Gonzo

Third Time’s the Charm There’s one situation every professional automotive mechanic/technician has had to deal with from time to time, and that’s the all-knowing-can-do-it himself kind of customer. Yep, the home grown garage guys who just so happen to own a couple of ratchets, a repair manual and broken down car. They’re the type who got lucky tinkering on their own car a few times, and may have picked up a few tips after spending their weekends watching a couple of those automotive reality shows. Now they’ve ventured into doing the neighbors’, relatives’, and friends’ cars. However, TV shows and manuals both have their limitations. They only tell you what to do, and only if you read their directions carefully. For some people, a quick glance at a page or a few seconds on the TV screen is not enough. They need to be reminded again and again before it sinks in. Some of these connoisseurs of the all-knowing repair manual don’t really read enough. They’ll skip over certain information, or just skim through sections without comprehending any of it. Many just assume they already know how a certain system works based on a previous system they’ve had some luck on. It’s as if they are stuck in a time zone of out dated automotive technology, but after they’ve turned a few screws, glanced at a few more pages, and turned a few more screws they find their problem isn’t solved. Then and only then do these experts head to a real repair shop. Of course, their repair manual is always laying on the passenger seat with the important pages carefully marked for the shop mechanic to examine. As if to say, “Here’s what you need to know”, when in fact it’s the other way around. By the time they have made it to a repair shop they’ve already rehearsed their explanation of the problem over and over again, and know just what they’re going to say to the service writer/mechanic. Sometimes it’s a pretty farfetched story and sometimes it’s right on, ya just never know. Now that manual of course, it can’t say much, but it does show the wear and tear it’s been through. All the corners are dog eared and riddled with greasy finger marks from the constant thumbing through. Sometimes the pages are even highlighted or notes have been added. (I’m still waiting for somebody to leave nothing more than a note with some website address on it instead of a paper back manual.) With a battle weary repair manual on the passenger seat and at least one more comment from the owner, the car eventually gets pushed into the service bay. The last job I had at the shop that fits this description was no different than any of the previous ones. The car in question wouldn’t start, and this neighborhood mechanic did his best to read and understand what was on the diagnostic pages of the manual, but he still didn’t have an answer. He just couldn’t make any sense out of the wiring diagram for the fuel pump circuit. His final verdict, “It’s not getting any voltage to the fuel pump.” This was one of those cars where the fuel pump doesn’t turn on until after the first spin of the crankshaft. In a lot of systems, especially older ones, turning the key on would at least let the fuel pump relay run for a few seconds, but not on this car. I checked the signal according to the manufacturer specifications, and sure enough the voltage (and ground signal) was at the fuel pump. All it needed was a new pump. Now, the other half of dealing with the weekend pro mechanic comes to a head, and that’s the diagnostic results I have to explain at the service counter. You can bet he won’t believe any of it. As usual, there’s a bit of distrust and an attitude accompanied with their response, “I checked the fuel pump fuse and there wasn’t any power there. So how can you say the fuel pump is bad? All I wanted you to do was find out why there was no power at the fuse, not tell me it had a bad pump! I can check that myself!” I personally find it rather insulting to go to any professional in any type of business and rudely say something like that. Surely you could think of another way to tell me that you’re not sure of the diagnostics results. The short version of what it sounded like to me was, “You’re wrong... and I know it!” I always figured, you get what you give. So, while still trying to be the professional, and at this point somewhat of a teacher too, I answered his remarks with my own sarcastic response, “This vehicle doesn’t turn on the fuel pump relay until it knows you’re going to start it. Meaning, until the engine spins and sends a cam/crank impulse to the PCM the fuel pump relay isn’t energized. The fuel pump fuse is after the relay and since the relay isn’t on there won’t be any voltage at the fuel pump fuse. But, I’m sure you knew all of that, because you had the page marked for me in your repair manual. In fact, you had it highlighted, too.” The expression on his face was classic. That stunned look of confusion and a loss of words to back up his previous statements was enough to make me want to go in the other room, close the door, and wait for the giggle snorts to fade away. He ended up dragging the car back to his little hole in the wall, and I’m sure, cursing the repair shop for showing him up. No doubt when all his buddies get together it’ll be another round of “slam the repair shop mechanic” again. (They travel in packs ya know.) Me, I’ll just put my tools away and wait for him to return. I know he’ll be back in about a year or so. How do I know this is going to happen? Because this very same guy did the very same thing with the very same car last year. Oh yes, and with the very same problem. Not only was it exactly the same problem, the same guy, and the same problem, but the same attitude and explanation at the counter. Of course, just like last time, he’ll run down to the same cheap-o parts store and buy the same bargain basement fuel pump that might last another year or so. Even after explaining how the system worked a year ago, he still doesn’t get it. I might be able to do all the show and tell regarding this diagnosis, but I don’t think I can do too much if he doesn’t remember it next year. He might just spend a little more time reading his manual. But, if need be, I can go over the whole thing again and again. Well, that’s twice so far, maybe the third time’s the charm. View full article

