Jim Warman

Like Chris... 2.3 OHC for the custom Zamboni.... Fox Creek had an old Ford tractor... 35 horse if I recall and the Zamboni was driven off the PTO. All the Zambonis I saw were propane fired... what did you see Chris? Street sweepers usually run two motors... the one I see for the brush is usually a 2.3 OHC... or WAS back when I did them... and the motive power would be from whoever supplied the rolling chassis. Some guys might be surprised to see what "industrial" engines are out there to be had.

Not sure if you guys have seen SVB 2010-7N or the Rotunda DEF dispenser flier? Handling this shit is NOT going to be an option... It is common for us to have to add fuel to trucks so we can road test them comfortably and I can see low DEF levels being a similar concern. As far as "oil changes" we get about .7 last I looked - a "decent" oil change takes nearly an hour. Some of that time is spent draining the water separator.... some of that time is spent putting air in the spare tire that never gets checked.... some of that time is spent looking for grease zerks on any possible aftermarket repair parts... All of that time is spent showing the customer we are conscientious, thorough and caring.... Always.... ALWAYS find one small thing you can do for free... and play it gently. back to the reductant... If we fill it at the time of service or what have you, we should be somewhat assured that "bad" reductant isn't going to be a real big problem..... Oh, don't worry... it'll still happen.. But at least we can exercise a modicum of control for our loyal customers. FWIW... everything we do has value (or should have.... ). Sometimes we can fold that value up and stuff it in our jeans... Sometimes that value extrapolates into "when can <my favourite tech> work on my truck"? It can be hard to quantify at times. All customers are created equal... some are more equal than others. Me? Lately "I fix $6 haircuts".

Years ago, I worked on Zambonis in two different towns... here in Slave Lake back in the late 90s and, before that, in Fox Creek in the early 90s... One was a 'proper' Zamboni and the other was a tractot mounted unit. We can add street sweepers into the mix... worked on several of those.... Cop cars are a "ho-hum" thing but fire trucks are always fun... especially if you are working on the pump drives on a mid pumper. Of course there were always the usual side jobs for friends that owned heavy trucks or equipment.... I've done a fair bit of AC work on logging equipment - feller/bunchers, skidders, slashers.... life can be colourful. The wierdest and most memorable job I've done? During one of my brief sabbaticals from the business had me as the de facto operations manager of a cluster fuck group of businesses... the main business was as an Imperial Oil Canada bulk dealer (one year we pumped over 25,000,000 liters of diesel fuel alone)... associated businesses included a Mohawk Propane bulk dealership boasting two company owned trucks that we could rent out for annhydrous ammonia hauling, swimming pool and hot tub sales, logging supplies, holiday trailers and motorhomes, musical instruments, propane supplies (including BBQs... I guess you could call me Hank Hill), hydraulic and vapour hoses and fittings... I'm sure I'm forgetting something... Anyway.... I have been called out in the middle of the night to deliver guitar strings to a visiting musical group. But the most memorable and wierdest job? Filling the "smoke" tanks on the RCAF Snowbird aerobatic teams Canadair CT-114 Tutor aircraft. In my career, I started out with nothing... and I still have most of it left....

Keith.. from what I have seen the TPMS system is a "low thresh-hold" system... It doesn't care how much air is in the tire as long as it doesn't fall BELOW a preprogrammed value... You could pump that puppy as high as you dare - it wont care because it isn't designed to keep you from overfilling a tire - that's what brains are for... It is designed to alert that inattentive operator that it is now time for him/her to walk around the car and look for a concern. Sadly, like Chris states... it is a pesky light that came on and now I will have to pay money.... People would never think of checking their tire pressures before TPMS... now, with TPMS, most of them will never think of checking their tire pressures when the system recommends it ("when the system recommends it" = <turns on the light>). A long time ago... well, maybe not THAT long ago, some genius over at the monkeyhouse got all hot and bothered that his low tire light came on... He was all pissy because he figured that Ford didn't think that caring folks like him never checked their tire pressures. I was chastised because I remarked that his low tire light came on.... even though he was a caring person that checked his tire pressures regularly.

