Jim Warman

Well, after the snow last week and the rain yesterday, I finally got a start on my yard work... After supper, I checked the weather... "5 TO 10 CENTIMETRES OF SNOW TONIGHT AND UP TO 20 CENTIMETRES TUESDAY. SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL IN THE HINTON AND EDSON REGIONS. SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 15 TO 20 CENTIMETRES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS OF 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW WILL INTENSIFY THROUGH CENTRAL ALBERTA TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A PACIFIC DISTURBANCE PUSHES THROUGH THE AREA. THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING A FURTHER 10 TO 25 CENTIMETRES OF SNOW TO MUCH OF CENTRAL ALBERTA ESPECIALLY TO AREAS WEST AND NORTH OF EDMONTON. SNOW WILL TAPER OFF TUESDAY AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE PROVINCE. CLEAR SKIES AND COLD TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHERN ALBERTA WILL RESULT IN FROST TONIGHT. TUESDAY NIGHT MAY SEE A REPEAT OF THE FROSTY CONDITIONS AS THE ARCTIC AIRMASS REMAINS ENTRENCHED OVER THE PROVINCE." Go ahead... gloat,ya phuquers For the metricaficatedly impaired - 20 centimeters is just shy of 8 inches....

That's what I was taught... alcohol is for drinkin' , gasoline is for washin' parts and nitro is for racin'... But we still watch the roundy-round cars... FWIW, I think those guys running alky are wierd... ya can't see it when it catches fire and ya hafta flush your fuel system at the end of the day.

I agree, Aaron... there is little in the world that is sane these days. Back in the day, we would take drugs to make the world look wierd... today, we take drugs to make the world look normal... Those of us concerned with the environment are usually only ever concerned about "our little corner" of interest. "Fuck the Brazil rain forest... cow farts is what I'm all about!!!". That sort of thing. We will remain vigilant for 'our' cause... all the while leaving a trail of destruction in other areas... Until we get to the infernal combustion engine...whoop, I meant internal combustion engine. Overwhelmingly, people equate good fuel economy with low tailpipe emissions... From what I can see, the two are mutually exclusive. The world spent decades finding out that we can't keep shitting in our own back yard.. we are now paying for that oversight... Yes, the pendulum has likely swung the other way and there is every chance that we may be over-compensating... or we may be barely doing enough.... shall we roll the dice with a planet we are borrowing from our grandchildren? We can't hope for "zero pollution" - never gonna happen... but as responsible caring adults, we can minimize our footprint on the environment. Car racing.... one of my favourite sports... Used to be what won on Sunday sold on Monday. NASCAR racing can still be exciting to watch.. but what does it have to do in our context any more? How many of these cars are available as a two door from the factory? Isn't it about time for us to wake up and return racing endeavours back to a place for R&D and proving the reliability of production cars? Open wheel racing.... WOO, formula 1, Indy cars... alcohol for fuel. Fuel dragster classes... what can I say? Door slammers are great... how about a 7 second prostock car on PUMP GAS? And that brings us to our garden equipment.... would we spend an extra $200 for a lawn mower with a "ULEV" sticker on it?