It's made entirely out of walnut it's actually my second one the first one I was made out of pine as a test piece

I think I got it loaded now...

my bad, gotta figure out how to get it off my wifes FB page and download it to my laptop first. Thought I could "copy paste" but that ain't working.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1074555325898722 OK, try it now... think I got it uploaded correctly.

The older I get the more I become aware of how many things have changed from childhood. Paper to plastic is one of the biggies. The next big change... who knows...???

Paper or Plastic A customer comes to the checkout counter with their loaded down shopping cart, the clerk asks, “Paper or Plastic ma’am?” We don’t even think about it, it’s just the way things are. Paper or plastic. It’s where we are in the world these days. However, the last time I went shopping with the wife I started thinking about that very subject. You know, paper or plastic, and how far we’ve come in the last couple of decades. Stop and think about it; how many different things were paper based products, but is now plastic? The list runs the gambit from the phones we all carry to the way things are packaged. Just about every item in a household is affected by plastic these days. The modern world as we know it today is so much different than just a few generations ago. It’s a constantly evolving and ever changing system of checks and balances to our existence. Each new technical advancement, whether it’s in plastics or electronics, brings on its own set of problems as well as making us aware of our previous technical failures. Along with these ever improving, ever changing advancements in technology, we’ve also been made aware of how crucial it is to be the custodians of our environment, and how fragile the eco system really is. I can remember back in my early years as a mechanic when oil cans were made with cardboard sides and metal ends. There was a funnel/spout that you had to shove into the top of the can so that you could pour it into the car. Once in a while you’d stab a can, and instead of the spout going through the lid it would crush the side of the cardboard can. Makes an awful mess when that happens, and when it did I’d get the typical lecture about being a greenhorn kid who didn’t even know how to open a can of oil. There was a time when most things manufactured used more natural products than plastics. A natural product such as cotton or paper may have been the only thing available at the time. However, being a natural product it tended to degrade and deteriorate with time and weather. Those old oil cans pretty much disappeared after a while. The lids would rust away, and the cardboard just seemed to vanish. Then, when plastics came along it made a world of difference how everyday items were produced. Now, with the all plastic oil cans there’s not much in the way of deteriorating or degrading. Gone was the lonely oil can spout too! The first plastic oil cans looked very similar to the old cardboard cans, so there for a time you still needed the old spout. It took a while before they finally made them with the shape we know today. I kept one of those old style oil can spout/funnels in my tool box for a long time. Don’t know why I did, and I’m not too sure where it is, but I’ll bet it’s still there… somewhere. The change from paper to plastics not only brought on changes to the cars, but also how the mechanics repaired them. Who else remembers setting a set of points with a paper match book cover? (For you younger techs you might have to go ask one of the old salty dogs in the shop what a set of points are, and while you’re at it ask him what a match book cover is, too.) All that timing and dwell issues we used to have to deal with is handled by a small sensor mounted in a piece of plastic these days. Shop work orders are another thing that plastics have taken over. They used to be made up of several sheets of paper with a carbon paper between the copies. Ya had to press hard to get through all the layers, and it wasn’t uncommon to have someone come back with their receipt that you couldn’t even read. That evolved into the carbonless copies, then to a rough paper copy that the mechanic could scratch out what was being done and then it would be sent to the front office where the entire invoice would be typed into a computer. It took banks of filing cabinets to store all the invoices too. Today, the whole process is almost entirely paperless with laptops the mechanic uses to fill out work orders, and all the data can be stored on a small plastic thumb drive. A lot of car components have changed from a paper based product to plastic as well. The old “rope” type rear seal changed over to the new and improved one piece plastic/rubber seal. Nearly all of the gaskets on an engine used to be made from paper or cork. There might still be a few hold outs using paper for their gaskets, but for the most part all the gaskets today are a composite material made with some form of plastic or paper coated with plastic resin. Along with these changes from paper to plastic we also had to take a good look at our environment as well. Not just the smog but the recycling aspects. Right now, the automobile is the most widely recycled consumer product, even with all the various plastics they contain. That alone is pretty impressive. But, the stringent US emission standards don’t hold true all over the globe. Pollution levels in China, Mexico, and Africa are at staggering levels. But, if you’re curious whether or not there’s even more changes in store for us, well, look no further than your local grocery store. Back when groceries stores bagged everything only with paper sacks, you’d take your groceries home and save the bags for a rainy day. Everybody had a stack of paper sacks tucked away somewhere. I think my grandmother had the market cornered on paper grocery bags though, she had a room full of them. Then, along came the plastic bag. It took up less space at the end of the checkout counter and were cheaper to make. Just like the paper sack, the plastic bag did have a secondary use when it was home. Most of time as a trash bag, which ended up right where you didn’t want to put them… in the landfill. Nowadays, that’s changing as well. A lot of major grocery stores offer discounts if you bring your own reusable shopping bags with you. In our household we’ve made the change to reusable insulated grocery bags quite some time ago, and I really don’t miss having those paper or plastic bags stuffed somewhere in the house. I could see this catching on in other stores as well. I think it would be a safe prediction to say that sometime in the future everyone will be carrying their own bags into department stores, shoe stores, appliance stores, 7-11’s, liquor stores, and perhaps even parts stores too! We’ve come a long way in taking on the responsibility for the eco system that we are leaving for the next generation, and I’m sure even better and better technical advancements will improve on what we already have. So, I think I’m going to start something new at the shop. When I’m at the service counter with somebody ready to check out, I’m going to ask them, “Will that be paper or plastic?” Just to see their reaction. Hey, money is made from paper, credit cards are plastic, why not? I just wonder how long it will be before the dollar is more plastic than cotton fibers and paper? I guess that’s the kind of change that will change our change. View full article

