Gonzo

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Eyelashes take about 3 months to grow back. I know... yes...been there, done that. LOL

Where There’s a Spark Fires, one of the last things anybody working on a car ever wants to deal with. Statically speaking, you can’t avoid it. Considering the nature of the auto repair business with numerous chemicals, some highly volatile and explosive, the odds are it’s going to happen sooner or later. Sometimes it’s just a quick little poof of a flame, while other times it’s an all-out assault with the fire extinguishers. All you need is a source of ignition and up she goes! Engines in general, are nothing more than a controlled fire and explosion, and sometimes that fire or explosion doesn’t stay where it’s supposed to. Over my years of working on cars I’ve had my share of them, some through pure stupidity and others totally by accident. And, if anybody who works on cars tells you they’ve never had one go up in flames (even a little bit) is 100% fooling themselves or is a complete liar. It happens to the best of us. Back when carburetors were the norm a backfire almost certainly shoot a huge flame up in the air. Once in a while the oil in those old oil bath air filters became a rather convenient furnace for the latest back fire. Gasoline spills, oil leaks, and just about any other type of chemical concoction can become a ball of flames in no time at all. Of course, ya can’t leave out the ‘electrical fire’ either, but calling a fire an ‘electrical fire’ doesn’t sit well with me. Electricity is only the spark to ignite it. If there are no combustibles nearby, electricity on its own can’t erupt into a ball of flames. But, you hear it all the time, “Oh, they had an ‘electrical’ fire.” So, if it’s Ok to call a fire an electrical fire, then I guess it’s OK to call one of those movie scenes where the guy shoots at a pool of gasoline leaking out of a huge tanker which subsequently explodes --- a ‘gun’ fire? Hardly, I believe in that case it would be called a ‘chemical’ fire. But, when electricity is involved… it’s an ‘electrical’ fire. Go figure. Unless, they are merely referring to an electrical spark as the catalyst, well then, ya got me there. Many years ago I had a 280z that came in and the owner said he couldn’t get it started. Nothing else, no ten thousand word explanation of the problem, or when he bought it, or what parts he’s changed, or what his friend who’s a mechanic told him was wrong with it, just that it wouldn’t start. Later that day I made my way out to the parking lot to check it out. I turned the key, cranked the engine, and WHOOF! Flames shot out from every corner of the hood. I made a beeline for the fire extinguisher, got the hood open … and doused the flames with the whole can. Come to find out the owner had pulled the fuel lines off of the injectors and had the coil wire disconnected. Nice…thanks for the heads up, fella. Needless to say, it was one of many occasions that I needed to refill the extinguishers. Another time a customer called and told me his pickup would only run for about ten minutes and then would barely idle. If he shut it off and waited another ten minutes it would start back up again. He said he was going to try and make it to the shop that afternoon. It was getting late and I was looking forward to going home, but this guy had called several times telling me to wait for him and that he was still going to make it. So I said I’d stick around. It was dark by the time he finally arrived at the shop. We were busy filling out the paperwork when the parking lot lit up like a large candle. His truck turned out to be the candle. I grabbed two extinguishers for this one, and ran outside to find the guy standing next to his truck waving his hat at it. Yea, like that’s going to help. It took both extinguishers to put this blaze out. There was a whole lot more work that needed done besides finding out the cause of the loss of power. It turned out to be fuel trim issues and a clogged converter that would glow as red as a cherry. The fire was caused by the truck’s fuel line that ruptured right there in front of the shop. Pretty scary stuff when I found out how close it was to going off like a bomb. What’s even more startling is when you don’t even know there’s a fire. You’re working under the dash and the next thing you know one of the other guys in the shop is filling the engine bay with CO2. That’ll get your attention. Then, of course, there’s the car that’s delivered to the shop and the owner tells you, “It had a little fire.” Sure, just a little fire. The CO2 is an inch thick everywhere you look. Anything plastic has melted into an oozing pile of blackened gunk. All the rubber hoses are charred beyond recognition, and the wiring is one huge clump of twisted copper and melted plastic. I often wonder what some people consider a ‘large’ fire after I’ve seen these so called little fires. Just this week I had one up on the lift looking for a major oil leak. The oil was dripping off of the frame from the front to the back of the car. I had just got the car in and left the engine running while I took a quick look. (Which I’ve done hundreds of times before.) This time, I wasn’t so lucky. As I shined my flashlight up into the engine bay there was a loud boom, and a huge ball of fire engulfed the entire area. Luckily, I had enough sense to have extinguishers mounted on every lift and it was out before any damage occurred. It did give me a quick haircut and a few singed eyebrows though. When you can smell burnt hair… you know you’re too close! Wow, that was hot, and so sudden and unexpected too! You hear about entire shops burning down all the time after a car caught fire in a service bay. It’s something I don’t want to experience, and for that matter any other repair shop. That’s why I don’t hesitate a second when those guys come around to service all my fire extinguishers each year. It pays to have as many as you can. The fire extinguisher companies have recommendations for what kinds of extinguishers you should have and how many based on the size of the shop. I tell them… double it. I don’t have a whole lot of hair left these days, and I’d like to keep what I got. Seriously, I don’t need any more of those flame cuts, my barber does a pretty good job on his own. Accidents will happen; cars will have back fires, electrical issues, hot components, and leak combustible fluids. Just be sure you’re ready to handle the emergency when it happens. Cause ya know… where there’s a spark….. View full article