Old technology ( having a choice of thermostats being one) was good back when we weren't watching what we were doing... Today, operating strategies rely on coolant temps, oil temps, fuel temps and so many other FACTS. In the 60's we'd say "PHUQUE... look at that thing go...". Today, a lot of this mysticism has stopped being magical and has become measurable... Today it is all about tailpipe emissions and evaporative emissions... We can measure these, we can change these and we know what produces these... We have the ability to change - to improve - to reduce our footprint. My turn to piss Dwayne off... both of us being family men... both of us with the chance to become grandparents sooner than we hoped.... Old technology died beause we were in a headlong rush (or, for some of us, so it seemed) for self annihilation. Change your thermostat and you change your rate of NOx production... With the fate of your grandchildren in the balance, are you willing to roll the dice? Are you going to deny that major cities in the world saw the need for "smog warnings"? It is no longer about "what we could get away with and old technology". We have the means to avoid some of what we used to do.... It costs more money, no doubt about it... So... we have the conumdrum.... do we want to die rich... or do we want to die happy in the fact that we did everything we could possibly do to ensure that our grandchildren and our great grandchildren inherited a world that they could live in? "Back in the day" we had a zillion miracle ingredients that we never gave second thought to... That woiuld be my parents and perhaps my grand parents... For part of my life, I perpetuated the problem... And then, one morning, we began to wake up... Old technology was "back then". R-12 was used as propellant in spray bombs.... Old technology was "back then". High compression engines that required tetra-ethyl lead as an octane improver. Old technology was "back then" when we thought we could fix a cooling system problem by substituting a lower temp thermostat (ummm, is the thermostat argument looking a little weak?). History has been a constant evolution of one fuck up after another.... If we do not learn from our history - we will, with no doubt - repeat it.

Mike... that would be Broadcast message 2268.... BCMs are those mystical messages... memos, I guess, that arrive and then evaporate... never to be seen again. FWIW, "mild" temperature fluctuations could be the harbinger of other cooling system concerns. What we can see or measure may well be only the tip of the iceberg.... there is the distinct chance that localize conditions could be bad enough to create some sort of failure, but the rest of the system may damp any out of spec spikes at our points of measurement. I think it important that we keep an open mind on those conditions we see... Things are changing too fast for us to consider new technology with old experience.

There, ya go... it's me and MY flat rate reading again... In my defence, I didn't get out of the shop until after 10 last night...

Aaron, I think it is the NAPAs we need to worry about in Canada. Dwayne and I think that these are those longer elements that have KwikeeLoob throwing away Ford filter lids.....

Something I've been saying for quite some time, Jayson... While our oil reserves are being called "finite", air quality is still the stickler. Can the earth keep up with the burgeoning population? Can she hope to "filter" the debris we throw at her? (Pre-emissions controls news stories indicate a resounding no). So, in order to protect one nonrenewable resource, we squander another in the hope that technology will come to our rescue. Too bad most of you guys missed the years when you could walk into the showroom and see a car with multiple carbs - from the factory.

Hmmmphhhh. You forgot the turbo oil return they tell you to replace but rarely pay for.... (TSB 08-16-13

Man... DTS and IE7 don't play well together... I had typed out a really neat reply and, trying to add a smiley, the worlds orbit changed.... Anyway... the gist is that I didn't think you were picking on me... With the hype that SCR and urea are receiving, we are lead to believe that they are a panacea... You, sir... are either a breath of fresh air.... or a blast of bus exhaust..... I remember the very first faulty EGR valve concern I ran across.... 1974.... F150 with a 360 CID.... I would like to think that we have a magic bullet when, in fact, we have been doing nothing more than putting salve on a wound that refuses to heal....

Actually.... hit F8 in the boot screen (the one before the first "splash" screen) but you need to have the DVD reader hooked up with disc one in place. Do you want a "disc 3"?

Like I said before... we were becoming inundated with TSBs and we see claims getting kicked because one TSB was followed and not the other... claims getting kicked because we didn't write the TSB in longhand on the back of the RO... Now.... a TSB that tells us that there is no longer a TSB. Be afwaid.... be vewy, vewy afwaid - Elmer J. Fudd.

Yes, it was announced in a Broadcast message last week. A TSB that tells you not to use a TSB... use the manuals instead...

No I think I've seen about everything there is to see.... This TSB basically tells us not to use a TSB when diagnosing "6.4L DIESEL ENGINE - LACKS POWER, LEAKS FLUID FROM EXHAUST PIPE, ABNORMAL TAILPIPE SEDIMENT, WHITE SMOKE, EXHAUST SMELL AND MIL ON". Catch 22... the TSB tells you not to use the TSB - use the PC/ED instead but if you use the PC/ED, then you are following the TSB and your warranty claim may be denied... Worse yet... the question remains... do we need to quote the TSB when we write our warranty story? The one that reads "Found TSB 09-10-02 and may or may not have followed the instructiuons given in the TSB....". I think I have too much time on my hands...

