🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/auto-mechanics

1

spencer_wood•1d ago

Stick welder vs MIG for farm repairs... what's really better in the field?

My buddy swears by his MIG for fixing tractor hitches and gate hinges on his property up in Oregon. Says it's faster and cleaner. But I've always used stick on the farm because it handles rust and dirt way better when you're patching up old equipment outside. Had a job last week welding a cracked plow blade out in a dusty barnyard. Took my Lincoln AC225 stick welder and got it done in like 15 minutes. He woulda spent twice that cleaning the metal. So which side are you on for rough outdoor work? Stick or MIG?

29

brooke533•2d ago

Just passed 500 engine rebuilds and realized I've been wrong about break-in procedures

I hit 500 rebuilds last Thursday on a 350 Chevy for a customer in Wichita. Everyone says to vary the RPM and avoid highway driving for the first 500 miles. But after keeping records on all my builds, the ones that got hammered on right away actually had better ring seal and fewer oil consumption issues. The easy-driven ones burned more oil at 50,000 miles. Why are we still telling people to baby their fresh engines? Has anyone else seen this pattern or am I the only one?

12

wesley_hart•3d ago

That $40 'lifetime' O2 sensor socket was a total scam

Picked up one of those fancy O2 sensor sockets with the cutout from a local auto parts store for $40. Thought I was being smart getting a 'professional' tool instead of using my cheap adjustable wrench. First time I tried it on a rusty downstream sensor on a 2002 F-150, the damn thing twisted and rounded the socket edges. Ended up using a pipe wrench and PB Blaster anyway. Anyone else get burned by a tool that was supposed to make things easier?

27

roseb47•3d ago

Old timer said I was chasing torque specs not feel. Changed how I work.

Dude was rebuilding a 350 small block next to me at the shop. Watching me torque rod bolts to the book. He said "you ever actually feel the stretch?" Dismissed it at first. Then tried his way on a set of old heads. Used a beam wrench and went slow. Caught two bolts that were about to strip before they hit spec. Now I always check the first few by feel before trusting numbers. Any other mechanics here mix seat of the pants with torque specs?

16

anderson.spencer•8d ago

Tried a homebrew coolant flush on my F-150 and got a nasty surprise

I followed a YouTube video from some guy in Ohio that said using dishwasher detergent would clean out my radiator, so I dumped a cup in and ran it for 20 minutes. Next morning I had a brown sludge coating everything in the overflow tank and a coolant leak at the water pump gasket that was fine before. Anyone else ever chase down a DIY tip that turned your engine bay into a chemistry experiment gone wrong?

19

mary462•9d ago

Had a talk with an old diesel mechanic that made me rethink my whole approach to diagnostics

I was swapping stories with a guy named Pete who has been turning wrenches since the 70s. He told me he still starts every job by listening to the engine run for a full two minutes before touching any tools. Said he can hear problems that scanners miss, like a bad injector on a 6.0 Ford that only makes noise at 2,500 RPM. It hit me because I have been relying so much on my scan tool that I forgot the basics. Pete rebuilt three engines last year just by ear, no computer hooked up once. Ever had a moment where a older mechanic showed you something you thought you already knew?

21

skylergrant•9d ago

Hit 500 engine rebuilds last week and it still gets me

I was counting invoices for the year and realized I just passed 500 engine rebuilds since I started at this shop in Denver 8 years ago. That's like one every 6 days or so if you average it out. What surprised me is that I still get that nervous feeling when I fire one up for the first time after a rebuild. Anyone else ever count up their big milestones and feel that same tension?

11

lindaw29•10d ago

Learned that the hard way with a $600 transmission flush

Took my 2012 Ford Focus to a quick lube place for a transmission flush instead of just a drain and fill. Three weeks later the trans started slipping, cost me $600 for a rebuild after shops told me the flush probably pushed debris into the wrong places. Has anyone else had a shop suggest a flush on a high-mileage car and regret it?

28

faith_schmidt•11d ago

Serious question, why does everyone hate on using zip ties for exhaust hangers?

I got a loose exhaust pipe on my '02 F-150 last month and didn't have time to order the proper hanger. I used 4 heavy duty zip ties as a temp fix and it's still holding strong after 500 miles. Everyone in my crew tells me it's hack work but honestly it saved me $40 and a trip to the parts store. Has anyone else had a zip tie fix actually last longer than you expected?

9

the_kevin•15d ago

Old timer at the parts counter said something that stuck with me

Guy in his 70s told me he never uses a torque wrench on lug nuts. Just feel and a breaker bar. After 50 years he never had one come loose. Made me wonder how much we overthink simple stuff.

13

viola_cooper62•16d ago

Chat with an old diesel tech flipped how I approach electrical gremlins

I was talking to a retired guy at the parts counter last Tuesday, and he told me to stop chasing voltage drops with just a meter. He said I should always load test the circuit first with a test light that draws a few amps. Sure enough, I had a crank-no-start on a 2002 F-250 where the meter showed 12.4 volts but the light barely glowed. Has anyone else had a bad connection that your multimeter totally missed?

1

butler.shane•17d ago

Hit 200,000 miles on my shop truck and it caught me off guard

I was driving back from a job out in Frederick last Tuesday and watched the odometer roll over to 200k on my old F-150. This thing has been through two transmissions and a rear diff rebuild but the original 4.6 motor just keeps going. I never thought I'd see that milestone with how hard I beat on it hauling fence posts and tools. Anyone else have a work truck that just refuses to die?

9

anthony_lane55•18d ago

Old shop foreman told me to stop using impact guns on oil drain plugs, I thought he was nuts but he was right

Been using impacts for 10 years until he showed me 3 stripped pans in one week from guys cranking them down. Switched to hand tightening with a torque wrench set at 18 ft-lbs and haven't had a single comeback since. Anyone else ditch the air tools for oil changes?