It's a glitch, not a real code or anything that I know of or found. Try clearing codes and see if it returns. Chances are it won't. Hope that helps. Gonz

Life and business are like having a wheel barrow and a shovel. You start by digging a ditch and filling your wheel barrow up. Then, you work at finding a spot to empty your wheel barrow. With every trip you continue to build a pile. The idea is to build your own mountain and not dig the ditch so deep that you can't see out of it. Such is life and such is business. We should all sit on top of our individual mountains no matter how big or small, and take in what we've accomplished. You may even have to lean on friends for a shovel full once in a while, and you might even have to crawl out that ditch occasionally, but... there is a mountain to be had by each and everyone of us... all in good time.

Too funny Joe.... LOL I'm sure we all have stories ... let's here a few of them.

The fan clutch quit, if it's sitting in traffic it would overheat but while driving it's fine I added a electric fan with a thermostat as well as changing out the clutch fan

Not Your Ordinary Commute to Work It’s 26 degrees outside, the wind is howling, and I’m off to work in my old truck. The same truck I’ve owned for over 30 years, the same one that I drive nearly every day. It’s about a 35 mile commute from my country home to the bustling city where my repair shop is located. It’s not a bad drive, mostly main highway. A bit of it is through some heavily wooded areas where deer have a tendency to dart out, and I have to pass through a small sleepy town on my way to a large dam I have to cross just a few miles from my house. Then, I come to the main highway that heads straight into the city with no stop lights for miles. I take the same route with the same posted speeds and battle the same crazy drivers every day. There’s the makeup lady, the cell phone talkers, and of course the kamikaze daredevils. I still don’t get it why some people feel it’s necessary to drive like it’s the Indianapolis 500 this early in the morning. You know, weaving through traffic, jamming on their brakes as they approach the next car, or ride your rear bumper like they’re going to try some NASCAR sling shot maneuver and zip past you at the next opportunity. There’s always one every morning, who darts through traffic like a jack rabbit and plants their foot on the brakes at least a hundred times every mile. The wear and tear on their cars has got to be tremendous. Can you imagine what those brake pads look like? Let alone what kind of condition those rotors are in? And, you know… sooner or later one of these speed demons is going to mess up and cause an accident. Today was one of those days. Traffic was backed up for about 5 miles by the time I was gathered up in it. Nobody was going anywhere, and I was content to wait with the rest of the traffic while we slowly inched our way further down the road. The traffic report came on the radio announcing the accidents in the area. Sure enough, I was smack-dab in the middle of the whole thing. There were three separate accidents reported, and they were all less than a mile apart. (No fatalities, thank goodness) All the exit ramps were jammed with people trying to find alternative routes, so I decided to just sit this one out right here on the main highway and wait with the rest of the traffic. This was definitely going to be a long…long commute today. As I inched past the third mangled wreckage scene, I was commenting to myself about how the steam plumes were so much thicker than at the last two mishaps. That’s when I realized it wasn’t the mangled cars that were smoking… it was me! I better pay attention to the gauges. She’s as hot as a firecracker, the temp gauge was all the way in the red. Apparently, I was so engrossed in the traffic and accidents that I didn’t notice my heater had gone cold too! In an instant most of the water and coolant shot out of the radiator cap and the overflow. If I don’t get onto the shoulder soon, I’m likely to be the next accident reported on the radio. Ok, on goes the turn signal, head for the side of the road, shut er’ down, and turn on the hazards. By now I was just past the last accident, but not that far away from it. Every commuter with a gas pedal had it buried to the floor trying to make up for lost time as they gunned it back up to highway speeds, while I negotiated the shoulder of the road. People were flying by me as if I was standing still, oh, that’s right… I was still, still spewing steam in the air as I sat there. My little truck rocked back and forth as every car flew by. It was quite some time before I got a chance to take a quick look under the hood. When I did, I wasn’t surprised at what I found. The fan clutch had given up. Needless to say, if the traffic would have kept moving I would have never known there was a problem. Now my problem was… I need a tow truck. There’s no coolant in the radiator, and I’m not close enough to an exit. I’m stuck here. I called the tow company that does the towing for my shop. Ol’ Steve got a chuckle out of this one. As he told me, “You know, we can recommend a good shop that can take care of that for you.” Yea, fine… rub it in buddy. He laughed and said he would have one of his trucks there in a few. I sat back down in the truck hoping for at least a little wind break and maybe soak up the last bit of the heat in the cab. That’s when I noticed a truck had stopped just in front of me and was slowly backing up towards my truck. It was a mechanic I know from another shop. “Did ya break down, Gonz?” I told him what had happened, and of course he laughed, laughed all the way back to his truck as he headed off to his shop. Not more than a minute or so later, another car does the same thing. It’s another mechanic from another shop who noticed it was me on the side of the road. You know, I might as well start selling tickets to the “Gonzo break down”, seems I’m a rather popular disabled vehicle or something. Because it wasn’t long before a half a dozen mechanics from different shops had all stopped to see what I was up. You know, it’s one thing to be known in your area by other mechanics, but it’s a whole other thing when the greatest enjoyment for them is not one of my insightful stories or technical articles, but a little side of the road entertainment with coolant dripping onto to the tarmac and steam billowing from under the hood of my truck. I’m never going to live this down. By the time everyone had their chuckle, and of course a few choice photos for their facebook page the tow truck arrived. And, of course, the embarrassment continued. James (the tow driver) just kept repeating the same thing all the way to my shop, “Gonzo, Gonzo, Gonzo. Boy Oh Boy, I would have never guessed I’d be picking you up on the side of the road.” In the thirty plus years I’ve owned this little truck, I’ve never had it on a tow truck before, and it’s never left me stranded on the side of the road, either. Well, I can’t say that any more. Yep, not your ordinary commute to work! At least everybody had a good laugh to start their morning off, even after being stuck in traffic for so long. Thanks guys… ya made my day. View full article