What I think we are going to see.... While the stacked piezo crystal injector isn't proving to be the saviour many of us (me included) thought it would be, we do see that when these injectors are functioning as intended they allow a very precise fuel control. The "multistrike" low RPM capability is reducing engine noise, soot production (as far as I could immagine and kind of an oxymoron at best) and heat production. In short, when it is cold outside, the 6.4 is one cold hearted bitch. It isn't rare to see ECTs around 140~150 on an idling engine. With the 6.7, they will take that technology and the knowledge gained and use it to their best advantage. Those of us closer to the Arctic Circle are most likely going to be plagued with "heater output is cold at idle" complaints. While some of you guys will be concerned with getting rid of heat - some us will be concerned with retaining it for passenger comfort. Complexity.... four fucking thermostat devices.... two a la 6.4 for the primary cooling system and two that are going to fuck us up for the secondary cooling system... WTF is "upper half" and "lower half".. why two thermostats? why two different temp settings? Johnny 5 said "Input.... need input...". Keith... a long time ago you made a remark about "separating the men from the boys" - this operating system just might separate the men from their 'NADS

After a great deal of thought, I feel that I owe some of you guys my heartfelt apologies and an explanation.. it's a limp dicked explanation, but it is the only one I have... This year, I will turn 60. In the past my birthday was always ever just another day with the added bonus that I had an excuse to hhave a few beverages... This year, however, will be a milestone... 60... 60 is old... 60 is something other men turn... not me.. I'm not ready to be this old. As my birthday approaches, I find I am having a great deal of trouble coping with the fact.. and I have been taking that inability out on those people that I admire and respect the most. I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone.. this has never been my intention.

Isn't the hood line on that SD interesting? Those fuel lines still scare the fuck outta me... should I post a picture of "the hand" again?

SMART ASS: Two young businessmen in Florida were sitting down for a break in their soon-to-be new store in the shopping mall. As yet, the store wasn't ready, with only a few shelves and display racks set up. One said to the other, "I'll bet that any minute now some senior is going to walk by, put his face to the window, and ask what we're selling." Sure enough, just a moment later, a curious senior gentleman walked up to the window, looked around intensely and rapped on the glass, then in a loud voice asked, "What are you sellin' here?" One of the men replied sarcastically, "We're selling ass-holes." Without skipping a beat, the old timer said, "You're doing well. Only two left." Seniors -- don't mess with them, they've been around!

