In praise of HM

markba633csi

markba633csi

Mark Silva
H-M Supporter Gold Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2015
Messages
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Went to another forum to get some help repairing one of my cars (the forum shall remain anonymous)
and the attitude I ran into there- whoa- this one guy in particular was flaming me for asking "dumb" questions about a control module- didn't even read my post completely. I could see he was probably a "professional" mechanic who trolls the auto forums looking for people to belittle.
It seems they don't monitor some forums for behavior as well as others. It's a relief to come back here. Wow.
Mark S.
 
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I have to agree wholeheartedly with you this, markba633cdi. I've been a member of this group for a little over 4 years now, and am very pleased with
the quality, content, and expertise of its members and the judicious oversight of its moderators. It is obvious that many of the many "forums" out there
are poorly moderated if moderated at all. We are a very fortunate bunch of guys and gals.

CHuck the grumpy old guy
 
I think I understand the mind-set; this particular person was a "module-swapper", just put a new one in, don't worry what's inside of it. Me, I want to know WHY it failed and WHAT failed so that maybe I could repair it better than the original designers made it.
It also seems that when criticizing the design of a vehicle or it's parts, people take it personally if they happen to own the very same vehicle. I think that was happening here as well. It's different with machine tools. Machinists are quite used to making and fixing; correcting design's weaknesses is part of the fun. And learning new things.
My O2 sensor's worth LOL
Mark S.
ps like it says in the South Bend "how to run a lathe" book: "keep your eye on the man ahead of you-you may be asked to take his place some day"
 
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Let me add to that. Some guys think theirs is the only way to do something.
Often someone comes up with a way that works just as well. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. But it works.
Sometimes it's downright wrong or dangerous.
But those guys that think their's is the only way and get all bent out of shape if you don't do it their way is what gets me. Isn't there room for more ways. Do we all have to follow that persons path to be capable or good at what we do?
 
Yep. And another thing just occurred to me: some people can't stand the idea of changing a design from stock. But stock and reliable are sometimes mutually exclusive.
Mark
ps ask me how I know- I have an Alfa. Is it running now?
No
:D
 
Being in the auto repair industry for far longer then I care to admit I have found that there are some that like to be that way toward others and its a shame. I've always tried to help if I can but that does come to an end if the person with the question suddenly knows more the me, as in why did you ask if you already know more about it then me. If I come across a bad module I darn well make sure I know why it failed so it doesn't happen again. As far what is inside that module and exactly how it works, the manufacturer whos cars I have made a career of repairing doesn't ever tell you exactly what is hiding in the box and you only need to know what inputs and outputs to expect. With common sense and some electronics experience you probably could fix a lot of module issues but for me at $100 plus dollars an hour not so much.
 
Here kitty kitty. Why back in the stone age when I was doing my apprenticeship I worked with many different machinist , tool makers . I was the guy who watched and learned , but some I asked why and how. Most guys running lathe use micrometers for all there measurements. An old Scotsman ,, Alex,, used the Mic for the first od, from there he used a depth vernier caliper. All the steps under cuts ,grooves. Another machinist taught how to use trammels for much more then most would even think about . All those attachments for trammels and large calipers are usable for measuring and layout. Machinist today most never even heard of ball trammels or how to use them. Sure gave me a big boost in my career back then.
 
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Silverbullet said:
Here kitty kitty. Why back in the stone age when I was doing my apprenticeship I worked with many different machinist , tool makers . I was the guy who watched and learned , but some I asked why and how. Most guys running lathe use micrometers for all there measurements. An old Scotsman ,, Alex,, used the Mic for the first od, from there he used a depth vernier caliper. All the steps under cuts ,grooves. Another machinist taught how to use trammels for much more then most would even think about . All those attachments for trammels and large calipers are usable for measuring and layout. Machinist today most never even heard of ball trammels or how to use them. Sure gave me a big boost in my career back then.
Click to expand...
This is one of the really fine things about HM. I'm always learning something. Silverbullet, I am one of those that never heard of ball trammels. I looked it up and now I know what they look like. But how do you use them?
 
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