A little twist on the name thing... which I highly endorse by the way, is when they come in the shop asking for me by name. Ok, Ok... they don't ask for "Gonzo" it's Galonzo, Garbonzo, Gozo, or Mr. Zo! Some, will squint at the name badge on my shirt (which is in script) and say, "Hi George, can you help me with my car problem"? I smile, and keep the name calling issue off the subject at hand. Some people don't like to be corrected, while some still can't get it right even if I did correct them. Just let it go... it be OK. But, I'll do my best not to mess up their name.

Transitions Seems with every new model that comes off the assembly line there’s something different about them. Today’s cars still transports us from one place to another just as the model T’s did in their day. However, we do it with more creature comforts and safety features than ever before. Now, it’s not so much about ‘just getting’ from point A to point B, but how ‘comfortably’ you get from A to B. There’s no doubt we’ve transitioned from mere transportation to a sophisticated computer on wheels. Innovations, technology, and changes in our concept of the modern car are all part of these transitions. All these innovations in today’s cars mean changes for the consumer as well as the service people who keep them on the road. Long gone are the road maps that dad could never figure out how to fold. Now, you press a button, speak to the GPS system, and it talks back to you and tells you the best route to your destination. Even for the mechanic innovations and technology have transitioned all those stacks of repair manuals into one click of the mouse. But, these transitions into ‘newer and better’ bring on their own set of growing pains that both the customer and the technician have to deal with. Take for instance, headlights. I’ve changed enough headlights in my years of service work to light a path to the moon and back. For years it was a simple task of taking out a couple of screws from the chrome trim around the headlight, and then disconnecting the three prong connector. Oh sure, there were a few that you had to take off another cover, maybe a flip up headlamp door, or you might go through the inner fender, but for the most part, it wasn’t all that difficult. Nowadays, many of the new models have to have the entire front of the car disassembled in order to get to the bolts that secure the headlamp assembly. Of course, putting it back into place ain’t no picnic either. To say the least, it’s been quite a transition from the old way of doing things. Not only do today’s mechanics have to learn new repair procedures and diagnostics, but the customer has to transition from thinking these somewhat simple repairs are not as quick and easy as they used to be. Some people are utterly shocked at the cost of changing out a headlight these days, not to mention if those headlights are the HID style. (Boy… that’ll make ya want to transition back to the older sealed beams in a hurry.) This can be a big issue at the repair shop. Some people are unaware of what it takes to do certain basic tasks, and are only basing what it should cost on previous cars they’ve owned. On one occasion I got a call to verify the labor time for replacing a headlight on a 2008 Chevy Malibu. Seems, another shop mistakenly quoted a price based on what they “thought” it was going to take. Then, after opening the hood they found out there was no access to the bulb. I looked it up and gave the customer the bad news. Needless to say, the customer wasn’t at all happy. None of this is anything new in the automotive industry though. Transitioning from one way of doing things to another has been going on since the wheel was invented. It comes down to this: Engineers design and create these new “state of the art” models, consumers buy them, and mechanics make the repairs. Usually, the consumer doesn’t find out how expensive or difficult some of these repairs are until they have a problem. Engines, transmissions, interiors, coolant systems, brakes, steering, and every other part of the car, are all in somewhat of a state of transition to a newer design or process. Nothing remains the same, and the sad part about a lot of these changes… they change the cost of the repair. Expensive spark plugs, multiple coils tangled amongst fuel lines and wiring, internal water pumps, and starter motors buried inside the engine. They all do the same thing the older components accomplished but, aren’t always as easy to replace or repair. The professional mechanic is in a tough spot. They have to understand these systems as well as know how to service them. The consumer on the other hand, might be a bit confused as to why replacing their air conditioner components requires reflashing the computer, or why a headgasket replacement involves taking the entire body off the frame. It’s just another one of these transitions that needs to be confronted. For most consumers the transition into these ‘new’ designs and technology are far more recognizable in their wallets than what they see as ‘different’ in the appearance or operation of their new car. The mechanic on the other hand, probably is well aware of these transitions. He might come up to the customer with a somber look on their face after he has diagnosed a faulty evaporator core that he knows is going to take all day to change out. He’s already aware of how much work is involved, the customer may not. When the customer finds out they’ll probably have the same somber look on their face but for different reasons. Even with all these changes the real truth of the matter is… it’s the same old issues, “Give em’ what they want, and don’t worry so much about how it will get fixed… the mechanics will take care of it.” If you want to blame somebody for all of these transitions… try blaming the designers and engineers, blame government regulations, and quite possibly the consumer too! Mainly, for demanding all those bells and whistles in today’s cars and then buying them. Don't blame the mechanic! It’s the reality of the fast paced modern world we live in, it’s transitioning every day. Although, it really is the same old world out there, just different at the same time. A quote I heard years ago says it all, “Change transitions into more change.” How true that is, and for the mechanic… it’s never the same ever again. 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I'll be in Orlando. at the MACS convention. all week. arrive on Tues. (night) fly back out on Sunday.

I'm sending what I can... hope it helps. Hey, don't forget... I'll be in Florida the first week of February. Look me up if ya can.

Heck of an IDEA!

That ain't good... a broken leg that is. But it's good you could keep the doors open. Well... keep at it... just don't break anything else.... like the bank account. LOL

