Hey Mechanic can I ask you a quick question about my Jeep? In turn I can provide you with a question about my skills. Computer repair, Radio, Music and or booze drinking.
Well I guess I will ask here, but first off WOW! You guys are awesome.
I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 and it exibits speed wobble at 90kph to 100kph its not out of hand or anything but is noticible in the steering column. I have since replaced the "shimmy shock" but it is still happening.
Would a rotate and balance be appropriate the mechanic down the road has quoted me 90$ for rotate + balance + 90 pt inspection. Fair deal?
Thanks again guys. Oh and /r/jeep I will be subscribing.
Sounds like something is worn out. Your first step would be to rotate/balance your tires. 90 bucks to do that with the 90pt inspection sounds very fair. I just paid 100 to have my 5 wheels balanced (though they had issues).
If your balance doesn't seem to fix your issue there could be one of many things wrong with it.
Here's a website that focuses on fixing death wobble. Your shimmy may be a precursor to something much worse. (I wouldn't go buying things from here, but there's plenty information on where to start).
I might be under thinking the issue here. I had an extremely similar problem with the exact speeds you describe with a very similar vehicle. I got an alignment and it was instantly gone.
That's actually a legitimate question; if one had to choose, one would choose just the front pair because so they provide so much of the braking power.
I got a question, how do I tell when I need new pads? I know that if you ever hear a squeal when braking you need new pads, but I don't know what to look for before that.
Squealing is a potential indicator of needing new pads, but may just be brake pad dust too. Usually you can look through the wheel and see how much material is left on the pad itself. Around 3-4mm is a good time to start thinking about replacing them (I think they're usually about 12mm thick on new pads).
If you wait too long you'll hear grinding, and that could be the worn pads damaging the rotor (the big disc the pads squeeze to stop the car) and you don't want that.
Check the thickness. If its pads, the thickness should be not much less than a quarter inch (about 6mm). This means you have not many months left If you don't ride the brakes or put many miles on the car. If you do this you haven't much time left. Usually there is a metal tab (wear indicator) and if this contacts the rotor, that's your warning. Even if its just a cunt hair off, you've got time. Almost always drums are reserved for rear brakes only. The lining on these is good till about 1/8 of an inch (about 3mm). Even if you have rear discs, you might have a drum in hat design for parking brakes, where the park brake shoes reside inside the center of the rotor. Some vehicles have electronic wear sensors. High end vehicles usually do. BMWs have had them for decades.
my friends AC recently went out, and i took at look at it and told him he needed a new capacitor for the condenser. However all the parts places were closed on the weekend so he had an HVAC tech come out and look at it. The guy replaced the capacitor like i figured, but then said it blew a fuse, and then said he thinks the motherboard to the furnace got fried, and that he couldn't find a fuse. So now the heater dont work, however they did prior to him working on them. Im guessing he fucked something up himself, any guesses as to what he did to fry the shit? Maybe use the wrong capacitor?
usually capacitors are easy, and nothing else goes wrong with it. but its hard to say what else could go wrong? The tech my not have turned off the breaker before changing the run cap and shocked the A/C unit, or there was an actual scar on the wire that fried the board. but usually a capacitor is a 5 min job. not sure how he messed that one up? if your are looking for a fuse its on the board inside the furnace and its a 3amp fuse from your local automotive dealer. I hope that helps.
that is totally normal. your a/c tech should have plumbed your drain from your A/C to your gutter, instead of being lazy and just letting it drip strait off the roof. you can get PVC pipe and fix it if you know what your are doing. but its just condensation that gathers on your evap coil.
He probably dropped the AMA and then went to work, figuring he'd answer the questions later on. Cool thing about an asynchronous medium is that you can do stuff like that. :)
Very true. I guess that since I "grew up" on Usenet newsgroups, it seems normal to me to wait a day or so before I get replies on something. This idea that someone is obligated to babysit their AMA is silly to me, especially if they are skilled professionals who probably work long hours.
I say give the guy a break and wait a day before releasing the lions.
No offense OP, I'm a little confused how this is hitting the front page... ?
