Is it still magic to you after all these years?

[sled dog]

Talking about engines here. Am in the process of rolling in rod and main bearings in a 7F, 3306. The other day, laying underneath the old pig, and just marveling still at the simplicity and beauty of the bottom end of that inline six. Then got to thinking that when it's turning and burning, it is truly mathematics in motion. This journal is measured and built to thousandths of tolerance, as are most all of the parts and gears. This gear must be this diameter with this many teeth, to do this job at this time. This piston must fit this bore, and travel this far to create this much compression, and this much fuel must be fed to this much air at this time to create this much power. Mathematics to build it, mathematics in motion running. A collection of metal, that all together, make a living, breathing being. Must have air, must have nourishment. Has vital pressures and fluids. Running, they fart continuously and like us, some stink really bad and others, well, not so much... Sister engines, on the same assembly line, and they will run, or sound slightly different, and have slightly different personality's. Have rebuilt many over these many years, though not on the scale of guys like Truck Shop, or Vetech, or TC Tractors, or a thousand others of you. But still marvel, and am slightly amazed, when that collection of different parts lights off, and it's blood pressure comes up, and the temp rises, and it LIVES. Then, in a personal moment, I'm kinda proud. I did that. I gave it my blood usually, and sweat, and skin....a part of me one way or another. Yeah, maybe I'm sentimental, or maybe just mental the Wife says, but I think another Mechanic will understand. Engines, like so many other things we deal with aren't really magic, but when we fix either them or a thousand other things and problems, sometimes others think we are magicians. I always get a laugh out of that, and I always share this quote with them. "When you know what the Magician knows, it's not Magic anymore...." Have a good afternoon my Friends, and the best New Year you can. Chuck

 

[Truck Shop]

I'm just a #3 grease monkey-but engines, transmissions and the like are alive and will take on the
personality of the owner!

 

[Spud_Monkey]

I came from a family of misfits with no skills, no pride in what they do, and nothing to show for the life they lived except a mess. I'm the opposite and yes it is still magic to take something that one tossed or couldn't fix and bring it back to life, it's even more magic when more than one mechanic has gotten their dick beaters on it and couldn't resolve it especially when they have more credits on paperwork than me or claim to be the best. I don't see the fancy paint jobs, the leather upholstery interior, all the buttons that you will only push once or never, I see the basics of engine, transmission gears, bearings, oil and blinker fluid is same they all need to run on.

 

[Mike L]

Every time I rebuild an engine I just go through the motions until it’s done and ready to start. Then I always get a few butterflies in my stomach. Once I fire it up, and it clears itself up, and it’s sitting there purring I always listen real hard for something that might not sound right. The longer it runs without sounding like somebody inside with a ball peen hammer, my chest swells a bit and my hat seems to tighten a little. Of course I’ve had a couple times where I got deflated but it’s bound to happen. Anybody who claims they’ve never had something go bad is either a liar or hasn’t done much.

 

[kshansen]

Sometimes it's the ones that did not come out perfect but were still brought back to life.

One in particular was a Mack ten wheeler. Not really sure why but they had parked it of the winter like always outside at the quarry, same one with the awful coffee I mentioned! Anyhow come warm weather and they go to fire it up and it's locked up solid. Somehow dampness got in one or more cylinders and rusted it up. Tried pushing it with loader and it would either skid rear wheels or slip the clutch!

This was a truck only used inside the quarry so it's not like I had to worry about it breaking down in the middle of nowhere late at night. Thought bout it a little and talked to the quarry boss with an idea to free it up. He said go for it!

What I did is pull out some injectors and then the rocker assemblies off the engine. Next was take an old junk injector and pull the guts out of it and grind off the tip. Determined what cylinder was not at top or bottom of it's stroke and installed this modded injector that I had also installed a zerk fitting in the top. Grabed the air powered grease gun and had at it! Did not take long and the crankshaft turned nice and slow. Next got the loader operator, the guy with the nasty coffee, to give me a push once truck was rolling let out the clutch and that cylinder full of grease shot out the hole like a large snake!

Put original injectors back in and reset valves. Hit the starter and the old Mack fired up, smoked a bit to say the least! Checked with them a few times that season and said it ran good but did use a little oil but otherwise worked just fine. Would not suggest that method for a long haul truck but for a truck that never got more than a mile from where it was parked at nigh or over 25 miles an hour it worked!

 

[mekanik]

I was an engine tech in a truck and equipment shop for over 20 years.
Went to work as a fleet mechanic for an electric utility for 15 years,
retired from there 2 years ago still working 2 days a week for a small
family owned shop.
Never had any serious things go sideways the odd oil leak. Last week
I did a head gasket on an international HT570 and when I fired it up
and heard it finally smooth out and idled like it should I got the same
feeling that Mike L mentioned in the previous post even after over 40
years of wrenching.

 

[Truck Shop]

Personally I like the sound one seizing-as long as it's not mine.

 

[Mike L]

Personally I like the sound one seizing-as long as it's not mine.

I’ve never heard that noise. What’s it sound like?

 

[Truck Shop]

Just pulling down hard before lockup.

 

[mekanik]

A mistake I made years ago I was touching up the valves and seats in
a Cummins 400 big cam 2 and I some how accidentally got an intake
valve in an exhaust port. The driver said it sounded like 50 pounds of
nails went through the exhaust pipe under the cab.

 

[Truck Shop]

Loose in the port? Or the valve head broke off?

