Aquaintance has trouble getting engine fixed ... This is sad

[MSCH]

Anyway, I guess my point is we're running out of talented mechanics on LI. Clinebarger, any interest in opening a shop in the NE? You'd probably make a killing.

NY engineer, intelligent talented mechanics learn quickly which jobs to stay away from.
Intelligent talented mechanics quickly learn they dont make any money diagnosing , doing driveability or doing heavy engine repairs..
intelligent talented mechanics know there is more money in jobs that dont require driving the vehicle, such as brake jobs, belts, hoses and AC than anything else.

I'm pretty skilled at this sh t... spent 40 years doing it.. was a triple Master ASE among other things... but I'll tellya I can still remember one of the guys I worked with coming up to me, while I was in the process of replacing one cylinder liner in a C series Cummins buried in a bus chassis.... and he said to me " I WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT" to which I quickly replied " YOU ARE LUCKY YOU DON'T"... I was lucky because I got paid by the hour, not flat rate or I would have quit if that was the work I had to feed my family off of.

 

[Trav]

What Timing Belt can you make $1000 profit on?

Some of the Euro cars are a bit pricey, you have to pull most of the nose sans fenders. The belt is easy, stripping it down can take the time if you have to deal with rusted crap.

 

[Timmastertech]

Doesn't work as Honda engine turn the other direction

Only some of the 4 cylinders, any with the accessory drive on the left side of the engine compartment are reverse rotation.

 

[bullwinkle]

honda crank bolts are retarded
i had to use 10 feet of pipe as a cheater bar on the last honda i did

You need one of those crank holders that hook on the balancer, and a high mass 19 mm impact socket, believe O’Reilly has the holder as a free loaner tool. Then even a pedestrian impact can get the bolt out! Disclaimer-I use my Astro 1100 to get them out, with the Airkeg giving me extra air close by, then a standard impact socket can do it. Same tool holds the engine in place for the torque wrench to retorque it going back together.

 

[Number_35]

Some of the Euro cars are a bit pricey, you have to pull most of the nose sans fenders. The belt is easy, stripping it down can take the time if you have to deal with rusted crap.

View attachment 154639

That is something else, but if an engine does have to have a complex arrangement like that, I prefer belts that are designed to be replaced rather than "lifetime" timing chains.

 

[clinebarger]

NY engineer, intelligent talented mechanics learn quickly which jobs to stay away from.
Intelligent talented mechanics quickly learn they dont make any money diagnosing , doing driveability or doing heavy engine repairs..
intelligent talented mechanics know there is more money in jobs that dont require driving the vehicle, such as brake jobs, belts, hoses and AC than anything else.

I'm pretty skilled at this sh t... spent 40 years doing it.. was a triple Master ASE among other things... but I'll tellya I can still remember one of the guys I worked with coming up to me, while I was in the process of replacing one cylinder liner in a C series Cummins buried in a bus chassis.... and he said to me " I WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT" to which I quickly replied " YOU ARE LUCKY YOU DON'T"... I was lucky because I got paid by the hour, not flat rate or I would have quit if that was the work I had to feed my family off of.

You have to charge for your time, Shops seem to struggle with this....I try to attend every shop owner seminar I can as I'm only 4 years into running my own show.....They really drive home charging for Diagnostics & My customers have yet to complain about Diag charges.

Not test driving a vehicle & doing the initial pad bedding after a brake job is a bizarre practice in my opinion, It's rare I don't test drive after a repair unless it's bulbs/wipers/belts/hoses/Some electrical repair.

If you're setup for Engine/Transmission Repair & have a GOOD Cylinder Head guy & Torque Converter guy.....There's good money to be made! I love doing Engine replacement & Transmission builds while I dislike hanging brakes & struts all day.

 

[dumkid]

You need one of those crank holders that hook on the balancer, and a high mass 19 mm impact socket, believe O’Reilly has the holder as a free loaner tool. Then even a pedestrian impact can get the bolt out! Disclaimer-I use my Astro 1100 to get them out, with the Airkeg giving me extra air close by, then a standard impact socket can do it. Same tool holds the engine in place for the torque wrench to retorque it going back together.

we tried that, our air compressor is in the opposite corner of the garage from where we were working. nobody near us had a high mass socket. we do own the crank hold down tool and it was a lifesaver

 

[MSCH]

You have to charge for your time, Shops seem to struggle with this....I try to attend every shop owner seminar I can as I'm only 4 years into running my own show.....They really drive home charging for Diagnostics & My customers have yet to complain about Diag charges.

Not test driving a vehicle & doing the initial pad bedding after a brake job is a bizarre practice in my opinion, It's rare I don't test drive after a repair unless it's bulbs/wipers/belts/hoses/Some electrical repair.

If you're setup for Engine/Transmission Repair & have a GOOD Cylinder Head guy & Torque Converter guy.....There's good money to be made! I love doing Engine replacement & Transmission builds while I dislike hanging brakes & struts all day.

if you can get your customers to pay for diagnosis, that is great...
but you know how they are, "what do you mean you want an hours labor to look at it"..

as far as driving it, I didn't really mean the brakes, you have to make sure they operate.
but the best money seems to be had from things that don't require diagnosis or driving the car...

I'm retired now, but I wouldn't tie up my shop with those big jobs.. Really dont want any job that takes more than a few hours..

 

[Audiman]

If they don’t want to pay for diagnosis it’s not getting fixed. I don’t work for free my kids don’t eat fresh air.

 

[NYEngineer]

NY engineer, intelligent talented mechanics learn quickly which jobs to stay away from.
Intelligent talented mechanics quickly learn they dont make any money diagnosing , doing driveability or doing heavy engine repairs..
intelligent talented mechanics know there is more money in jobs that dont require driving the vehicle, such as brake jobs, belts, hoses and AC than anything else.

I'm pretty skilled at this sh t... spent 40 years doing it.. was a triple Master ASE among other things... but I'll tellya I can still remember one of the guys I worked with coming up to me, while I was in the process of replacing one cylinder liner in a C series Cummins buried in a bus chassis.... and he said to me " I WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT" to which I quickly replied " YOU ARE LUCKY YOU DON'T"... I was lucky because I got paid by the hour, not flat rate or I would have quit if that was the work I had to feed my family off of.

THAT is exactly why I worked on generator sets and not boats, buses and earth moving equipment.

 

[MSCH]

THAT is exactly why I worked on generator sets and not boats, buses and earth moving equipment.

NYE, originally you said it was sad that no one had the skill set on LI... right?
my opinion is no one wants to do time consuming tedious work that has the high potential for comebacks.. on LI or anywhere else....

 

[NYEngineer]

NYE, originally you said it was sad that no one had the skill set on LI... right?
my opinion is no one wants to do time consuming tedious work that has the high potential for comebacks.. on LI or anywhere else....

Yeah, that's probably more like it.