For once,farming out a wrench job...??

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barbee6043 said:
I have NO metric tools, don't want any..............
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I still have ALL of mine. Contemplated cullin the heard and gettin rid of "ALL THEM" many times, but I have not. I have however, separated "THEM" from all the rest. Since we still have Kitty's car, the 04 Escape, I "may need them". When it's time for IT to go, Kitty will be gettin "something old".
 
RRR, I agree, the shop I worked at had 12 'mechanics' nine of which were part swappers (or brake/exhaust guys) the other 3 of us were actual mechanics, I hardly ever fired up the scan tool outside of an initial code grab.

I was also the official/unofficial engine/trans guy. I had been deep inside transmissions at work (had to swap guts in an a518 for a customer due to a broken case, repairing lost reverse in a gm trans for instance) or inside an engine or two (rebuilt a 350 olds, changed out broken pistons in a supercharged mustang) have also watched when service writers sold brand new carburetors to customers, due to "worn out parts" on low mileage smog motors, that shiny new edelbrock isn't going to make that 307 go ANY better.
 
ramenth said:
[QUOTE="floivanus, post: 1971326370, member:]

But leaning over a car all day or laying in the floor does take its toll on your body
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So can working on a lift with you arms above your head most of the day. That's where my bad shoulder came from.[/QUOTE]

Or being tall so you can't ever stand up straight under anything.
I got to where I would spread my feet 4 feet apart just so I didn't screw my back all up.
AND, a lot of my mechanical career life was in transmissions where you have your hands in solvents all day.
Not to mention breathing that crap all day long.
 
TrailBeast said:
So can working on a lift with you arms above your head most of the day. That's where my bad shoulder came from.
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Or being tall so you can't ever stand up straight under anything.
I got to where I would spread my feet 4 feet apart just so I didn't screw my back all up.
AND, a lot of my mechanical career life was in transmissions where you have your hands in solvents all day.
Not to mention breathing that crap all day long.[/QUOTE]

Yup. I worked a LOT in the pre-asbestos brake ban days. I was just a kid. We blew out everything with compressed air. What respirator?
 
Ha, I've watched people with a full beard, wearing a resporator to blow off brake dust. OSHA violation! You must shave to wear a respirator, otherwise you are doing nothing to help yourself, and can get your company in trouble.

Solvents never seemed to bother me, working on carbs or engine parts in a parts washer was the only time my hands really got clean! But of course I wrenched in the EPA days ( quit in 2013) so I didn't get the 'good stuff'
 
Sometimes spending a few bucks (if ya got it of course) to save you back, hands and mind from distress is money well spent. I think most of us here try and do as much as possible. But there are limits and getting older is increasing them.

Sometimes, I'm glad to pay the man. Extra work at my job is a 100X's easier than some jobs that I'm faced with.
 
I just got done swapping a Vortec motor in a friends 1 ton truck, and very worst part about the entire job was him telling me it ran rough when I kept telling him for frickin days afterwards that it needs to be re programed for the new HP motor.
I told him over and OVER he wasn't even supposed to drive it till that was done.
Four days and 25 calls later he finally gets it reprogramed and guess what?
It runs right.

face.jpg
 
And that's the trick, too, Greg.

Sometimes you're paying for that knowledge that comes along with being a professional wrench.

Someone mentioned the 3100 And 3400 series GM's. Not that bad when you know the tricks. I used to pull the alternator so I'd have that extra room to the side. Pull the dogbones, and a small ratchet strap at the bottom of my toolbox to roll the engine forward. Done. Had a lot of guys who'd tell me they "used" to do their own tune up's have no idea how to get to the back bank.

Don't even get me going on three valve Ford's and how many came in on a wrecker that I'd have to fish three or four broken plugs out of.

I spent a lot of time at the Ford garages doing blown intake gaskets on Windstars. The owner just spent $200 or $300 on four new O2 sensors because AZ told him it was an O2 code, not knowing that particular code has nothing to do with the function of the sensor (which, by the way, is actually doing it's job, Mr. Customer, since it's monitoring your A/F mixture) and everything to do with what's happening upstream of the sensor.

Some of it comes down to equipment. I have thousands invested in scanners, special tools, subscriptions to shop manuals, as well as the tools of the trade that help me diagnose and repair something.

The typical DIY'er hasn't made that investment.

Throw in the fact that some DIY'ers are very capable of doing the work up to a point and then hear horror stories. Honda timing belts come to mind.

"I'd do it myself, but then I heard that if I eff it up I'll blow my engine. I also found out that I need a $50 special tool to hold the crank and a couple long ratchets. I'd only ever use them for this job and never use them again. Better to leave it to a pro who won't blow my engine and who already has the tools."
 
ramenth said:
And that's the trick, too, Greg.