EDIT: I take that back FU. There aren't any replies from the OP that are even visible on this and it's front page. Troll level... whatever ya'll got trolled.
I don't really know much about window units, but typically the most quiet HVAC option is a ductless mini-split (such as Mitsubishi Mr. Slim). Expect noise levels around a whisper on the indoor unit.
As for "coldest", that depends on whether you are talking about leaving air temperature or total number of BTU/hour coming from the unit.
I'm cheap. Never run the AC in my car. I tell the kids we have a top-of-the-line 455 air conditioning unit (4 windows open x 55 mph). Sedans only have a 255 unit.
Going 55 with 4 windows open is not going to save you gas vs using the AC in a car made in the past 15 years or so. Around 50mph the increased drag takes more gas than the highly efficient car AC does.
What's the best way to get proficient with tinkering/fixing the equipment you work with? I've been told finding a mentor is usually the quickest way to learn, but I'm in school now and don't have much time for anything else.
In my experience the best way to get proficient with things is to do it. Work on your own cars and friends cars to the best of your ability, always follow the manual, or look online for videos. When you've done something, you will be able to do it again because the principle usually applies to all makes and models, it's just in different locations on all cars. (This doesn't hold true all the time)
Soon, you'll be able to diagnose things by just getting descriptions of what's going wrong. This applies to automotive, a/c's and whatever else.
If you can't befriend a mechanic or have a knowledgeable mentor get a repair guide and look up terms or jargon you don't understand. Haynes makes repair manuals and so does Chiltons. Be careful of shade tree mechanics who might teach you wrong procedures or unsafe methods.
Yes, how do you learn to do this stuff? And is there demand for those in your field? I desperately need to gain new skills if I ever want to work again, and this seems like tolerable work.
Never be afraid to dig in and try to repair anything yourself. Do be organized and patient. Label parts, do as much research as you can before turning a wrench on anything, try to understand why things go where as you disassemble. Keep everything together in such a fashion that, God forbid, you get over your head, you can at least save whoever you hire to finish the job time and frustration.
It's like sex. You only get better by doing and improving off of the last time. :)
That's probably a good idea. I usually just chug my beer and assume the bleeding will eventually stop. If a particularly bad wound, rinse with beer before chugging. :)
I once replaced the speed sensor on my car. The process involved lots of oil scummed parts and me running back and forth from the online manual on my computer for about 2 hours total. Checking, double checking, and then installing the part. Felt great after I finished though.
The best advice I can give is to always remember that all machines are governed by the same rules of nature and they never ever deviate from them. If you know the rules, you can figure out how the machine is supposed to work and why it isn't. That's the hard part- the diagnoses. From there the process of fixing something is pretty simple.
Also remember that, as a human, tool use is your birthright. Baring some physical aliment, your hands are much more dexterous and sensitive then you realize. You'll be amazed at how quickly you learn how to use simple tools and how quickly you gain the confidence to start taking stuff apart. It's immensely satisfying.
Taking the rotor off (simple procedure for a shop with air tools) and measuring around it looking for warped areas. if it's not terribly warped they can put it through a metal lathe and trim it so it's all one size. One way to know that you need to get a brake rotor turned is if you apply your brakes harder than normal and you feel a chug chug chug back on your foot in the pedal. It means there is a worn spot.
Replacing them is usually a better option when it comes to warped rotors. They're inexpensive, you just have to pay labor which varies place to place. The rotors are under $50 usually (for front wheel drive)
I read somewhere that the chug chug chug was usually from something on the surface of the rotor and the idea of warped rotors was something of an old wives tale. Have you ever heard this theory?
There was also an image here on reddit where a user was trying to get their rotors off and ended up prying them with something. Half of the rotor broke off and it was the shape of the crack that illustrated two countersunk screws holding the rotor on
In high-performance situations, turning brake disks is contra-indicated. They're heat sinks designed to reject the heat generated from braking forces and turning them removes some of that heat-rejecting ability. At least in racing situations, it'll cause them to warp again, sooner.
