those of us in the trenches making each others lives miserable. One of the biggest impediments we can face is our lack of respect for each other. From the empty toilet paper roller to the broken ESST to the dirty sink...

Worse yet is finding the tool only to discover it is broken and nobody has ordered a replacement. FWIW, we do not charge broken ESSTs to a tech.

Tool Crib software was written by an acquaintance of mine... he is very knowledgeable regarding Fords ESSTs - honest. It comes, as I understand, with info already loaded. We use Microsoft Excel at work - the red cases are given a number, a location and the contents are listed by new number, old number if applicable and description. Leave extra columns for TSB or FSA numbers and such. (the cases are stored on shelves in the numerical order we have assigned). Bruces suggestion adds some responsibility and traceability to the tool(s). If a tool goes back broken or doesn't go back at all, at least you can find the last person to use the and remind them of toolroom etiquette. There is the downside of increased administration. If the parts dept. or other entity assigned to overseeing the plan is busy, is there a chance that a popular tool might be caught in "limbo"? FWIW, I don't like having stuff charged to my account because things alway have a way of slipping through the cracks. Not long ago my paycheque was a surprise.... $300 worth of brake rotors I got for my boys truck were returned - but not creditted. Not a big deal since I didn't have any real plans for that money this time around, anyway.... but if I was in the middle of something, it could have been embarassing.

FWIW... over the years, I have seen seals that will leak only when the shaft isn't turning.... I have seals that will leak only when the shaft IS turning... I have seen seals that can't seem to follow any runout or odd contours in the shaft only at certain speeds (this is an assumption or theory (you choose the appropriate term) based on non-scientific testing that depends on a concept of "resonant frequency"). Once all our testing has been done, it can often boil down to replacing "the most likely suspect"... I believe the boffins call it a "SWAG".

could engine hours be a factor?

Silly? We trust our suppliers to deliver uncontaminated product. The water separator is there to help us IF water is present.. not because we are buying it along with our fuel. Let's say you open a bag of flour and find half a cockroach... mouse shit in your sugar... whatever... You gonna sift every powder in your kitchen to catch contaminants? You pull up to the pumps and say "I'll take the contaminated stuff if you give me a buck a gallon discount"? You make it sound like contaminated products are acceptable... I do not understand this manner of thinking. Imagine... flying to a remote vacation destination and finding out your airplane has water in it's fuel.... What constitutes "contaminated fuel"? Do you need to have a turd floating in it before we call it "bad"? We can have fuel.... or we can have fuel with contaminants in it. I hope your girlfriend is only a "little bit" pregnant.

????

Many many years ago..... there was a customer faced with a spendy repair. He asked if it could be done for less money. I replied "Of course it can!! What parts do you want me to leave out?". Without seeing the actual wording used on your RO, accurate assessment of the situation can be difficult. Careful documentation on your part is absolutely essential. Along with playing CYA, make sure your customer has enough rope to hang himself with. Include, where possible, statements indicating that the customer requested something that testing or symptoms indicated as being inappropriate. The internet has turned everyone into an exspurt (sic)... "Yayyyy!!".

I can see us coming to loggerheads over this... The key phrase/idea/concept is CLEAN FUEL. The water separator isn't there to separate water - it is there to tell us we have a problem with water. If I have water in my water separator then I must have water in my fuel tank. If I have water in my fuel tank then I must have a problem. This ain't rocket science . Ford has no control over the quality of fuel that an owner pumps into his tank. That fuel should contain no water... period. The water separator simply announces that the quality of your fuel is suspect. <SIGH>.... if your fuel contains water, it is contaminated and, therefore, isn't "good" fuel. Let's try a different wording.... the water separator isn't there to "fix" our fuel... it is there to tell us our fuel needs to be fixed. Ford has no control over the quality of anything we pump into our tanks. If it contains moisture then that is a concern for the producer, the carrier or the storage facility. Look at it this way... when you buy gas for your car, how much water should it have in it? How much do you feel is acceptable? (None would be a pretty good answer). I haven't used a gasline additive in my vehicles for over 12 years. Should I be using one and why should I be using it? As far as the water separator on a PSD is concerned. If we see indications of water, we can either fix the problem or we can ignore it. (If my truck has a flat tire, I can fix it or I can ignore it.... you can see where this is going). Fuel with water in it is contaminated fuel. deal with it.