 

[mekanik]

The intake valves were different than the exhaust valves. They were exactly the same size
but a different material. The valve head looked like it exploded.

 

[Truck Shop]

Well cummins used the same intake and exhaust valve number in some series, and some exhaust were
stelite. Big cam 4's could have either. 99% chance on a reman head it will have the same number for exhaust
and intake.

 

[Cmark]

The Buddha exists as much in a 3306 as in a the petals of a flower. It's up to you to find him

 

[John C.]

Every time I rebuild an engine I just go through the motions until it’s done and ready to start. Then I always get a few butterflies in my stomach. Once I fire it up, and it clears itself up, and it’s sitting there purring I always listen real hard for something that might not sound right. The longer it runs without sounding like somebody inside with a ball peen hammer, my chest swells a bit and my hat seems to tighten a little. Of course I’ve had a couple times where I got deflated but it’s bound to happen. Anybody who claims they’ve never had something go bad is either a liar or hasn’t done much.

Times two on this. Loved rebuilding engines but always ended up doing it in the woods or some ones else's shop complex over two hours away from home. The usual request was make it run but we can't afford new parts. When I was on my own I just plain stopped doing them and refuse that work to this day.

 

[Truck Shop]

Looking back-A big cam I inframed, was pouring the coolant in and I heard fluid dribbling on the shop floor.
Forgot to put the water grommets in head gaskets.

 

[cuttin edge]

Talking about engines here. Am in the process of rolling in rod and main bearings in a 7F, 3306. The other day, laying underneath the old pig, and just marveling still at the simplicity and beauty of the bottom end of that inline six. Then got to thinking that when it's turning and burning, it is truly mathematics in motion. This journal is measured and built to thousandths of tolerance, as are most all of the parts and gears. This gear must be this diameter with this many teeth, to do this job at this time. This piston must fit this bore, and travel this far to create this much compression, and this much fuel must be fed to this much air at this time to create this much power. Mathematics to build it, mathematics in motion running. A collection of metal, that all together, make a living, breathing being. Must have air, must have nourishment. Has vital pressures and fluids. Running, they fart continuously and like us, some stink really bad and others, well, not so much... Sister engines, on the same assembly line, and they will run, or sound slightly different, and have slightly different personality's. Have rebuilt many over these many years, though not on the scale of guys like Truck Shop, or Vetech, or TC Tractors, or a thousand others of you. But still marvel, and am slightly amazed, when that collection of different parts lights off, and it's blood pressure comes up, and the temp rises, and it LIVES. Then, in a personal moment, I'm kinda proud. I did that. I gave it my blood usually, and sweat, and skin....a part of me one way or another. Yeah, maybe I'm sentimental, or maybe just mental the Wife says, but I think another Mechanic will understand. Engines, like so many other things we deal with aren't really magic, but when we fix either them or a thousand other things and problems, sometimes others think we are magicians. I always get a laugh out of that, and I always share this quote with them. "When you know what the Magician knows, it's not Magic anymore...." Have a good afternoon my Friends, and the best New Year you can. Chuck

Example of enjoying your work.

 

[cuttin edge]

Every time I rebuild an engine I just go through the motions until it’s done and ready to start. Then I always get a few butterflies in my stomach. Once I fire it up, and it clears itself up, and it’s sitting there purring I always listen real hard for something that might not sound right. The longer it runs without sounding like somebody inside with a ball peen hammer, my chest swells a bit and my hat seems to tighten a little. Of course I’ve had a couple times where I got deflated but it’s bound to happen. Anybody who claims they’ve never had something go bad is either a liar or hasn’t done much.

Buddy of mine worked for another company. Did a motor job on a V12 genset. Did the bulk of the work in the shop on the floor. Got tied up for head gaskets an was short on time. The unit was placed back into the van trailer and moved on site so it could be wired up to the crusher. Finished the job in the quarry in the van. Great fun he said, trying to install and torque the heads in the there. Can't remember exactly, but when it was installed in place, as soon as it starts, it is full throttle. He climbed up on top of the engine to hold the throttle at an idle to at least give it a chance. After less than 60 seconds, the foreman yelled, that's good enough, let her go. On his belly, between the trailer roof and a screaming v12. Said he could hear the jaw starting to crush and the screens filling up before he got off. Those would be big butterflies, or an A10 warthog at the very least.

 

[farmerlund]

Havn't done many big diesel engines. Two I think, and had a litttle help (my neighbor is a retired Cummins guy). My brother and I raced dirt stock cars for a few years. built everything ourselfes. I have a friend who's dad owned a engine machine shop. He was a very talented race engine builder.

I learned a ton of machining and performance engine theory from old Richard. I built my own race engines from swap meet junk mostly. It was very satisfying to do most of the machine work( I never ground a crankshaft but did everything else, under a tough old germans watch) than beat the pants off of alot of big $$$$ racers.
I still love making something on the lath or milling machine. Most times it's putting a couple things together that were never made to fit.

 

[aighead]

I don't like math @sled dog but that was beautiful!

On the note of magic, I'm in charge of a few production lines where we build small printing devices for big printing presses. Our specs are tight, to the micron level, and we are able to create and control incredibly tiny drops of ink and fire them through the sky at paper moving very quickly underneath (or above!) it. One of our big, full color machines creates and controls over 56 and a half billion drops of ink per second. It's like magic that it works but it does and it does it well. I'm much more up to speed on these kind of mechanics than I am engines, but I certainly understand the sentiment.