Ass/u/me... Guilty as charged... I had 'assumed' that SCR would be a replacement for EGR - Thanks, C

I can't see anyone intetntionally building a "dirty" diesel and then depending on after-treatments to make them acceptable... I don't think that the SCR will spell the end of the DPF and it is here that a "dirty" engine is going to be found out... "dirty" as in particualte, anyway. However, I think I can foresee fuel curves that might be a little more agressive in terms of NOx production... but that is going to be seen when the time comes... EGR technology is based on reducing combustion chamber temps to prevent NOx formation... and this reduces volumetric efficiency and (I believe) increases brake specific fuel consumption. SCR technology appears to allow the formation of NOx and now it can be dealt with downstream. I can see where this might regain some power and mileage lost to EGR technology...

Well, I finally got a chance to see the customer letter for this "recall".... And the confusion is going to hit the fan... Our area features dust, idling, more dust, more idling, extreme cold, more dust and idling, heat (if you can call 85 F heat - for me it is)... By idling, I am including low rpm, light load operation. For us, it was expedient to carry the 5000 km service interval over to the 6.0, at least for work trucks... Increasing the service interval increased the instance or opportunity for oil based concerns... A natural progression was to label 6.4s for a 5000 km oil change as well... Customers are used to it and the truck seems to like it... Down the street is a recently opened Lubexx that is pasting 10,000 km intervals on windshields... I'm not sure what our local Cambodian Tire is telling people... If you look at the scheduled maintenance guide in the cubbyhole of a 6.4 truck, you will notice that (at 5000 MILES), you are 'supposed' to go to the dealer and have your tires rotated, your filter minder checked and a multi-point inspection.... At 10,000 MILES, you are supposed to get your tires rotated, filter minder checked, multi-point inspection AND get an oil change.... No wonder the 6.4 is getting a name for "making oil". FWIW, on any trucks that we regularly see, the hour meter indicates that a 5000 km interval isn't usually "too often".... It is rare for a man to drive deep into the "jungle" and feel the need to shut his truck off.

Thanks for the heads up, Bruce... The spec we used was, indeed 50 mV but my old memories got in the way... In my defence, I did search the net and the only reference I could find was the 200 mV suggestion... For a spec this important, one shouldn't have to search so hard... Considering that alternators were still one of the latest amazing steps forward in automotive technology, I can vouch for the advances made in all facets of semi-conductor technology. Even as late as 1970 you would sometimes hear someone ask how you polarized one of them... was it like a generator? Truthfully, now... what do you think of the colour we finally chose for dirt?