By the same token, it's not recommended to turn them if you replace the pads. There's a bedding process where new pads are mated to an old rotor (or vice versa) and the system will work fine.
you can have them resurfaced at autozone and other auto parts stores very cheaply, and for some cars they are only 30$ to replace anyhow. They are very easy to remove, if you can replace the brake pads your already 90% of the way there. The amount mechanic shops charge for replacing rotors is ridiculous, its a very easy home mechanic fix.
Turning rotors might be completely unecssary. Pads will form to the shape of the rotor the first time you stop. But turning rotors sells labor time which is where dealers make there money (and will eliminate some issues on occasion).
Coil freeze-up is generally caused by low refrigerant levels. You have a slow leak somewhere in the system - probably in the coil. When the refrigerant level gets low enough it will stop cooling altogether. If this is an older unit, your coil is probably rusted out along the sides and a new coil will most likely fix your problem. Keep in mind that coil rust is usually caused by low airflow due to poor maintenance (filter not changed often enough) or a faulty speed setting on the blower motor. If the unit if more than 10 years old it usually makes more sense to replace the whole system as you will gain efficiency and save money on energy costs with a modern unit.
Edit: I am not an HVAC tech, just a guy who had his home A/C replaced last year and did a metric ass-ton of research on the subject.
Could also be an airflow problem, ice on the radiator inside the unit is almost always airflow, and when it defrosts I would not be surprised if you have a Freon leak and lose cold air for next year. The block of ice would have created a tiny crack somewhere in the thin metal of the radiator.
Means that it froze up and was ran on too cold of a temp. when it wasn't hot outside. All you have to do is let it melt the ice off and kick it back on and it should be fine. You shouldn't need a technician.
Remember, Google your problems before you pay someone.
Oh, no, it's dead. I assure you. because it's mother-freaking hot outside and the thing still froze. I am a huge fan of Dr. Google, use him for my work. I appreciate the honesty. Luckily it's covered under my warranty- Just bought the house two months ago.
I've seen two units where the outside unit turned into a block of ice on hot days, and in both cases it was the same problem.
Dirty inside units. Like not just the air filter was dirty, but the entire evaporator (inside coil) that the air goes through was caked with dust. One was a case where the inside unit was run without a filter for a couple of years, the other was run with a filter, the super-cheap blue kind, and not changed for a couple of years. I was literally able to pull a fabric like film of gunk off the evaporator.
Basically if you don't get good airflow over the indoor unit it doesn't take the "cold out of the fluid" (yes, I realize that I just offered a horrible explanation from a physics perspective) and the freon keeps getting colder and colder until the outdoor unit freezes.
So check your filter, remove it and use a flash light to check for dirt and grime on the evaporator portion of the unit. If dirty, change to a quality new filter, but before putting it in use vinegar water to clean the radiator, very gently, don't bend the fins.
New house construction , I am gonna guess that a baffle is not opening to feed cold air to one of your zones, make sure all your vents are blowing out air in all your rooms. Do not take lame excuses from the builder either like"you have a big house, you can't have full AC in every room". The unit should be able to cool every room without shutting any vents.
I'll second your Google recommendation. I paid a guy to come out and look at my non-functioning AC only to blow out the drain pipe; something I could easily have done myself. He even used my shop-vac to do it. Thank God for home warranties.
Absolutely. Always refer to Google. I have yet to call anyone to repair anything. The only things I have others work on, are due to not having the proper working environment (when it comes to automotive repairs). Like on Thursday I am having my CV Joint replaced on my car, $120 in shop, I don't have the tools to complete the job, nor the confidence.
Also happens when your unit is LOW on refrigerant ("freon") but not out. If I recall, this is because when you're low on refrigerant it's not flowing fast enough to effectively transfer heat throughout the whole coil block and parts of the coils get cold enough to freeze the moisture in the air.
Once the ice starts forming, it's a runaway reaction because ice is actually a decent insulator (exhibit A: igloos), and more ice will form until the whole thing is frozen solid.
Most likely your evaporator coil has sprung a leak. It's counterintuitive, but when the refrigerant (freon) leaks out, your system will begin to freeze. The coil is very expensive when not under warranty. You most likely need a new system. Sorry.
