Thermostat removal

This week in Diesel engine tune-up, our group finished a thermostat removal and replacement on our Freightliner. We checked the thermostat to make sure it was working properly. It was pretty cool to watch the the hoses collapse under the pressure of the vacuum while we filled the system with coolant. 

Average minds

"Average minds give up when they fail..
                 Champions fail until they achieve"

This is something that took me quite a bit longer than it should have to come to terms with... I think to some extent we all have a fear of failure.... But I've noticed that all who are great have failed several times before they achieved. You have to get this in your head, or giving up is always going to be the route you end up taking. To achieve you must understand and accept that there will be failure and pain and probably some doubt, but once you understand that these are all part of the process you will truly be unstoppable in the path to your dreams. Often times we get so caught up in fear of failing that we don't even begin trying..


This week:

We had the chance to meet Lisa Kelly!

Teamwork

Having a job in the "real world" is more than just turning wrenches. It's the people you meet, the long days, and hours to make sure that a job gets done. It's the countless times of lack of sleep thinking about ways to improve. It's the people you work with, the relationships you build. For any of us to say that we don't need anyone; we are lying to ourselves. 
Even if you work by yourself on a vehicle, the name on the side of that building is your team! A foolish man thinks he is irreplaceable, but a wise man knows he can't do it all on his own. No matter how good you are, or think you are; there is always someone out there that is more knowledgeable than you. 
So a few things to remember: you are only as good as you want to be, you are replaceable, and always do the job with nothing but excellence!

"Teamwork makes the dream work" 

Reflection:
This week we had an S10 come in the shop that wouldn't run. This particular vehicle had recently had a fuel pump put in it by the customer. So after getting the truck into the shop, I raise it into the air and look to see if any of the wires had got smashed in the process. Well I had noticed that the fuel tank straps were still rusted so I  knew that they hadn't taken the fuel tank off to do the fuel pump. After I had got to looking, I realized that there were no bolts holding the truck bed on. So the customer had taken the bed off of the truck to replace the fuel pump and forgot to put the bolts back in the bed. That is one of those moments that make you scratch your head and think what the h***. So with the help of my coworker, we moved the bed back far enough to access the fuel pump. I then discovered that the customer had not connected the wires. With the help of wiring diagrams, I figured out which wire went to what. After connecting the wires, and making sure to have a good ground, the truck still wasn't running properly. Come to find out, the customer had put the wrong fuel pump in it and in the process of doing so, they bent the float as well. There were two different options for a fuel pump for this truck. One being for a flex-fuel and the other for a non flex-fuel. The truck is a non flex-fuel.... This was definitely a learning experience and it opened my eyes to simple mistakes such as forgetting the bed bolts and how it could have cost someone their life....

Another year..

And so another year begins...
As my summer has drawn to end, I'm not super thrilled about going back to school; but on the bright side I will still be working in the shop two days a week. This summer has been filled with a lot of learning experiences...

We had a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta come in the shop needing a timing belt. I have never really messed with Volkswagen before, so this was definitely a learning process. In an interference engine, it is never good when a timing belt comes off. An interference engine is one that has insufficient clearance between the valves and pistons. If the timing belt comes off it usually results in catastrophic engine damage. I'm not sure if all Volkswagen engines are this way, but in this engine the cams have notches in them allowing you to turn them and take the head bolts out. In the process of the timing belt coming off, the valves hit the top of the pistons... So the guy who brought the car in decided it wasn't worth fixing.. So I bought the car off of him and I plan on putting a 
motor in it.