The replacement truck

Like many people that are into cars and trucks or other forms of mechanized, motorized transportation, I had these dreams of making the duck a much better vehicle with some improvements and repairs down the line.  Also, like many people that I just mentioned, I have found that the improvements have had to make way for the repairs.  Then the emergency repairs.  I decided after the bracket for the alternator/A/C compressor snapped that it was time to let it go.

What I could see happening is that I would be going to work five days a week, hoping that I would get there and then get home.  I would be spending the weekends searching for the right replacement parts for a vehicle that frankly, not a lot of them were made with the four cylinder, five speed combination.  I did this before with a mid 90's BMW, and after all of that it was towed to the scrapyard at the end of it all.  The worst part about that? With all the hours and money being spent on something like the car in question, no time or money was left for anything else.

So for about a year on and off, mostly off, to be honest, I have been looking for a replacement for the truck.  The requirements were more or less that it is not a ford, that it is a truck, and that it runs right.  I didn't really care one way or the other about what kind of transmission it had, what color it was (except those gawd awful funky colors) or who manufactured it, as long as it wasn't made by Ford.  This is what I finally found...

This is my "new" 2001 Dodge Durango SLT.  This particular model is equipped with a 4.7 liter (287 CID) V-8 engine and a four speed automatic transmission.  The functionality of a truck with the comforts of a sedan, and more power.  About 235 horsepower at 4200 rpm, not that I am going to rev my engine up that high...ever.  It's got a tick over 135K on it, but drives and rides wonderfully.

Here is the rear view of the Durango. Fun fact: Those tail lights are the exact same ones that are on the Dodge Caravan of the same era.

This truck also features a four wheel drive system that is referred to commonly as "shift on the fly", which means that I don't have to stop the truck, get out of my seat, lock the hubs in, ad infitum.  Instead I turn a knob on the dash and there I am in four wheel drive.  Not that I spend a lot of time off roading (and frankly I would have bought a beater truck if that was my thing) but considering what I am paid for snow removal services it makes sense to be able to get there safely.

No used vehicle is without its surprises, both good and bad.  One of the surprises I have already dealt with is a leaking power steering hose.  It just so happens that it was the pressure line, which is a little bit of a pain in the ass to change out.  At least until I realized I am replacing the entire hose assembly.  Out comes the whizzer wheel (cut off tool) and out comes the old leaky hose, in with the new.  No more power steering whine and no more dripping fluids all over creation.

I have third row seating, which means I can take six of my friends along for the ride to wherever.  The vehicle, not having an instruction manual, left me to figure out how to get that third row to lay flat, making more cargo space.  I finally got the seat bottom to pull forward, and I was greeted with this:

Here we can see that there are leaves, paper, some kids stickers, and a 7/16ths craftsman combination wrench.  You don't see it in the picture, but there is some broken window glass in there as well...like the last truck. Ok so not that a through cleaning was in store for the dodge as it is but here, the "elderly parents story" is starting to not hold water.  I also found five "pachislo" coins.  Someone likes their slot machines, it seems.

Continuing on I opened up the jack compartment, at the back of the truck, and found no jack. I did find part of a jack stand, a file, wire cutters and a craftsman 1/2 wrench! The bars are the handle for the jack and also how you lower the spare tire.  Looks like I should get a jack for this thing...soon.

So at the end of my in depth inspection, I do have a few items that need to be addressed on the Durango, and some of them sooner than others. As mentioned earlier I have already taken care of the power steering leak.  One of the front hubs requires replacement, and one of the front marker lights has a hole in it.  If nothing else I can see some how to articles coming out of this.

How to diagnose and replace a vaccuum pump.

This guide is being written around the ford F series light and medium duty trucks that are equipped with 6.0 and 7.3 liter turbo diesel engines or a caterpillar diesel engine (typically found in F650-F750 trucks).  Other vehicles may be similar but please consult a repair manual for your application.

For this diagnosis/repair you will need:
A multimeter.
Ratchet and 10mm socket.
Long needle nose pliers.