unbelievable......

I use a graduated diag. fee based on a 5 year spread. Such as 2000 to 2005 is $20.00 cheaper than 2006 to 2010 so on and so on. Diagnostic time is also a separate charge as well. I try to keep diag. time to no more than 30 minutes. If the problem hasn't been located by then, then... it's by the hour, based on what the tech has found out in the preliminary 30 min. diag. time.

we told them where we were going. They weren't concerned. Lol

What a trip is was.

Pikes Peak and the Rental Anytime we are planning a long trip out of town we generally will rent a car. Not that I don’t have full confidence in our personal vehicles is just that if something would go wrong I know exactly who’s the lucky guy that’s got to fix it. Instead, I’d rather make a phone call to the rental agency and tell them to bring me another car. It always seemed a little strange to me that someone would purposely lend you a brand new car with nothing more than a driver license. But, they do it every day, and I doubt they really know what goes on with those rentals once they’re out of sight. I’ve heard of people renting a car and taking them to the track, or removing the engine and replacing it with something else. Me, well I didn’t go to that extreme, I just took my rental up to the summit of Pikes Peak. The whole purpose of this trip was to take our son and all his belongings to college. It took a full size van this time, and it was loaded down with everything from clothes to his bike, as well as all the stuff we would need for the trip too. The University Of Denver was our destination, so with a full tank of gas, a couple of road snacks, the dogs at the kennel, and the GPS fired up we were on our way. Being in the repair business of course I’ve got to check the car out myself. Even though it’s practically new I still had to poke around under the hood and chassis. The van wasn’t one of the high end models, just a basic van, but it would serve the purpose that we needed it for. But, with every trip like this, my wife will always ask if I have one of my pocket screwdrivers with me, and it’s not because she thinking about any emergency repairs or something else that might go wrong that requires the use of the most versatile tool there ever was, no… that’s not the reason at all. She knows if I get bored I’ll start taking the car apart while she’s taking her turn driving down the highway. So, to keep the sanity in the family I’m not allowed to bring one. The trip took about 11 hours from our house, mostly uneventful, other than I didn’t care too much for the cruise control. It seemed to vary way too much from the set speed before it would kick in. Not a big deal, but one of those things I’m sure at some point I’ll run across a customer who will have a complaint about one of these models doing just that. Most people probably wouldn’t notice it, but if they did, I don’t think there’s much I could do about it. We arrived at the hotel with plenty of spare time on our hands, which was our plan in the first place. We have a daughter who lives in Boulder which is not that far away from the college and we definitely wanted to spend some time with her too. In the meantime the plan was to get up the next morning and check out some of the local sights. One in particular was Pikes Peak. It wasn’t that far from the hotel so it seemed like a pretty good way to spend the afternoon. So, we headed to Pikes Peak with typical tourist interest and our fully loaded rental van. As we got closer to the mountain range the roads began to twist and turn even more than before. A few of them had some really blind turns and steep drop offs on the edges. The only comment from the wife was, “Boy, that’s a long way down.” Soon, we were at the large wood framed entrance to Pikes Peak. The signs said that there wasn’t any snow fall problems or issues that should concern anyone that wanted to drive to the top, so … we did just that. The park ranger gave us some information about the two to three hour drive we were about to undertake, and about the many switch back roads and very tight turns there are. It all sounded like a casual drive into the mountains to me. Thus, are journey began. At first it was just a winding roadway with a gradual slope, but that was all about to change. The ranger