28

anthony883•19d ago

Just found out my torque wrench was 15 ft-lbs off for over a year

I was calibrating my tools last week and discovered my old Craftsman torque wrench was reading way low. Checked it against a new digital one and it was off by 15 ft-lbs on a 80 ft-lb setting. Anyone else ever find out their tools were out of spec and wonder what they messed up?

1

the_cora•20d ago

Rolled past 50,000 miles on my shop truck this morning without realizing it

I was halfway to a job site and glanced down to see the odometer flip right at 50k. Anyone else ever catch a random milestone like that and feel weirdly proud of a beater truck?

20

patricia_king23•21d ago

Shoutout to the guy who put motor oil in his transmission

Had a customer last Tuesday who swore up and down his 'tranny fluid' was fine because it was 'basically the same stuff.' Drained his transmission and sure enough, dark brown motor oil came out. Now his car shifts like it's having a seizure. Has anyone else dealt with someone mixing up fluids like this?

16

wade_young86•22d ago

Had a customer swear by ATF in their diesel tank for cleaning injectors

I mean, I always thought putting automatic transmission fluid in a diesel was just an old wives tale from the farm days. But a guy came in last Thursday with a 2005 Ford Powerstroke that had nasty injector knock and swore by dumping a quart of Dexron III in the tank before every oil change. I looked it up on a diesel tech forum and found a study from 2018 that showed it actually helps dissolve carbon deposits better than some commercial additives. Still feels wrong to me though. Has anyone else tried this and seen real results without hurting the fuel system?

21

mason209•1mo ago

Chipped in 200 bucks for a fancy diagnostic scanner and it paid off in one day

I always thought those high end scan tools were a waste for an old school mechanic like me. Then my buddy let me borrow his Autel unit last week when a 2018 Ford Explorer came in with a weird transmission code. That thing found a bad solenoid in like 10 minutes instead of me guessing and swapping parts for hours. Ended up billing the customer $400 for the job so the scanner basically paid for itself on that one car. Now I'm thinking about getting one for myself but the $2000 price tag on a new one has me second guessing. Anyone find a good used one or a cheaper brand that actually works well?

24

derek_burns•1mo ago

After 10 years using Snap-on, I switched to Harbor Freight ratchets

Finally got sick of paying $150 for a replacement when the Snap-on 3/8 drive broke again. Bought the Pittsburgh Pro set for $35 six months ago and they've held up better than any of the truck brand ones I ever owned. Anyone else ditch the tool truck for cheaper stuff?

14

mary836•1mo ago

Tried the 'blow out the fuel line' trick on a 2002 Ford Ranger and ended up covered in diesel

Honestly, I was out in a customer's driveway in Bakersfield last Thursday and this old Ranger wouldn't start. Fuel filter looked clean, so I figured I'd clear the line with compressed air like my buddy swears by. Ngl, I didn't screw the fitting on tight enough and that thing blew off like a fire hose. Got diesel all over my jeans, shirt, and even my boots before I could shut the air off. Learned my lesson the hard way: always double check your connections and wear a raincoat if you're messing with fuel lines. Has anyone else had a simple job turn into a total mess like that?

-1

mason209•1mo ago

I still pick hand tools over air tools for interior work

I spent last Wednesday pulling a dash out of a 2017 Civic and my buddy kept saying I was crazy for using ratchets and screwdrivers instead of his air ratchet. Thing is, I cracked two trim pieces with my hands but he cracked three with his tool because he couldn't feel the resistance. Am I the only one who thinks you can control things better with hand tools in tight spots?

6

the_tara•1mo ago

Hot take: Should shops charge a diagnostic fee or not? A customer cussed me out over it last month.

I had a guy bring in a 2012 Ford Focus with a rough idle. I quoted him $95 for the diagnostic and he FLIPPED out, saying I was robbing him just to plug in a scanner. I tried to explain that hour of testing and checking live data was the real work. He ended up leaving and I saw his car at the chain shop down the street two days later. That interaction stuck with me because I wonder if we should just wave the fee if they approve the repair. Do you guys charge upfront or roll it into the labor if they say yes?

13

troykim•1mo ago

Found out the hard way that impact guns don't belong on brake caliper brackets

Last Tuesday I'm doing a brake job on an '07 F-150, customer is waiting. I zip off the caliper bracket bolts with my Milwaukee impact like I always do. One of them snaps clean off about halfway down the thread. Turns out the previous guy had cross-threaded it and I just finished the job for him. Had to drill it out and helicoil it. Took an extra hour and a half and I ate the labor. Anyone else run into hidden damage from other people's mistakes during routine jobs?

10

grace565•1mo ago

Walked into a transmission shop in Phoenix and watched a guy rebuild a 4L60E with no manual in sight

I dropped off a driveshaft last Thursday at this old shop near downtown. The lead tech had a 4L60E spread out on the bench, no book, no tablet, just going from memory. He told me he's been doing them since 1995 and can do one blindfolded. I get that experience counts, but is anyone else bothered by how few younger guys are learning this stuff? That guy is probably retiring in 5 years and then what? Has your shop seen a drop in people who know the older transmissions?

1

patricia_king23•1mo ago

Rant: Had a brake line blow out on me last Saturday on a 2005 F-150 right as I was pulling into the driveway.

The rust finally ate through the line at the rear axle, and I had to swap the whole thing with a piece of NiCopp line from Napa that cost me $18, but bending it by hand took twice as long as I remembered. Anyone else noticed how much worse the salt belt cars are getting?