Symptoms of a failed electrical vacuum pump in this case can include the climate control only working on defrost (this is a factory default safety system) and auto four wheel drive not working.

Step one: Find the leak.
Ford trucks equipped with diesel engines have two vacuum pumps.  One is engine mounted and this is what provides vacuum for your brake assist.  We are NOT dealing with this one here.  What we are dealing with is an electric vacuum pump, mounted near the blower motor, that supplies vacuum for the dashboard climate controls and the four wheel drive system (if you have auto locking hubs).  You will need to inspect the vacuum lines to make sure they did not come apart at some point.  Fix any leaks you find.

Step two: Found a leak? Fixed it? Test your repair.
Start the engine and let it run for about 30 seconds so that the pump can build vacuum.  You should go ahead and check to see if the blower can work anywhere else in the system. (Remember, defrost is the factory default.)  You should also check your automatic four wheel drive hub engagement (if equipped.)  Does it work now? If so, you are finished.  If not...

Step three: Test the vacuum pump and connection.
If fixing the leak did not help, you need to take your multi meter and test the connection and the pump itself.  The pump will be on the passenger side of the vehicle, near the blower fan. It will have a two pin pigtail connected to it.  Disconnect the pig tail and turn the key on without starting the vehicle.  Place one lead on to each side of the plug (it does not matter which one goes where just so that the leads are contacting the metal in the pigtail.  If you get a reading, move on to the pump itself.  If there is no power, you need to check the fuses and perform the test again. 

If there is voltage, set the meter to check continuity, and touch one lead to each pin at the connection in the motor.  You should have continuity which, in most cases, will make the meter beep.  This motor is getting power whenever the key is turned, so if there is no beep, the motor has failed.

Step Four: Replace the motor.

Using a 10mm socket and ratchet, remove the two screws that hold the bracket for the vacuum pump onto the inner fender.  You can now remove the pump and bracket from the vehicle.  The pump is mounted to the bracket with three rubber shock absorber mounts. Pulling on the pump itself should free it from the bracket. 

If the new pump comes with replacement shock absorbers, remove the old ones and install the new ones, using the needle nose pliers to pull them through.  Place the pump on the bracket over the shock absorbers and use the pliers again to pull the shock absorbers through the pump mounting holes.  Installation is the reverse of normal.

It was my experience last week, when I replaced three of these in a day, that the pump itself went bad in two of the cases.  in one case, vacuum lines had become disconnected, which caused the pump to burn out.

Sorry, no pictures this time.

Proof I made rhe right choice.

After nineteen months working for a small landscape company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, I came to the realization that I cannot work with stupid anymore.  It's painful, to say the least. The term "stupid" in this case refers to working with a group of people that are supposed to be professionals with years and years of experience that never really showed in their conduct.  Using broken equipment and breaking it some more in the process, taking trucks on the road that they should not have, and when they get caught, call me to wave my magic wand to fix it (because I have all sorts of influence over local law enforcement you know).  Working with a bunch of kids, that with few exceptions, just didn't get it.  And my personal favorite, working with managers that were clueless with two or three exceptions.

 I had begun the process of seriously looking for a new job earlier in the year, and while I did get a few offers, nothing really sparked my interest. There was a place that wanted me to work all outside on their fleet, on a part time basis.  Another interesting place would have me working on anything from your average econobox to antique Volkswagens and BMWs, like an Isetta. (Remember the TV show family matters? Remember Urkel's car? That thing.)

After a long search, keeping in mind that I did not have to take the first job that made an offer to me, I finally found a place that seems to have its shit together.

I started the new job on January 4, doing the same thing (fleet maintenance) I have been doing for a few years on a full time basis now.  If you have changed jobs, then you probably know about the feelings on starting that new job.  Things like being worried if you made the right choice or if this move was a mistake.  If this doesn't work out, then what?

I made the right choice.