did remind me to keep it in 2nd or 1st gear most of the way, and before long I found out why. The road became even more twisty and steeper than I thought was even possible to get an asphalt paver to negotiate. Most of the switch backs changed grade right in the center of the curve and there are hardly any guard rails on any of the steep drop offs. The edge of the road just disappears down steep canyon walls. I’m not too sure the engineers of this rental ever thought of using Pikes Peak as part of their testing, but onward and upward we went. As we neared the tree line I could see up to the next set of switch backs that there was one car that didn’t make it to the top. A roll back wrecker was coming down from the summit with a VW Vanagon strapped down to the bed. As the driver negotiated the next set of switch backs the entire wrecker would lean out over the 10,000 foot drop off that was just off the edge of the pavement. I did my best to give him as much room as possible as the wife leaned towards the center of the van terrified that the next inch of ground that I used to get closer to the edge was going to be her last. I firmly believe this guy has to be the bravest tow driver I’ve ever run across, because there’s no way I would have ever tried that. The rental van was getting a bit warm, not bad yet, but holding it down a gear or so and keeping the revs up wasn’t helping. But, we didn’t have much farther to go. With one last turn and one more switch back we made it to the summit. The overloaded rental could take a break while we did the tourist thing. You know, look over the edge, by a few souvenirs, and stand in front of the large stone sign while having our picture taken. Going down was going to take a whole lot more care than going up ever did. As we made the turn to the first switch back from the parking lot there was a small pickup trying to tow another small pickup up to the summit with nothing more than a web strap. Now you have to image, you’re at better than 14 thousand feet, you’re on a road with no guard rails and a drop off well past 10 thousand feet and you’re using nothing more than a tow strap. If it broke, you’re going straight down to oblivion. And, I thought I was crazy taking a rental to the top. This has got that beat. At about half way down there is a mandatory check point. The park rangers pull out a temp. gun and check your brake rotor temperature. Sure enough, our brakes were at about 450 degrees, and they won’t allow you to continue down until they’re below 300. So we stopped at the check point for about an hour to allow the brakes to cool down. Not that I was surprised at all, a fully loaded van, going down an 11 mile 7 percent grade what did ya expect? Oh, and yes… the rotors all had this nice shade of blue. Needless to say, we made it to the bottom without any incidences, other than the wife leaving a death grip embedded in the passenger side grab handle. I did have a chance to ask one of the park rangers if anyone every fails to negotiate one of those curves up there on the mountain, he said, “Yes, usually about 5 a year. Sometimes we might have to rescue one of the racers that go up when we hold the rally too.” The entire trip takes well over 2 hours of slow and steady driving, although the racers… they make it to the top in about 10 minutes. The trip home had even more surprises for us. As we came through Kansas we ran smack into a huge hail storm. Huge chunks of hail were pelting the car like a sledge hammer. It got so bad we stopped at a restaurant to wait out the storm. Things were blowing all around us and even the restaurant lost power for a moment. After the storm passed I checked the rental out and not a dent could be found. Lucky to say the least, but we still had a long way to go. We turned the rental back in when we made it home, and of course, I didn’t mention a thing about Pikes Peak or the hail storm, or about the cruise control. I just happy to have made it home in one piece. Needless to say, if this car could talk, what a story it could tell. So, if you’re ever wondering whether or not buying a used rental car is a good idea, well for the most part, they probably are but, you might want have it checked out first, cause… ya never know where one of them might have been. View full article