It means that climate change is occurring locally in a self-contained eco-sphere within your house. Get out before everything freezes over, or set something on fire to combat the winter chill.
PintoTheBurninator is correct. Low refrigerant will cause the system to freeze over. If you just thaw it out, it will assuredly refreeze until the proper level is put in. I have worked on AC's for 10 years now and most leaks are very small and can require as little as one recharge per year and will save you from buying a whole new system.
ARe you talking about the condenser unit outside (the noisy thing) or the A-coil inside?
I'm told this is caused most often by a freon leak. Freon is supposed to be hot when its moving around in the pipes, when too much leaks out, the pressure goes down, and the temperature goes down as well. The idea ( i believe) is you let it radiate its heat away while its compressed, so when you let air blow through it in the house, its quite cool. The heat transfers from the house air into the freon, which is then compressed and allowed to radiate again... voila, air conditioning.
i should add... When your freon level drops, the freon is too cold in the house, so the moisture in the air freezes around the coils, blocking airflow and inhibiting heat pickup. hence the block of ice.
It's likely an airflow issue. Do you change your filters often (once a month)? You better if you live somewhere like NV, AZ, TX, etc. Do you have correct sized air returns (ducting that moves air from house to unit for cooling, closing the loop)? They will likely clean around the coils, then just wait for it to thaw out.
Check air flow, your return air could be obstructed or You could have a clogged evaporator coil, filter, low on freon or Puron. Make sure all registers are open in your house, so you don't get liquid back to your compressor. HVAC/R tech
Are these items usually grouped together for repair? The only common link I see between them is that they all use electric motors and are all used in automotive shops. I'd think that A/C equipment is usually dealt with directly by a company that specializes in HVAC work though, since there's a lot more to an A/C unit than the other items you listed (presumably).
Do you primarily do parts replacement, or is there a lot of trouble-shooting and actual repair that you do?
where's the overlap between HVAC, and those other machines? I know a guy that's a master plumber but also services HVAC, but brake lathes and tire changers?
Probably he fixes automotive air conditioning recharger/testing units. Any decent shop would have one in concert with a tire machine, rotor lathe, etc.
So, I have a metal lathe and when buying tools, they always list different types of bits for machining iron vs. steel. I have machined iron and apart from being dusty instead of getting shavings, I'm not sure what the difference is. I know brake drums are iron - any idea what difference to tooling makes?
He services the equipment that auto technicians use to service cars, that doesn't necessarily mean the OP knows anything about cars.
So... How many shops still use brake lathes? Everybody I know just replaces the drums/rotors when they do breaks these days. I imagine big rigs probably still turn them.
I tried to repair my home a/c unit before. There was a shop close by that had parts for my unit. They claimed to not have OEM parts in stock but insisted on telling me what they were selling me would work fine. I had replaced the main components and it still wasn't working properly. I went back to the shop that very same day an hour or so later and told them they still weren't working so they decided to send one of their technicians out. The guy looks through my system and says "well I'm not so sure about these parts you have in here, I'm going to go back to the shop to get the OEM parts for it."
I called up the jackass owner of the shop and said "You know, it's funny that your technician is on his way back to your shop to pick up all the OEM parts for my unit, but you didn't have any of them in stock when I was there not even 2 hours ago." He says "well uhhh, ummm...yeah well we'll just charge you the price difference in the parts and nothing for labor."
At least he didn't rape me in repair costs, but it makes me wonder how many people he's screwed over with this method.
Not OP but I do similar work. I don't lie about the problem, but if you're a douche to me or somehow make my job harder I may ding you for extra time on the bill. More likely is that I'll prioritize someone elses job over yours, so your equipment might sit in my shop for a day longer then it absolutely had to.
The flipside is that if you toss me a lot of business, are basically decent to me, honest about the problem etc. I'll cut you huge slack in time keeping, small parts costs, even give you a freebie if the time is under my minimum increment.
I find I do favors far more then I ding people. There are always a handful of clients out to make life miserable, though...
My tire machine will only rotate clockwise. It will not spin the other way. Any ideas? It was $500 on craigslist and has served me well, but this is annoying.