The new job hired me as a mechanic/shop supervisor.  When they did this, they gave me an offer letter, on their company letterhead, that spells out exactly what I am to do and exactly what my responsibilities are.  This offer letter is three pages long.  I was also given a copy of the handbook (rulebook for my foreign friends) to keep and refer to, should I have questions regarding policies and such.  This offer letter includes items such as paid time off, health insurance and holiday pay (included in the paid time off statement.)  There is room to grow in this position.

The old job, upon hearing of my intention to leave (because giving notice is the right thing to do, never burn a bridge if you can possibly avoid it) did present a counter offer.  It was one page, on legal pad paper.  There were four lines total. All about money, which for the record I mentioned one time. It basically read that if I were to take up residence there for 60 hours per week I could make more money.  Again I mentioned money one time.  This offer letter promised me one week vacation per year, which would be paid at 40 hours.  A far cry short of what I would need to put in to make the promised amount per year.  There is no room to grow in this position.

The old job, especially its owner/president/ski bum wouldn't even say f**k you the last week I was there, with very few exceptions.  They were kind enough to leave me a list of things to do that I could not get accomplished since trucks need to sit still for that to happen.

The new job sent me an email hoping me and my family had a happy holiday.  Note that this was before I started. 

We had a blizzard last weekend on the east coast. Two feet of snow fell and while I was at work from Friday night to Sunday night, I was paid extra for this. Extra on top of my salary.  It was too dangerous to go home (remember, two feet of snow) and I had to be back Sunday morning for more snow removal.  The new job is reimbursing me for a hotel stay at a place within walking distance of the shop.  I even got a $50.00 tip, if you will, directly from the owner's pocket.

No way in hell would the old job do that.  While yes the old job did pay extra during snow removal (a whole two dollars per hour extra) it was only while bailing out someone stupid enough to not check their machine.  I was based out of my home for these things, I was assigned a truck (an uninspected truck with multiple issues, mind you) and I could get around, but the phone calls would wake her up.  With the new job, since I was there, no phone calls to wake her up.  This is a good thing.

The old job has some equipment that is bordering on forty years old.  The average age of a fleet vehicle, using what they define as a fleet vehicle, is 16 years old.  Most of this fleet has major rust issues.  In fact, I bought a pair of off road goggles just to keep the falling rust out of my eyes.  They have a few tractors that frankly need lots of work to keep them going.

The new job has an average fleet vehicle age of eight years, using what they define as a fleet vehicle.  The undercarriage rust is minimal, and there is someone on staff that repairs rust holes in the truck bodies. (I am nobody's paint and body man.  I never have been.)  I still wear my goggles but it's not like if you were to smack the truck that ten pounds of rust would fall on you.

Last but not least, yesterday the general manager sent me a text thanking me for my service this past week and wishing me rest for the upcoming week. The day before he was kind enough to look into an issue for me and get me an answer that day.  The office administrator had a question about the child support paperwork earlier in the month, and instead of "winging it" called me about it, because after years of being in their system, I just might have the answer they need.  The company owner has sent help to my shop to clean up trucks from the storm and help with snow blower diagnosis.  Qualified help in this case.

The old job, on the other hand, would send me the owner's brother in law.  They could keep him doing something else as far as I am concerned, because, as my grandfather would say, the man is about as useless as the **** on a boar hog.  Questions on child support were winged at best, and I would personally like to take this opportunity to thank the old job for costing me money in the form of having to take off work to go work out the payment problem that the old job created by not sending in enough money for the first month or so I worked there.

Let us not think for a moment that I died and went to mechanic heaven, because no job is perfect.  I have an assistant that can be quite the insolent little jerk.  Last Friday was not a good day for me because nothing wanted to go together right and one of my bobcat loaders decided to break down on a jobsite.  Earlier in the week I got to deal with Bobcat regarding some goof ass entering a password on the machine to prevent it from starting, and forgetting to tell anyone about it.  Plows break down,  drivers break things and destroy transfer cases, and in general it got rough at times because you never knew what to expect next.  I can say that management above me and my assistant did make things easier by jumping in when needed, whether it be the assistant getting a plow going again, or the general manager getting me a phone number to call technical support.

