Nearly every trade I’m familiar with has some sort of “initiation” rites or procedures or activities associated with it. For example, an inexperienced carpenter may be asked by his lead technician to go fetch a nonexistent tool such as a 3 ft. meter stick, a board stretcher, or even a glass mallet. The two trades I’ve been involved in for most of my life: vehicle mechanic and machinist are no different. Well, to lighten the mood of my blog I decided to walk a reader through just a small handful of such activities as if he/she were just beginning their career in that trade. These activities I have participated in either as willing co-conspirator or as an unknowing victim.
So, as a new mechanic/machinist/technician/etc. you may be asked to start your day with a search for a can of P.E. psi fluid. This is highly valuable stuff and is normally refrigerated to keep its shelf life extended as much as possible (spell out P.E. psi with no periods and no capital letters). After you’ve been redirected from several shops and finally picked up the ice-cold fluid, it’s very important to return it immediately to your lead tech, who will then promptly open up the can and drink it.
Your next task will be to prepare the stall or work area for equipment, proper tools, or materials needed to complete the work. So, be sure to go to the supply section and order up several yards of flight line. This will allow you a solid working surface area to work on. Can’t have our creepers roll around underneath vehicles in mud now can we? It’s also crucial to make sure any fluids, materials, etc. are the proper weight for the current season. You’ll need to ensure that the air within a tire is proper winter-weight or summer-weight air depending on the season. Headlight fluid is also helpful to have handy should you need to make any adjustments to the lights; along with the more costly blinker fluid. Additionally, you may have to modify the job you are working on. Along with the normal tools expected to do a job, bring with you a standard bolt-stretcher because sometimes, you just may need a longer bolt when you don’t have one. Metric bolt-stretchers can be very hard to come by so you may have to sign a contract on penalty of death agreeing to return it to the tool room if you need it.
Now, let’s move onto “the meat” of the work. Being unfamiliar with the job may require flexibility. This can be helped with flexible tooling such as the ever-helpful metric adjustable wrench. Being able to work in both “standard” and “metric” can greatly increase one’s skill level. For the lefties out there, a little bit of searching will help you find the left-handed version of the metric adjustable wrench. Most shops do carry a line of left-handed hammers for the lefties in these trades. But do not expect to find a left-handed version of the any-sixteenths adjustable wrench. This is the U.S. we’re talking about and damn it we have standards that we adhere to.
For those really “tricky” jobs, specialized tooling is often necessary due to the complexity of the work. Having a sky hook can help with those really heavy duty jobs and can greatly lessen the stress on the back from heavy lifting. It can be so frustrating to drop a part or tool while focused on a particularly challenging operation of a job. Therefore, having a brass magnet will help the “clumsy” technician when he/she needs it. And for the highly intelligent beginner technicians, make sure you bring with you a cup of radon. To help ease on preventive maintenance, installing a tachometer filter will reduce the number of times you need to replace the RPMs, not to mention reducing the number of times the RPM oil will need servicing.
Replacing a component or reworking a component of a job can be tedious. Take the armored vehicle the M113; a principle armored troop carrier for the U.S. military. Replacing the armored valve stem for the wheels of this tracked vehicle can be extremely time-consuming. For this type of difficult job, it’s always beneficial to bring with you a box of pre-drilled holes for the valve stems.
A highly technical skill you may develop is the ability to check the echo rate. This is very complex and involves a great deal of coordination. First, remove the valve cover from the engine and crank it manually until the number 1 piston intake valve(s) is open. Next, lean in close to the engine head. Finally, yell your name into the open intake valve and very quickly run to the end of the vehicle and place your ear up to the tailpipe. If you can hear your name yelled back, then the echo rate is good. For vehicles with two tailpipes, you may need to perform this twice, once on each tailpipe, to determine the echo rate.
Well, by now your day will probably draw to a close. Keeping your work area clean will help you to do a good job tomorrow so go out behind your facility and gather up a full bucket of prop wash. But be sure to fill a bucket of dehydrated water to go with your prop wash. Never mix chemicals you’re not familiar with! You may also need to pick up some camouflage paint, just in case you needed to do any body work that you’ll have to touch up. Note: make certain the vehicle doesn’t require infra-red, camouflage paint. That would be disastrous! Also, this would be a good time to swing by the supply section and order the parts, materials, etc. needed to complete the unfinished jobs tomorrow. Things like muffler bearings, alternator hoses, and glove box filters should be ordered today so that they’ll be ready to install the next work day.
Usually about this time is when the customer comes around asking questions regarding the completion of the work. Now is the best time for you to brush up on your people skills. Be sure to let them know how difficult it was replacing the radiator filters. For the left-handed customer with a straight drive, let them know that you’ve placed an order through supply for a left-handed shifter handle and it won’t arrive until tomorrow. For customers wanting exhaust work, let them know that they could’ve sped up the time needed for service if only they had first collected an exhaust sample. This can be done by having the customer stand at the tailpipe with a trash bag and “gather” exhaust as the vehicle is running. Make sure the customer ties off the bag quickly. Don’t want to give the EPA or OSHA reason to perform a surprise inspection on the facility. If the customer simply wanted preventive maintenance, inform them that the windshield wiper lube hasn’t arrived yet and that you should be receiving it the next day. Never let a vehicle leave your care without all of its fluids topped off and ready to go! Make the customer feel like you’re working extra hard just for them by performing the 60,000 mile service to the cigarette lighter unit. Or that you’ve just replaced the snipe sensor for free and it needs to sit overnight in order for it to be properly calibrated. And if that doesn’t convince them, just tell them that you can’t complete the work because there is too much gas in the fuel lines.
Happy mechanic-ing!
BB
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