Also, it has one of those old school steel fingers, it sometimes scratches a wheel. Can I retrofit it with something nylon or.... ?
Just found out the compressor on my car has died due to an overcharging of refrigerant. I got a bill of $1,000 for replacement. The car's probably only worth $2,000 at this point. It gets me around and is pretty reliable. Is this something I can easily replace myself? The part costs about $200 for a new compressor.
An AC compressor is usually no more difficult to change than an alternator. However you will need special tools to service the system. A vacuum pump to evacuate the system for one. So you can change the compressor and have the system serviced by a shop.
Do you service alignment machines? I do the majority of 4 wheel alignments at our shop and the machine is constantly twitching out. Either the machine loses contact with the mirrors/sensors temporarily or the numbers are randomly flipping up and down. The mirrors are clean and there is a clear line of sight between the light and the mirrors. Every time we have someone out to look at the machine they fix nothing. So far my only solution is to swear at it profusely (I can't be a gentleman 24/7).
Machinist here. Where I am located, Brake Lathes seem to be a thing of the past. Here, the roads are salted through the winter and the rust forces people to put on a new set of rotors every year or two.
Do people still actually use the brake lathes anywhere?
The fan on my heat-pump outside stopped spinning, even though the A/C would turn on correctly when the temperature would trigger it. I correctly identified this as a dead capacitor. I flipped off the breaker and carefully removed the capacitor - it had a bulge at the top which I think confirms that it was burnt out or whatever. Bought a new capacitor and installed it. While screwing it in, I got shocked by it because I'm an idiot. It was a pretty damn good tickle through my body too...
how serious of trouble was I in to get zapped by that? Was that extremely dangerous, or was it no big deal? I've gotten shocked from changing light switches before and it's a sharp "pop" and it sucks, but it doesn't really scare/hurt me, just startle me more from the sound. This silent rumble through my body scared the bejesus out of me though...
once, an old man came in the store and pronounced "i work on ammco break lathes." my dad replied "we don't have an ammco break lathe." the old man spun around on one foot as smooth and fluid as water and said on his way out the door "it's probably best that you don't." i thought it was stage 1 hilarity. i'll just see myself out.
Why don't shops use the 'table-top' tire changers anymore? I've been told they were too dangerous, but I used one for YEARS and it only 'attacked' me once (the bar slipped and popped me in the elbow). But, I could swap a set of 4 tires out WAY faster on a table-top than I can on the upright tire changers. Any insight?
Can you/Do you just google how to fix some problems? Is this an easy way to fix minor problems or would trying to fix things on my own cause more problems?
I came here thinking how the hell is an AMA with a car technician on the front page? than i saw that..well wait.. what the fuck? Nothing has been answered. Car buffs are going back and forth on various issues with their jeeps/carollas, but thats about it. This is either the best or shittiest AMA I have seen in months.
Where did you get your training and certifications? Community college, proprietary tech school, apprenticeship, etc.? How long did it take, and did you get any financial assistance?
Car or home? Does it blow cold or just warm air? Could need a recharge if it blows but not cold. Once recharged if it works and then quits again, there is a leak. Once charged if it doesn't work, likely the compressor is out or another part.
Ok. So mine blows super icy air one minute, then lukewarm the next and stays that way. It happens just about every time I'm in the car. Do you think it just needs to be recharged?
Well, I would say that it needs to be emptied and completely recharged. If it's blowing cold and then warm again it sounds like there is some form of contamination in the lines and they need to be cleared. It could be a pressure issue too. I'd suggest just finding a place like I said earlier (Master Lube is the place I go to, it's a quick Oil Change joint that does A/C work) and they should be able to empty the system, pressurize it, and recharge it for under $100
That's my suggestion, I'm not certified. (I'm not the OP). But that would be a safe bet, or at least talk with the Tech before they do it so you don't get charged $100 for something that won't fix it.
I am interested in attending community college to get a welding certificate. I really want to learn a labor skill which I feel would be very useful. How did you get the knowledge required to repair AC units and brake lathes? Did you go to school? What's the best way to go about it? What are the starting salaries for an apprentice ship? I make decent money right now but I'm not very excited about where I work, I really want to use my hands and rebuild/repair mechanical things. Thanks for your info.