The steps for the weekend mechanic A. Ask a real mechanic what to do, then complain how expensive it is. B. Go by the cheapest parts you can find, and of course stop off and pick up a six pack. C. Tear it down, have two beers, mutter something about "It don't take no training to do this job." D. Two more beers, hunt for the lug nuts that you tossed in the yard. E. Realize there are only two more beers, so you call your buddy over to your house... oh, and bring more beer. F. More beers, more insulting remarks about mechanics, finally... pass out while watching the latest rerun of "Cars R Us" G. In the morning the wife complains about the metal sounds, you ... with your now pounding head, can't figure it out. H. The wife takes the car to the mechanic, finds the problem, pays the bill. I. Meanwhile, you're still complaining about how much it cost, and you tell the wife you could have fixed it, just as you grab the last beer from the night before. It never ends.....

It’s not what they say, it’s what they said. “Take your time, I’m in no hurry, I’ll be back tomorrow, I just want it to last until graduation, or, Let me get your number and I’ll call you back” are just a few of the common phrases you’ll hear at the repair shop. At first, you might be inclined to believe they’re expecting no less than what they actually said, but I’ve learned over the decades of being behind the service counter a lot of times the real meaning is far from what actually comes out of their mouths. One of the most popular phrases I seem to run across is, “Take your time, I’m in no hurry at all.” Pretty straight forward request right? I distinctly heard them tell me that I don’t need to be in a hurry… at all, and that I can take my time getting it done. But, after the third of fourth phone call since they dropped off the car, or the second trip back to the shop to wander around their car while it’s in the service bay, you soon realize they didn’t mean for me to take my time … at all. I used to think it was me, and that I wasn’t hearing them clearly, but after a few years I figured it out. It’s all in the “phrase” and not the actual words. What they really meant to say is, “I don’t need it back right away, but I don’t want you to do some sort of sloppy repair either. So, I’ll be checking on ya with random spot checks just to keep you on your toes and to observe the progress.” Then, there are the callers who ask numerous questions about their problem, and by the time we get down to the cost of the repair (based on the information provided) they can’t commit to an appointment. Instead, they give me this phrase, “It’s going to be a couple of weeks before I can get it to you.” Even though in the beginning of this whole conversation, they made it very clear they were in dire need of getting the car back on the road as fast as possible. I know, they were just trying to be polite and courteous, and they said it would be a couple of weeks before they could bring it in. But, in real time terms they rarely show up a few weeks later. What they really meant to say was, “I got all the info I needed from ya, so I can tell my “mechanic” what needs done, (or I can now fix it myself) … thanks.” On the other hand you’ve got the guy who comes in and asks for a specific test, such as a pressure check on his radiator. “I just need a couple of things done first. Shouldn’t take you long, so I’m sure it won’t cost much.” The clincher was the phrase he used. “Just a few things done first.” By now the warning lights are flashing in my head, the sound of the “whoop-whoop” sirens are in full on mode, because more than likely there’s something he’s not telling me. Sure enough, there was. Seems he’s been overheating for the past week or so, and he already had it checked at another shop. They diagnosed it as a bad headgasket that had also caused the radiator to rupture. A pressure check wasn’t going to do much good in this case, but… that “phrase”, that little bit of information made me suspicious something worse was lurking under the hood. So, what was he really looking for? He was looking for a second opinion to either confirm or denounce the first opinion. Now, why in the world didn’t he just tell me all that in the first place instead of asking for a specific test? Maybe what I should do is have a psychologist on staff. You know, one who can evaluate the responses, maybe even offer a little sidebar counseling. I already have a hard time keeping up this trade, learning the new technologies, the tools, and the techniques, now I’ve got to decipher phrases too?! The hard part is dealing with the unknown factor of the repair process, and these catch phrases that have some sort of double meaning make it even more of a challenge. Believe me, I’ve looked long and hard through every repair manual and it never once found an answer for these double meaning phrases. Ya just have to learn how to decipher them as you go. Another thing to consider is the completely naïve type of car owner who knows nothing except where the key goes and where “D” is. They’re usually the same type who assumes all mechanics are just alike. Some of them believe the guy who put air in their tire last week can also figure out a complex multitasking electrical system, too. Say for instance, this type of person went back to the guy who put the air in the tires and asked him why their transmission seems to be acting up, and the guy starts talking about space aliens and sun spots as the cause. He might even insists you leave it with him so he can hook up his particle beam separator and realign the trunion springs to the galvanic isolator. Even though you might not know anything about today’s cars, you’re pretty sure the time vortex has nothing to do with your transmission. You might be inclined to use one of these phrases. “Can I get back to you on that? I can’t leave it with you right now.” Or, “Are you open tomorrow? I’ll bring it back tomorrow.” I know, you’re just being polite, but what you really were thinking is, “This guy sounds like a complete idiot. I need to find somebody else to work on my car.” Sometimes, these phrases are used from the other direction too. Like the mechanic trying to be somewhat courteous and diplomatic. Such as when the mechanic says, “Why, yes I’ve seen this before.” If not handled correctly, this can open up a whole new set of phrases and problems, such as, “It sounds similar, but I’ll still need to check it out properly before giving any kind of estimate.” Or “I’ve seen lots of cars with this same kind of problem, but I’d rather check it out than take a wild guess at it.” What is the mechanic really saying? Probably something like this, “I know exactly what is wrong, or at least I have a pretty good idea, but if I say anything more about it you’ll then ask me the next preverbal question, “How much?”. Then, I’ve got to dig up the prices, find the cost of the parts, and tell you all the above… but, if I’m wrong and it’s something completely different than what you’ve described, you’re going to keep bringing up what I originally thought it was or find another mechanic. I’d rather be sure than to guess at it. So, my hearing isn’t the problem; it was my understanding of these “phrases” that have double meanings. I’m sure, somewhere there is this highfalutin psychologist who probably has an answer for all these quirky phrases, and there’s probably some scientific name for the condition or situation. I’m no psychologist, in fact I’m more likely to be a patient of an Ivy League graduate with one of those fancy lettered pieces of sheep skin hanging on the wall. I’m just a mechanic, nothing more. All I’m trying to do is comprehend what my customers are telling me without having to go through years of psychoanalysis. Because the one thing I’ve learned, it’s not what they say, it’s what they said. View full article

