What Have You Learned from Tech?

[n2xlr8n]

That said, they sometimes see things in the field that the engineer may not. I don’t think a guy like Dr. Andrew Randolph or the late Keith Duckworth has/had assembled many engines (I could be wrong!), but you would be a doofus to not listen to him or anything written by or about Keith based on that.

Exactly.

My former director (PhD Physicist) was like that. Put a meter in his hand and stand back- something was going to arc.

But- if he told you (from behind his desk) that the beam steering was fluctuating due to X..you had better be listening.

Quick story: When I built my first BBC, it didn't perform as expected on the track. He took one look at the setup/timeslip/datalog and stated: You're not supplying enough fuel volume. I'm thinking: Right. Two months later when a racer told me the same thing, I replaced the -8 with -10.

It flew.

Point is, some folks are so bright (and educated) that they are capable of logic we can't even imagine. I'm okay with that, just teach me.

[rfoll]

Oh I understand what you are saying, it's just when you deal with issues all the time such as wiring harness chaffing which on these particular vehicles was a known issue after about the first year of production,one would think they could resolve it.Instead they tell you where it is going to happen tell you to cut open and repair a harness that is barely long enough as it is. Or tell you to reroute after the repair to avoid the issue, you would think if they knew it needed rerouted slightly after years of production they would do it in the first place.

I have a friend that makes a living repairing Ford automatic transmissions. The trouble prone parts that fail are always replaced by the same part under warranty, instead of the upgraded replacement. He makes a good living doing post-warranty repair at $2500+ per trans.

[FC-Pilot]

I totally get why this type of sentiment comes about. It's from frustration. But understand it wasn't done "just because". Everybody has their set of pressures and motivations. The engineers have theirs too, and are likely being held to certain constraints. What comes out is a product with a set of compromises in ways everyone involved with the design believes will be the most successful. In other words, sell the most without sacrificing quality to an unacceptable level.

I formerly worked for a third party testing company that did brake testing for many of the auto manufacturers. Seeing some of the constraints some of them had to work within was amazing. They had very little "wiggle room" to build a better mouse trap. Now I am employed my one of the manufacturers and I am shocked as to how stuff rolls downhill. Needless to say, I know what cars I am not buying.

Paul

[stealth]

I've learned a lot of interesting things.

I have also learned that a lot of magazine writers are full of ..it! if the magazine focuses on how a car looks over how it functions (basically 90% of the American magazine market and all of the UK market that filters to this continent) then you can read it but be prepared to throw the magazine in anger. ESPECIALLY the UK rags, there seemed to be a mindset that knowledge about how things worked was indicative of being in a lower class, so displaying ignorance was a sign of being high class. About the third time I saw a certain magazine say that a slipping clutch would "split the transmission case",

This says it all......

[MadBill]

Agghh! Not only is it a clutch disc, but he also appears to be sliding it directly onto the transmission input shaft without bothering to sandwich it between the flywheel and the pressure plate..

[peejay]

You don't check a clutch disk for fitment on the trans to make sure they gave you the right one, and that there are no burrs on the splines?

I mean, er... No, see, that is those Toyota full diameter brake pads. Or rather the friction material rotates and the calipers clamp the iron. That way any runout is self corrected. The damper springs are an innovative anti-lock mechanism that prevents wheel lockup due to stuttering over bumps.

(I have a PhD in BS!)

[GARY C]

Thats one of them there jack brake thingies like them ol truckers use.

[GARY C]

Reminds me of Smokeys explanation of why Ford Engines have the oil pan on backwards !!

Thanks
Randy

le.

I totally get why this type of sentiment comes about. It's from frustration. But understand it wasn't done "just because". Everybody has their set of pressures and motivations. The engineers have theirs too, and are likely being held to certain constraints. What comes out is a product with a set of compromises in ways everyone involved with the design believes will be the most successful. In other words, sell the most without sacrificing quality to an unacceptable level.

This makes me think about the restraints tech writers have to deal with to try to bring the best info to the public while making the publisher and the product supplier happy.

[FC-Pilot]

I can't say that is the company I work for, but I can't say I don't work for them either. If I showed that picture to most of my engineers here at work they would not get what the problem is.

Paul

[Belgian1979]

I can't say that is the company I work for, but I can't say I don't work for them either. If I showed that picture to most of my engineers here at work they would not get what the problem is.

Paul

That made me smile.