I think it is safe to say I have had one bad day since starting the new job.  As mentioned earlier this is because nothing was going right, and this is to be expected.  The old job, on the other hand, caused a panic within the first two hours of my first day on the job, which should have been a huge red flag.  A panic that it turned out did not have to happen, had the driver used some common sense.

Oh one last thing. I actually received a uniform allotment before I started the new job.  Shirts, sweatshirts, and a now ruined hoodie, so that I did not have to ruin more of my own clothes when working on their equipment.  The cycle was that I would wear older t shirts to work so that when I got grease and crap on them nobody would care,  new shirts were worn and relegated to work shirt and so forth. I received a shirt only when I managed to get a diesel fuel bath while changing a fuel filter on a big ford truck.

I made the right choice.

How to fix the driveshaft you just ruined

The fleet has a 2004 F450 truck that, for having less than 90,000 miles on it, is really beat up.  The problem we will discuss today revolves around trying to replace a universal joint on the left front side of the drive axle.

What happened is while trying to cut out the universal joint, I got a little crazy with the torch and cut some pretty deep gouges (for lack of a better term) into the loops where the caps on the universal joints attach.  Most people would write this end of the axle off and go get a new one. I am not most people.

It's hard to see in the above photo but the end of the shaft there has some very deep gouges in it due to overzealousness with a torch.  Note that I managed not to burn all the way through it, which helps out in this case. The repair procedure would not be that much different, however, if I did.  It would just be longer and a few extra steps would have to be taken.

The first thing I did was use a flap disc (a grinder attachment) and a roloc pad mounted on an angle grinder to clean up all the metal flash, rough edges and rust that is present on everything at work.  I also cleaned up the other side so that I could get a good ground for the MIG welder I planned to use to make the part useable again.

Here is the half shaft, cleaned up and devoid of rust.  The next step is going to be to get out your MIG welder and start filling in the gouges with filler metal.  Do not just weld it up all at once.  If you have two or three sections, start with one, fill it partially, then move to another far away from the first.  The reason behind this is that you do not want to put too much heat into one piece at one time.

Once you have filled the gouges, get your flap disc out and sand down any raised areas.  You might have to fill and file a few times to get it right.  Take your time.  You are saving money.  Significant money.

This is after two sessions of fill and file.  As you can see I still have to fill in the missing metal on the inside of the loop.  In this case I aimed the MIG gun at the blank spots and used it to fill the void in until it was no more.

 

 

And here we are with no more voids, everything all filled in, but now the hole for the end cap is out of round.  I used a grinding stone and a half round file to slowly remove material from the area I just filled in.  Just enough to allow the cap to fit snugly into the hole.  If you take your time, you will not have to fill in and you can get your axle back into service.  File and grind a little at a time and test fit often.

 

After about 45 minutes of work, I had not only repaired the half shaft but I had also reassembled the shaft.  It is now ready to go back into the truck.

Tools used (metal repair only)
*MIG welder
*Welding mask
*Gloves
*4 1/2" grinder with flap disc installed
*2" air angle grinder with 2" green sanding pad and later small grinding stone

(Universal joint installation)
*3 pound hammer
*Socket to counter sink the end caps as needed

Points to ponder:
*This does NOT make a good first time project.  You have to be honest with yourself regarding your ability to use a welder.  If in doubt, seek professional assistance or farm the project out.

*Patience is a virtue when making this repair.  When you rush the job, it shows.  Take your time.

*Eye, ear, and hand protection are necessary when working with metal.  That being said spend a few bucks on these items.  Cheap stuff is not good and good stuff is not cheap.



How to make your headlights clear again

I was tasked with making the headlights on the Buick look clear again earlier this week, because the boss' daughter is headed off to College and of course the headlights need to work.  It also helps that the Buick is in need of inspection this month and of course its got to be perfect.  That being said, I decided that this would make a good blog project to tackle.

What causes the haziness and yellowing of headlight lenses is dirt flying around in the air and UV rays coming from the sun.  Over time, the surface of the plastic will start to break down, and the UV rays are what turn the plastic yellow.  If this gets to be bad enough the damage will cause the lights to shine less brightly due to diffusion and in places like where I live, this could cause you to fail the annual safety inspection.

