Another @#^%$ mechanic!
10-01-2012, 05:41 PM
#1
Another @#^%$ mechanic!
So, I gave up trying to diagnose my little fuel pump circuit issue and with a heavy heart handed my old girl off to a REAL mechanic over the weekend...
I stopped by today after work and the conversation went something like this...
Any luck?
Sure! She's ready for you. Got her running this morning.
Really? Outstanding! What was the problem?
Well, You need a new steering column. The actuator rod is broken so it won't engage the solenoid...That'll be 587.99 with labor.
Ummm, I told you already that I've replaced that pot metal crap twice in the last 2 years so i just ran a push start to the solenoid, thus bypassing pulling the steering wheel yet again to replace the bs potmetal POS with another potmetal POS that is going to fail again...The pump only gets 7 volts through the harness and will only get to highway speed by bypassing the relay with a hotshot to the battery...(Which screws everything else up in the process apparently)The push start rig has nothing to do do with the pump circuit as the pump will not power up with the ignition in run position unless i add 12v fromanother source. THIS IS WHY I BROUGHT IT TO YOU!
Well, it starts now.
what did you do to it?
well, a few things here and there...
let it run for me for a few minutes...
He starts it and it runs like ****..just barely running. It coughs and dies...
well, he says..."she's old", and you have a small vacuum leak in the a/c circuit.
So, my brand new Ford Pump is putting out 23 psi and you think that's enough?
Well, it runs don't it?
Wow!
This is why I hate taking any vehicle I own to anyone for any reason...Right back where I started from. Looks like I get to pull the harness apart and trace it all again and hope I come across the real issue.
I thought someone might get a kick out of that one today!
I stopped by today after work and the conversation went something like this...
Any luck?
Sure! She's ready for you. Got her running this morning.
Really? Outstanding! What was the problem?
Well, You need a new steering column. The actuator rod is broken so it won't engage the solenoid...That'll be 587.99 with labor.
Ummm, I told you already that I've replaced that pot metal crap twice in the last 2 years so i just ran a push start to the solenoid, thus bypassing pulling the steering wheel yet again to replace the bs potmetal POS with another potmetal POS that is going to fail again...The pump only gets 7 volts through the harness and will only get to highway speed by bypassing the relay with a hotshot to the battery...(Which screws everything else up in the process apparently)The push start rig has nothing to do do with the pump circuit as the pump will not power up with the ignition in run position unless i add 12v fromanother source. THIS IS WHY I BROUGHT IT TO YOU!
Well, it starts now.
what did you do to it?
well, a few things here and there...
let it run for me for a few minutes...
He starts it and it runs like ****..just barely running. It coughs and dies...
well, he says..."she's old", and you have a small vacuum leak in the a/c circuit.
So, my brand new Ford Pump is putting out 23 psi and you think that's enough?
Well, it runs don't it?
Wow!
This is why I hate taking any vehicle I own to anyone for any reason...Right back where I started from. Looks like I get to pull the harness apart and trace it all again and hope I come across the real issue.
I thought someone might get a kick out of that one today!
10-01-2012, 07:24 PM
#3
Off road rebel
Don't take it to dumbass mom an pops shops. If you take it to a shop, bite the bullet and bring it to a dealership. Their work normally has warranties and such. And they treat customers with respect, while raping your wallet too.
10-01-2012, 07:44 PM
#4
MMMMMMMM
No thanks on the Dealership...I'm still pissed off at the last Ford Dealership that screwed me on my girl 3 years ago.A friend of mine here is actually a service manager at one of the local dealerships and he said he doesn't have anyone he would recommend. There aren't any techs over 25 anymore it seems! i need to find "the guy" who used to be a ford tech 20 years ago when OBD1 was the norm and can diagnose it correctly. These new techs only know how to plug in their lappy's to a OBDII port anymore. i'm out of my element down here, all the guys I know who could fix this live up in Va and race cars on the weekends... i'm just gonna go to kinko's and print up all the diagrams i have and get a case of beer and tear into her this weekend.
No thanks on the Dealership...I'm still pissed off at the last Ford Dealership that screwed me on my girl 3 years ago.A friend of mine here is actually a service manager at one of the local dealerships and he said he doesn't have anyone he would recommend. There aren't any techs over 25 anymore it seems! i need to find "the guy" who used to be a ford tech 20 years ago when OBD1 was the norm and can diagnose it correctly. These new techs only know how to plug in their lappy's to a OBDII port anymore. i'm out of my element down here, all the guys I know who could fix this live up in Va and race cars on the weekends... i'm just gonna go to kinko's and print up all the diagrams i have and get a case of beer and tear into her this weekend.
