The FULL Story..

[thepumpguysc]

I went to look at a fuel leak on a BIG JLG fork lift {after hrs} the other nite..
Leaking throttle shaft.. no biggie, seen it thousand x before..
You have to pull the engine half apart to get to it tho.. I'm up for it..
get it apart, take the cover home, ream the housing, put a new bushing in it & let the epoxy sit over nite..
Head to the jobsite after work.. put new orings on the shaft & install the shaft.. NOPE..
They bent the shaft so bad that it wouldn't go back in the cover..!!!
I tried for 30 minutes.. & gave up..
I showed the on-call mechanic & he said.. "yeah, I found that if I tightened up on the throttle cable, it would cock the throttle & slow down the leak"... WTF???
I mean, REALLY?? I just shook my head & said, "I'll be back tomorrow w/ a new shaft"..
In 30+ YEARS of doing this.. I've NEVER SEEN THAT.. & I've worked on some crappy machines!!!
WHY wont people tell you the FULL STORY?? Your there to HELP THEM..
I guess they think, if you leave out certain details, it'll save'um money?? I don't get it..
NOW, its another service call charge.. another wasted evening & the rain is moving in for a solid week..

 

[kshansen]

Can't recall off the top of my head any stories , but do know there were many times when trying to fix or troubleshoot a problem having that little bit of information of what "they" had done would have saved lots of time and effort.

And it's not like they would have been charged for a phone call as our "customers" were all in-company. Sure if I had to make a road trip to the plant and actually do the work they would be charged but not for a phone call or two to discuss a problem!

 

[Hobbytime]

I think the whole story is held back so the owner( boss) doesnt find out what idiots they have working for them, as you may put the story in your billing and the owner finds out...and that this problem went on for so long and other parts were abused and damaged..

 

[thepumpguysc]

OH, IT GETS BETTER.. Lol
I said to myself, why not just check the "boost diaphragm" while your here.. that's what gives the machine the extra shot of fuel it needs under a load, from the turbo..
It takes a special 5 sided bit w/ a tity in the middle of it, that nobody has but me.. lol {5sided tamperproof torx bit..} The friggin diaphragm was blown apart in 3 PIECES..!!! WTH??
I showed the "on call" guy.. he said, yeah, it seemed to loose power.. OMG!!!
The RUBBER diaphragm bout the size of a 25 cent piece cost 96.00.. I DID SAY RUBBER.. & I did say 96.00.. GET THIS> the STEEL throttle shaft, precision ground.. is only 42.00..
Steel vs rubber?? I don't get it..
OH WELL.. the jobs done, the customer is happy & I got paid.. which is {almost} the most important part..
On to the next one.. stay tuned..

 

[Brodiesel]

YOU ARE A MASTER IP REBUILDER!

 

[John C.]

We used to call that putting out fires. How many times have you heard what actually caused a house or barn or what ever burn up?

Nice job!

 

[Randy88]

In defense of the idiots of the world, they don't mean to leave out pertinent information, the way they view it, they did temporarily fix the problem and what they did they feel didn't hinder or make your life harder in any way, how could it, they cured the problem for a while, how could that ever make the problem worse for anyone else. And above all else, remember who hired these people in the first place..............................

 

[check]

A mechanics first step.....verify customers complaint. If they don't complain about something that's wrong, you can only verify the one thing he did say.

To solve any problem, one must first diagnose it. Whenever I forget this and do it the other way around, it turns out badly....unless I just got lucky.

Lot's of people operate on the principle that if you keep your mouth shut as much as possible, other people won't figure out how stupid you are.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I smell what your cookin CHECK.. I DID verify the leaking shaft on my first trip.. just to see if I wanted to take on the job..
THATS when the "mechanic" should have told me about the loss of power & the throttle shaft "trick"..
Its all fine & dandy now.. he got charged for an extra service call & 120.00 in parts, ON TOP of the original quote. I'm happy, he's happy & I'm really sure, the fork lift drivers are happy.. oodles more power..

 

[repowerguy]

Uhh, pumpguy, I have one of those tamper proof screw tools also. Mine resembles a 3/8" chisel and a 12 ounce hammer though....

 

[lantraxco]

As a coworker once advised, ask the customer questions until he's really pissed, then ask two more, you might get enough information to get the job right then....

 

[thepumpguysc]

I 've seen your equipment then RG.. lol.. Folks get VERY inventive when faced w/ those tamper screws..
That particular pump manuf. got slick & put them in a recessed hole.. completely ridiculous, even by my standards.. theres ABSOLUTLY NOTHING under that cover that could be "tampered" with..

 

[thepumpguysc]

I know what you mean LAN.. nuthin worse than working for 10 hrs & THEN find out the REAL problem & have to start over.. I guess its not tooo bad if your working for yourself & pocketing the money BUT if your doing it hourly for your "boss".. HE'S the one making the money, your just the poor SOB that has to deal w/ the aggravation, for pennies on the dollar..

 

[92U 3406]

Try wrenching in the rental business. Customers will say and do anything to cover up something that might cost them big $$$$.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I REALLY "thought" about going to the rental companies.. Just to get out of the grind I'm in..
I actually get about 3 pieces of equipment in from them a week..BUT the thing about those places is> when your not wrenching or even if you are.. your TOLD YOU HAVE TO deliver this equipment here & there & end up being the delivery boy AND the mechanic..
and when a piece of equipment is down longer than it shoulda been.. your ass get knawed.. & everyone forgets about the 200 mile trip, one way, you just got back from.. drivin a semi, in downtown traffic.!!!
FORGET THAT CRAP..
About 75-90% of the fuel related problems that come in from the various rental co's. in town are SIMPLE fixes.. So I KNOW they ALL need mechanics.. Either that or the mechanics are busy drivin trucks & delivering equipment?? lol

 

[Randy88]

Most rental companies only do one thing good, product testing for equipment manufacturers., mainly in terms of life expectancy of the equipment, measured in hours, days or months.

 

[92U 3406]

The only times I've ever been told to deliver equipment when working in rentals was if I was driving past that customer on my way to a service call. And only if the equipment was small enough to fit in the back of my service truck. We have 2 full time drivers and a tow company on contract for deliveries.

 

[Muffler Bearing]

I once got a work order that said "No Start" I walked out to an old truck, Tipped the hood and found a freshly painted longblock with only a few thing loosely connected to it, maybe 4-5 bolts in the bell housing, and no hoses or harness connected. I get it, maybe the mechanic quit or something, But really? "No Start" is what you told my service writer?

 

[thepumpguysc]

That sounds about right MB..
I get pumps in ALL THE TIME, like, EVERY DAY.. ask the foreman, whats the complaint??
I don't know.. he wouldn't tell me.. WTF?? he wouldn't tell you?? MORE LIKE> you didn't ask, you DA..
all I get is> just tear it down.. GOD I HATE MY DAY JOB..

 

[Jackie j]

I wish I had a dollar for every time I got sent to a machine for something that turned out to be something else completely lol, flat tire =blown hydraulic line or dead battery = coolant leak. Or just getting sent to a machine to flip a switch or move a shovel off of an e-stop. My favorite was a roadtec sb2500 that would only move with the hood open........shovel on brake pedal with hood closed on top pushing it down. The funny thing was the operator moved the shovel to show me the problem and then put it right back and closed the hood again