I used meguairs' Heavy Duty headlamp restoring system, which includes a buffer, two sanding pads (1000 and 3000 grit), a handle for the sanding pads, a bottle of plastic polish/cleaner, a bottle of plastic polish, and a microfiber towel.  You need to provide a spray bottle, a drill (the instructions recommend a corded drill but I used my cordless), masking tape and paper, a second microfiber cloth or lint free towel, and about an hour or so of your time.  I will also mention that this kit is for plastic lenses only.  This kit will work on tail lights if needed but should not be used on plexiglass or glass surfaces, like your windows.  You are also going to want to do this in a shaded area, so the components don't dry immediately when being applied.

This is the kit out of the box, sorry for the poor quality picture in advance.

Your first task is to clean off the headlights, and mask off the surrounding painted surfaces if you feel the need.  Once this is done, you will have headlights that look like this:

They work but they are really hazy.

 

 

Next, spray the light down with water using the spray bottle, spray the 1000 grit sandpaper disc with water, attach the disc to the holder, and start sanding the headlamp lens using back and forth (not circular) strokes.  Spray the lens with water frequently, as you need to make whatever you sand off float away.  In a while, you should have a less hazy lens.

 

Your next step is to attach the 3000 grit sandpaper disc, spray that disc and spray down the entire lens again, and sand as you did before, with back and forth strokes.  Don't forget to spray down the lens regularly to keep the paper wet and the lens clear of sanded off debris.  This process is called wet sanding, and it is the same process used to sand paint nibs off of a newly painted car. Now you should have something that resembles the picture below.

 

You can tell by looking more at the headlight lens that we now have a somewhat clear lens, but now we have to buff out those scratches that we put into the lens with the wet sanding.  Install the buffer to the drill and add about a nickel sized dab of the plastic polish/cleaner as shown below.

 

If my camera wasn't over ten years old you could probably see the product.  Before starting to buff and polish the headlamp I like to spread the polish across the lens, to reduce slinging the polish off into space or something.  At this stage I would recommend that you polish one small area at a time, and add more polish to the buffer as needed to get the results you desire.  Make sure to keep the buffer as flat as possible and never use the edge to apply polish.

 

In the above picture I am applying the polish/cleaner to the lens.  Yes the drill is off, but this is what I mean by keeping the buffer as flat as possible.

 

Once you have buffed out the entire lens surface, use the microfiber cloth to remove the cleaner that will have coated the lens.  Turn the cloth often to expose a clean surface to remove the residue.

 

Here is the almost end result, in this case you can now see the detail of the reflective surface for the turn signal lens on the inside and the headlamp is almost as clear.  In this case since the headlamp bulbs get really hot and the car has over 140000 miles on it there is some minor heat damage on the inside that you really cannot repair.

Last step is to use the headlight protectant to seal the lens and protect your hard work. I applied mine with a lint free cloth and buffed with the microfiber towel after shaking out any dried polish from the previous steps.










 

Above is the left headlamp before anything was done to it.  Below is the finished result.  Even with my shitty camera you should see a difference.

 

 

 

 

So, what do I think?

 

While the product in kit form is convenient because you get almost everything you need, I would like to think that maybe two discs each of the 1000 and 3000 grit sandpaper would be nice to have, as well as a foam buffer as opposed to what looks and feels like a wool buffer.  Another nice touch would have been to have the buffer removable for cleaning it out.  As it stands for almost $26 I have headlamps on this vehicle that I am hoping I do not have to hear about for awhile. 

 

One thing I will do as I use the buffer is check to make sure that it is still well bonded to the attachment that goes into the drill, as if this were to ever come apart I can see gouging the lenses very badly is a very short amount of time.

 

Most people have a drill to use with this project, and spray bottles can be had at the local dollar store for, well, a dollar and water comes right out of the tap in most places.

 

I would also point out that for light cleaning and polishing that the 1000 grit paper step could probably be skipped.

