Week of June 16: My new job

This past week I performed an oil change on a 3 cylinder yanmar diesel, installed an electric windlass for an anchor and correctly fixed the house bank battery wiring for a boat. I learned about what makes marine diesels special from other diesel engines. I learned about engine and boat zincs, raw water impellers and how marine engines use raw water to cool the engine. I have been learning a lot about how deep cycle 6v batteries are used in 110v offshore use and how to properly hook them up for use and charging. I have learned a great deal this past week and can't wait for the rest of the summer!

Hours 40
Hours to date 40

Preventive Maintenance Final Project: Part 2

I chose four topics to describe about my 1897 Toyota 4Runner. The lube oils, grease, gear lubes and service intervals. Lube oils (engine lubrication) I believe is my best defense to have engine longevity. It is the central spot where I can learn everything about how the engine is running. Are there metal flakes in it? Is the engine consuming oil? Is it a leak or is it burning it? Has the oil not changed color since its last oil change? Why is the oil so thick or runny? These are the questions I am always thinking about in a new vehicle and whenever it is time for a service. I learned that the importance of lube oils can not be underestimated. Without engine oil while running, an engine could have a matter of seconds to minutes left in its life. Engine oil helps cool, absorb contaminants, transport contaminants, become a shock absorber for vital engine bearings and more. I learned that my toyota takes API grade: SF or SF/CC oil and for my area 10w-30 will work great as a viscosity. I learned that this vehicle needs at least its minimum API grade, but you can also use higher standard oil that meets the specifications of vehicles that are being made today. It uses 4.5 U.S. quarts when changing the oil and oil filter. Grease is only used in my drive train. I quickly identified that I have greased for life ball joints and steering linkage. My toyota requires molybdenum disulphide lithium base NLGI No. 2 grease. This is used for the 7 grease fittings that follow both driveshafts because it is a 4 wheel drive 4Runner. Greasing is also very important because it is also there as a cushion to extend the life of wear points that can't be lubed by a oil bath or oil system i.e.( engine oil). Gear lubes I have probably learned the most about because I had the most questions. One of those questions was what is hypoid mean? I looked it up and hypoid has to do with how the gears in a rear differential are made up. They don't mesh together in parallel, but more like at a 90 degree angle to each other so there is more tooth to tooth surface area. This is done so the amount of horsepower and torque can be increased, but use a smaller differential. My rear axle specification is 80w-90. However in a two wheel drive model it requires SAE 90 weight that is hypoid. Hypoid oil has additives in it that don't let it degrade as fast as regular gear oil when subject to higher gear teeth pressure. Gear lube is very important because without it my differential, transmission and transfer case would get to hot and the gears would wear out. The service intervals for this vehicle are very important. Service intervals are in place so I the consumer can know when specific things need to be done. If I neglect to change the lube oils for 30,000 miles my engine wouldn't last as long due to the worn out oil that would most likely be very contaminated and its additives would be worn out.

I did a count of how many grease fittings are on the new peterbuilt truck and I counted 51.

I have learned many specific things about preventive maintenance while doing this project. I learned about why it is so important to all of a machines parts. If done correctly it can extend the life of new and old machines. I believe without a solid preventive maintenance program machines will be constantly down and will grow old very quick.

Here are the links to the MSDS for all of my fluids:

http://www.technologylubricants.com/MSDS/CITGO/MSDS/EP%20Moly%20D%20Grease.pdf

http://www.canyonstateoil.com/msds-sheets/Valvoline/VAL_HP_GEAR_OIL_80W90_PL_5_GA.PDF

http://facilities.fit.edu/documents/forms/MSDS/NAPA%2010W30%20High%20Mileage%20oil%2075-130.pdf

SPQ13: Week of June 1, 2013: Final Project. Part 1

This first post I will use as display for all the pictures I took while performing this assignment.

Week of May 27, 2013: Hydraulics Final

This past week I worked on my hydraulics final for school. It entailed me learning and proving track speed and a hydraulic cycle time. I chose the bucket curl and dump. As you can see two of my photos show the stopwatch times and another shows the specification. I learned a lot about checking hydraulic systems to make sure they are in good working order and that all the components are performing correctly. I also had another bad hydraulic hose that I had to replace at work on a B21 Kubota tractor.

Hours: 15
Hours to date: 348

Week of May 20, 2013: hydraulic testing, welding, riding lawn mowers and the Northwestern crab boat

This past week I completed the first part of my hydraulics assignment by using the Parker electronic pressure test gauge. It was enlightening to see how accurate the gauge is compared to an analog one. I learned how to properly hook up a test gauge and use it correctly. I also welded up a pin for an excavator. I had to weld a small piece of rod to the end of the pin to make a T-handle and then weld a piece of chain to that for a safety catch. On Friday, I has the opportunity to go and check out the Northwestern crab boat as seen on deadliest catch. We weren't able to see the engine room due to it being completely apart and getting re-powered. I did however get to see some of the drivetrain, the wheel house, the controls and I got a full tour of the whole boat. Today I got to fix a riding lawn mower. The problem had to do with it not turning over. So I diagnosed the battery and it was no good. So I replaced it. I then turned to the signal wire for the starter solenoid and found bad connections. After cleaning everything up including the very small brake switch, I was able to get it running. In the near future I will probably rebuild the carburetor.

Hours: 50
Hours to date: 333

Week of May 13: The oil cooled Deutz engine

This past week I had to perform a repair on a Deutz engine. The issue had to do with oil leaking from around the oil cooler. Another mechanic ordered new oil cooler pipes which are about two inches and can be seen in one of my photos. I removed the oil cooler and installed the new pipes and that did the trick. It was interesting to learn about how these engines use engine oil to cool them. I will look into how they regulate the engine temperature possibly with a thermostat of some kind.

Hours 40
Hours to date 283

SPQ13: Week of May 6. Containers, hydraulics test board and wheel seals

This past week I got to learn about how to use and learn from the hydraulic test bench. I learned about the basics including aeration, cavitation and restriction to say the least. I have learned about how to construct a working hydraulic circuit which included a valve, a cylinder, a pump, a tank and a pressure relief valve for safety. It was great to see it all come together. I got the opportunity to operate a 14,000 capacity forklift. My task was to move four shipping containers to get to two empty containers. Really cool to easily move around so much weight.

Hours: 40
Hours to date: 243