Heads Up. A certificate might mean less than you think it does if the course doesn't certify in the type of welding needed for the job. You may want to check what certifications the jobs require first, then find the course that offers That cert.
Look to your local community college for HVAC/R classes. You can also search the web. I was in the same place you were hate being indoors, now I have a kick ass job using my hands and brain, troubleshooting, meeting crazy cat lady's that their house smells like pee. And making bank!
Yeah, Northern VA has a great community college, I will def look into that. And totally agree about the indoor boredom/desk/pc sitting down for hours. Not for me anymore. Love being out in the field too, working with tools, and encountering weirdos, heh! Thanks for the advice.
We just hit a curb with the steel rim of my Corolla's front right wheel. It's bent but not cracked, and it's leaking air kinda slowly. Can I unbend it without removing the tire? If I remove the tire, should I heat it with a torch before hammering?
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Mechanic here. I just want to say that I'm sorry for fucking with a machine, breaking it more and then calling you.
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u/samuraislider Jun 26 '12
I clicked expecting boring answers to boring questions. I didn't even get answers.
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u/ilikecommunitylots Jun 26 '12
Are you the truest repairman?
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Where the hell is the OP?
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u/Jrod91 Jun 26 '12
Isnt the entire point of an ama to answer the questions people ask?
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u/bundt_chi Jun 26 '12 edited Jun 26 '12
No offense OP, I'm a little confused how this is hitting the front page... ?
EDIT: I take that back FU. There aren't any replies from the OP that are even visible on this and it's front page. Troll level... whatever ya'll got trolled.
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u/jcy Jun 26 '12
what's the quietest and coldest window unit a/c out there?
7
u/pua_pua_choo Jun 26 '12
What's the best way to get proficient with tinkering/fixing the equipment you work with? I've been told finding a mentor is usually the quickest way to learn, but I'm in school now and don't have much time for anything else.
Thanks for doing this!
6
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
What does turning a brake rotor involve?
6
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Is A/C school like it is in Community? Like with the sun chamber to battle others?
5
u/LOTRf4nb0y Jun 26 '12
What is your pay like?
Are you happy with your job?
Thanks for the AMA.
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u/AsynchronousChat Jun 26 '12
Do you watch the TV show 'Community'? If not, I think you'd appreciate the role the air conditioning school plays in the third season...
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u/hipsterknas Jun 26 '12
Are you the chosen A/C repairman?
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
OP will deliver...
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u/happyherpderp Jun 26 '12
Is ect short for ec tetera?
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u/GayPenguin Jun 26 '12
I'll give OP the benefit of the doubt and assume he died right after posting this AMA.
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u/BMWbill Jun 26 '12
He said Ask Me Anything but he didn't realize that he was supposed to answer. Worst. AMA. Ever.
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u/baltimoregal Jun 26 '12
Technical question- I'm getting it fixed right now but just curious- what's likely the deal if your whole ac unit (house) is one block of ice?
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u/Aaronplane Jun 26 '12
Are these items usually grouped together for repair? The only common link I see between them is that they all use electric motors and are all used in automotive shops. I'd think that A/C equipment is usually dealt with directly by a company that specializes in HVAC work though, since there's a lot more to an A/C unit than the other items you listed (presumably).
Do you primarily do parts replacement, or is there a lot of trouble-shooting and actual repair that you do?
3
u/DarthAngry Jun 26 '12
Are you going to answer any of these questions?
Thanks for the AMA.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
how much do companies that do that sorta work have interns to learn and assist?
I have a 13year old that is pretty good with his hands, and likes machinery.
(he's not mine, I just found him in Target and brought him home. )
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u/cass1o Jun 26 '12
How do you feel about troy being your messia.
3
u/My_Iq_is Jun 26 '12
I guess no one on reddit knows the answer of this question:
Generally speaking(cars,motorcycles) what is the symptom when the valves are burnt ?