 

Would I recommend this product? Yes.

 



Swing cylinder rebuild

At work we have an old Kubota L2850 with a backhoe attachment made by Woods. When I first started working there,  the backhoe had its issues, such as slow swing movement from side to side, and a horrendous leak from the upper cylinder on the dipperstick. The upper cylinder was rebuilt about three weeks before this repair, so that took care of the leak there. The swing cylinder movement became worse, and eventually got to the point where unless you had the engine revved up really high, it would not move at all.  This is not good for the engine on the tractor nor is it good for the components of the backhoe that are still working ok.

When I examined the machine, I found that I could move the boom left and right by hand with almost no resistance.  Seeing as how there are check valves and so forth that make hydraulic components operate, this should not happen.  It was apparent that it is time for a cylinder rebuild.

What you need for this task:
-Hammer
-various large sockets
-torque wrench
-penetrating oil
-appropriate seal kit
-wrenches and ratchets
-floor jack (2 tons capacity or greater)

This is the bi-directional swing cylinder, meaning that it rides on the chrome shaft and uses a set of attached chains to pull itself to the left and right.  This is how the boom moves on the backhoe.  The first task is going to be removing the nuts that hold the chain to the actual boom. Seeing as this machine is older I soaked these in WD-40 first.

I am sorry for the poor picture quality here, but these are the nuts in question in the top photo.  Once these are removed, the chain is attached by a pin on the end of the cylinder body on the last link of the chain, as shown in the bottom picture.  A cotter pin is removed and then you can tap out the pin with a drift and hammer.  Remove the chain assembly and set it aside.

The chains should move somewhat freely, but these did not, so I soaked them in WD-40 and let them sit overnight.  Over time, they get caked up with dirt, dust, and other sorts of grime.  It also does not help that nobody on these "professional crews"  thinks to clean these machines off and grease them once in awhile.

 

 Just to the left of those hoses is a large bolt that holds the shaft in place.  You will have to move the stabilizer a little bit to access these bolts (one per side).  A floor jack will help with this task, if needed.

 





On the bottom is the impact wrench I tried to get the bolts out with.  On the top is my one inch impact wrench which I used because I wanted them out in a more timely fashion.  Sometimes I get tired of trying to make that half inch gun work, so when that happens I get out the big dog.

After removing the bolts from the shaft ends, and disconnecting the hoses that run into the cylinder body, I removed the swing cylinder with a little bit of effort.  I also set a drain pan under where the hoses are to catch oil coming out of them.  Finally I got the cylinder onto the bench and began disassembly, forgetting that there was oil in the cylinder still and making a huge mess in the process.



To disassemble the cylinder, remove the nuts at one end of the body and set aside, then remove the long bolts and set aside as well. Using a hammer, gently tap on one end of the cylinder body (you should be able to tell where it separates) until it comes out.  Remember that this is aluminum, and that it could crack, rendering it useless.  This is the time where you will want a catch pan for the oil that will come out all at once.  Or you can make a mess, like I did.

 

 

 

After tapping the other end of the body out, the shaft will come out with it. This white ring in the center of the shaft is the failure point.  Its job is to keep the oil from flowing all the way through the cylinder, creating two separate chambers that can be filled with oil and emptied of oil, which causes the movement of the cylinder.  In this case, the oil could fill the entire cylinder and move from side to side, which is why I could move the boom by hand.  This ring as shown is supposed to be one piece, not broken and worn.

 

 





 Open up your seal kit (in my case, Woods part number 37873) and make sure you have every seal in the package.  Using the operators manual, I took note of how many pieces were listed and placed them left and right side, and center.  The small "O" ring in the center is an extra part, so it is now in the spare parts bins, where it will probably stay forever.

In either end, you have a retaining seal on the outside and a wiper ring on the inside.  Pry out the wiper ring (blue hard rubber) and make note of its orientation.  It will be difficult to install the new one but I have found using a blunt tool to push the wiper into place helps.  Make sure to fully seat the wiper ring.  Using a pry tool, remove the retaining seal from its bore, again noting its orientation.  I have found using a socket that is about the same size as the seal and tapping it in with a hammer will seat it in the bore with minimal difficulty.  Also coating the new seals with clean hydraulic oil helps with installation as well. Do this on both ends.