So... you are telling me that the owner of the truck is diagnosing the concern(s)? I look at a truck... I perform diag to whatever point I can... including the odd "repair <this> and reassess". I prepare and offer a repair estimate. I reaffirm that some conditions may be masked and that this is an estimate only. If you live in an area with some of that anal consumer protection, bid high - use words like "may" and "perhaps". If the customer returns saying "you didn't fix my truck" you can reply "you didn't do what I wanted". Now.. the condition of the rest of the truck... My bay has a 4 post lift... I push a button and a minute later the truck is above me making inspection somewhat easier... All the same, setting a two post hoist doesn't take long. I'm sure you have the report cards to fill out just like the rest of us. Rear brakes are a common issue in our area because of the mud... a quick peek at the inboard rear pads tells a big story. Spend the time - make the estimate - if you aren't doing anything else, at least you are covering your ass. It doesn't matter what the owner wants. The truck is saying "I want this". You are the messenger - you go to the owner and say "your truck wants this". If the owner tries to shoot you, all you can say is "count me out". Face it... you are either going to do those things you want to do... or you are not going to fix the concern. Boil it down... the customer is going to do those things I feel we need to do. If not, we are wasting each others time. Never, ever let your customer dictate your efforts. If he is so smart, why is he dealing with you? If you feel a truck needs "X" and the customer doesn't want "X" you are done. There is no more. If you begin to diagnose beyond your initial diagnosis you are announcing that you aren't confident with your diagnosis. You need <THIS> - after we do that it is either fixed or it puts us in a place where we can reassess our concern. The truck you are working on is more complex than anything they ever sent to the moon or to Mars or whatever... Read my lips... "if you do not want this repair then I am sorry... I cannot help you past this point". To say anything different is the same as saying "fuckifIknow". We have to accept the responsibilty that is thrust upon us.

After some thought... the water separator isn't there to "fix" a concern... it is there to tell us we have a concern to fix.

Something to consider when testing starting systems - step the first should be to make sure that the battery connections are clean and tight.... Back in the day, breaker point ignition systems would nearly force an owner into a spring tune up and a fall tune up. Some of the things we were supposed to do (but, there were enough charlatans out there that would simply pocket the profits without performing the service) included cleaning the battery terminals. Back then, the cables had lead connections. We would remove the cable and, using a wire brush designed for the task, clean the inside of the cable connection and the outside of the battery post. When reassembled, we would apply a liberal amount of grease to the connection (including the felt washer under the connection that should have been replaced - yes, they were available commercially but hard to get because nobody replaced them except for curmudgeons-in-the-making). Today "cleaning battery cables" consists of spraying shit on the battery, watching it foam up and then splashing water on it. The battery now looks pretty - but we haven't done squat for the electrical connection. We are still charlatans - but at least now we are classy charlatans. Making sure that the battery connections are clean and tight is priority one when diagnosing starting system problems - remembering that we are talking about "electrically clean and tight" rather than "esthetically clean and tight" is paramount. You have an excellent grasp on how to use a voltmeter and this will take you far. 50% of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of their class.

Motorcraft does claim that their diesel fuel filters remove 95% of the water...... but this is a tad subjective... If you have an acceptable amount of water in your fuel (read that as none), then 95% is a wonderful number. Here in the Republic of Alberta, where so many should know a lot better, fuel filter maintenance is deplorable. Fuel storage can be a joke. And water in fuel can be a fact of life. Even my son has a tidy tank in the back of his truck and I am always on his case about draining water separators regularly - and NOT waiting for the WIF light. The diesel owners supplement recommends draining the water separator once a month. What they have left out is that instead of letting this stuff piss onto the ground, the sample should be captured and scrutinized. If there is water present, then something should be done about it instead of relying on the water separator to do it for them. In retrospect, I'm not sure there is an affordable fuel drier available for the masses. Think of it this way. The engineers say "make sure the fuel is GOOD"... if the fuel has water in it, can we consider this as "good"?