Where’d The Electricity Go? A while back a guy came in with a blower motor issue. Well, OK, the blower motor failed. But, this guy wanted a more in-depth explanation for its demise rather than the usual, “The motor has worn out.” kind of explanation. So, I proceeded to tell him how the brushes on the armature have worn down, and quite possibly the armature itself has worn down to a point that electric current can’t pass through the windings of the motor. I thought that was a pretty good description of ‘your blower motor has worn out, sir.’ as I’ve ever heard. Apparently not, and he had his reason too! His primary concern was, “Where’d the electricity go?” “Go?” I exclaimed, “It didn’t go anywhere. Your blower motor is just worn out. The electric is still there.” That bit of information fell on deaf ears. His understanding of direct current was that it flowed like water, and since the blower wasn’t working the electricity should be spewing out all over the floor of his car. Even though he had no idea what electricity was, and he proved that by asking, “So what does electricity look like? I’ve never actually seen the stuff.” (Me neither for that matter.) I guess I wasn’t exactly following his line of thought, I took a guess and asked,” So, what is it that you’d like me to explain? Electricity?” “Yes,” he answered. However, this guy wanted an answer that was the equivalent to a NASA rocket scientist’s explanation. OK, I’ll give it a try. I’m no rocket scientist but I might be able to hum a few bars. My explanation began with lightning bolts, and how static electricity worked, then onto the atom and how they have the same number of electrons and protons. Then when an atom loses a few electrons it becomes charged. This in a sense is the basis of the formation of electricity. My dissertation was equivalent to a college professor’s lecture on the subject. But, apparently this guy fell asleep during the class and didn’t understand a word I said. I was either boring him with such details, or I wasn’t even close to what this guy really wanted me to tell him. Confused and bewildered he only had one comment on the whole thing. “It was working just fine yesterday, and today it won’t even come on.” (Like I haven’t heard that one before.) I don’t know where to begin or where to end at this point. I guess some people expect some sort of warning when an electrical motor or system fails. Sometimes it does, but a lot of times it just stops working. Maybe this guy wanted a bit more of a drastic warning system. Maybe a little red warning flag that pops out of the glove box, waves at ya, and then writes a note on the instrument panel. I don’t know. I don’t know what to think! Look, the thing ain’t working, it needs a new one, and NO…, electricity can’t condense into a puddle on the floor! What more do ya want?!??? “Is it anything like steam then?” he asked. “Is what like steam?” I asked. “Electricity,” he then scolding tells me, as if I forgot what subject we were on. “Well, yes it is and no it isn’t,” I answered, “You can’t really see true steam and you can’t really see electricity, but they are both energy sources that have great potential.” That led to a discussion about the white smoke coming out of a steam engine and how that must be same thing as the smoke that comes out of an electric motor when it burns up. Sure, sure, it’s the steam and/or the electricity escaping. Whatever… let’s just move on from all this smoke stuff. This guy still didn’t understand why the electric wasn’t spilling out. I pointed to the wall socket and told him that you don’t see anything falling on the floor there do ya? Oh, he had answer for that one. “That’s AC current, he said proudly, as if he knew what he was taking about, “It switches back and forth from positive and negative. Since it does that it never has a chance to fall out because there’s an equal push and pull of the two different polarities.” I can see where this discussion is heading. Somewhere between Crazyville and Lunatic City and I’m stuck in a taxi with the guy who knows