On the inside of the cylinder end there are two "O" rings, one is round and one has flat sides.  Make note of where they go before removal and replace them in that same manner, again coating them with clean hydraulic oil to ease assembly. In this case, the flat sided "O" ring goes toward the outside, while the rounded one goes on towards the inside. These can be removed with a screwdriver but should be installed by hand.  They will stretch a little (a VERY little) and still retain their shape.

 

For some reason I do not have a picture of the center seals, but remove the remaining outer seal and the inner seal, again using a blunt instrument.  Again coat the new pieces in oil and reinstall. Like the "O" rings these will stretch a little bit and still retain their shape once installed.

 

Now you can reassemble the cylinder. After wiping down the shaft and making sure the cylinder body is free of old seal pieces or dirt on the inside, install one of the cylinder ends first onto the shaft, then onto the cylinder body tube.  This will take some effort so using a hammer and a large socket (one that fits over the shaft) drive the end into the body. Turn the cylinder over and drive in the other end.  Make note of where the hose connectors are, making sure one is on the top and the other on the bottom, opposite of each other.  Reinstall the long bolts and nuts, tightening them to 45 foot pounds of torque as mentioned in the service manual.  Reinstall the cylinder to the backhoe by first installing the bolts to the shaft ends, then connect the hoses.  You might have to move the cylinder position on the shaft to get it back in place and to line up the top and bottom hoses.  Lastly, reinstall the swing chains.  Make note of the holes in the link pins for cotter pin placement.  Test the machine and check for leaks.  If all went as it should have, there should be no leaks and smooth movement.

 

 

 

Ten things I am starting to HATE about being a fleet mechanic.

Like the title says and I am just going to get right to it.

1.) Asking me if I will work on your car.
 The answer is a resounding yes, but there is this sign that hangs in the shop I need you to read and fully understand, that reads as follows: WILL I WORK ON YOUR CAR? YES, I WILL.  THE PRICE IS $60 PER HOUR. IN GOD I TRUST, ALL OTHERS PAY CASH. I base my times on book times, just like the dealerships.  Also, this is not a negotiable price.  No trades, no bartering.

2.)Wanting to have a twenty minute conversation when a minute or two will do. I find this annoying because the more time some people spend talking about what needs to be done, the less time I am putting into a project.  I also find that when I am under a truck, some people think that this is the perfect time to get into a long conversation about what they feel needs to be a "priority".  News flash: it's not your name on my paycheck and until it is you do not decide what I am doing most of the time.  The boss tells me what to do, kind of like he tells you what to do.

3.)Stupid statements like "When I worked at muckety muck two trolls Yugo Restorations LLC INC and some other letters this is how WE did it."
  Do us all a favor and go back.  I might have found your statement interesting the first couple of times you said it.  I might have even considered it.  About the tenth time frankly I am sick of it.  Besides, when is the last time you saw a Yugo?

4.)Asking me to borrow my tools.
  If I do not know exactly who you are, it's NO. No means NO. You have to understand, or refuse to understand, that the tool you want to borrow is how I make my living.  If I don't have tools, I have no way to make money.  I also would like to point out that there are no cheap Walmart tools in my box.  The LEAST expensive of them are NAPA tools.  The vast majority of them come out of my pocket, not the company's pocket.  Also, don't be that dick that opens up the box to see what is in there or just decides that you are going to borrow something without permission.  The standing policy is, as told directly to the company president: "I do not care WHO you are, whose FRIEND you are, who you are RELATED to that works here, I don't care if you have a signed permission slip from GOD ALMIGHTY. You take my stuff that is called THEFT".  Due to the value of the tools it could be considered (and you could be charged with) GRAND LARCENY, a FELONY.  You will most likely do serious JAIL TIME. It's not worth it to not ask, especially since I have rarely said no to anyone.