Not being a chemist (actually, not being much of anything other than an opinionated old fart), I think that there is quite a difference between "dispersed" and "emulsified". I've searched on the internet and I am more confused than ever... but that doesn't slow my opinion down. As far as I can see, if we add a dispersant to the fuel, this should allow the fuel to carry moisture out of the tank and deliver it to the water separator (Motorcraft fuel filters chat up their "Aquabloc" technology) where it can be removed - if not in its entirety, then at least the majority. This is the job of the membrane around the primary fuel filter (caution - opinion). If we add an emulsifier (like alcohol - I think there are going to be differences if we use methanol, ethanol or isopropyl - I do know that methanol is corrosive), I think we destroy the waters surface tension and this allows it to pass through the membrane and into the expensive bits of the fuel system. Sidebar.... your shop "should" have a "spill kit" or at least a bag of petroleum product absorbent pads. Take one of these pads and try and mop up water with it. If you are still concerned about efficiency (but I still feel that good quality fuel and proper filter maintenance should be all you need) you can investigate "coalescing fuel filters".

Chris, it's only going to get worse. Since MY 08 we have seen a steady chain of low tire warnings - the customer walks around the vehicle and doesn't see anything that looks obviously low. When you ask if he/she has "checked the tire pressures", they will reply yes (walking around the car is, apparently, enough.... right?). Low tire light on = truck is a POS. It is a truck problem and not a tire problem. Ford is having similar concerns with the intelligent oil life monitor. This feature keeps track of the oil quality and NOT oil quantity... leading to oil that is OK.... or it would be if there was enough of it in the motor.... Consumers need educating.... and while a good salesweasel will spend time showing his customer how his new toy works, it will still fall upon us and our SAs to flesh out our customers knowledge. Like how to switch the temp display back to C or F after a button pushing frenzy....

I'd grab the "chemistry set" and do a coolant analysis. Ford says "thou shalt not have any nitrites in thy specialty orange coolant". FWIW, Premium Gold has nitrites and Specialty Orange has none.

And they thought you were just another pretty face.....

Oooh yah... dis mouse be a big handful. Wanna pet him?

They wouldn't have put the recess there if they didn't mean for us to use it. What I see as a concern is not lubing the O-ring before assembling the filter. Yes, I've seen many broken caps... we stock them. I remove the cap with whatever I have at hand... be it the 24 mm socket... There's always the chance I've grabbed a 15/16ths... or just stuffed a 1/2 drive extension in the hole. Sadly, common sense comes into play at some point in the process... And we all know that common sense isn't.....

So... Friday sees me doing an Out of Province inspection on a Volvo - I'm no longer a fan of working on "all makes" but - this is what I have and this is what I must do. Anyway... this lady left BC to move to the bustling metropolis of Slave Lake in the Republic of Alberta. Before she left, she paid somebody to inspect her car before the cross country trek - a grand total of 800 and some miles. She PAID somebody to inspect her car. PAID. Isn't it funny that in 800 and something miles, ball joints can wear out and brake hoses can crack. Her mechanic assured her that her car was safe. He assured her it would pass any inspection the Republic of Alberta could throw at it.... And she drove through TWO mountain ranges with cracked brake hoses... And we wonder why people think we are hacks....

I'm not convinced that "now" is a good time to buy a VCM... We appear to be entering a new generation of on-board electronics and I am reasonably sure that this will signal the end of Fords support of VCM based systems. What the replacement might be is anyones guess.... if it will be compatible with existing systems is anyones guess (it's not like we couldn't see another EEC-IV to OBD change again). FWIW.... I was doing an Out of Province inspection on a 1998 Vulva... oops, Volvo on Friday. Part of the insepction requires me to communicate with several modules on the car using a scan tool. Alberta Infrastructure gave their blessing to the OTC Genysis as an "accepted scan tool" (they have an inventory of our tools and they match this to their "approved" list). The Genysis will only communicate with about 1/3rd of Volvos from this era. IluvmyjobIluvmyjobIluvmyjob.....

In a word? Micro$oft

Bruce, I believe they are done on a contract basis in various locales. The ones we get come from Vulcan in Edmonton. Like everyone elses they look more like they are dipped than sprayed. For the most part, they always seem to have been built by somebody that hates their job.