10-01-2012, 11:31 PM
#6
I feel bad actually because he came highly recommended. I was very nice about it and we settled on a diagnostic fee. I don't blame him, he prob saw the hotwire and thought i was your average south florida retard and stopped right there! i'm sure I can figure it out, it's just a single tank so I'm just missing something dumb I'm sure. I just got an offer from another guy who said if he can't figure it out it's free so I'll fix the damn column again and maybe even put a working clutch switch it in it before he comes by this weekend...lol. (The plastic housing snapped so i cut the spring out and epoxied it so it is always a complete circuit....lol)
It just kills me how some people automatically think you're a dumbass and try to get over on you without a second thought....I remodel houses and I can't afford to do things halfass if i want to work in this market!
It just kills me how some people automatically think you're a dumbass and try to get over on you without a second thought....I remodel houses and I can't afford to do things halfass if i want to work in this market!
10-03-2012, 10:42 AM
#7
Solved!
Went back through it pulled the firewall harness connector found a minute bit of corrosion...fixed that, put a new clutch switch in, new pump cutoff safety swithch in, pulled the damn column twice and fixed the actuator rod POS for the 3rd time and finally...
@#$%^&$% TPS! There was no code for the tps! it was just barely out of spec. Couldn't get a Motorcraft one locally for less than the truck is worth so i tossed in a duralast pos till the one i ordered from Rockauto gets here...
Lesson learned! Never take my truck to anyone to fix when i should have just done all of this first!
On a side note...the mechanic I took it to called me and credited me my $$ because he said he felt bad because he didn't really want to deal with it anyways! Nice.
Went back through it pulled the firewall harness connector found a minute bit of corrosion...fixed that, put a new clutch switch in, new pump cutoff safety swithch in, pulled the damn column twice and fixed the actuator rod POS for the 3rd time and finally...
@#$%^&$% TPS! There was no code for the tps! it was just barely out of spec. Couldn't get a Motorcraft one locally for less than the truck is worth so i tossed in a duralast pos till the one i ordered from Rockauto gets here...
Lesson learned! Never take my truck to anyone to fix when i should have just done all of this first!
On a side note...the mechanic I took it to called me and credited me my $$ because he said he felt bad because he didn't really want to deal with it anyways! Nice.
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10-03-2012, 08:36 PM
#8
(I pound nails for a living too.)
This whole thing reminds me of something one of my customers said last year.
I had just finished up something and he said: You're pretty good at what you do.
I said: Ahh ... after you've been in the building trades for over 30 years it's really not that hard to do.
He said: No, some people will **** it up for a lifetime.
It made me think about all of the guys that i've seen come and go over the years.
Some were good.
Others ... you were thankful to see go into retirement.
This whole thing reminds me of something one of my customers said last year.
I had just finished up something and he said: You're pretty good at what you do.
I said: Ahh ... after you've been in the building trades for over 30 years it's really not that hard to do.
He said: No, some people will **** it up for a lifetime.
It made me think about all of the guys that i've seen come and go over the years.
Some were good.
Others ... you were thankful to see go into retirement.
Last edited by LobstahClaw; 10-03-2012 at 08:45 PM.
10-03-2012, 10:49 PM
#9
Well said,
I learned up North when I was young from guys who did high end remodels and it with stuck me. I came down to Florida and I still can't believe what passes for acceptable finish work down here...It's just sad. Of course, no one wants to pay a decent rate since everyone "knows a guy" who is desperate enough to do it for helper money. The hardest part about doing this in this economy is knowing when to walk away from some project I'd love to do but not for the price I am offered...
I learned up North when I was young from guys who did high end remodels and it with stuck me. I came down to Florida and I still can't believe what passes for acceptable finish work down here...It's just sad. Of course, no one wants to pay a decent rate since everyone "knows a guy" who is desperate enough to do it for helper money. The hardest part about doing this in this economy is knowing when to walk away from some project I'd love to do but not for the price I am offered...
10-03-2012, 11:18 PM
#10
It really is different worlds between the North & South. A part of what you're up against is the influx of low cost immigrant labor. There are some very talented and hard working people coming in from abroad.
Up here in Maine it's too cold. It's too far different from the place they came from.
Unfortunately ... the day of the skilled artisan is slowly coming to a pass. There's almost no new constructon and what there is ... is modular.
I was explaining to one of my customers a few days ago that the modular builder's objectives are production and profit.
The old time stick builders are in it for the love of the trade.
Their objective is to build something of quality that will stand the test of time. Costs are a secondary concern.
Up here in Maine it's too cold. It's too far different from the place they came from.
Unfortunately ... the day of the skilled artisan is slowly coming to a pass. There's almost no new constructon and what there is ... is modular.
I was explaining to one of my customers a few days ago that the modular builder's objectives are production and profit.
The old time stick builders are in it for the love of the trade.
Their objective is to build something of quality that will stand the test of time. Costs are a secondary concern.