Daily Observations - Part II

[tonybullitt]

I was hearing other guys saying that he was doing stuff like that I said let's catch him. We took brake lathe bits off gave to parts manager. I called Hunter found out how to check alignment machine for history of what had been done printed the report. I compiled the info gave to manager he sent him home that day then next morning said u no longer work here

[Matt Saunoras]

This place is really becoming a zoo.  I know I complain about it all the time but it's far worse than I ever imagined it could be. 3 years of hard work building a reputation for a new store is all getting flushed down the toilet.  There is no doubt the dealership as a whole is failing.  I want out but it's so hard when I keep depositing good checks. 

[forddieseldoctor]

It always amazes me how much a tie rod will grow when you heat it.

[forddieseldoctor]

Brake cleaner will kill grass.

[mchan68]

Brake cleaner kills bugs pretty effectively too.

[Fredsvt]

Power surges into your home really suck...

Emergency phone call from my sick elderly mom (housebound) at my house about "no power" and her O2 machine down.  Standby gen started, then shut down.

 

I called company that installed it, and prepared to leave work.

 

Get home, a few minutes before electrician.  Find partial power, 9 breakers blown, including the 60A for my garage.  I'm not touching anything.

 

Long story short, electrician believes surge came through.  I found the aforementioned breakers blown, 18 damaged surge protectors, 3 smoked completely, in my garage all breakers for plugs popped and 1 gfci completely melted.   Turning on one breaker in particular made a sound and flash much like a transformer exploding.  Ended up unplugging everything on that circuit and putting them back.

 

Also lost my receiver and suboofer in the garage. 

 

Gen works fine, he believes as shore power came back, it surged, doing the damage and causing the gen to shut down. 

 

I found out later a car hit a pole earlier in the day. 

 

Needless to say, I'm a bit wound up, looking, checking and smelling every piece of electrical equipment in the place.

 

As a side note, electrician did say that when many surge protectors go, they sometimes deliberately short input lines to blow the breaker to prevent surges from going through.

 

Just ordered 18 new surge protectors and the electricians are coming back to install a whole house protector in the box and some other work I want done. 

[YukonTyler]

Power surges into your home really suck...

Emergency phone call from my sick elderly mom (housebound) at my house about "no power" and her O2 machine down.  Standby gen started, then shut down.

 

I called company that installed it, and prepared to leave work.

 

Get home, a few minutes before electrician.  Find partial power, 9 breakers blown, including the 60A for my garage.  I'm not touching anything.

 

Long story short, electrician believes surge came through.  I found the aforementioned breakers blown, 18 damaged surge protectors, 3 smoked completely, in my garage all breakers for plugs popped and 1 gfci completely melted.   Turning on one breaker in particular made a sound and flash much like a transformer exploding.  Ended up unplugging everything on that circuit and putting them back.

 

Also lost my receiver and suboofer in the garage. 

 

Gen works fine, he believes as shore power came back, it surged, doing the damage and causing the gen to shut down. 

 

I found out later a car hit a pole earlier in the day. 

 

Needless to say, I'm a bit wound up, looking, checking and smelling every piece of electrical equipment in the place.

 

As a side note, electrician did say that when many surge protectors go, they sometimes deliberately short input lines to blow the breaker to prevent surges from going through.

 

Just ordered 18 new surge protectors and the electricians are coming back to install a whole house protector in the box and some other work I want done. 

 

That sounds brutal. Does your house policy cover any of that? If it does then is it even worth making a claim?

 

Reminds me of a Mustang I did a couple years back - near every module and LED bulb, plus many relays and electric motors all had the smoke let out. Boosted with high voltage after sitting idle through the winter was the final story. Somehow we warrantied everything.

[Fredsvt]

I sent a letter (email) off to the electric company after hearing that they may cover losses, who knows?  I've heard horror stories about them though.

 

I'm hesitant at this point to call homeowners' insurance.  Never had a claim, but since it's Allstate, they may slap those hands closed if I do. 

 

Now I'm up to 3 gfci plugs burned, I've got the receptacle breakers shut off in the garage until I get new ones installed.

[forddieseldoctor]

It's never a good thing when you see your dog fall over the bed rail of a pickup while your moving.

[lmorris]

Is it ok?

[forddieseldoctor]

Yeah. He has a cracked pelvis, but otherwise will be fine once it heals. He got really lucky for landing on pavement at 30 mph.

[lmorris]

That's good to hear.

[Matt Saunoras]

Did I mention I'm the only tech in the shop this week that has a drivers license?

[Brad Clayton]

  time for a raise!!!!

[lmorris]

No matter how many clutch packs I replace, No matter how times I smack my forehead, No matter how many times I tell myself "This is the last time!",  I always forget to let the new clutches soak whilst I disassemble the diff.

[tonybullitt]

No matter how many clutch packs I replace, No matter how times I smack my forehead, No matter how many times I tell myself "This is the last time!",  I always forget to let the new clutches soak whilst I disassemble the diff.

I have had a 9.75 set soaked in a coffee can ready to go for at least 10 years now. I put the soaked ones in truck and new ones parts gives me go in can. Everyone in shop uses out of it. We charge a bottle of friction modifier to shop when it gets low.

[mchan68]

....and put the empty bottle in trash can beside your favorite co-worker's toolbox.

[YukonTyler]

Did I mention I'm the only tech in the shop this week that has a drivers license?

 

You work at Peace River Ford? We hired (and fired) 4 licensed techs over the 3.5 years I was there. Three of them did not have a driver's license. I don't know if that's a worse commentary toward the techs or management.

 

Somewhat related - everything that;s old is new again. On Monday the 17th I'll be back at Whitehorse Motors in the Yukon. Here's to not burning bridges when you leave a place : )

[Matt Saunoras]

Today I was the recipient of the golden DPF award. So many I need to thank...

[forddieseldoctor]

Today I was the recipient of the golden DPF award. So many I need to thank...

I take it they painted the frame?

 

 

I never realized how big of a pile of stone comes out of a few feet of fieldstone wall.

[Matt Saunoras]

This company does the whole body yellow when they buy a truck. Even though they just do the outside its amazing where overspray gets to

[lmorris]

A few of us here have decided that changing the DEF pump on the 2017 MY can be done without removing the tank. When we get one and are able to test the theory I will get some pictures.

[8WA Sman]

It is unnerving using a impact gun to get the corroded rear wiper pivot nut loose on an Expedition

[8WA Sman]

What's wrong with this picture?  

[8WA Sman]

That's better...