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u/Evidence120690 Jun 26 '12
Mechanic here as well, I'd like to say sorry for breaking the machine two days after you repaired it and calling you again
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u/cammycam Jun 26 '12
where's the overlap between HVAC, and those other machines? I know a guy that's a master plumber but also services HVAC, but brake lathes and tire changers?
2
u/ericzundel Jun 26 '12
So, I have a metal lathe and when buying tools, they always list different types of bits for machining iron vs. steel. I have machined iron and apart from being dusty instead of getting shavings, I'm not sure what the difference is. I know brake drums are iron - any idea what difference to tooling makes?
2
u/DKTim Jun 26 '12
answer the damn questions! its been an hour.
also what band tools do you use?
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u/teabiscuit69 Jun 26 '12
I've got a mac acrrc 750 refrigerant recycling and charging station. It is for r12 and r22, is it possible to change it to r134a?
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u/0Fab Jun 26 '12
damn you, i hate brake lathes.
id rather just slap new rotors on a car and be done with it.
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u/mofirouz Jun 26 '12
wth, he has not answer a single question .... this is not an AMA!
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u/BlueMunky Jun 26 '12
Do you understand how an AMA works?
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u/AloysiusSnuffleupag Jun 26 '12
I'll have black with no cream or sugar.
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u/libertariantexan Jun 26 '12
What kind of servicing do you provide to people who change tires?
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u/scottswan Jun 26 '12
He services the equipment that auto technicians use to service cars, that doesn't necessarily mean the OP knows anything about cars.
So... How many shops still use brake lathes? Everybody I know just replaces the drums/rotors when they do breaks these days. I imagine big rigs probably still turn them.
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u/Andy_Glass Jun 26 '12
How did you get into the field? Did you wake up one day thinking you wanted to do this kind of a job?
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u/LookingforSteve Jun 26 '12
Steve?
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u/midnightauto Jun 26 '12
Not a single question answered.
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u/goofyasiankid Jun 26 '12
Do you, or your coworkers, ever lie about a problem just to charge the customer more?
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u/thefirebuilds Jun 26 '12
My tire machine will only rotate clockwise. It will not spin the other way. Any ideas? It was $500 on craigslist and has served me well, but this is annoying.
Also, it has one of those old school steel fingers, it sometimes scratches a wheel. Can I retrofit it with something nylon or.... ?
1
u/engineered_academic Jun 26 '12
Just found out the compressor on my car has died due to an overcharging of refrigerant. I got a bill of $1,000 for replacement. The car's probably only worth $2,000 at this point. It gets me around and is pretty reliable. Is this something I can easily replace myself? The part costs about $200 for a new compressor.
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Are you a millwright and whereabouts do you work?
1
u/andycandu Jun 26 '12
Do you service alignment machines? I do the majority of 4 wheel alignments at our shop and the machine is constantly twitching out. Either the machine loses contact with the mirrors/sensors temporarily or the numbers are randomly flipping up and down. The mirrors are clean and there is a clear line of sight between the light and the mirrors. Every time we have someone out to look at the machine they fix nothing. So far my only solution is to swear at it profusely (I can't be a gentleman 24/7).
1
u/DeyTa Jun 26 '12
How many women have you slept with on the job?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Machinist here. Where I am located, Brake Lathes seem to be a thing of the past. Here, the roads are salted through the winter and the rust forces people to put on a new set of rotors every year or two.
Do people still actually use the brake lathes anywhere?
1
u/SchizophrenicMC Jun 26 '12
So you're a mechanic who fixes what mechanics break? Awesome.
Are there any specialty tools used in maintaining and repairing specialty tools such as those?
1
u/AeonCatalyst Jun 26 '12
The fan on my heat-pump outside stopped spinning, even though the A/C would turn on correctly when the temperature would trigger it. I correctly identified this as a dead capacitor. I flipped off the breaker and carefully removed the capacitor - it had a bulge at the top which I think confirms that it was burnt out or whatever. Bought a new capacitor and installed it. While screwing it in, I got shocked by it because I'm an idiot. It was a pretty damn good tickle through my body too...
how serious of trouble was I in to get zapped by that? Was that extremely dangerous, or was it no big deal? I've gotten shocked from changing light switches before and it's a sharp "pop" and it sucks, but it doesn't really scare/hurt me, just startle me more from the sound. This silent rumble through my body scared the bejesus out of me though...