The rest of the story... The decision wasn't to "throw batteries at it" and I'll explain why.... Fairly early in the going, it was discovered that AC ripple in the charging system was high... too high. The decision was made to change the alternator.... Sidebar.... in years gone by, we would look at "alternator ripple" on a scope... We were looking for what you might call "gross defects". Shorted dodes, open diodes... If you had bad enough ripple, the worst that would happen would be noise in your speakers... Back then, most of us listened to 8 tracks or AM radio anyway.... Today.... there is an accepted spec on alternator ripple... 450~500 mVAC (milliVolts AC) but some delicate electronics can demand as small as 200mVAC. In this case the alternator was changed and the symptoms persisted... It took a while before AC ripple was retested and sufficient credence was given to that fact. In effect - the concern came up and kicked us all in the nuts and then laughed at us... Along the way, (and the VSS wasn't spiking - it was merrily cruising along at various speeds) it was noted that the ABS module was reporting a moving vehicle (the VSS is hardwired to the ABS module) yet it wasn't passing this info over the network... nothing to the speedo via the cluster and nothing to the PCM. Yes... we tried a known good ABS module with no change.... bells should have been ringing... So... ripple gets revisited... and there is still too much ripple.... (let's get a tattoo on our foreheads called "smack head here"). Flip the FEAD belt off the pulleys and retest.... Wait... did I just say "flip the FEAD belt off the pulleys?". And the concern is GONE? Lessons learned to this point.... We set out to get rid of high ripple.... Along the way, we lost sight of our goal and all we did was change an alternator... In years gone by, we checked for alternator ripple... gross amounts of it.... Today, we are looking for charging system ripple... tiny bits of it. Automotive batteries have internal resistance - a properly functioning, fully charged, lead/acid battery was, to my training, about 1 ohm. Working properly, the battery acts as a buffer for ripple.... but if we change that resistance... increase it as in what might be a failing battery (or even dirty terminals or similar concerns), this can exacerbate the ripple. At one point, we were so obsessed with having the appearance of doing <something> that we began to neglect thinking about what we were doing. Until we flipped the belt off the pulleys. - until we saw the ripple disappear and the concern evaporate along with it... How many times have you quoted for batteries AND alternator because something didn't "feel right"? There is a lesson to be learned from this incident... it's called "pay attention". If you make a repair decision - have a reason.... with this in mind, we should be able to measure a difference in SOMETHING from the pre-repair state to the post repair state... In this case... if you set out to reduce charging system ripple - don't stop simply because the alternator is new.... This repair should have been a lot fucking easier than it was.... Of worthy mention.... TSB 06-19-12 addresses an alternator frequency concern using the lab scope in VMM. This test is NOT the one I was referring to for alternator ripple.... This test is looking for RFI over VRS sensor circuits. Do not confuse RFI with AC ripple (though they can mimic each other). FWIW, newer vehicles have a GEN_HZ PID - google "synchronous speed". For a better understanding of batteries (and I will let you know if I ever finish reading this dry shit) CLICKY . The best part about this trade? No matter how much we know.... No matter how much we think we know... there is always something new we will learn tomorrow....

I think that this is a very good observation... Something I was musing aloud about last week... has anyone noticed the "interactive PC/ED"? How long before you can't go on to the next step because you aren't "connected"? How long is it before we become drones... connecting test leads or running some subset at the behest of "the machine" - allowing "the machine" to decide our every move... Sound like something out of science fiction? Back when I was a kid, Dick Tracy had a two way wrist radio.... now I carry a still camera, movie camera, diary, entertainment centre, game console, calendar, calculator - I can keep going if you like - in my friggin' pocket... Oh, I can phone people on it,too. When I was 6, my Dad came home with a wood box with one glass side.... I said "What's that". He said "A television". I said "Neat..... what's a television?". The day my Dad brought that TV home, the world I live in today WAS science fiction.

Not a DIY story.... but worth a giggle, anyway. I was renting two bays in an ESSO service station at the time... My wife had a friend that was living with a man that was ........ different. He asked what I would charge to do something to his truck.... I gave him an estimate.... he asked if I would do it cheaper in his gravel driveway???????? Away from my shop, my tools, and my two hoists.... Here's your sign......

Aaron and Jayson... you both are on the money with the child seat thing.... It goes beyond simply installing it correctly - if one of the attaching points were to fail (floor hook, factory installed restraint, whatever) the installer could still be a correspondant. Jayson, my only training with FMVSS and CMVSS are those sections I've perused on my own (they are available on the web for free). As it stands, we in the trade are expected to fix things that have been manufactured according to the legislation and regulations.... leaving them in an "as manufactured" condition. Meaning no modifications. Now, I perform many types of safety oriented inspections... Often, I will come across something that has been modified or altered from "stock". Someone has done a "unique" repair to save money or perhaps a dual exhaust been installed or some after market accessories/mods/what-have-you. If the guideline manual fails to address a condition due to a modification, then I will check CMVSS (or even FMVSS when necessary). In the case of our dual exhaust, the fuel line must be a minimum of three inches away from the exhaust. If we repair stock automobiles with parts that meet stock design criteria in a manner that is considered to be accepted industry practice (i.e., we could find it in a workshop manual if we had to sit to the left of a judge), these regulations will mean little to us. As for side work... I've never really done much... I was self employed for much of my life (I am a much better mechanic than businessman) so my "sidework" was usually giving discounts to seniors or others on fixed incomes and "freebies" where I desired... My insurance package was always along for the ride. Now? I have a couple of dear family friends that get repairs done for only the price of the parts - I have several friends that get together over a two-four and polish/tinker/tweak a fleet of toys. The chance that one of us is going to be on the receiving end of a very bad lawsuit is, currently, very slim.... but that could change with the very next knock on the door.... Raise your hands... who amongst us hasn't had to go out into the back 40 and recheck an oil pan drain plug or wheel nut torque???? FWIW... those of you with small children... here is one of many resources to make sure you are creating a safe environment for young passengers.