Yeah... I guess I was a little over the top there... I do apologize to anyone I may have offended... At the same time, all of us are engaged in that age old ritual of "taking one for the team". Ford is bound by the constraints of Moss Magnusson in the US... we don't need that since Canada has traditionally been a hotbed of liberalism... Every last one of us has been an "enabler"... there are times we've "looked the other way" to appease a customer... stayed late.... taken a shortcut... this is part of the human condition... And Ford is no different. Does anyone believe that there is a roomful of guys in Armani suits sitting around saying "yeah, we're gonna let them hillbillies ram it up our collective ass"? Of course not. Fords hands are very nearly tied. If they deny a warranty claim directly to the customer, they need to be sure they have incontrovertable proof that an alteration was THE CAUSE of the failure. So... lets have a brief synopsis of how this system works.... Ford is busy trying ton lay the burden and the blame on the dealership... the techs and SAs are the folks in the trenches and we are the ones that will get our hands dirty and shit on our shoulders. In return, we are busy laying the burden and the blame on FMC. It's part of the human condition... And why does the system function this way? Because, when it comes to laying the burden and the blame on the customer, we often don't have a fucking leg to stand on. Not us - not Ford. Let's say you have, in front of you, a chipped 6.0 with blown head gaskets.... can anyone state without a shred of doubt, that the chip is the reason for the head gasket failure? Now Ford has come out and admitted something we all suspected for some time... But we still don't know what information may or may not be recorded... we don't know if any events will be recorded (freeze frame data? freeze frame data on steroids?). In itself, this is a pretty ballsy move... Does anyone recall.... several years ago, it came to light that the restraints control module could record up to two events (non deployment, deployment and/or secondary). In the US, there was a great hue and cry about invasion of privacy and fears that we were on the verge of entering a police state... people would be thrown in jail on what the RCM might offer. Now... GM has OnStar and Ford has 911.... If you have an airbag deployment, your car "phones home" giving your location and the whole nine yards. Strangely, the "right to privacy" faction is pretty much silent about this... How many have tried "OASIS Quick Start"? I don't think you even need IDS to be running on your laptop... (note to self... try this). Plug in the VCM, go to inFord and magic happens... right down to the kilometers on the odo. FWIW, has anyone noticed that the PCM is no longer the "gateway". Somew newer vehicles seem to be favouring the APIM as the gateway module and now all we are seeing for networks is the HS CAN and the MS CAN. Are we on a path to information stored in modules that will prove for once and for all that an alteration did or did not precipitate a failure? Are we on a path that will have any alterations render a truck undrivable due to software modifications (think of this from ALL the angles...). Many years ago, I had a friend that was a locomotive engineer for Canadian National Railways... we've lost touch over the years but I was always inquisitive and learned quite a bit about railway operations. Even back in the 70s, CNR locomotives had "flight recorders". Few parameters were recorded (from what I was told) since few parameters were available... reverser position, throttle notch (North American locos have 8 throttle 'notches' or positions), brake air pressure and speed. Bill (he wore a liesure suit to work and we would call him the "Polish Prince") was accused of speeding on a railway spur outside of Edmonton. Turned out he was doing something like 37 mph on a 35 mph track. Anyway, about a month after the incident, they downloaded his locomotive - FWIW, this appears to be the cause for a great deal of shame. Having your locomotive downloaded is much like being accused of molesting small, fur bearing mammals in the privacy of your basement. As it stands, it matters not what amount of info is collected... all you need is the right info (in Bills case, that piffling 2 mph nearly cost him his job). As usual, I digress... Getting back to the information that Ford may or may not be gathering... How much will actually be usable? Both the US and Canada have as a basic premise of freedom the fact that we cannot incriminate ourselves... In Britain, Pete Townshend was busted for what he had on his PC... could someone in North America be penalized for what he has in his PCM? Will the right to privacy people step in? Nav systems are becoming the latest status symbol... could anyone imagine being implicated in a criminal activity based on Nav system memory? Cheating on your momma? Imagine losing your truck (and most everything else) because your truck finked you out. Moral of the story... be careful of what you wish for.... you just might get it. I try very hard to hold my head high and live by some lofty ideals... I look around at the world I live in and I see "I really fucked him over"... "I got paid ten hours for 45 minutes of work".. and Once again... sorry if I ruffled any feathers... but I will be the first one to tell you that I am an asshole. And for that, I make no excuses.

It appears that Ford may just be stepping up to the plate. There is no way of knowing for sure until push becomes shove... Ford needs to grow some balls? In the world we live in? We're asking Ford to do something we wont... We bitch about lift kits... if you get an RO next week that says "install lift kit".. what are you going to do... What CAN you do? Over 95% of the worlds time is spent deflecting the blame... the rest of us are busy getting kicked off of various forums for actually having (or pretending to) 'nads. Kyle often tells me I should "lead by example".. I try to do that very thing... and it doesn't fucking work. For any concept to work, we all need to be on the same team.... If Ford is going to grow some 'nads... we need to be more than just along for the ride... blueovaltech.com - let's stand up and be counted.

Mr. Penguin... I are gonna take that pencil and make sure that the sun never shines on the eraser again... Am I being abundantly clear? Ontarionianianians may "do" group hugs... Albertans drink beer instead... After considering both options carefully all I can say is "pass me a cold one".

