Can you hear me now?

IMCO recently landed another project with Boeing; this time around it’s a job inside a building. We all know the dangers of using emission producing vehicles/equipment inside an enclosed environment. So management decided to obtain 3 "gently" used Cushman electric carts. We took extra caution not to cause any shorts because of the nearly 60volts running the motor. Not too complex in design except the one with the Curtis electronic motor controller. The controller is programed to make the electric motor behave like a combustion engine powered vehicle. A tech can hook up a programmer and change the drive-ability parameters of the cart. We didn't have a programmer so we had a little trouble with it. With the help of the magical internet and some manuals we found there, we had these voltage juiced up battery beasts running around in no time. One concern that I addressed though was that these things were incredibly quiet, too quiet. A man striding through a warehouse would cause way more noise than these Cushmans. There is a backup alarm on every single one, but going forward? This is not new technology for use where emissions are prohibited but I’m curios to know how many accidents occurred simply because you can’t hear these things put-put, or should I say zip along. Some people reference comically to equipping electric vehicles to imitate motor sounds, but I see somebody getting rich. Can you hear me now?

Repetition

It seems a lot of times that repetition is a nuance of preventative maintenance. I began looking at it as a way of being accustomed to quicker diagnosis. What I mean is that once you have gone over a piece of machinery multiple times it becomes very evident when something is out of order.  It could be with anything electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical; you just need to try to not let it bore you but see it as an opportunity to find something out of place. For example I was servicing a 2006 f150 when I came across heavy milky build-up on the oil cap. Every other fluid looked good on the truck so I didn’t suspect a blown head gasket; I was guessing poor crankcase ventilation. I didn’t find a PCV valve because it turns out that this ford doesn’t have one, sort of. Ford decided to have constant ventilation and to prevent condensation build up the PCV passage is heated. I pulled it out, connected to power and checked it with my infrared thermometer. Not a degree in variation of temperature, bad PCV tube.  The first time around I was in there for hours, the second week different truck, same motor-same problem. It took me half of an hour this time around. So because of the repetition I was able to identify the problem faster and thus repair it faster. Not so boring now.

Job Ad

Looking for techs with extensive knowledge in electronics. (Maybe too many coronas on the sea corona)

Under Pressure

I have a good understanding of the need for oil pressure in a combustion engine but, I never gave much thought to the purpose of pressure in the cooling system.  Until I started reading about it, I’ve never even paid attention to the different types of radiators, down flow and cross flow.  The down flow style pertains more to our industry, the heavy industry, as where cross flow is widely used in automotive for lower profile. Radiators are pressurized to allow the cooling system to operate at higher than atmospheric pressure. This improves cooling efficiency and prevents evaporation and surge losses. The pressure cap increases air pressure in the system by several pounds per square inch, allowing coolant to be circulated at higher temperatures without boiling. With the greater difference between the coolant and the outside air, heat passes from the coolant faster. Simple, yet genius huh. This is where the need for the expansion tank comes in to, so that the coolant has somewhere to go during the changes in temperature and pressure. I feel like Bill Nye the science guy – BILL! BILL! BILL! BILL! You know what I’m talking about.

7 to the 3rd power

It’s been a while since I’ve seen everybody from class and I think I’m starting to miss everyone……. No not really….. Anyways, looking forward to obtain a lot of experience this upcoming year and hopefully graduating.  Started the year off neck deep in a 7.3 Powerstroke.  I was in the middle of a full service on a 99 ford F-450 when I felt something drip on my head from the access cover to the flywheel. It didn’t seem like oil so I proceeded to do an official sniff test and as it turns out, oil it was not.  Diesel, diesel was dripping from somewhere in the engine compartment and I did not yet change the fuel filter so that couldn’t be it. Upon further inspection I found that the return fuel line on the back of the head was leaking, I notified the authorities and proceeded with the repair. There was also lots of oil in the valley between the heads which I found while venturing into the engine, it was the high pressure oil pump, which was also leaking, sweet.  I went ahead and ordered a new oil pump.  While I was in there I figured why not change all of the seals, gaskets, O-rings and rubber grommets, luckily ford had the same thing in mind so they have a convenient kit for the occasion. I enjoyed taking out the old oil pump as I have not dealt with many before so it was interesting to see the application of one on this particular engine. Many mental images were taken for future assessments of the infamous 7.3. Hope to see some cool blogs as we are growing to be veteran bloggers. Till next time!