Which is much better than being pissed ON..... well, for most of us.... A friend used to have a "RedRooster" convenience store.... Fishing tackle was placed beside feminine hygene products... I suppose the message was "your weekend is fucked... might as well go fishing".... When you go for groceries, "impulse" buys are strategically placed for "impact".... They are placed along aisles where necessary but usually at the till.... the magazine you wouldn't normally buy, gum, trinkets that intrigue you long enough to make it into your pile of swag.... Stuff you bought for no reason and use only because you bought it... Sigmund Freud was a great psychologist - though he dealt more with sexuality... the same can be said of Masters and Johnson... These are the "visible" progenitors of using psychology in the modern world.... Before you reply... psychology can be used in a manner that will make anyone that sees "psychology at work" appear paranoid... Am I paranoid? You bet.... Am I paranoid without reason? Ford has sent me a jacket I don't wear, a watch I don't look at and toolbox plaques that remind me I have to do another course or fulfill some other requirement. Psychology is well and living all around you.... DRR is derived from the Latin "delictimous rectumious retentivous". Obscure in use, it was (in ancient times) a plea for warriors to bring their own vaseline to a fight where they were sure to get royally phuqued.... The DRR process is flawed.... period.

I have spent too much time looking for anything about 09L04... I am sure it will impact us deeply at our store... First... you know this is a "literature" only CSP... I haven't seen the propaganda, but I ge the feeling (like 09L03) that Ford is giving us the opportunity to piss people off.... Yes... we will get paid .2 or whatever so that we can explain to people that "what they thought" ISN'T... and "what they expected" AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.... Taking a good hard stare at 09L03 should lay the groundwork for what is going to happen with 09L04 (even though I still haven't read the "meat and taters" part....). Ford is using psychology to shift the blame.... pay attention, guys.... this may become important later.... to shift the blame away from Ford and back to the dealer.... For 09L03, we are talking valve stems.... if the guy is past his BtoB, we might change the valve stems for free just to get him to shut the fuck up.... but that wont happen before we piss him off....

What could be a scary "other topic".... we have the expectation that we will adhere to both "accepted industry standards/practices" as well as understand what is and isn't acceptable in terms of CMVSS (Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards) as well as the US counterpart FMVSS. Many of us don't know jack shit about these regulations.... But they have everything to do with what we can acceptably do and what we cannot.... Quick.... how close can the exhaust be to a fuel line? What about child safety seats.... As professionals, we are held to a high standard of compliance.... "WE KNOW BETTER...." - or, at least, we should. We do not have the advantage of "I didn't know....". The DIYer, however, has (at this time) no expectation of knowing what may be right and what may be wrong.... One travesty is that the manufacturer of <whatever> might be held liable even though it is the consumer that did not read the provided instructions. If we fuck up bad enough... we will be judged by a group of our peers in any litigation that might ensue.... those peers will have knowledge and access of these safety standards... Todays society is litigious in nature.... lawyers can charge a "commission" on what they "win".... "Well... how lucky do ya feel, punk.... was that 5 shots or 6?..... Make my day". We can do damned near anything we want.... but, if someone dies or is maimed because of our "oversight"..... our lives can be forever changed....