Sometimes you're paying for that knowledge that comes along with being a professional wrench.

Someone mentioned the 3100 And 3400 series GM's. Not that bad when you know the tricks. I used to pull the alternator so I'd have that extra room to the side. Pull the dogbones, and a small ratchet strap at the bottom of my toolbox to roll the engine forward. Done. Had a lot of guys who'd tell me they "used" to do their own tune up's have no idea how to get to the back bank.

Don't even get me going on three valve Ford's and how many came in on a wrecker that I'd have to fish three or four broken plugs out of.

I spent a lot of time at the Ford garages doing blown intake gaskets on Windstars. The owner just spent $200 or $300 on four new O2 sensors because AZ told him it was an O2 code, not knowing that particular code has nothing to do with the function of the sensor (which, by the way, is actually doing it's job, Mr. Customer, since it's monitoring your A/F mixture) and everything to do with what's happening upstream of the sensor.

Some of it comes down to equipment. I have thousands invested in scanners, special tools, subscriptions to shop manuals, as well as the tools of the trade that help me diagnose and repair something.

The typical DIY'er hasn't made that investment.

Throw in the fact that some DIY'ers are very capable of doing the work up to a point and then hear horror stories. Honda timing belts come to mind.

"I'd do it myself, but then I heard that if I eff it up I'll blow my engine. I also found out that I need a $50 special tool to hold the crank and a couple long ratchets. I'd only ever use them for this job and never use them again. Better to leave it to a pro who won't blow my engine and who already has the tools."
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how about pulling the intake manifold to change the back plugs ?!
 
ramenth said:
And that's the trick, too, Greg.

Sometimes you're paying for that knowledge that comes along with being a professional wrench.

Someone mentioned the 3100 And 3400 series GM's. Not that bad when you know the tricks. I used to pull the alternator so I'd have that extra room to the side. Pull the dogbones, and a small ratchet strap at the bottom of my toolbox to roll the engine forward. Done. Had a lot of guys who'd tell me they "used" to do their own tune up's have no idea how to get to the back bank.

Don't even get me going on three valve Ford's and how many came in on a wrecker that I'd have to fish three or four broken plugs out of.

I spent a lot of time at the Ford garages doing blown intake gaskets on Windstars. The owner just spent $200 or $300 on four new O2 sensors because AZ told him it was an O2 code, not knowing that particular code has nothing to do with the function of the sensor (which, by the way, is actually doing it's job, Mr. Customer, since it's monitoring your A/F mixture) and everything to do with what's happening upstream of the sensor.

Some of it comes down to equipment. I have thousands invested in scanners, special tools, subscriptions to shop manuals, as well as the tools of the trade that help me diagnose and repair something.

The typical DIY'er hasn't made that investment.

Throw in the fact that some DIY'ers are very capable of doing the work up to a point and then hear horror stories. Honda timing belts come to mind.

"I'd do it myself, but then I heard that if I eff it up I'll blow my engine. I also found out that I need a $50 special tool to hold the crank and a couple long ratchets. I'd only ever use them for this job and never use them again. Better to leave it to a pro who won't blow my engine and who already has the tools."
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I was there ,on the 3100 & 3400 stuff,I liked those.I quit this,'96.......
 
Abodybomber said:
Done..2 hours,190 bucks...Yanked the axle ... Now,I know....
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I trust you replaced the axle seal???

Axle seals on front wheel drive cars have come back to bite me almost everytime i dont replace them. ....especially when you have to pry and coax the cv shaft out.
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
I trust you replaced the axle seal???

Axle seals on front wheel drive cars have come back to bite me almost everytime i dont replace them. ....especially when you have to pry and coax the cv shaft out.
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Yes,I know..It got replaced,job was farmed out. Last time I did a cv shaft,and didn't change that seal:eek:f course,I did it twice (1998...)
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
dang skippy .....bread or pizza crust dipped in mountain dew is for winners
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Winners or wieners... (Referring to the hot dog posts from earlier today...)

A mountain dew with a hot dog is also a good combo....
 
Abodybomber said:
98 3.0 DOHC Taurus..,alternator died... For once,I don't have the the tools,to do the job....This hurts?.. Anyone else been here? (Cheaper to sublet it out,than buy the tools....).. Surreal,post yours....
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I got a 3.0 DOHC 98 Taurus once, bough it cheap from my younger brother in law cause it broke down on him, needed a new starter wire, right front hub, and the worst... a new alternator. I jacked the front up, pulled the right front wheel, wheel liner, and took the serpentine belt off. Then I began to play the game of musical sockets, swivels, and extensions to get the darned thing loose. Now the fun part. I had to finangle the alternernator between the engine cradle and right front frame rail.. A large pry bar, choice words, and I barely wedged the old one out. Putting it back together was the same. Never again.
 
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