5.)When are you going to fix (insert some broken piece of shit here).
  Frankly, when I get the parts I need and get around to it.  See list item #2.  If you prove to be particularly irritating about it, trust me I will clean public toilets before fixing that thing you probably broke because you had a dumbass attack.

6.) Telling me how to do my job.
  This is geared more towards the crowd that is mentioned in list item #3.  The example is the same people keep breaking the dump cable on one particular truck, and these people feel that we should go over to some switch set up. (The technical term is bi-directional hydraulic actuator assembly and the industry term is electric over hydraulic set up.)  This takes money, which with parts has never really been argued, and TIME, which I have little to spare.  If you want something to work right, use it properly.  Besides, I am convinced that you will break the switch too.  Do me a favor and let me fix it as it sits without making it into some long drawn out project. This brings us to...

7.)STOP ABUSING THE EQUIPMENT.
  Abuse takes on many forms. This being said the two things I see most are not using the equipment properly and failure as an operator to check it and maintain it.  A one minute walk around would save lots of time as aggravation, as you might see that rim that is about to fall off or that flat tire.

8.)Know what is expected of you.
  Recently we had a truck stopped for a laundry list of items wrong with it, including no inspection certificate (locals call them "inspection stickers").  When this happened, the driver, who advertises themselves as a commercial driver with years of experience, calls me on my phone thinking that I can go out there and magically make the problems go away. The reality is, I cannot do that. I didn't take the call because if I don't know the number, I just wont answer in most cases.  My job is to repair and maintain the vehicle, including prepping it for, but not conducting, the inspection.  The Department of Transportation clearly states that pre trip inspections and reporting defects is the responsibility of the driver of the vehicle.  This includes checking the fluids and tires and making sure nothing is about to fall off.

  As an addendum to this portion of this list, I already grease the trucks and other yard equipment, I listen to your complaints and write them down on a list that never ever ends, and when the driver messes something up it's usually ME that gets the wrath of shit that comes along with it.  I typically work upwards of 65 hours per week over five or six days, and I make NO OVERTIME at that.  I am apparently on call every. single. day. Since my service truck is a piece of shit with no inspection, I used to use my personal truck to get the job done, but after watching the boss' friend and his son fuel up out of the on site fuel tank, yeah that does not happen anymore.  I have to schedule all vehicle services be they on or off site, and I have to work around some of the worst people when it comes to communicating with each other.  I am usually one of the first people there in the morning, and usually one of the last people that gets to go home.  Seriously, stop whining about what is expected of YOU.

9.)Stop standing over me.
  When I am working on something, no matter what it is, I do not need you standing there watching my every move.  When you insist on doing this, you do so at your own peril.  This is especially true when I am welding, grinding, using any power tools, or just turning a wrench.  My rule of thumb is that if I swing my arm out with whatever tool in my hand, and I can touch you, you are too close. 
I will also on rare occasions need to get out of the way of the falling machine or the fire that just started, and if you are in the way, you are going along for the ride.

 Think of it this way: when you take your car in for service that service station sure as hell will NOT allow you to stand in the repair bay watching the mechanics every move.  There are insurance regulations and laws that say you cannot do that.  I am not trying to be mean here, I just don't want you getting hurt because you were watching me weld something or sharpen something, and flying metal shit gets in your eyes.  At the very least, wear personal protective equipment that YOU provide.

10.)Let me do the job I was hired to do.
  When I was hired into the position of mechanic, I was tasked with keeping the (somewhat beat up) fleet working.  This means I have to service the trucks in a timely manner, correct the previous screw ups, be they by manufacturer or previous mechanic, order parts and run around like a headless chicken.  This is not exactly a fun job, but it is a job.  It is MY job.
 You, the layperson, do not generally get any say in what happens and when.  You do not get to tell me how to do my job, and you do not get to complain about how long it takes.  When I do a time quote, it is generally quoted a couple hours over what it actually takes, and this is because whenever I am under something, someone feels the need to call with some so called emergency that ends up being nothing by the time I get there.