everything about anything. “So, what you’re saying is that DC current should be falling out somewhere?” I asked sarcastically. Oh sure, ask an idiotic question like that, when I’m supposed to be the smart guy to a guy who thinks AC current is held in the wall socket because of an equilateral force between positive and negative. Why don’t I just hang a sign around my neck that says, “Tell me anything, I’ll believe it!” Hang on; he’s working on a thought provoking answer. I suppose he just has to think this through a minute and get it into an illogical format that fits the rest of his story. He stands there pondering for a minute, changes his stance and rubs his chin for a bit, then… he gives his final solution to this perplexing problem. “DC current isn’t all that strong. That’s why it’s used in cars, ya know. AC is way too powerful for them. Besides, they haven’t found a way to keep an extension cord dangling out of a car that won’t get all tangled up while you’re driving,” he proudly deduced. All-righty-then… … … … I’ll just leave this discussion right here. I can’t top that one, nor, do I even want to try. I’ll just replace this guy’s blower motor and send him on his way. He left the shop with a beaming smile. The kind of smile that someone usually has after they’ve won some sort of debating contest. He says to me as he walks out the door, “I just taught you something you didn’t know.” With that, my day is now complete. I’m so glad he stopped by. I couldn’t have made it another day without his wonderful explanation of electricity. I guess everyone has their own theories but this one topped them all. Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to make sure all the batteries on the display racks have those little red and black protectors on the terminals. Wouldn’t want any of it leaking out, you know. View full article

Automotive repair is still a hands on, mechanic involved, technician diagnosed, and physical/mental job. Codes don't fix cars, switching parts from one side of the engine to the other or any other backyard repair styles may work in some cases, but what generally ends up at the repair shop (Unless it's an owner who doesn't work on their own stuff or listens to a lot of BS on the internet about car repair) are jobs that the basic code reading at AutoZone or some hand held, app based, dime store scanner couldn't solve. These are the jobs that take time, that may have a code, but no direct solution based on slapping a part on. These are also the jobs that cost more, which in turn, gets the general public to think their getting ripped off, mainly because that "code" they had was no big deal for somebody they read about on the internet. Quoting repairs based on codes is not only stupid, but misleading. You want to help the repair industry... quit making it sound like all you have to do is push a few buttons on your phone and everything will be alright. What we need is more diagnostic information, more open sources for good scanning equipment, more information passed between the manufacturers and the independent repair side of the business. More training, and less back yard - un-professional shops that do everything cheaper than the good shops in the area. I personally wouldn't mind if they didn't sell parts, scanners, phone apps related to car repair, and anything related to car repair to any degree to the general public. Similar to the way home appliance repair is handled. It's bad enough that "everybody" thinks this job is easy, and "everybody" is a mechanic, and "everybody" can read a code. Now ya want to make it available by phone.... geez... give me a break. I personally don't think it has a chance to become anything more than a concept. Good idea, but not a great idea.

Joe, thanks. I really don't have any idea of the source of some of these stories... they just sort of come about. Ken, the next generation of robots is probably something I don't even want to think about. They'll probably be able to write stories as well as fix cars. They'd put me out of business for sure. LOL