thanks for reading. this is one subject I find very important not to just talk about...but do something about.

Bring Back Shop Class There was a time in American history when most skills were taught by a mentor or someone who had achieved a masters level of experience in their given trade. A young lad or lass would follow them throughout the day, watching and learning the skills needed to be proficient in whatever trade or occupation it might have been. But, as time went on the lengthy process from apprentice to master was overshadowed by mechanization and the industrial age. Family farms were still abundant, but factories needed skilled workers as well. Things were about to change in those early years of this country. During the war years when everyone that was available to drive a rivet or wield a cutting torch worked in factories to build planes, tanks, and anything else the country needed. Less effort was placed on apprenticeships and learning a craft, instead it was more of “just do one aspect of an assembly line job and leave the next step to someone else”. Cars prior to this time were mostly hand built by a team of men and women. They learned their trade through years of hands on experience, but the assembly line won out over the time consuming hand built era of the automotive world. As time went on, things started to change again. This time, it wasn’t about production or apprenticing in a trade; it was more about academics. There was a time when introducing a student to the various trades was just as important as learning your ABC’s. But now, the task of learning a trade fell onto the schools and not the tradesmen out in the field. The policy at a lot of public schools for the past few decades has been to prepare graduates for college and not for blue collar trades. However, in a lot of states a student can still decide to go to a vocational or an academic school, usually around 9th grade. Even with that there’s a growing problem of a vast shortage in the various hand skilled trades. Everything from brick layers to mechanics have a very low number of up and coming apprentices. A lot of trades don’t even have apprenticeship programs anymore. Why is that? Maybe, after getting into vocational school a student found out they didn’t like that field, but are stuck with it until graduation, or in reverse, a student in the academic schools figures out they’ve got a natural ability in all things mechanical but, again... they’re in a school pushing for academia rather than vocational. A lot of public school systems lean more to sports and academics as a way to promote themselves or their students. I suppose it’s a lot easier to sell tickets to a football game to support their curriculum, or find getting notoriety from a tri-state academic quiz can gain more dollars into their till than teaching a student how to repair a lawn mower. I’m from the generation that still had shop and home economics classes as part of the regular schedule. Although looking back on it now, the shop class had a very narrow span of the different blue collar trades as part of the curriculum. I would imagine that had a lot more to do with time and expenses rather than anything else. But, the examples of the trades that were offered reflected the job market in the area that I lived in, such as welding, wood working, plumbing, mechanics, etc... It was a good introductory class in all the various phases of job opportunities, and you could pick which one you would like to spend more time on for your end of the year school project. I’m all for college, and I’m all for a format based on college prep. Some people (myself included) find certain school subjects a real pain, or taking a long arduous test a nerve racking event. But, that same person might find themselves better at taking a test by physically accomplishing a task rather than with a paper and pencil. Such as, if you were to take a test on how to lay brick and your assignment was to build a wall so high and so wide. It might be your calling. But, the way most public school systems are set up these days you may not know that until you’re out of school and have decided to go to a trade school or college. Now, you have to ask yourself, “Have I chosen the right trade for myself, or not?” I have a son in college, and I’m so proud that he is getting an education in a field he enjoys. And, I personally know he has made the right decision. He’s not very mechanically inclined, and has very little interest in anything mechanical or any ambition in following in his father’s footsteps. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact I’m all for it. Because it’s not the “follow in your father’s footsteps” thing that I’m concerned about; it’s what career path is right for him. His interests went on a different path than mine. He is more interested in the intricate and difficult field of computer sciences. But, what about the kid who’s parent doesn’t have any college background, skilled trade, or a reasonable DIY’r aptitude? How would they know what field is their best choice? My vote is on getting involved with a shop class at school. I learned a lot from my father as far as blue collar skills, but I learned just as much, if not more, from my instructors in shop class. I admired their skills and tried to emulate exactly what they were teaching me. I knew right then and there that working with my hands was what I wanted to do for the rest of my working life. There’s no doubt my background in those various skills taught in shop class had a lot to do with where I’m at today. But, is the blue collar trades for everybody? No, they’re not. Is college something everyone should attend? Well, if you’re defining college as a place you go for 2 to 4 years... No. How many people do you personally know who attended college and don’t work in their field of choice? I know quite a few, and I probably know just as many who worked in various blue collar trades, but then gained skills or education needed for a completely different field. Not everyone is cut out to take on a job such as a professional mechanic, or for that matter… a brain surgeon. Obviously, there are different skills needed and different training. However, neither of them are an easy job by any means, and I’ll have to add, in both fields, not all the knowledge needed to be good at either trade is learned entirely from a book. It still takes years to develop the skills to master either trade. My whole point of this story is to find an answer to the shortage of technicians/mechanics out there. In my opinion, the answer goes back to the high school shop class. Teachers and mentors are the people who inspire the next generation to get involved with the various trades. That inspiration might just be the missing part. Let’s get back to teaching the hands on trades, as well as thinking about an academic degree. It might make a difference in a young person’s life, as well as giving them a direction to succeed in their future. View full article

http://www.gonzostoolbox.com/KnowledgeFolder/3valvesparkplugremoval.html This is an article I wrote years ago about taking out those 3 valve spark plugs. The magazine editors said they didn't want to upset Ford by telling them their method wasn't working well out in the field. But.... it may still go out later ... IF I keep bugging them to print it.

An average car here in my area of Oklahoma ranges from new to 30 years old. Heat fades the paint right down bare metal, but very little rust. However, the older the car the more home-grown repairs I run up against. Lots of melted connections, overheated modules, etc... the big issue is people who have a 20 year old relic with module driven lighting, PCM's or A/C controls that fail... can't understand why they can't find parts... dah....it's 20 years old. The car may look new...but it ain't new. LOL.