Tips they don't teach in class

[OkieDavid]

Been tinkering since I was a kid and got my first degree in Diesel & Heavy Equipment mechanics so I consider myself "competent". That said, have you ever noticed how every community seems to have a "trouble shooter" who can identify/solve/fix just about any mechanical mystery that has left the others scratching their heads? Most often these fellows have received little formal education, live out in the country and work under the shade of a tree or barn and often with just a dirt floor. Many say the "shade tree" days are gone with the modern electronics and computer operated systems but I'm seeing a downside to todays mechanics. They have LOST the ability to troubleshoot mechanical systems. The computer says component "A" is bad so they replace component "A" if that is your only problem, you are well on your way....but what if the computer can't identify the problem. I'd like to see some of your "they don't teach that in class" tips/tricks/techniques for unusual problems and how you solved them.
I'll start by listing one I just ran across that had me about to take a tiller to a "real mechanic" LOL... Symptom- 9 yr old B&S 5hp that wouldn't start without a prime. Bought a new diaphragm ($1.00) since I figured at that age it probably needed replacing anyway and was just not picking up the fuel. Engine ran fine for the entire garden (four hours). Next use it would run for anywhere from 30min to 2 hours and die. About this time I'm thinking clogged vent on the fill cap...nope. This fiasco continued for about three more uses and it finally hit me. Removed the fill cap and took a small hook shaped piece of wire and pulled up the pickup tube (plastic with fine mesh screen) in the tank....sure enough there was a small fingernail sized ELM LEAF stuck to the bottom of the pickup tube....That darn leaf would float around for indeterminant an length of time until it got sucked up against the inlet screen. Once the engine died (no suction) the leaf would float away again......File that one in your tool box under "I've heard of one other thing it could be that I need to check" and give us your strange and unusual.

David

[WisJim]

Luckily, my youngest son is the person in our neighborhood who is the "go to" person to solve odd problems. Even the auto mechanic down the road one direction, and the motorcylce mechanic the other direction will call on him for ideas, especially on odd-ball machinery or equipment, like 30 year old mopeds or motorcycles made before he was born, or electric bikes or cars.

Makes me think of a conversation I had with a welding instructor at a tech school that was getting into teaching about robotic welding. The new instructors were great at robotics and computers, but weren't great or even good welders. How can you design/program/use a machine that welds if you don't know what is involved in a good weld? Common sense and experience is being left out of the educational process.

[fordy]

..............I've observed over the years that (some of) those "shade tree" guys , even without much education , posses very keen analytical minds , and it is quite possible that they have become self educated about electronics and mechanics . Had they been able to have attended college , they would be the guy who consistently averaged around the 95 percentile on all of their engineering courses . I had a friend who made straight A's in Mech. Engineering , physics and math courses and C's in everything else but he still graduated with a 3.00 average . He studied very little and drank copious amounts of beer so he had to be smart to make the grades he did , lol . , fordy

[diamondtim]

I once worked with a guy who was the setup guy on our shift at in an injection molding department for a major contract furniture manufacturer. This guy could change molds on a 1000 ton press and get that machine running good parts faster than anyone else in all three of the shifts.

The engineers decided that all the setup guys needed to go back to school, to get certified, so that they had a paper that said they know how to do their jobs. Mark declined and went back to being a regular operator. I asked him why? He said, "I hated school. Dropped out when I was 16, and swore I wouldn't go back." Apparently he had trouble reading and didn't get the help he needed. He was one of the most natural mechanics I've ever met.