Feb. 18-25, 2013: scissor lift, glow plugs and an ignition actuator

This past week was great! I finally got my new 12v glow plugs for my truck and my new ignition actuator so I can use the key again. I got to test my new glow plugs and they worked just as i thought they would. You can see in my photos the progression of the brightness. I learned my lesson between 6v and 12v glow plugs before so i am glad i got the right ones. I also installed my new ignition actuator. You can see it in my last photo. I learned how to breakdown my steering column in about 10 minutes when I was done. Very cool to see how everything works. At work this past week, I got to take a look at a scissor lift someone else was working on. The biggest I have seen before. Very intresting to learn about the ECM and the hydraulic filter pressure gauge, electronic fuel flow sensor and the dual electrical system ( alternator and generator) for 12 and 120v. Great learning this past week!

Hours: 35
Hours to date: 260

Feb. 11-18, 2013: Batteries & Synchro

This past week I have been doing some different jobs around the shop, one of which is determining the fate of bad batteries. I have been learning a lot about batteries and more about how to test them. They batteries I am going through have been pulled out of machines for various reasons and need to be gone through to find out if they are actually bad and see what kind of shape they are in. Most of them turn out to be good and it is that line that I am still learning to find when it is good or bad. I have been using a digital battery tester that when hooked up tests the voltage and the cold cranking amps of the batteries. The test takes basically 15 seconds and it tells you if the battery is good or bad. The battery needs to be charged on a pulsing charger until it reads 100%, then it needs to sit overnight to equilize. I have learned that testing right after taking off the charger will show false results. I am also using as a backup an old battery tester. This is basically a large resistor that you hook-up and test to see how well the battery takes the load. Overall, I am learning a lot about how electricity is turned into chemical energy then back into electrical energy! I have also had some curiosity about manual transmissions and what exactly synchros are. I did some online research to find out. I learned that syncros are basically gears between the actual gears. They act as a middleman between the gears that you are actually shifting into. I had been interested to know what these were due to thinking about putting a manual transmission in my truck and understanding what exactly is going on in that transmission. Another good week and I am ready for the next one!

Hours: 25
Hours to date: 225

Feb 4-11, 2013: Hydraulic motors and new equipment

This week I learned more about hydraulic motors while watching Jesse piece back together a blown apart hydraulic drive motor. After finishing it all he had to run a pressure test to make sure the end cap was within specifications, really cool to watch him charge it up and watch the end cap move. We also got some new equipment at birch. I got to study a new tracked skid steer and take a look at a new dl11 reach forklift. All the new engine systems and electronics made me smile due to the fact of the amount of higher learning and knowledge it will take to fix them. My future! I also was checking out the tier 4 engine in the forklift. It had what seemed to be a pretty large egr sitting in front of the engine with an oxygen sensor. So cool to see the future of off road diesel's!

Hours: 15
Hours to date: 200

Jan 28- Feb 3, 2013: The Diesel Beast repair!

This week my truck finally stopped wanting to start. It had been having an issue with the starter and the flex plate. The flex plate was wearing out and ruining starters. On thursday, I started the task of replacing both the flex plate and starter. I ended up learning about how my truck has a flex plate and another plate that is almost as thick as a flywheel and has the ring gear on it. After some research I learned that it was an external balancing plate that also doubled as a sturdy plate to take the torque of the starter. Very interesting . I also had trouble with putting both plates on with ought them falling off so I made two studs out of two bolts and it worked. I learned a lot about this repair and I can't wait for what is next on the diesel beast!

Hours: 35
Hours to date: 185