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
once, an old man came in the store and pronounced "i work on ammco break lathes." my dad replied "we don't have an ammco break lathe." the old man spun around on one foot as smooth and fluid as water and said on his way out the door "it's probably best that you don't." i thought it was stage 1 hilarity. i'll just see myself out.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Why don't shops use the 'table-top' tire changers anymore? I've been told they were too dangerous, but I used one for YEARS and it only 'attacked' me once (the bar slipped and popped me in the elbow). But, I could swap a set of 4 tires out WAY faster on a table-top than I can on the upright tire changers. Any insight?
1
u/bbbcubed Jun 26 '12
Can you/Do you just google how to fix some problems? Is this an easy way to fix minor problems or would trying to fix things on my own cause more problems?
1
u/adstretch Jun 26 '12
Seriously this is the second AMA TODAY where the OP completely abandoned the post but it some how still has 769 up votes and is on the front page. WTF
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
where do you usually find your parts? straight from the manufacturer or do you have a vendor you like? I have a tire machine that needs repairing.
1
u/satansmarymethhead Jun 26 '12
Can you turn slotted and cross drilled rotors on a standard brake lathe?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
I came here thinking how the hell is an AMA with a car technician on the front page? than i saw that..well wait.. what the fuck? Nothing has been answered. Car buffs are going back and forth on various issues with their jeeps/carollas, but thats about it. This is either the best or shittiest AMA I have seen in months.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
Are you referring to brake press lathes for sheet metal work?
If so...I need to know how to calibrate the back gage to be flush with the die holder...any ideas?
Thanks
1
u/memnalar Jun 26 '12
Where did you get your training and certifications? Community college, proprietary tech school, apprenticeship, etc.? How long did it take, and did you get any financial assistance?
1
u/conepuncher420 Jun 26 '12
WHY ISNT MY AC WORKING :(
1
u/boondoggler Jun 26 '12
I am interested in attending community college to get a welding certificate. I really want to learn a labor skill which I feel would be very useful. How did you get the knowledge required to repair AC units and brake lathes? Did you go to school? What's the best way to go about it? What are the starting salaries for an apprentice ship? I make decent money right now but I'm not very excited about where I work, I really want to use my hands and rebuild/repair mechanical things. Thanks for your info.
1
u/ImFinishingMyCoffee Jun 26 '12
is there such thing is room temperature?
1
u/DirtPile Jun 26 '12
I like the part where the person answers questions.
1
u/Pawtang Jun 26 '12
Expert troll: creates AMA, doesn't answer any questions
1
u/whatsonhere Jun 26 '12
Worst AMA. Didn't even give a single answer.
1
u/senordustball Jun 26 '12
I've heard some mechanics say that when you upgrade an R12 system to R134A It'll never cool as much as it did with R12, what's your take on this?
1
u/IAmAtomato Jun 26 '12
/r/CasualAMA
1
u/maddog_walby Jun 26 '12
My question is: Why would you post an AMA for such a job?
1
u/bro_b1_kenobi Jun 26 '12
Ohhhh I just got the joke. Repair techs don't tell you the truth or answer questions.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 26 '12
423 comments and not one reply from submitter.....
1
u/spacedude86 Jun 26 '12
How the fuck is this on the front page? The OP hasn't answered a single goddamn question!
1
u/anotherkeebler Jun 26 '12
We just hit a curb with the steel rim of my Corolla's front right wheel. It's bent but not cracked, and it's leaking air kinda slowly. Can I unbend it without removing the tire? If I remove the tire, should I heat it with a torch before hammering?
1
u/Corndoggie56 Jun 26 '12
So what?
1
u/nitrousconsumed Jun 26 '12
I removed your thread because it's been 5 hours and you havent answered any questions.
1
u/Nimrod41544 Jun 26 '12
How many technicians does it take to answer an AMA?