It's not like we didn't expect this kind of shit.... and it is, eventually, going to be up to the legislators to curb some mods. The only thing you can really expect in the near future is that somewhere, somehow... it will be you that gets thrown under the bus... It is only a matter of time before "theoretical" mileage becomes a factor. This past week I have seen two with DPF concerns both displaying computed mileage (engine hours) at twice the displayed mileage - "I NEVER let my truck idle...". Truth is a relative term, I suppose.

I had the opportunity to reread my last post on this thread..... Mike - that was supposed to be WASN'T Honest!!!!

Mike... relax... chill. Around here we state the facts as we see them.... Robert (dieseldoc) was making a personal jab at you.... he was stating his point of view. Knowing there is a problem is the first step to to fixing it. If you want to feel truly inadequate, I can arrange for you to experience my job for a time. There ain't anything that will cut the heart out of your chest quite like the sudden realization that things have gone bad... without your permission. Life's a bitch..... and then you die...

We will come to the point.... well, I think we already have.... where we will quote a repair that is worth well over the worth of the truck in question. Can we justify the quote? I don't know because I'm not there. I see a lot of stuff get replaced in a CYA stance (I want to replace the EGR cooler but I can't MAKE it leak). Where do we draw the line? Where do we accept that a customer has finite or limited funds and we now need to address his needs? It is true that the more parts we replace, the safer we get - we still need to realize that, without adequate justification, we will simply price ourselves out of the marketplace. We have the opportunity to think about things with familiarity - to apply logic to prioritizing repairs.. to gaining acceptance from retail customers. I see some of you guys doing things to your own vehicles in the name of "repair" - but you wont do them to your customers vehicles. Spare me the crap because you send your wife and kids out on the streets in that thing. If you want a customer for life... treat his car like it's your own.... But I'm old.. what the fuck do I know?

I bought a new camera... neener-neener.... However.... it isn't A "tool kit"... it IS "tool kitS". I still haven't had much time for spelunking but what I have seen is indicating a certain amount of change in a techs life... As with any redesign/rethink/re-applied technology... we appear to be on the cusp of another dinosaur creating event. At one point, Kieth had mentioned "separating the men from the boys" in terms of required skills.... these days we may take that as "separating the men from their 'nads...". I firmly believe that (with the 6.7 and the 6.2 and the ecoboost) we are truly entering the next phase in regards to our idea of personal transportation. I used to wonder what the future would be like.... and now I am living in it.

We use a spreadsheet to mind our tools (Micro$oft Excel) along with a wee bit of ingenuity. Something that is pretty much unbeatable, however, is available HERE . Many of us have met the person responsible for this proggie.... pretty much unimpeachable as far as I'm concerned... FWIW... scroll down the page and check out the "downloads" too.

Pheasant hunting? I used to work with a machinist that loved the term "crotch pheasant"... basically a detatched "will-knot". Opens up a whole 'nother appreciation of things that "look manly" as opposed to things that ARE manly..... Imagine... out in the bush... man and nature... and more men... and a truck with manly stuff.... and It fair boggles the mind

Aaron... for some reason I never figured you for a group hug kinda guy... can I pretend you never said that? For your listening pleasure, I present Cledus Judd

The owner of this truck is obviously making a statement... a somewhat bold statement... a statement perhaps better left unexpressed... this truck is saying that the owner has a Hmmmm.... cammo seat covers... nice touch. I'll bet he can't keep the moose out of the back seat....

At least twice a week, Chris.... My favourite is where they add "and the tire pressures are OK".... s'funny, my gauge says "no they're not"...

That is wild.... imagine how really, really stuck you can get with something like that

Welcome Ford in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta closed their doors this afternoon... http://www.fortsaskatchewanrecord.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2259800

Well, yesterday we received a small pallet of new tools for the new trans and the 6.7... Didn't get a chance to go through them all but there is some gnarly looking stuff in there.

I met my first 6.9 somewhere around '83... Thankfully, I wasn't tasked with working on them. I do recall, however, that the only thing you got when you stepped the footfeed to the floor was more noise.... Seems to me they were very hard to start when the temperature plummeted below about room temp... or if someone was eating ice cream close by...